Irish bishops: Israel has turned Gaza Strip into a 'large prison' - Haaretz

Last update - 19:47 27/02/2007

Irish bishops: Israel has turned Gaza Strip into a 'large prison'

By The Associated Press

A group of Irish Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday called into question Ireland's commercial ties with Israel, saying Israel has made the Gaza Strip "little more than a large prison" for Palestinians.

"Where there is evidence of systematic abuse of human rights on a large scale, as in the Occupied Territories, there are questions that must be asked concerning the appropriateness of maintaining close business, cultural and commercial links with Israel," said auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Raymond Field.

There is a long history of support for Palestinians in Ireland, particularly among nationalist parties such as Sinn Fein, which equate their own fight to end British rule in Ireland with the desire by Palestinians for their own state.

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Field, chairman of the Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (ICJSA), which advises Ireland's top Catholic clerics on social issues, described travel restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as an "injustice."

"We are calling for an end to restrictions on family reunification, and an end to humiliating treatment of people at checkpoints," Field said in an ICJSA statement ahead of a meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern.

Field said restrictions, which Israel says protect it against Palestinian attacks, also make it difficult for Christians to worship at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

"In effect, the communities of Bethlehem and East Jerusalem are forced to live divided by a 25 foot wall," said Field.

"We also intend to raise with Minister Ahern the intolerable situation that is the daily lot of the Palestinians who live in Gaza," Field said.

The ICJSA's statement also questioned the way in which the European Union handled its dealings with Israel.

"While we welcome cooperation between the EU and its neighbouring countries, nevertheless such cooperation should not be at the expense of a large segment of the indigenous population - in this case the Palestinians."

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1.	Pals to Paddies,they deserve each other	19:51	\|	Absolute Sweden	27/02/07

2.	Thank God for the ICJSA !	19:53	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

3.	"...systematic abuse of human rights on a large scale..."	19:55	\|	curious	27/02/07

4.	A LITTLE BLARNEY	19:56	\|	Brant	27/02/07

5.	Irish Bishops should stop raping young lads...	19:57	\|	Allon	27/02/07

6.	The IRA and The Philistine Terrorists Always Had Close Ties	19:59	\|	Yishai Kohen	27/02/07

7.	Israel is essentially on prison camp after another	20:04	\|	Ghandi	27/02/07

8.	SULLIVAN	20:11	\|	Brant	27/02/07

9.	More Catholic anti-Semitism	20:12	\|	anon	27/02/07

10.	thats right sullivan	20:13	\|	rich	27/02/07

11.	Paddy Sulliva,Catholic workers from E.Europe exploited by Catholi	20:14	\|	Absolute Sweden	27/02/07

12.	Sullivan	20:17	\|	Haim Sananes	27/02/07

13.	Irish tradition all the way back to WW II	20:18	\|	Chick Corea	27/02/07

14.	Dhimmi Irish Catholics...wait patiently. Youre turn is coming up	20:18	\|	stifffler	27/02/07

15.	Irish Bishops Gaza is a large prison	20:19	\|	Mick	27/02/07

16.	#4 from brant proves my words	20:21	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

17.	the blind useful idiots. i`ll go for no bombers over what you see	20:21	\|	ralph	27/02/07

18.	choice please blind antisemites or have bombers inside israel har	20:22	\|	ralph	27/02/07

19.	Irish Sullivan overlooks the facts	20:23	\|	Fairplay	27/02/07

20.	They really don`t mind terrorism do they?	20:24	\|	ScotGuy	27/02/07

21.	TO NO 2 THANK GOD FOR.	20:24	\|	DANNY	27/02/07

22.	WELL SAID CURIOUS. N O 3	20:25	\|	DANNY.	27/02/07

23.	WHAT ABOUT THE CATHOLICS ABUSE OF CHILDREN	20:31	\|	DANNY.	27/02/07

24.	They better get their house in order also.	20:32	\|	The Equalizer	27/02/07

25.	Irish Bishops Gaza is a large prison	20:34	\|	Mick	27/02/07

26.	Nasty responses to all Irish really not fair...	20:37	\|	bat yam	27/02/07

27.	anon and more nonsense #9	20:41	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

