Elias Chacour is a Palestinian Arab Israeli priest, Bishop of Galilee of the Melkite Catholic Church. He has been an important voice in promoting peace in the region. He has won several international awards such as the Niwano Peace Award, as well as being nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was named Israel's Man of the Year in 2001.
Born in a small village in Palestine, he is one of the living witnesses of the supposedly impossible coexistence between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East. As a child, he witnessed the violence with which the newly arrived Jews imposed their law in the newly created State of Israel. Passionate about peace, an apostle of justice, in solidarity with his fellow Palestinians, he learned from his father to forgive in all circumstances. He likes to say: Jews and Palestinians are blood brothers. We must never forget that.
This testimony is particularly fascinating. It describes his dramatic journey, which he lives with an exceptional Catholic spirit. Numerous obstacles stand in his way. In his native land, he saw his village, Biram, destroyed under the eyes of its inhabitants. He was later sent to study at the seminary of St. Sulpice in France. There he suffered because he was looked down upon as a "dirty Palestinian", and in the parish where he was assigned after his ordination he was received in a frankly hostile manner, among other adversities.
This book was written in collaboration with David Hazard, journalist and director of Chosen Books in the United States.
D.L.T. (France, 2015)