A group of German bishops sparked controversy yesterday when they compared Israel's treatment of the Palestinians with the Nazis' maltreatment of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
The comments were made by the 27-strong German Bishops' Conference after its tour of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Several of the bishops were upset by the Jerusalem Wall, the 30ft high concrete barrier illegally built by Israel to separate Palestinian suburbs from the rest of the city.
While crossing one of the checkpoints into East Jerusalem, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, said he had been particularly incensed.
"This is something that is done to animals, not people," he said referring to the wall and heavily fortified checkpoints where Palestinians are subjected to intrusive questioning and demands for Israel-approved documentation.
The Archbishop was brought up in Communist-controlled East Germany.
"For me it is a nightmare. I didn't think I would see such a wall again in my life," he said.
"Just like they brought the Berlin Wall down, so too will this wall come down. It will not endure." German bishops compare Israel to the Nazis
Mark Alexander
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