PALESTINE Bishop Shomali: the Knesset’s anti-evangelism law violates ‘freedom of conscience’

Two deputies from the religious right proposed a law that seeks to criminalize any form of “announcement” of Jesus, reinforcing an existing law. Prison sentences of one to two years are provided for. Patriarchal Vicar: The “general climate” is worrying, a “vicious circle” involving Israelis and Palestinians. Fear of possible repercussions even on pilgrimages.

Bishop William Shomali, vicar general of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, does not hide his concern about the bill proposed by two Israeli deputies close to the radical right that criminalizes Christian evangelization. “A text”, stressed the prelate, “that goes against freedom of conscience” in only one sense, because in the past “there were many cases of Christians, especially from countries of the former Soviet Union, who converted to Judaism”. Out of conviction or convenience, no one thought of proposing a legislative text to prevent it.

Last week, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher – two members of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament – presented a bill that expressly prohibits evangelism, declaring any attempt to bear witness to the life of Jesus and his teachings illegal. If approved, penalties of up to one year in prison are provided for offenders. The text speaks of “missionary groups, mainly Christians”, which are the first to be affected by this mechanism; it excludes the possibility even of “peaceful talk” trying to “persuade or convert” a person “of a different faith” through “face-to-face conversations”, but also through “mail or online videos”.

In the Israeli code there was already a kind of “anti-missionary” law that “punished the Christian guilty of proselytizing,” said Msgr. Shomali. “It was addressed to those who were trying to baptize a Jew, especially if he had economic or employment interests in the institution where his conversion was taking place,” he continued. “For example, a Jewish employee of a Catholic hospital who converts.” . And he added: “Now the law would be consolidated, it would be reinforced and it would punish any activity even if there are no ties, in addition to doubling the penalty and applying not only to Christians.”

According to All Israel News, the first goal is to “make it illegal” for followers of Jesus to explain why he is considered both “the Messiah and God” in the “hope” that “Israelis will consider following him.” The promoters of the rule are two members of the Knesset, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, affiliated with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish wing and members of United Torah Judaism. The text, entitled “Prohibition of inciting religious conversion”, would modify the 1977 Israeli criminal law providing for up to “one year in prison” in case of attempted “conversion”, a penalty that rises to two years “if the person is younger”.

In practice, the law prevents any form of evangelization in the Holy Land, from “a simple conversation about Jesus” to – broadening the field – the production and publication of videos, articles or other forms of media that explain the Gospel. Moshe Gafni is Chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Joint Defense Budget Committee, while Asher chairs the Interior and Environment Committee.

“What is worrying,” continued Msgr. Shomali, “is the general climate” in the Holy Land in recent weeks. “The violence, the deaths, which are already 14 on the Israeli side and more than 85 among the Palestinians, a number that continues to rise. Violence produces violence, a vicious circle, which provokes reprisals on both sides. “We hope that it will not be produce a new escalation during Ramadan”, the holy month of fasting and prayer, he warned. We are heading towards difficult times”, said the patriarchal vicar, “but we pray and hope”. The first step is “a fair solution” for the Israeli-Palestinian question and for Jerusalem, then it is expected “that the pilgrims will continue to come, because they are an essential element for our life. Losing this flow would be negative for everyone, not only for the Christians,” he concluded.