On 30th June 2006 Fr. Firas Aridah, the Catholic priest from Our Lady Mother of Sorrows Parish in  Aboud spoke at a hearing on: The Plight of Religious Minorities: Can Religious Pluralism Survive?”  of the Committee on International Relations of the U. S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations. 

Fr. Aridah spoke about the effect the separation barrier is having on Palestinian Christians, particularly in the village of Aboud.  “Last year the Israeli military issued additional orders for the confiscation of Aboud’s land without adequate compensation to build the security barrier…Aboud residents will suffer from the barrier in two significant ways: the loss of water and olive trees.”   His longer testimony, submitted for the record, along with a letter from Jerusalem church leaders, included maps of the route of the proposed separation barrier in and around Aboud and went into greater detail on the impact the barrier will have on the economy and water supply, freedom of worship and movement and access to medical care and schools. 

Fr. Aridah concluded his comments with a note of hope.  “We can live together.  However, this is only possible when each human being is accepting of the other without conditions.  Then they can live in peace.  If conditions are imposed and only one way is mandated, this is not the way of God.  Each human being must be treated fairly.  The Israeli occupation must end.  Violence and terrorism must stop.  There must be no more settlements on Palestinian land.  My prayer is that God will touch each heart to bring peace and justice and love to our Holy Land.”