To those Christians that stayed in Israel, there should be no reason not to allow a return to the town so they can rebuild. IN FACT, I would propose take away the monies olmert and his gang of 1%ers promised the 5th columnites to finance a new town for PA supporters and give the money to build a unified town for Jews and Christians (no Tibis allowed). As for those that decided to leave, you had your choice as chose badly. The State owes you nothing

Christians are being systemically wiped out from all arabs lands, but the ones who were in Israel last century are the ones who need your attention. Jews have already been eliminated from arab countries, but hey popey - that don't matter none does it?

I have been hearing news of the plight of people of Iqrit and Kfar Bar'am villages since 1971... 38 years have passed since then and the case of those people has not moved forward a bit... This is an exemplary and typical Israeli self-contradiction and indirect acknowledgement of the inhumane and cruel behavior of the State of Israel.While you hereby admit that the villagers were driven out in 1948 and that in 1952 a court verdict allowed their return to their village you also feel no compunction to reveal that the IAF and IDF destroyed the village and issued notices of eviction " ...fearing it would set a precedent for millions of Palestinian refugees seeking to return to former properties." ! You admit that you unjustly wronged those people.So do not pretend to be surprised why they and countless other Palestinians feel vengeful and vindictive. Legal,judicial channels in Israel are most often blocked in their face thus leaving them with nothing except despondence and despair.And nothing is worse for the human being than losing all hope.And yet you still insist on calling them terrorists... !

in first place ? king Solomon gave that piece of land to Hiram the Phoenician king of Tyre after his father Abibaal. Please tell them to tell their POPE to read the Menander of Ephesus- the reign of Josephus war against Apion. Later they developed into FREEMASON TRADITION not thye claim heritage in Northers Israel ? AS DISPLACED XTIANS ? POPE Stay OUT ! Nonsense CLAIM !

I am myself a displaced person from arab lands in 1948 like 800 000 at that time (between 1948-1967). I feel no despair and no desire to revenge against any other arab states even if they stole my land. You the palestinians were probably expelled at 50% and fled at 50% something like that, but you have to rebuild somewhere else your house. We do not deny your right to exist as we all know that you, the palestinians, are infact of jewish ethnicity mixed with arabs in your vast majority then you converted to islam. We, jews, stayed of jewish religion and are a mixture of jews and europeans. Anyway we are ALL coming from that land as we are exactly coming from the same region, you were just islamized and we kept as jews abroad but we are the same people.you and me. All we have to do is to share that land equally put all jews of jewish religion in Israel and all jews/palestinians now muslim in the new future state of palestine. this is the only solution. Put your anger aside and start building a life instead like we did, like all noble men do

Bethlehem, Nazareth and Gaza are just three cities amongst many which the Arab mulims are violently ethnically cleansing of Christians. Because the perpetrators are Arabs, the world is silent. It is strange that only the people of Biram have the funding and publicity to talk about their plight.

We know the pope and the Vatican are decidedly enemies of Israel; enemies of Israel's God. Whose side are these Catholic residents of Biram (Bar'am) on since they are appealing - for help - from an enemy of God and his anointed?

The only place in the Middle East that has not oppressed its Christians is ... Israel. Their numbers in Gaza and areas under PA authority have plummeted ever since Oslo brought Arafat and his thugs back. Even Bethlehem is now overwhelmingly Muslim. Will they ask the Pope to apply comparable pressure on the PA? I didn't think so.

The only country in the world that didnot oppress the xtians is Isarel but israelis are oppressed everywhwre they went. The Xtian Kingdoms and xtian uncivilised practices CANNOT DENY THE TRUTH. This Hiram ( biram) should apply to BIBI straight ! BTW in 1952, the high Court was full of British Imperialist Judges not Israeli Souls. Please relocate by allocation of new plots effeciently- follow torrents title system !

israel persecutes all non jews, thats why americans are happy to see israel go under

Israel does not persecute non Jews and Americans do not want to see Israel go under. Seriously, what drugs are you on? Israel is the only true democracy in the MidEast and it will always have America's support. Best Friends 4 Evah!!! Lol!

Ben, who persecuted who on 9/11/2001?

the synagogue shall be restored by these marounites christians? didn't the christians marounites of byzantine empire try to destroy that synagogue all those centuries ago?

In wars, many people get displaced, that's what happens. PS I highly doubt that the place was bombed years after the 1948 war.

When Israel gave control of Bethlehem to Arafat and such, it was like two people-one with a gun (Arafat and company) and one without (the Christians). The guy with the gun was listened to. It might have been like made sense at the time, however not long term.

Abu-Chasira is a big ancient Shrine; Egyptians built a Egypt around it.

