Palestinians carry the body of Lama Hamdan, 4, during her funeral in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, Dec. 30. Lama and her sister were killed during an Israeli aid raid as the two girls were taking out the trash near their home, medical workers said. CNS PHOTO/MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS

By Judith Sudilovsky
Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) — Religious leaders in Jerusalem urged Palestinians and Israelis to “return to their senses” and end the violence that has engulfed the Gaza Strip and southern Israel.

They denounced the hostilities in Gaza and “all forms of violence and killings from all parties” and called for Jan. 4 to be marked as a day of justice and peace in “the land of peace.”

“We follow with deep concern, regret and shock the war currently raging in the Gaza Strip and the subsequent destruction, murder and bloodshed, especially at a time when we celebrate Christmas, the birth of the King of love and peace,” they said in a Dec. 30 statement.

The heads of 13 churches in Jerusalem, including Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem and Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, signed the statement.

At least 360 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed as homes were destroyed, and hundreds were injured by the Israeli attacks that began Dec. 27 in an attempt to stop Hamas rocket attacks into southern Israel. Hamas is the Palestinian paramilitary organization that runs the Gaza Strip. At least 51 civilians have been killed in the conflict.

Israeli emergency personnel evacuate an injured man, who later died, from the scene of a rocket attack in the southern city of Ashkelon, Israel, Dec. 29. The rocket was launched from Gaza after Israel began attacks in the area Dec. 27. CNS PHOTO/YOAV WEISS/REUTERS

The church leaders said a continuation of the violence will only lead to more hatred and violence.

“We call upon the international community . . . to intervene immediately and actively stop the bloodshed and end all forms of confrontation and remove the causes of conflict between the two peoples and to finally resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a just and comprehensive solution based on international resolutions,” they said in the statement.

They also urged Palestinian factions to put the interest of the Palestinian people ahead of their own, end their divisions and use “all nonviolent means” to achieve a “just and comprehensive peace in the region.”

In a Dec. 29 interview with the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Patriarch Twal criticized the Israeli military action as disproportionate and said it would usher in a new period of war and tension in Gaza.

The patriarch made the comments after meeting with religious leaders and Israeli officials, including President Shimon Peres and Interior Minister Roni Bar.

“We expressed our disappointment, but (the Israeli officials) defend their position,” Patriarch Twal said.

“I don’t know when the military attacks will end, but one cannot go on like this. One cannot bomb entire villages that have defenseless women and children. The military solution is not the answer,” he said.

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