1. In recent days, Palestinian armed combatants and terrorists have been hiding
out in churches and other holy places and their vicinity. Places of worship are
offered special protection in accordance with international law. The penetration
of armed terrorists into churches and other places of a religious character for
the purpose of hiding out and/or carrying out acts of hostility, are a gross abuse
of the immunity and the special protection granted to such places.
Such acts are grave breaches of the First Additional Protocol (1977) to
the Geneva Conventions, and constitute war crimes by any standard of
international humanitarian law.
2. The presence of armed combatants and terrorists who do not distinguish
themselves from the civilian population, and the deliberate perpetration of
hostile acts from within places of worship constitute grave violations of the
rights of the clergy residing in such buildings. These actions endanger the
protected status of such buildings in which the armed terrorists hide out, and
turn the places into a legitimate "military objective", for as long as the armed
terrorists continue to abuse the immunity of these buildings. This conduct
directly endangers the lives and security of religious personnel and civilians
residing, working or worshipping in these areas.
It constitutes a fundamental breach of the requirement that combatants
distinguish themselves from civilians, pursuant to the provisions of the Fourth
Geneva Convention, in particular, and international law, in general.
3. Finally, the armed terrorists are holding religious officials in the Church as
hostages, to shield themselves from military attacks.
This conduct constitutes a war crime in accordance with international
law, and is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols.
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