VATICAN CITY (CNS): A leading delegation of Catholic charity officials said it was appalled by what it called the ‘Israeli high-tech version of apartheid’ in Palestinian territories.
In a statement issued on September 19, the delegation of Caritas Internationalis criticised the construction of an encircling wall ‘longer and higher than the Berlin Wall’ that it said would strangle Palestinian communities and frustrate hopes for future peace.
At the same time, it called for an end to all violence in the region, including suicide bombings by Palestinians.
The statement was issued by the Vatican headquarters of Caritas Internationalis, the confederation of 154 Catholic relief agencies.
An 18-member Caritas delegation travelled to the Holy Land from September 15-19 in response to what it termed the ‘gross violations of human rights in the region’.
The delegation said it was ‘shocked by the constant sufferings and daily humiliations of the Palestinian people, which we have witnessed first-hand’.
It expressed particular concern about the short and long-term effects of the occupation on the health and nutrition of Palestinian children.
