wfn.org | Israel/Palestine: LWF General Secretary Welcomes CeaseFire

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Warns Against Excessive Military Force on Palestinians

GENEVA, 1 June 2001 (LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has warned
against the use of excessive Israeli military force on Palestinian
communities saying such action impacts both sides.

Any proposals to unleash Israel's "full military might against Palestinian
communities and infrastructure," or to further tighten the existing
stranglehold on the Palestinians' freedom of movement and economic
activities in the occupied territories, can only lead to "greater
desperation on the part of Palestinians, more violence, and less security
for Israelis in the long term," said LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael
Noko in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Noko is concerned about the resonance of such military action on current
international and local initiatives by many individuals and groups to
promote dialogue and better understanding among Israelis and Palestinians.

Citing the LWF's involvement as well as that of its member-church in
Israel/Palestine, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Noko wondered if such
initiatives could survive such an aggressive response by the Government of
Israel. "These signs of hope and prospects of reconciliation, will almost
certainly be extinguished by such measures," he said in the letter to
Sharon.

Referring to a report appearing in the May 31 edition of the Jerusalem Post,
the general secretary expressed consternation at Israeli government
officials' reaction to the present ceasefire, called for by Sharon on May
22. Housing Minister Natan Sharansky is reported as having said that if
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat would not seize "this
opportunity to stop the violence," Israel's next step will likely be to go
to war "to wipe out the military and terror infrastructure in the PA." Labor
and Social Affairs Minister Shlomo Benizri is reported to have argued
against further restraint, and to have called for the imposition of a
"hermetic closure" on the Palestinian territories.

Noko shared a concern by Transportation Minister Efraim Sneh who reportedly
warned against the use of force as this would lead to Israel's isolation.
The LWF believes that Israel's integration and active engagement in the
international community is of "central importance both for Israel and its
peoples and for the international community as a whole," Noko said.

It was Noko's conviction that the "whole thrust of Judeo-Christian tradition
witnesses to the impeccable observation" that lasting peace and a lasting
state cannot be built upon violence and armed conquest. Armed force does not
create peace and the security that it purchases is short-lived. Only
non-violence and negotiation can provide a path to sustainable peace in
Israel/Palestine, Noko added.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. 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
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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