By
Eunice Hilda Ampomah, GNA
Accra, Feb. 21, GNA – Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi,
the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, on Friday, cautioned
Christians undertaking a tour to historic sites in Israel to pray not to
attempt absconding as the Israeli Police will hunt for them.
He reminded the 50 Christians that since the
introduction of pilgrimage to Israeli in 2017, not a single person absconded or
attempted to hide in order to stay behind and work or use the pilgrimage as
conduit to travel to other countries whenever they embarked on the journey.
Mr Dzamesi said the Government was
collaborating with Israel to ensure that anyone who attempted illegal act was
dealt with according to the laws of the host.
“It is not a private pilgrimage, but
government to government, so if you try to run away, you will be arrested and
be put in jail and trust me, you will not like Israeli jail,” Mr Dzamesi said.
He encouraged them to use the one week period
of stay in Israel to pray for themselves and for the nation as a whole.
“Make sure you grab the spirit when you go so
that when you return, you will become a different person. You know that to do
good is more difficult than to do bad, so pray so that we will all be able to
do the right things easily,” he added.
The Minister said over thousand people went to
Israel and returned successfully since 2017, and disclosed that another 200
people would also embark on the pilgrimage in May and another 200 in August
this year.
He explained that none of the travelers was
sponsored by government, but by themselves and their churches.
Mr Dzamesi noted that, there was a thorough
screening of the people who applied to embark on the trip by the Bureau of
National Investigations, Police, and the Ministries of Chieftaincy and Foreign
Affairs.
He said 250 people applied to embark on the
trip, but only 47 qualified to be beneficiaries.
Mr Victor Satuh, the Head of Business
Development, One People Travels, a travel and tour agency and organizers of the
trip, advised the travelers to be law abiding and disciplined, while on the
trip to avoid any problems with the Israeli law enforcers.
He also asked them to be patient and undergo
all health screening processes on the way, especially as the epidemic of
Coronavirus was on the rise.
GNA