- I commend the Catholics and others for promising cooperation, presumably within the confines of what is right:
- The patriarchs and heads of the Christian churches of Jerusalem told the newly elected Palestinian leadership that they extend their cooperation for the public good, but said they wanted full religious freedom.
- In a Jan. 31 message, the religious leaders told the leadership of the militant Islamic group Hamas that they would cooperate “for the public good and the national Palestinian aspirations together with the cause of justice and peace in a nonviolent way.”
The emphasis on “public good” and “justice and peace” and “nonviolent way” all seem good bail-out clauses in any agreements with Hamas!