A Christain group* has called on the international community urgently to force Israel to stop ethnically cleansing Jerusalem of its Christian inhabitants.

Hundreds of Jerusalem Christians are losing residency rights in their city due to the policies of the Israeli Ministry of Interior. The policy that aims to reduce the number of non-Jews in the city takes its toll on families and individuals who hold residency permits in foreign countries. No matter how long they travel abroad, no matter if they were born in Jerusalem before or after Israel occupied East Jerusalem, they are considered visitors in their own city.

Palestinian Christians who make today not more than 9,000 will lose 15 per cent of their population as a result of this policy. While Jews from all over the world and even converts to Judaism are allowed to immigrate to Israel under the Israeli “Law of Return”, the indigenous Jerusalemites are considered temporary residents. Originally, seven years of being out of Jerusalem was the deadline for losing one`s right to live in his own city. Now, only a proof of residency in another country is enough for Israel to consider Jerusalem as not `the centre of life` for this person or family and thus deny them the right of living in their home town once they travel abroad.

In addition to this particular policy, the Israeli authorities are still implementing other regulations aiming at further decreasing the numbers of Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, in Jerusalem. From freezing the law of family reunion to impossible requirements for building in the city, to the Separation Wall that separated hundreds from the centre of Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians of the city will soon lose half of their population.

The local churches in Jerusalem are gravely concerned, and join the call of their communities to put an end to Israel`s policies and refuse any kind of exclusivity over the city. At this stage Israel cannot be entrusted with the fate of this holy city and its people. The international and Christian communities need to act fast to defuse Israeli policies at the highest level.

We want peace and justice in the Holy Land with followers of all faiths living in dignity and with their rights protected. We believe that the international community can help us make it happen.

http://www.redress.cc/palestine/holylandchristians20080620