برشور لجنة الكنائس العليا النسخة الإنجليزية (3)

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Who we are:
The Higher Committee of Churches Affairs in Palestine was formed by a Presidential decree issued by President Mahmoud Abbas on 24/5/2012. This is the
first time that an independent committee is established in Palestine to follow
up on the churches’ affairs and Christian places of worship, whether legal,
institutional, or real estate, to promote the principles of full equality in front
of the law and to build a state of equal citizenship for all the Palestinians.The
Committee performs its functions in accordance with directives by the Palestinian Presidency and in cooperation with local official institutions, and on
regional and international levels.
The Committee’s membership:
The Committee is chaired by Hanna Amireh, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and membership of:
1. Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Minister, Palestine National Fund, as vice chairman of
the Presidential Committee.
2. Dr. Reyad Malkee Minister of Foreign Affairs. Represented by Ambassador
Rawan Abu Yusuf.
3. Mr. Ziad Bandak, Minister, President’s advisor.
4. Mr. Adnan Husseini, Minister and Governor of Jerusalem.
5. Mr. Shukree Bsharah, Minster of Finance.
6. Ms. Rula Ma’y’a, Minister of Tourism.
7. Dr. Majdi Al-Khalidi, President's advisor for diplomatic affairs.
8. Dr. Kholoud D’aibes, State of Palestine’s ambassador in Germany.
9. Mr. Issa Kasseessieh, State of Palestine’s ambassador to the Vatican.
10. Dr. Bernard Sabella, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
11. Ms. Vera Baboon, Mayor of Bethlehem.
12. Mr. Mousa Hadeed, Mayor of Ramallah.
The Higher Committee: has decided in its session on the 30th of March 2015 to form a
sub-committee for studies & researches to help in presenting advisory assessments to
consolidate the role of the Higher Committee and its activities. The sub-Committee’s
members are:
Rev. Dr. Mitry Raheb , Father Firas Areedah, Dr. Varsain Aghabikian, Mr. Sami
Elyousef, and Mr. Yousef Daher.
The Committee’s vision:
Achieving internal cohesion and consolidating the social fabric between all various groups and religions as an important foundation to push forward the Palestinian national struggle towards freedom and exercising the aspirations and
goals of our people.
Our principles and values:
1.
The State of Palestine is for the Palestinians wherever they are, where they
develop their national and cultural identity, and where their religious and
political beliefs are safeguarded.
2. Non-discrimination in public rights between the citizens, whether on the
basis of race, religion, color or gender.
Committee’s areas of intervention:
1. Follow up on churches or Christian institution’s legal, real state or institutional affairs to promote the principle of full equality by the law.
2. Organize and follow up on activities, special events and interfaith dialogue locally, regionally and internationally, counter and isolate inciters, obscurantism and promote the culture of tolerance, co-existence,
respect for others and acceptance of religious, political, intellectual and
social pluralism.
3. Contribute effectively towards addressing the phenomenon of voluntary
and Involuntary Christian emigration from their homeland in order to
reduce and eventually halt emigration.
4. Build confidence and promote credibility and closer ties with the heads
of churches through communication and constructive dialogue and
timely responsiveness to problems facing their churches.
5. Highlight the role of National Christians in the political and social life in
Palestine as an integral part of the Palestinian national and community
fabric and promote interfaith national dialogue and workshops.
6. Highlight Israeli practices and media campaigns that target the various
religious institutions and threaten the Christian Palestinian existence especially in Jerusalem.
7. Revisit the curriculum at different stages of the educational process for
revisions of outdated ideas and concepts affecting coexistence, tolerance
and fraternity, and to ensure instilling concepts of freedom, justice, tolerance, equal and active citizenship and healthy civic education.
Our achievements:
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The Higher Committee has worked to obtain a Presidential decree for exemption from taxes on property registered in the name of, Churches, convents and
Churches’ endowments , schools, hospitals, religious institutions and orphanages…etc... This is an important development occurring for the first time in
Palestine and it will have a significant positive reflection on the internal and
external levels.
The Higher Committee is actively working to safeguard churches’ property and
endowments. The Committee has succeeded in restoring some of the Churches
lands in more than one area and is following up on related judicial files.
The Higher Committee is contributing to the restoration of many churches in
different parts of the country as per requests of the head of churches. . The
number of Church restoration projects that the Higher Committee has contributed towards, through the Ministry of Finance and other supportive institutions,
totaled over 60 projects during the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The Higher Committee has cooperated with the Office of the President: protocol, security, public relations and media to organize Pope Francis’ visit to Palestine in May 2014 .The visit was a success by all standards.
The Higher Committee has supported popular and institutional efforts to confront Israeli measures that prevent the presence of Christians of all denominations during the celebration of Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday in the city of
Jerusalem.
The Higher committee follows up with special interest the status of churches
and their affiliate religious, educational and cultural institutions in the Gaza
Strip. The Committee works on promoting their steadfastness and status in
Gaza.
The Higher Committee has expended great efforts with the heads of the local churches to support the Palestinian demand to the UNESCO to register the
Church of the Nativity and the historic road leading to it on the World Heritage
List. Indeed, the PLO mission has succeeded in its task and made an important
breakthrough internationally despite Israeli countermeasures.
The Higher Committee in cooperation with the heads of the three churches:
Greek Orthodox, the Custodian of the Holy Land and the Armenian Orthodox,
oversees the annual washing process of the Church of the Nativity. The Committee is keen that this process is peaceful and quiet.
The Higher Committee is working now to establish a fund to help needed students and to preserve Churches endowments in the Old City of Jerusalem especially that the settlers agencies are becoming more active in the City.
On the occasion of canonization of the two Palestinian sisters Mariam Baouardy
& Mary Olfonsine Ghattas by his Holiness Pop Francis in the Vatican, the Higher
Committee followed up and supervised all the activities & celebrations which
accompanied this important & historical event.
The committee has supported the people and churches’ effort against the establishment of the wall in the Cremisan area in Beit Jala and now calls for continuation of this campaign to include such a historical land on the list of world
heritage by the UNESCO to thwart Israel’s expansion project palnned to impose
a new path of wall