Ethiopian priests in Israel protest for fair treatment

May 3, 2006 (JERUSALEM) — On Sunday April 30, 2006, hundreds demonstrated in front of the Israeli Prime
Minister’s Office Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem so as to protest the inhumane conditions under which Ethiopian priests and nuns live under in the monastery of Dabre Sultan in Jerusalem.

The demonstrators consisted of Ethiopian clergy, Ethiopian Jews and Christian pilgrims who came to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the Easter Holidays.

The demonstration began in the morning hours and ended on noon when a
representative of the Prime Minister’s Office approached the demonstrators and
talked to few representatives of the protestors and accepted a letter on behalf of
the Prime Minister’s Office.

The demonstration’s main objectives were to demand the immediate intervention
of the Government of Israel so as to renovate the two Chapels of St. Michael and
the Four Creatures and urgently ameliorate the inhumane conditions under which
the Ethiopian priests and nuns live and guarantee their safety.

(ST)