Ireland: Bishop compares Jews in Judea to English occupation of Ireland

Via Church Services:

Bishop John McAreavey has sharply criticised the illegal settlements of Israelis on an area of the West Bank.

“The West Bank was intended to be a Palestinian area but settlers, some from Israel but many from America, are determined to create new facts on the ground and take as much territory of the West Bank as they can.”

This is happening on a scale that “is making the idea of a two state solution increasingly difficult,” he told CatholicIreland.net.

Bishop McAreavey was speaking on his return from a five-day visit to Bethlehem, Hebron, Gaza and the Cremisan Valley, (a stretch of fertile land on the border between the West Bank and Jerusalem) as part of a  delegation of Church leaders from ten countries - the Holy Land Coordination group.

He said the groups “invading” the West Bank area were “highly motivated and extremist”.

“They are anxious to push Palestinians off their land, whether it is houses, lands, farms or whatever.”

The bishop compared the settlements to the 16th century plantations in Ireland.

“The British planted people from England and Scotland in Ireland in order to control people in that part of the country and that is what is happening in the Holy Land.”

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