From the Episcopal News Service:
The Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, has filed court action seeking reinstatement of his permit to reside in the city of Jerusalem, which was revoked in August 2010 upon what the bishop says are unfounded accusations, according to a March 3 press release issued by his office.
Israel’s Ministry of the Interior denied the residency permit for Dawani, his wife and his youngest daughter on the grounds that Dawani had illegally sold Israeli land to Palestinians, according to the release. He also was accused of forging documents.
The official letter denying the permit, which was written in Hebrew, said (in a translation provided in the Diocese of Jerusalem release), “Bishop Suheil acted with the Palestinian Authority in transferring lands owned by Jewish people to the Palestinians and also helped to register lands of Jewish people in the name of the Church.”
The letter also stated that Dawani and his family should leave the country immediately.
“This is placing huge pressure on my role as Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem as I now have no right to live in the city of which I am the Anglican representative. It directly affects my ministry here as the future of my position remains uncertain,” Dawani said in a recent e-mail to ENS.
Dawani has denied the allegations, none of which have been substantiated by any documentary evidence, according to the release. The bishop has attempted to resolve the matter, sending letters to the Ministry of the Interior and the nation’s attorney general in which he asked to know the specific charges against him and requested reinstatement of the residency permit. According to the release, none of his inquiries have been answered.
