Washington, D.C., September 18 – The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) condemned today the acts of arson committed over the weekend against churches in the occupied West Bank. Unknown perpetrators firebombed at least 5 churches over the weekend in Nablus, Tulkarem and Tubas in the northern West Bank. The attacks occurred in the context of widespread protests over the weekend across the Muslim world over remarks made about Islam by Pope Benedict XVI.

ATFP urges all persons in positions of responsibility to advocate in word and deed for religious tolerance, understanding and mutual respect. ATFP welcomes the swift condemnation of the church attacks by leading Palestinian religious and political figures, and urges Palestinians to uphold their longstanding tradition of national and religious unity in the quest for Palestinian statehood. “Palestinians have traditionally been the most secular of all the Arab people with a long history of mutual respect and coexistence among their religious communities,” said ATFP president Dr. Ziad Asali. He added: “Endangering this tradition will only serve to disunite Palestinians and move them further away from their goal of statehood and independence.