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US Denies Visa to Bethlehem Priest Invited to Speak Near Capitol
The United States denied a visa to Bethlehem parish priest Fr. Issa Thaljieh, who was scheduled to speak at a Washington advocacy event.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has denied an entry visa to Fr. Issa Thaljieh, the Palestinian parish priest of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, preventing him from attending an advocacy event near the US Capitol on Monday.
Fr. Thaljieh was scheduled to speak alongside American clergy at an event organized by Orthodox Christians for Palestine. The gathering is calling on Congress to hold Israeli settlers and the Israeli military accountable and to restrict US weapons transfers to Israel.
Organizers said the US government denied the priest’s visa on “security reasons.” His sister, Honey Thaljieh, who was granted permission to enter the country, will take his place at the event. Honey Thaljieh is known as the first captain of the Palestinian Women's National Football Team.
Laila Mokhiber, a volunteer with Orthodox Christians for Palestine, criticized the decision, saying, “Our government denied him a visa for 'security reasons'. A parish priest from Bethlehem, treated as a threat. That should worry all of us.”
Previously, the UOJ reported that Church officials warned of growing threats to the historic Christian community in Taybeh.
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