wfn.org | Middle East: Visiting U. S. church leaders say peace is imperative for all

[franki@elca.org]

Prayer vigil for peace in Middle East 

JERUSALEM /GENEVA, 18 December 2000 (ELCA NEWS/LWI) - A high-level
delegation of American church leaders to the Middle East said that peace,
which is imperative for all Israeli and Palestinians can only be achieved on
a firm foundation of justice.

In a press statement issued at the end of a December 7to 12 visit, the
delegation which included participants from the National Council of
Churches, the United Church of Christ and the Armenian Apostolic, Lutheran,
Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Quaker
and United Methodist churches also urged "the community of nations and all
people who love mercy to recognize and condemn this new apartheid that
oppresses the Palestinian people."

Visiting the Middle East to express solidarity with Christian churches there
and to lend their voices to a growing chorus calling for renewed efforts to
find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the region, the team stated it is
necessary that Israel withdraw from Palestinian areas to the 1967 borders in
fulfillment of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. This
would also include complying with all other pertinent resolutions such as U.
N. S. C. 194 affirming the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Former bishop Herbert Chilstrom of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) said that the impression that American churches tend to give
greater support to the Israelis is "sometimes based on a reading of
Scripture that says that this land should belong to the Jews." On the other
hand, he said that he has concluded, "this is a justice issue". Palestinians
whose families go back centuries are being uprooted. "We are here to protect
their rights while advocating the rights of the Israelis," he said.

Bishop Margaret Payne of the ELCA's New England Synod said that she had seen
"the damage that violence does to all parties" and she was convinced that
"all parties must cease violent acts" to give peace a chance.

The delegation met with senior Israeli and Palestinian political and
religious leaders to discuss the escalation of violence and collapse of the
peace process, as well as difficult issues such as the future status of
Jerusalem, Israeli settlements in Gaza and the West Bank, refugees and the
protection of human rights.

The final statement said that the delegation had "heard the voices of
people, seen the impact of Israeli settlements that strangulate and isolate
the Palestinian people from one another, heard the terror in the voices of
the Israeli Jews and Palestinian Christians and Muslims alike. We believe
that our faith calls us to tell the truth of what we have seen and that,
unless we share with the world what we have seen, the stones will cry out.
We are persuaded that the peace which must come for all Israeli and
Palestinian alike can only be achieved on a firm foundation of justice."

The visit of the U. S. delegation to the Middle East came at a time when
many of the churches in the United States are involved in a "Prayer Vigil
for Middle East Peace." The vigil, which began on the first Sunday of
Advent, December 3, will continue until the violence ends and a peace
agreement emerges.

For details of the Prayer Vigil for Middle East Peace, go to
http://www.loga.org/PrayerVigilHome.htm on LOGA's Web site.

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing over 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, normally held every six years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which meets
annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
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