Attacks on Lebanese patriarch’s Jerusalem visit unjustified
Media attacks against Lebanon Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai’s upcoming visit to Jerusalem are based on an antiquated logic, and may be aimed at diverting attention from other issues.
Once it was leaked that Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai had decided to join Pope Francis on his visit to Jerusalem on May 24, a slew of criticism erupted to condemn this as a “historic sin” and accuse the patriarch of normalization with Israel and of compromising Arab rights.
The patriarch’s decision, in its timing and content, surprised everyone, including many in his own flock.
But the negative campaign against him is unjustified, as it is based on a logic that was overtaken by events and by the positions of the concerned parties, first and foremost the Palestinians and their legitimate leaders.
The negative campaign is more about one-upmanship than a serious and deep discussion. More importantly, the campaign of questioning the patriarch’s intentions, if not accusing him of treason, raises tensions in a country that is on the precipice of a political vacuum and collapse.