28.	Your hate to Jews does not force any more	20:42	\|	e.m	27/02/07

29.	IRISH BISHOPS-AND ISRAEL	20:42	\|	Mitch	27/02/07

30.	Irish Bishops	20:42	\|	ray	27/02/07

31.	rich and his ilk, ugh #10	20:44	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

32.	absoloute sweden, the rabbis and tel aviv #11	20:46	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

33.	The Aparthied Case grows in strength	20:47	\|	Tim	27/02/07

34.	Irish bigotry	20:48	\|	L. Gomberoff	27/02/07

35.	wake up	20:49	\|	ayman	27/02/07

36.	TO NO 2 YAAKOV SULLIVAN	20:49	\|	DANNY.	27/02/07

37.	Absolute Sweden	20:50	\|	Rob	27/02/07

38.	irish- did they think before making statement?	20:50	\|	ross	27/02/07

39.	How would you know if they criticized anyone else?	20:51	\|	Tim	27/02/07

40.	See Yaakov..	20:51	\|	Bensheetrit	27/02/07

41.	bat yam	20:53	\|	Roger	27/02/07

42.	L gomberoff	20:58	\|	dave	27/02/07

43.	Absolute Sweden	21:03	\|	christa	27/02/07

44.	Those bishops should get informed	21:05	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

45.	Ben Shit Rit	21:06	\|	Moose	27/02/07

46.	Bishops are making sense.	21:07	\|	suspicious	27/02/07

47.	Interesting to see all the anti-catholic sentiments	21:07	\|	Catholic	27/02/07

48.	Or maybe those bishops support terrorism	21:08	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

49.	The Irish are waking up too	21:10	\|	christa	27/02/07

50.	Benshetrit and the bishops #40	21:11	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

51.	?Travel restrictions and injustice? (!!!)	21:11	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

52.	to dave	21:12	\|	Bob	27/02/07

53.	?Chekpoints?. Sound like Amira Hass	21:14	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

54.	to tim in toronto	21:15	\|	ross	27/02/07

55.	Intelectually lazy Tim and Dave	21:16	\|	Ben	27/02/07

56.	Brant	21:18	\|	Roger	27/02/07

57.	AND SHOULDN`T IT BE THAT WAY???	21:19	\|	vel	27/02/07

58.	Ayman: Have you been outsider ecently?	21:19	\|	Ben	27/02/07

59.	to argentina + catholic	21:23	\|	rob	27/02/07

60.	religious figures don`t understand politics	21:27	\|	ben	27/02/07

61.	Epitomy of Irish Idiocy	21:30	\|	Steven	27/02/07

62.	47 Catholic: Interesting to see	21:32	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

