American church leaders protest Jerusalem policy - Nation - Brief Article

by Matt Kantz

More than two-dozen American church leaders have protested what they say is Israel's policy of unduly confiscating the Jerusalem residency cards of Palestinians, which legally ends their right to live in the city.

The protest came in the form of a letter to Israel's ambassador to the United States, Zalman Shoval. The letter, released Feb. 8, was written in support of an earlier one sent by Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic prelates to Israel's minister of the interior. The three churches account for the majority of Jerusalem's Christians.

Both letters charged Israel with increasingly confiscating the Jerusalem residency cards of Palestinians after they move out of the city to neighboring towns and villages in search of affordable housing, a job or schooling.

Palestinians have long maintained that Israel nullifies the residency cards to increase Jerusalem's percentage, of Jewish residents in advance of any Middle East peace talks about the city's final status -- although neither letter referred directly to that charge. Israel maintains it is merely following its residency laws.

The American letter was signed by Archbishop Spyridon of the Greek Orthodox Church of America; Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza-president of the National Conference of Bishops; and Archbishop Khajag Dikidjian, Western region prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in America.

Briefs, gathered from news services, correspondents and staff, are compiled and edited by Matt Kantz.