wfn.org | LC092: Lambeth Conference calls for Jerusalem as shared capital

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Lambeth Conference calls for Jerusalem as shared capital

ACNS LC092 - 5 August 1998

Canterbury

by Katie Sherrod
Lambeth Conference Communications

The Lambeth Conference Wednesday morning (August 5) affirmed that Jerusalem
should be the capital city of both Israel and an independent Palestinian
state with free access for Christians, Jews and Muslims.

In a plenary business session, the conference adopted Resolution V.20,
proposed by a regional conference of the Middle East and South Asian
bishops. It passed overwhelmingly after a brief discussion.

Bishop-coadjutor Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal in Jerusalem, introduced the
resolution by comparing Palestinians to the Samaritan who was left by the
side of the road, robbed of everything including his homeland. He said
Christians who visit the Holy Land too often simply bypass the Palestinians
as they visit the shrines.

"The principle solutions must be to conclude a meaningful and just peace
between Israel and the Palestinians," Bishop-elect Riah said. The peace must
include "a right of return to their lands for the Palestinians refugees . .
.address human rights and inequalities  . . .encourage investment in higher
education, infrastructure and job creation projects . . . and develop a more
expansive partnership within the world-wide Body of Christ between the
church communities you represent and us, the indigenous Christians."

Proposed amendments prompt debate
Bishop Josiah Idowu-Feaeron of Kaduna (Nigeria) suggested what he called a
"little amendment" to the part of the resolution calling on the government
of Israel to recognize the "right of Palestinians, Christians and Muslims
alike" to build homes and institutions in Jerusalem. He asked that "we also
call on the Arab world to recognize the right of the Israelites to exist."

Bishop Idowu said his desire for this addition grew out of concerns that
Arab condemnation of terrorism "on any state" did not include attacks on
Israel because they do not recognize it as a nation. But Bishop Riah
responded that the resolution gave the "implication of recognition" of the
state of Israel by urging action on "the Israeli government."

As for the Arab countries, "the way forward is for a state of Palestine on
Palestinian soil side by side with Israel," Bishop Riah said. "Until that is
accomplished it will be difficult to continue to ask the Arab countries to
recognize the state of Israel. The Palestinians are the bridge and the state
of Palestine is the bridge. I am for a day when all the nations of the
Middle East recognize one another and live in peace and harmony."

Bishop John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu of Stepney (England) asked that the motion
be confined to what is happening within Israel, saying, "It's come from the
region of the Middle East and we need to give them their right to pass the
resolution as it stands without meddling into a lot of Middle East
politics."

Bishop Ghais Abdel Malik, President Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East
and Bishop of Egypt, said that a few years earlier he would have agreed to
the need for such an additional statement.

"But at the present situation we can see that most of the Arab countries are
recognizing Israel. It's no longer that they want to throw them into the
sea," he said. "They are stretching their hands without us telling them
'recognize Israel or not.' And we see the effort that is going around to
have peace with Israel and the surrounding countries. Who is opposing to it?
It's not the Arabs, I'm sorry to say. We as a church have to leave politics
to the politicians. . . Leave the resolution as it is."

Bishop Richard Harries of Oxford (England), chairman of the Council of
Christians and Jews, asked that the record note "that there are a good
number of Israelis and a good number of Jewish people throughout the world
who recognize Palestinians' suffering and are trying to support them in
their legitimate goals. And I would not want this resolution simply to go
through with any kind of implication that it is working against Jewish
people or Israelis as a whole."

Bishop Riah said that he did recognize such peace activists and had worked
with them himself.

Bishop Michael Nuttall of the resolutions committee clarified that no formal
amendment had been made, and that the vote was on the original resolution.