63.	Christa	21:37	\|	Rene	27/02/07

64.	Thanks to the Irish Bishops for speaking out	21:40	\|	Dutch	27/02/07

65.	To arab "christa" near Monaco	21:46	\|	Absolute Sweden	27/02/07

66.	rob - Oh Please	21:46	\|	Catholic 2	27/02/07

67.	I`m A Catholic and think those Bishops are dead wrong	21:46	\|	Bill@Boston College	27/02/07

68.	Hey, Catholic	21:47	\|	Mr. Bond	27/02/07

69.	KUTW - Anyone who has gone to Gaza	21:48	\|	S	27/02/07

70.	Hatler style but on a larger scale	21:49	\|	US person	27/02/07

71.	To poor illiterate Rob from Londonistan	21:50	\|	Absolute Sweden	27/02/07

72.	An ex-paddy speaks	21:50	\|	Sean (unfortunately)	27/02/07

73.	Restrictions to Christians	21:50	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

74.	rob - Have you read the commets from the	21:51	\|	Geo	27/02/07

75.	Funny thing about the bishops? concern	21:53	\|	KUTW	27/02/07

76.	Rob # 37	22:00	\|	Philippe	27/02/07

77.	Sean, you do credit to the vast majority of decent Irish people	22:01	\|	Fairplay	27/02/07

78.	Mr. Bond - Catholism is a faith	22:01	\|	Catholic	27/02/07

79.	catholic # 47	22:03	\|	Philippe	27/02/07

80.	catholic # 47	22:05	\|	Philippe	27/02/07

81.	Gaza - A prison	22:12	\|	Bill	27/02/07

82.	re #60 Ben	22:17	\|	Jim	27/02/07

83.	To Philippe	22:22	\|	Bob	27/02/07

84.	Philippe - Is that not what Israel now says to the Palestinians?	22:23	\|	C.	27/02/07

85.	to Yaakov Sullivan#31	22:23	\|	Ilya	27/02/07

86.	Pretty predictable	22:24	\|	Colin Wright	27/02/07

87.	To Bill	22:29	\|	Bob	27/02/07

88.	Sean the Unfortunate	22:35	\|	Moose	27/02/07

89.	Bob # 83	22:38	\|	Philippe	27/02/07

90.	Bob-The Christ was killed by the jews phenomena	22:41	\|	Sa	27/02/07

91.	C # 84	22:42	\|	Philippe	27/02/07

92.	Re: #47 Catholic	22:43	\|	Jim	27/02/07

93.	Irish Bishops	22:44	\|	Tim	27/02/07

94.	to catholic#47	22:45	\|	Ilya	27/02/07

95.	Ilya, do you speak from experience? #85	22:49	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

96.	The Irish bishops	22:51	\|	jp	27/02/07

97.	To Colin Wrong	22:51	\|	Bob	27/02/07

98.	Sean	22:51	\|	Brian	27/02/07

99.	Jews should not live in catholic countries	22:58	\|	Dror	27/02/07

100.	to Bill#81	23:02	\|	Ilya	27/02/07

101.	To Philippe	23:03	\|	Bob	27/02/07

102.	#98 Brian	23:06	\|	Tim	27/02/07

103.	One Improvement	23:10	\|	Alicia	27/02/07

104.	End the Occupation	23:13	\|	Abe	27/02/07

105.	jp, the height of your anti-Catholicism #96	23:19	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

106.	Dror, are we under commandment to kill them? #99	23:21	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

107.	To Sa	23:26	\|	Bob	27/02/07

108.	95 yacov (jack?) sullivan. spoken like a true irishman	23:26	\|	shades of a charade	27/02/07

