Palestinian Christians doubt sincerity of Sharon's Gaza plan

Published: 2004-02-11

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Palestinian Christian leaders criticized Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon's recent proposal for a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. The legal adviser to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said he put little stock in the proposal. "Sharon is declaring good intentions on one hand, while on the other hand he is killing, destroying, sending his own young men to their deaths. He is just buying time with this proposal," said the adviser, Father Majdi al-Siryani, reflecting a common sentiment among Palestinians. "He has ulterior motives. Knowing Sharon and his way of thinking, his background and his mentality, I can just brush his proposal aside. It is a white elephant, a balloon he has thrown up in the air," he said. Father al-Siryani called the proposal a "satanic statement" whose significance will be discovered in the next few months.

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