Christians call on government to pay for damages in Maghar
Maghar (AsiaNews) Some Christian families from the village of Maghar have decided to take the State of Israel to court for damages suffered in last week's riots in which some Druze residents ransacked and burnt dozens of Christian homes and stores.
In the village, which is located in the Lower Galilee, tempers are still simmering and there is concern that Christians might flee for good.
Between 10 and 12 people seek psychological assistance every day to cope with the traumatic experience.
An eyewitness told AsiaNews that "some little children are waking up in the middle of the night screaming: Druze! Fire!", preferring to remain anonymous because "tensions are still running high here and Christians are still scared."
Christians in Maghar, a village 40 km form Nazareth, accuse the police of "standing idly by watching" the Druze ransack 125 stores and homes and damage 180 cars. For two days they did nothing to stop the violence (see photos); instead, the village's small police detachment was withdrawn. Only on the third day did 300 police officers come to stop the Druze but most of the damage was already done.
For this reason, 15 local Melkite Catholic families are suing the government for damages in the Haifa Court. They claim the government is liable for failing to guarantee their personal safety and protect their property.
Currently, they "have found refuge with relatives in Haifa," another eyewitness told AsiaNews "because they lost homes and businesses to the Druze", but others are getting to follow them. Many more other Christians are in fact seeking legal counsel to sue the government for the damages inflicted by the Druze. Total damages have been estimated at around 150 shekels ( 26 million or US$ 35 million).
Last Sunday, Mgr Pietro Samb, the Apostolic Nuncio in Israel, visited the victims expressing the Pope's solidarity with their plight. He, too, called on the authorities to compensate the Christians for their losses.
The Maghar incident has also reached the floor of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said that the Christian residents should be compensated for their losses. Interior Minister Ophir Paz-Pines said his ministry would take responsibility for restoring the religious sites that were damaged or destroyed in the riots. St George's parish church suffered damages from stones pelted against its façade and windows.
The chairman of the Knesset Interior Committee, MK Raleb Majadele (Labour), slammed the police for doing nothing. "It is insufferable that during violent clashes and riots, the police stand on the sidelines and watch the events without doing anything," he told the panel session.
In addition to material losses, twelve people suffered injuries. Christians did not respond to Druze attacks.
Despite the public statements, Maghar Christians are still weary of what politicians' promises. "Two weeks have gone by," one eyewitness noted, "but no one has yet found an actual solution to our predicament. Thousands of people have lost home and businesses and have fled in neighbouring towns. Our children are too scared to go to school."
"Druze leaders have condemned the rioters' violence but no one has apologised to us," he added. (LF)
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