The World Council of Churches addresses the tenant of the White House and asks for answers to the “growing threats” that endanger the Christian presence. Meetings with Lapid, Abbas and the Saudi leaders. Telephone call from Abu Mazen to the Pope to relaunch the Palestinian question. In the background, the Abraham Accords and the oil emergency, which leaves the question of human rights violations in suspense.
Jerusalem () – Listen and respond “to the voices” of the Churches of the Holy Land, which are forced to “face growing threats” that even endanger “their very survival” and their future in the region. It is the request of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in a note, on the eve of the diplomatic trip of US President Joe Biden to the Middle East, scheduled for July 13-16. This will be the first mission to the region since entering the White House, more than a year and a half ago, and it is further confirmation that Washington’s attention now seems to be directed to other areas of the planet, from Asia-Pacific to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
In the note, signed by the general secretary, the Rev. Ioan Sauca, the WCC stresses that the Churches are “object of continuous violence and discrimination”; Added to this are “Israeli settlements, in continuous expansion” and, at the same time, the progressive “displacement of Palestinian communities, including Christians.” These actions, it continues, “represent a threat to the multi-religious and multicultural identity of Jerusalem” and “undermine any prospect of a viable two-state solution that guarantees peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis.” Finally, Biden and “all people of good will” are called upon to recognize that Jerusalem “is holy to all three religions” and a “city of two peoples.”
Biden’s diplomatic mission in the Middle East begins today with his arrival in Israel in the afternoon. The president will make a stop in the West Bank, in Ramallah, and will finally travel to Saudi Arabia, where he will participate in the summit of the Gulf countries. It will be four very busy days: meetings with Israeli leaders and with Prime Minister Yair Lapid, called to lead the country until the November elections (the fifth in less than four years) that could mark the return of Benjamin Netanyahu to power. It will be followed by a face-to-face meeting with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, and then the long-awaited stopover in the Wahhabi kingdom. There he will meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), over whom he plans the shadow of the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
During his stay in Israel and Palestine, Biden will meet with the leaders of the Jewish state and the talks will include the Iranian issue and the nuclear “threat” from the Ayatollahs. The US president will visit, among others, the Augusta Victoria Hospital, on the Mount of Olives, in the eastern sector of Jerusalem. It is one of the most prestigious Palestinian health centers, staffed by Israeli doctors and health personnel. In Bethlehem, he will participate in a summit with Abu Mazen, in which they are to announce a series of measures that the United States and Israel intend to adopt to strengthen and legitimize the Palestinian Authority.
In this sense, it is worth mentioning the telephone call made yesterday by Abbas himself to Pope Francis, to discuss the latest events in the area, starting with the murder of the Christian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the unresolved issue of the Israeli occupation. During the conversation, the tensions that affect Jerusalem, the threats to the status quo on the Mosque Grounds (Temple Mount) and restrictions on access to Christian and Muslim holy sites. In response, the Pontiff recalled the importance of the value of peace and dialogue as the only ways to achieve common coexistence in the area.
After visiting the Territories, the White House tenant will fly to Saudi Arabia to attend the Gulf leaders’ summit, which has now been expanded to include Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. From a political and economic point of view, this is the most important part of the trip. The evolution of relations between Israel and Riyadh will be present at the table, which after the “Abraham Accords” could lead to the normalization of relations that are of great concern to the Jewish State. In exchange, Riyadh could get the green light to buy American-made heavy (and offensive) weapons, following the blockade imposed, in part, by Khashoggi’s killing.
Last but not least, there is the issue of oil. The White House has been increasing pressure on the Saudis (so far unsuccessful) to increase oil production. The objective is to bring a greater volume to the markets, and thus guarantee a drop in prices, which have skyrocketed since Moscow’s war against kyiv began.
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