Stella Maris monks to Police: Don't negotiate with Rabbi Berland

The Carmelite monks of Stella Maris expressed to Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai on Monday their astonishment that the Israel Police is negotiating with Rabbi Eliezer Berland and his followers at the "Shuvu Banim" yeshiva.

A letter signed by the abbot was sent to the commissioner in which the monks implore Shabtai not to negotiate over their monastery and its surroundings, especially on issues that will affect peace and life in the area.

"Instead of acting to deter the 'troublemakers', the police are trying to 'reward' them by allowing them to be present near Stella Maris," they wrote.

In the letter they sent to Shabtai, they politely thanked him for the solidarity he showed when he visited them last week after what they called "provocative visits" by "Shuvu Banim" followers, for the frequent police presence around the monastery at this time and expressed their willingness to cooperate with the police in preserving the status quo, as they were before the provocative visits of the followers of Berland to their monastery began.

However, in a letter signed by the abbot, Father Jean Joseph Bergara, also implores Commissioner Shabtai: "Do not conduct any negotiations on the fate of our monastery or its surroundings, especially on issues that will affect peace and normal life in it." 

Growing tensions

This, in his opinion, was without taking into account that such an approach would encourage more of Berland's followers to challenge the public order while ignoring the fact that the presence of Berland's followers could become a permanent source of tension among young Christians who have already expressed sensitivity to the matter, "which would significantly increase the chances of violent incidents."

Meanwhile, Christian circles became aware of an unknown Jewish organization that calls itself the "Committee for the Commandment of the Prophet Elisha", which calls on the public "to be ready to continue to observe the Commandment of Elisha, if they [Stella Maris] do not fulfill their commitment to allocate a place of prayer for the Jews" and also "Everyone who comes to the place is asked to be equipped with visible and hidden cameras to document the violence of the Christians."

Christians see this message as incitement and intend to contact the police to investigate who is behind it.

"Your referral has been received and is currently being processed," said Israel Police in a statement. "As for the incidents in question, the Israel Police take seriously any act of violence, and any incident or complaint that is reported to the police is dealt with quickly and decisively by the police and accordingly the arrest and investigation of suspects.

"We note that the police maintain continuous contact with the heads of the communities and the clergy and work to treat and pay attention to the issues that are important to them and that disturb their daily lives. We will continue to operate at all times, in cooperation with all the relevant parties, in different and varied channels and means for negotiations and assistance in resolving conflicts, for the sake of public peace. We will continue to work to maintain security, order, and freedom of worship for members of all religions and denominations."