Pope Beneduct the former Hitler Youth pope who wants to make the WW2 Nazi collaberator pope a saint. As he knows so much about Germany why doesn't he get the jews from Germany their old homes back in downtown Berlin. My grandfather is from Vienna, nobody ever gave him his property back. My family even tried to get compensation from the Austrian government but were refused. When the pope can get me my grandfathers property then I will be delighted for him to get those christians their village. How about the church return to Israel all that land that belongs to jews in Jerusalem. If this pope wants to do anything other than visit the traditional christian tourist sites and have a few pictures taken for the press then let him stay at home leading christians in mass being useful. No speeches about the peace process or politics over issues like this village. Times change these arabs need to learn they can't turn back the clock and to accept things the way they are now. The IDF should turn the place into a close milltary training area and flatten whats left of the village. That will end the issue once and for all.

arabs wanted war with the jews in 1948. jews won the war. jews make no claims on properties they left in arab countries they left in 1948, so neither should the arabs of israel make claims to that effect. if israel became an enemy country and jews had to flee arab states, the arabs in israel who started the war definitely have a lesser case. the only thing i do not understand is why was biram bombarder after the war ended? terrorist activities?

Israel was destroying arab villages until well into the 1950s. It wasnt a one off event in the heat of battle in 1948. Arab Israelis only received citizenship in 1967. And they cannot buy the land. There's no such thing as buying land in Israel. You lease it from the ILA. 93% of the country is controlled by the Israeli Land Authority, which is in turn 40% controlled by the JNF. Israeli citizens do not in practice have freedom to live in wherever they want. If they did then thousands of arab citizens would by now have returned to their abandoned villages. There are many Birams out there, ruins that are sealed off and removed from the map.

about this BULLSHIT claim.

... someone takes something from me ! and me to destroy all relatives to him. and to be an example. *** IF MY LAND IS TAKEN ! I WOULD GIVE MONEY TO THE TAKERS BEFORE I DESTROY THEM. for slow minds let me explain why I gave money ! because the opportiny (chance ) they gave me. SURE FOR FIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

About 1 month before 9/11 Mossad warned the FBI & CIA that hundreds of terrorists were hundreds of terrorists were slipping into America planning a major assult. Who knows in future we may get the exact information on when and where the next 9/11 will be. We could always keep it to ourselves. After all if we are so hated by Americans why should we care if terrorists kill thousands of people who hate us? Israel has been described as Americas biggest aircraft carrier in the Middle East and it won't sink. Hussain Obama and people like yourself don't appreciate all the work Israel does for America

how many Jews can return to their former homes in Medina? and whom should they ask for help? Or more recently - how many Jews can go back to Lebanon?

Even if what you are saying were true, then it simply means that all Israelis, whether Jewish or Arab, are equally "discriminated" against by the Israeli state, because neither can buy land, due to Israel's socialist system of nationalizing the land and not allowing anyone to own it. My family owned land before the founding of the State of Israel. Once the State of Israel was founded they confiscated our land for public use, and "compensated" our family. I never heard my dad complain about it or demand right of return. The case of Baram and Ikrit is unique, because the former residents are actually citizens of Israel, who received guarantees from successive Israeli governments and the Supreme Court that they could return. These villages had close ties to the Yishuv, and their descendants have been law abiding citizens. Those leading the campaign claim wholeheartedly that they want this to be resolved as a uniquely Israeli solution, and not as part of the general Palestinian "right of return". The reason for the stalling is not actually Israel, but the attempts of Israel's external enemies to use the case of Baram and Ikrit to establish a precedent, to create a Trojan Horse that will enable millions of Palestinians who are NOT citizens of Israel to make territorial claims against Israel. Suddenly, it is no longer a case of the State of Israel making reparations to Israeli citizens who got the short end of the stick. It has become a case of the Palestinian/Arab world chalking up another notch on their dashboard in their age-old campaign to destroy Israel by all means necessary. Surely you can understand this. After all, did the UK give the Argentinians the right to buy up land in the Falkands, or the fellow-EU Spaniards to buy up property in Gibraltrar? And if not, why not?

The Ikrit and Baram story is unique, because those villages did not side with the invading Arab armies in 1948, and did not give quarter to the 1000's of Fedayeen irregulars that came streaming across the border. Most of the Arab villages fully collaborated with the invasions in every respect. As an example, the Carmel villages enlisted in the Iraqi army, and those around Gaza in the Egyptian army. There was also the bloody 1947-49 Jewish-Arab civil war launched by the Palestinian 'Arab High Committee', instigated by the Mufti al-Husseini with the stated goal of wiping out orr expelling all the Jews. Israel does not recognize any "injustice" in preventing the Arabs from "return to their properties", only that the Baram and Ikrit case was hijacked by the opposing team in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and any Israeli compromise on this isolated issue is seen by the ARAB side (NOT by Israel) as a capitulation to them and as an acknowledgement of "guilt".

Israel has been described as America's biggest whore in the middle east (how many billions do you take from us?). And like all whores we will get tired of having you around and having to pay for you.

americans 79 percent say israel support was the reason we were attacked, and most believe israel knew beforehand. thats why we would rather be friends with iran and the other arab countries instead of a people who bring and maybe cause terror against america....