109.	To Sa	23:27	\|	Bob	27/02/07

110.	Sa on the claims of the New Testament #90	23:28	\|	Yaakov Sullivan	27/02/07

111.	#42 Wishfull thinking!	23:29	\|	L. Gomberoff	27/02/07

112.	Had One Too Many???	23:34	\|	Butch ben Yok	27/02/07

113.	#47	23:39	\|	Butch ben Yok	27/02/07

114.	Sullivan if you hate `the Jews` so much..	23:42	\|	KJJ	27/02/07

115.	to Yaakov Sullivan#31	23:52	\|	Ilya	27/02/07

116.	to Yaakov Sullivan#95 (2 try)	23:58	\|	Ilya	27/02/07

117.	It is time for more speak up	00:03	\|	Tim Mitchum	28/02/07

118.	Bob - Wrong BOB WRONG!	00:07	\|	Sa	28/02/07

119.	Bob - It is THE bible to over 1 billion people..and the western	00:08	\|	Sa	28/02/07

120.	Gaza is prime real estate, even though neglected	00:09	\|	Jason	28/02/07

121.	Dror - I agree	00:10	\|	Drir	28/02/07

122.	Israel has made Israel	00:15	\|	Satly	28/02/07

123.	Here`s the Solution	00:17	\|	William	28/02/07

124.	Irish views on ME	00:19	\|	Padraic	28/02/07

125.	#6	00:23	\|	Jane`	28/02/07

126.	* 90 ROME CRUCIFIED CHRIST ON A ROMAN CRUCIFICTION STAKE .	00:28	\|	Bill.	28/02/07

127.	in regards Jackoff Sullivan	00:33	\|	Bob	28/02/07

128.	Irish Clergy Bishops & Nuns	00:39	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

129.	To Sa	00:40	\|	Bob	28/02/07

130.	Rather Odd - Irish Bishops are only concerned with Israel	00:50	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

131.	Israel Can Do No Wrong	00:52	\|	chet	28/02/07

132.	Gaza prison	00:53	\|	Eliezer	28/02/07

133.	117tim. time to speak up	00:56	\|	curious	28/02/07

134.	Ghandi	00:58	\|	inigo montoya	28/02/07

135.	#124	01:06	\|	L. Gomberoff	28/02/07

136.	What PRISON has arms and rockets?	01:14	\|	The Equalizer	28/02/07

137.	Bob # 101	01:20	\|	Philippe	28/02/07

138.	Bob" Read the book before you speak	01:24	\|	Sa	28/02/07

139.	Sa # 118	01:25	\|	Philippe	28/02/07

140.	Sullivan..stop kidding yourself	01:27	\|	rich	28/02/07

141.	The israelis don`t want peace	01:28	\|	Absolute Vodka	28/02/07

142.	Hypocracy of Irish Catholic Bishops	01:30	\|	Psalm	28/02/07

143.	padraic	01:32	\|	rich	28/02/07

144.	Thanks to the Irish Catholic Bishops for their advocacy	02:05	\|	Dutch	28/02/07

145.	To 120 Jews or Israel?	02:13	\|	Padraic	28/02/07

146.	CALL FOR END OF ALL TERRORISM	02:20	\|	David	28/02/07

147.	Absolute (idiot ) vodka	02:21	\|	bob	28/02/07

148.	Rabbis abuse kids too	02:52	\|	wibism	28/02/07

149.	3 Curious	03:01	\|	Peter Ganz	28/02/07

150.	irish bishops in fog	03:06	\|	samuel	28/02/07

151.	7 Ghandi	03:21	\|	Ranieri Mazzilli	28/02/07

152.	Irish Bishops should advocate reform at home	03:33	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

153.	IrelandHasFewestJewsInEurope	03:35	\|	Me	28/02/07

154.	#139 Daffy Dutch - Bishops have enough to tend to.	03:36	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

