What takes place in that land today is an extreme hardening of enmity provoked by totally unjustified defiant actions. It is painful to see blood shed midst holy places, people suffering, houses of prayer and houses of peaceful people destroyed. The danger that the conflict will worsen and broaden remains. And this compels us to make an appeal to the Jewish and Arab population of the Holy Land to make peace and continue the dialogue that in the recent years has finally come to deal with problems which until recently have not been discussed but which are integral to the Middle East settlement. I mean first of all the status of Jerusalem.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. The Holy City has a profound symbolic significance for Christian eschatology. In the fulfillment of times, the Church hopes to see the heavenly Jerusalem as the focus of the eternal Kingdom of God. The Russian Orthodox Church, together with the Russian state and society, has traditionally supported the lawful desire of the Arab people of Palestine to acquire statehood, to restore their internationally recognized rights to their native lands, including territories inside Jerusalem. The turning of Jerusalem into the capital city of the two states, Arab and Jewish, appears to be a realistic plan for a fair settlement of the existing disputes.