wfn.org | ACNS3434 Message from the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3434	     |		 MIDDLE EAST	    |		 8 MAY 2003  
  

Message from the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem

Dear Friends 

Salaam and grace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and greetings from
Jerusalem.

By now, most of you probably have heard about the "Road Map" that proposes to
create a Palestinian state by 2005. As you can well imagine, this is an issue
that lies very near to our hearts, as the people here have suffered more than
50 years under Israeli occupation.

But is this Road Map really the solution to our problems? Israeli journalist,
Uri Avnery, answered the question with a resounding "no" in an article he
recently wrote about the proposal, entitled "Much Ado About Nothing." In the
article, he notes that political realities, such 
as Israel's refusal to cease building settlements, the United States'
reluctance to exert serious pressure on Israel, and the lack of power in
Europe and the United Nations, already make the plan dead in the water.

However, he also noted that the Road Map goes further than the Oslo
agreement, laying out a firm "Declaration of Principles." It also confirms
that most people in the world have now come to a consensus on these issues.
Though he found a few gaping holes in the document, such as failing to lay
out the borders for a Palestinian state, he believed that the largest problem
with the plan is the "Quartet" of nations set up to enforce it. Any of the
four players - the United Nations, the United States, Europe and Russia -
must make all decisions unanimously. Because the Americans have a veto, their
ally, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will be able to veto at any point
in the process.

There are other holes in the document that Uri Avnery did not describe. For
example, there is hardly a mention of "independence" when speaking of a
viable state. Also, it does not address the "right of return" for Palestinian
refugees left to suffer in the refugee camps for more than 50 years. Finally,
there is no mention of what to do with the Israeli settlements or the
settlers that occupy them.

What we need is not another feel-good plan, but a serious effort on the part
of all players to seek peace and justice for all people who live in this land
- Christian, Muslim and Jew alike. This will require making political
sacrifices, including an absolute end to the illegal Israeli occupation of
Palestine and the implementation of UN Resolutions 242, 338, and 194.

Just as Christ sacrificed his life for us to reconcile the world to himself,
those who claim to follow him must make sacrifices as they carry out the work
of reconciliation.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us in this regard and has spread the
message of our trials in this land. Know that this comes with my prayers and
best wishes.

In Christ,

+ The Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal

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