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Note #8570 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

04503
November 11, 2004

Denominational leaders offer comfort amidst Palestinian transition

Letter affirms the role of the Christian community

By Alexa Smith

LOUISVILLE - Upon learning of the death of Yasser Arafat, the following
letter was released by denominational officials to two Palestinian leaders,
Dr. Nasir Al-Kidwa, ambassador of  Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to
the United Nations; and Prime Minister Ahmad Qrei'a.

	The letter is signed by John Detterick, executive director of the
General Assembly Council; the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the
Presbyterian Church (USA), and Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the 216th
General Assembly.

	It reads as follows:

Grace and peace to you.

	We are writing to you upon learning of the death of President Yasser
Arafat. We want to assure you of our heartfelt prayers for Mr. Arafat's
family and for all of you who mourn his passing, that God in divine mercy
will give comfort and aid to you in every possible way. We also pray for you
in the midst of the transition and much feared uncertainty during these
present days of securing new leadership.

	Even as we know you are mourning, we recognize this particular time
as a watershed moment that offers the potential for increased violence -
within and beyond the Palestinian territories - or the opportunity to
renounce violence and walk firmly on the path toward peace. To that end, we
share with you our many hopes.

	We hope you will have the opportunity to experience
self-determination and choose your own leadership, and that new leadership
will offer a vision of a just, peaceful, and secure future for Palestinians
and Israelis. May liberation leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Desmond Tutu,
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and Martin Luther King, Jr., serve as models of
creative, mercy-filled leadership that transforms enemies into neighbors
through a principled commitment to non-violent strategies as the only
appropriate path to peace.

	We hope new leadership will be instrumental in bringing both an end
to the grinding violence of Occupation and to terror attacks on Israeli
civilians. May you experience a reconciliation that precludes violent
retribution and using violence as a tactic, not just because of its
immorality, but its tragic consequences for Palestinians and Israelis.

	We hope you will remain part of the world community. Many people of
conscience around the world share your just cause for dignity and security
and are acutely aware of your international rights, as guaranteed through
United Nations' resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention. We in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are among them.

	We hope new leadership will continue to value the small, but
important, Christian community in your midst. Over the past fifty years,
Christians have gone from nearly 20% to less than 2% of the Palestinian
population. As our brothers and sisters in Christ, in the land of Christ's
birth, the Palestinian church has special significance. Over the centuries,
Christians in the Middle East have been an agent of reconciliation and
stability. We affirm the importance of Christian presence and witness in
Palestinian society and pray it will continue to be honored.

	Our deepest hope is for a just, peaceful, non-violent future for all
peoples in the Middle East. As Christians, we believe God calls us to show
love, seek peace, and pursue justice. In particular, we believe God has given
us the ministry of reconciliation so that the whole world might be
transformed into the image of God's peaceful kingdom. These beliefs have
guided our actions and witness to Israel and Palestine for several decades,
and we recommit ourselves anew to them now.

	In all these things, we give glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Ishmael, whom we worship in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

The. Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Elder Rick Ufford-Chase
Moderator, 216th General Assembly (2004) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Elder John Detterick
Executive Director, General Assembly Council

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