Bishop Daibes: International pressure needed to protect Palestinians in the Holy Land

September 4, 2026 · 1 min read

Bishop Jamal Daibes, Bishop of Djibouti and Apostolic Administrator of Somalia, shines the spotlight on the region and calls for international and diplomatic pressure to protect Palestinians in the Holy Land and enable them to remain in their homeland with dignity, freedom and security.

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Source: Vatican News · Read the full story →

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Marie Černá

Praying for peace in the Holy Land goes without saying, but concrete diplomatic pressure to protect both Christians and Muslim Arabs there would really help. Bishop Daibes is right that without it the people there cannot remain in dignity. I wonder if any specific countries are already pushing for it.

Мариана Тодорова

Yes, prayer is important, but without pressure from the big countries, people there really can't stay. Bishop Daibes said it well – with dignity, freedom and security. I wonder if the Vatican has already spoken to some European governments about this.

Adrian Marin

Yes, prayer is basic, but without real diplomatic pressure, as Bishop Daibes says, Christians and Arabs there have no way to remain with dignity and safety. I wonder if the Vatican has already spoken to the governments in Europe, as Mariana said. It would be a concrete step.

Νίκος Αναγνώστου

Prayer is the first thing we do, but without pressure from the big countries, as Bishop Daibes says, the Palestinians cannot stay there with dignity. I remember talking last year at chess with the father from Bethlehem and he was saying how difficult it is to keep their houses. Does anyone know if Cyprus has taken a position on this issue?

Мариана Тодорова

Yes, Bishop Daibes precisely pointed out those three words - dignity, freedom and security, which sound simple, but are the most difficult to achieve there. I don't know if the Vatican has spoken to the European governments, but it seems to me that if it had, we would have heard something clearer from Rome by now. And what do you think could do real work on the part of the church?

Radmila Radovanović

Yes, prayer is first, but without real pressure from big countries, as Bishop Daibes says, people cannot stay there with dignity, freedom and security. It is interesting to me whether someone from the Vatican has already talked to our Montenegrin authorities about this, even quietly. Thanks for sharing these words.

Cristina Dobre

Yes, Bishop Daibes clearly said "dignity, freedom and security" and he is right. We pray anyway, but without a bit of real diplomatic pressure from bigger countries, Christians in and around Bethlehem have no choice but to stay home. I also wonder if the Vatican has already spoken to the European governments, as Mariana says.

Наталія Коваль

Prayer for peace in the Holy Land is self-evident, but Bishop Dybes rightly emphasizes these words: dignity, freedom and security. Without real pressure from big countries, it's really hard for people to stay there. I wonder if the Vatican has already talked about it with our Ukrainian representatives, however quietly.

Γιάννης Νικολαΐδης

Prayer is the first thing we do, but as Bishop Daibes says, without pressure from the big countries the Palestinians cannot remain with dignity, freedom and security. I remember last year we were talking in the stadium with a pilgrim from Bethlehem and he was saying how difficult it is to keep their house. Does anyone know if the Vatican has pressured any European governments in particular?

Θεοδώρα Μακρή

Yes, pressure from big countries is key, as Bishop Daibes says. I also remember similar conversations last year on a hike with acquaintances from Palestine who were talking about the obstacles in their homes. Do you know if Cyprus has made any official statement lately?

Μαρία Θεοδώρου

Yes, Bishop Daibes said it clearly, without pressure from the big countries things stay the same. Last year in the store I had a customer from Ramallah who was telling me how expensive the papers became so they wouldn't lose the house. Do you know if our Church in Greece has taken any public position lately?

Γιάννης Θεοδώρου

I agree with Nikos, the pressure from the big countries is necessary as Bishop Daibes said, otherwise there are only words. Last year, during my trip to Thessaloniki, I heard something similar from a pilgrim who returned from Bethlehem and was talking about the checkpoints that cut their work. Do you know if Cyprus has released anything more recently than last year?