wfn.org | Title: WCC demands to halt construction and dismantle Israel

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

 World Council of Churches 7 Press Update
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 20/02/2004 - pu-04-11

 WCC demands to halt construction and dismantle Israel barrier

 Cf. WCC Press Release, PR-04-02, of 12 February 2004

The executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
has issued 
a powerful appeal to the Israeli government demanding that they

"stop and reverse the construction of the wall in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories".

 The "construction and location" of the Israeli wall on
occupied
 Palestinian territory is a "violation of the Charter of the
United Nations
 and fundamental principles of international law", says the WCC
executive
 committee in a statement adopted during its 17-20 February 2004
meeting in
 Geneva.

 It also calls on all member churches and ecumenical partners to
"condemn
 the wall as an act of unlawful annexation", which "should not
be
 recognised by any state".

 The statement "strongly condemns the violations of human rights
and
 humanitarian consequences" of the barrier. The resulting
obstacles in
 accessing workplaces, farmland, health services and schools
among others,
 constitute a violation of the rights to liberty of movement,
work,
 adequate standard of living including housing, health care,
education and
 equality before the law.

 Welcoming the hearing of the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) in the
 Hague, the WCC executive committee calls the attention of the
Court to the
 "immense human costs paid by the Palestinian people and its
long-term
 consequences on peace and reconciliation". It also expresses
its "deep
 concern to the ICJ to consider if the construction of the wall
affects the
 status quo of the Holy Places in any way".

 The creation of this "new political boundary", which extends
"Israeli
 civilian and military presence inside Palestinian territory",
undermines
 "all peace-making efforts and most importantly the whole
concept of a
 viable and contiguous Palestinian state established side by
side by the
 state of Israel", says the committee.

 The WCC executive committee statement acknowledges that "Israel
has
 serious and legitimate security concerns" and recognises
Israel's "right
 and duty to protect its people against attacks and suicide
bombers inside
 the state of Israel, without contravening international law
and
 jeopardising longer term prospects for peace".

 It also acknowledges "Palestinian people's right to resistance
against the
 Israeli occupation inside the Occupied Palestinian Territories,
without
 resorting to terror and creating indiscriminate fear among
civilians"
 inside the state of Israel.

 The WCC executive committee reaffirms its "strong conviction
that
 non-violent means of resistance and peaceful negotiations are
the only way
 to achieve a lasting, viable solution to the Arab- Israeli
conflict".

 The WCC statement is based on eyewitness reports from
volunteers within
 the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
(EAPPI) and
 pleas from the Heads of Churches of Jerusalem, WCC member
churches and
 councils of churches.

 Full text of the statement available at:
 http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pu-04-11.html

 For information about the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in
Palestine
 and Israel:
 www.eappi.org 

For more information contact:
	 Media Relations Office
 tel: (+41 22) 791 64 21 / (+41 22) 791 61 53
 e-mail:media@wcc-coe.org 
 http://www.wcc-coe.org 

 The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
342, in
 more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all
Christian
 traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church
but works
 cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the
assembly,
 which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was
formally
 inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is
headed by
 general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in
Kenya.