Catholic church criticise Israel razing of its property

The head of the Roman Catholic church in the Holy Land protested Tuesday against Israel's demolition of a church-owned property in annexed east Jerusalem, saying it eroded chances for peace. "This act is against the law, against justice and against humanity, against any ideology upon which peace can be built and increases segregation and hate," Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Tawwal told journalists at the site of the demolition. Israeli security forces and bulldozers arrived at the house at 5:00 am (0300 GMT) on Monday with a previously unseen demolition order, claiming it had been built without a permit, according to its residents -- a family of 14. But Tawwal said the property, on Jerusalem's southeastern edge close to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, had been standing since before 1967, when Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem in the Six Day War. "We didn't receive any orders for the demolition" beforehand, Tawwal added. "This is holy land and always will be, and the interior ministry, the (Jerusalem) municipality and Israeli organizations knew it belonged to the patriarchate." Tawwal said the church would appeal to Israeli and international courts over the demolition and had already complained to the interior ministry and the municipality. He said it was the first time the Jewish state had demolished property belonging to the church. Jerusalem municipality's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.