Pleas continued in the Holy Land to end recently intensified violence.
In his latest intervention, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Most Godly Beatitude Theophilos III, condemned the violence against civilians in east Jerusalem, noting that “… religions co-exist based on the messages of the prophets, justice and mutual respect and fraternal love.”
On his part, the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the central city of Lod, after rioting by Israeli Arabs, as conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants intensified.
Cars were set alight and a father and daughter – both Israeli Arabs – died when a rocket fired by Palestinian extremists from Gaza hit their car.
In an unrelated development, Patriarch Theophilos on Tuesday morning visited the Greek Orthodox Monastery in Ramallah , where he was welcomed by the monastery’s Abbot, Fr. Galaktion Awad, and representatives from the Orthodox Christian community of the city.