Gaza Christian Murdered

December 10, 2007

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh condemned the attack. Nonetheless, Justus Weiner, of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, said that Hamas is either incapable of or disinterested in preventing religious violence. Weiner, author of Human Rights of Christians in Palestinian Society, said that it is difficult to prove what Hamas’s role in the situation is. “That’s the classic situation of religious-inspired violence and terrorism. It’s very hard to come up with evidence as to who is actually behind it. There are two possibilities, one is it is Hamas, and one is that it’s other Muslim militants or fanatics who Hamas is doing little or nothing to stop,” said Weiner.

Weiner said persecution against Christians goes on in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) as well. He said he would be impressed if the Israeli government would raise the issue in meetings with Palestinian leaders and “emphasize that this is unacceptable.” He also thought foreign governments that fund the Palestinians should take up the concern. “I’d like to see human rights and religious freedom be at or near the top of their agendas, because they have leverage,” he said.

By Joshua Spurlock, Correspondent,
BFP Israel Mosaic Radio

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