155.	Irish Bishops	03:43	\|	George	28/02/07

156.	mick	03:47	\|	bev	28/02/07

157.	yaakovs usual lies	03:48	\|	bev	28/02/07

158.	Did they forget reality	03:49	\|	Art	28/02/07

159.	Irish Scum	03:56	\|	George	28/02/07

160.	If it is not open Jew hatred, What else it is?	04:07	\|	Jorge	28/02/07

161.	In their previous lives	04:25	\|	heinz	28/02/07

162.	Ranieri Mazzilli	04:43	\|	Greg	28/02/07

163.	no one killed Jesus	04:53	\|	maria	28/02/07

164.	Palestine: Peace, not apartheid	05:20	\|	Ghostdog	28/02/07

165.	TERRORISTS OF THE WORLD UNITE	05:37	\|	paul harris	28/02/07

166.	Irish Blarney	05:42	\|	dbw	28/02/07

167.	Geez, don`t Jews ever get tired	05:50	\|	ballistic	28/02/07

168.	#153 Hey there Paul; boy, you are up early!	06:41	\|	ballistic	28/02/07

169.	#151 Come on Jorge	06:44	\|	ballistic	28/02/07

170.	#156	06:52	\|	Butch ben Yok	28/02/07

171.	Bishop Field et. al.	07:08	\|	howiej	28/02/07

172.	RE: #161	07:09	\|	Butch ben Yok	28/02/07

173.	Jack Sullivan`s grudge	07:45	\|	Mike	28/02/07

174.	Irish bishops, Catholics & Palestinians	07:49	\|	Mike	28/02/07

175.	Ballistic? Pal State? You Are Looking At It!	08:19	\|	Yosemite	28/02/07

176.	A prison of their own making	09:26	\|	David Teich	28/02/07

177.	More anti Catholicism	10:00	\|	John	28/02/07

178.	anti Irish comments	12:18	\|	Niall O`Doherty	28/02/07

179.	Please read this	15:16	\|	Marko	28/02/07

180.	177: John`s pure-bred hate	15:18	\|	David Teich	28/02/07

181.	177. John: More on Catholicism	16:16	\|	KUTW	28/02/07

182.	Forgive the Bishops	16:51	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

183.	IRISH BISHOPS- should be last to condemn	17:11	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

184.	Anti-Irish comments	17:17	\|	Daniel	28/02/07

185.	#184 Daniel - Welcome to the Lion`s den	17:38	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

186.	#16 Yakov Sullivan . You were so right, there comes the	17:50	\|	Mary	28/02/07

187.	Hi BEN JABO	17:55	\|	Daniel	28/02/07

188.	#186 Mary - or is it Sullivan under a fake name?	17:59	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

189.	The Irish Catholics were always against the way	18:04	\|	David O connor	28/02/07

190.	#187 - Daniel, I never said	18:06	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

191.	Irish Bishops - I remember	18:11	\|	* BEN J ABO	28/02/07

192.	#37 ROB, in agreemnet with you that	18:16	\|	Fenton	28/02/07

193.	#189 - Nobody is condemning all	18:19	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

194.	Some interesting points...	18:19	\|	John Donaghue	28/02/07

195.	#170 BbY# Gaza IS A PRISON.	19:16	\|	Tony	28/02/07

196.	BEN JABO	19:33	\|	Daniel	28/02/07

197.	#196 Daniel - About the wall	20:34	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

198.	#195 Tony - one simple question	20:39	\|	* BEN JABO	28/02/07

199.	BEN JABO	20:59	\|	Daniel	28/02/07

200.	Boycott ended Apartheid South Africa	21:14	\|	Will Rogers	28/02/07

201.	The Bishops Would not Approve a Wahhabi-Hamas Persecution	23:33	\|	Observee	28/02/07

202.	Irish what?	00:22	\|	w	01/03/07

203.	Grow up Israel	01:55	\|	Simon	01/03/07

204.	#199 Daniel - be alerted	02:21	\|	* BEN JABO	01/03/07

205.	#203 Simon - Ireland	02:47	\|	* BEN JABO	01/03/07

206.	#2 was right	06:30	\|	sam i am	01/03/07

207.	Israeli Facists!	12:51	\|	CpC	01/03/07

208.	#207 CpC	18:00	\|	* BEN JABO	01/03/07

209.	#200 Will Rogers - Gee I thought he knew hot to spell	18:08	\|	* BEN JABO	01/03/07

210.	ICJSA does not represent Irish Clergy	19:06	\|	John	01/03/07

211.	Ben Jabo	19:31	\|	Daniel	01/03/07

212.	CpC`s lack of understanding of "fascist"	20:43	\|	David Teich	01/03/07

213.	Re: Ben Jabo	23:09	\|	John	01/03/07

214.	#211 Daniel - are you really that dense	01:33	\|	* BEN JABO	02/03/07

215.	Re. Ben Jabo	16:10	\|	Simon	02/03/07

216.	215: Simon, you`re wrong	17:16	\|	David Teich	02/03/07

217.	#213 - John	19:06	\|	* BEN JABO	02/03/07

218.	#215 Simon	01:57	\|	* BEN JABO	03/03/07