wfn.org | LWF Denounces Israeli Forces' Occupation of Lutheran School

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

LWF General Secretary Denounces Israeli Forces' Occupation of
Lutheran School
Sharon Urged to "Break Cycle of Violence"

GENEVA, 12 March 2002 (LWI) - In the face of the rapid
degeneration of the Israeli /Palestine situation, General
Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr. Ishmael
Noko, has strongly protested against the Israeli armed forces'
occupation of, and damage to a Lutheran school and  rehabilitation
center in Bethlehem.

"Places such as this institution are oases of hope in a wilderness
of violence, and the military occupation of such an institution is
in grave violation of that hope and of the principles of
international humanitarian law," Noko said of the forced entry.
Israeli forces entered into the Dar al Kalima School and Wellness
Center in southern Bethlehem on March 9 and March 11.

Today, in a letter to the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
Noko called for the cessation of such military activity, and
reparation for the damaged premises. The school in Jerusalem, an
institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ)
has 240 students. The center, whose functions include treating
many traumatized children and adults from the Bethlehem area, was
scheduled to open May 24.

In a March 8 letter, Noko had pressed for an end to Israel's
military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. He urged the prime
minister, for the sake of both Israeli and Palestinian peoples
whose children are caught up in the conflict, to "take the
initiative to break the cycle of violence by restoring hope to the
Palestinian people."

Palestinian ELCJ Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan, denounced Israel's
occupation of the Lutheran church premises as a breach of
international law. In a March 11 press release, he observed that
these actions appeared to be among military operations in which
schools, hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel had been
attacked.

Noko pointed to LWF communications with the Palestinian
leadership, in which non-violent response to the current situation
was consistently being advocated. Ending the daily humiliation and
subjugation of Palestinians and returning to the negotiating table
provided the only hope of a peaceful future for both Israelis and
Palestinians, who must find a way of living, "rather than dying
side by side [on] the small piece of land which they both
inhabit," he said.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 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 acknowledgment.]

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