wfn.org | Church Leaders Press Powell on Middle East Violence

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Note #6569 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

9-June-2001
GA01013

Church Leaders Press Powell on Middle East Violence

Group decries Israel's "economic strangulation" of Palestine

by Kevin Eckstrom
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON - A delegation of powerful church leaders pressed Secretary of
State Colin Powell on Thursday (June 7) to urge Israel to halt controversial
settlements in Palestinian territories and end U.S. shipments of military
aid that are used against the Palestinians.

Presenting a strongly worded letter to Powell, the church delegation called
the continuing Middle East violence a "cancer that threatens the health of
the whole region."

The signers included the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly.

"Israel's practice of assassination and economic strangulation of the
fledgling Palestinian state are counterproductive to either security or
peace," the letter said.

In the highest-level meeting with the administration to date, church leaders
said Powell was "very receptive" to their concerns about the ongoing
violence and was "engaged in a very spirited discussion."

Led by Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, the delegation also
included Pittsburgh Bishop Donald J. McCoid, chairman of the Conference of
Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Dallas Bishop William
Oden, past president of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist
Church; and John L. McCullough, executive director of Church World Service,
the humanitarian arm of the National Council of Churches.

Griswold said he was impressed with Powell's knowledge during the

30-minute meeting at the State Department, and said Powell sees a role for
the churches to help end the violence.

"He called upon us to use our voices to shout from the steeples to invite
all people to commit themselves to nonviolence," Griswold said.

Spearheaded by Churches for Middle East Peace, an ecumenical group of mostly
mainline Protestant denominations, the church leaders took a hard line with
Israel and said the Jewish state has been too harsh in its treatment of
Palestinians.

Their letter deplored the "destructive impact of Israel's settlement policy"
and Israel's use of "heavy weapons against civilians."

"While we condemn the violent words and actions of Palestinians, we
understand the rage that comes from decades of occupation, dislocation and
the feeling of having been betrayed by the peace process," the letter said.

Oden said the letter was not biased against Israel but that church leaders
condemned both the Israeli military attacks and Palestinian suicide bombers.

"I don't believe the letter was tilted toward the Palestinians and was not
even-handed," Oden said.
"The security of Israel is important to the United States, as is the
independence of Palestine."

As both sides struggle to maintain a fragile cease-fire, the ongoing
violence in the Middle East has slowly trickled into the life of U.S.
religious bodies. Last week, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Jewish
Reform movement's congregational arm, lashed out against Israel for its
settlement policies and cancelled summer youth trips to Israel.

Many churches have struggled with the violence, torn by empathy for the
Palestinians and loyalty to the Jewish people, with whom they share
important spiritual roots.

McCoid said the delegation was particularly concerned for Palestinian
Christians, who have been affected by the violence as much as their Muslim
neighbors. McCullough decried the system of "apartheid" which keeps
Palestinian and Israeli neighbors separate, and the economic conditions that
keep unemployment as high as 70 percent.

Griswold said he was confident that Powell sees a role for U.S. churches in
the peace process and wants to explore ties to other Christian churches in
the Middle East. He said Anglican colleagues in Jerusalem urged him to
present their concerns directly to Powell.

"We certainly felt we had established a working relationship and he would be
happy to work with us in the future," Griswold said.

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