wfn.org | [LWF] Arafat Praised as Supporter of Palestinian Christians

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Lutheran World Federation

http://www.lutheranworld.org

11.11.2004
LWF President, General Secretary Praise Arafat as Strong
Supporter of Palestinian Christians
Statement from the Lutheran World Federation on Yasser
Arafat's Death

GENEVA, 11 November 2004 (LWI) - The Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) has paid tribute to Palestinian Authority
President Yasser Arafat as a strong supporter of the
religious rights and freedoms of Palestinian Christians, and
"always attentive to their place and importance in the Holy
Land." Arafat died early this morning.

In a joint statement issued today, LWF President Bishop Mark
S. Hanson and General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko describe
the man, who dominated Palestinian politics for over 40 years
as a leader who will be remembered in radically different and
often contradictory ways. While many considered him the
personification of the Palestinian struggle for
self-determination and independence, a freedom-fighter,
heroic leader and father figure, others saw him as an
implacable foe and obstacle to peace, Hanson and Noko
observe. But, they point out, whatever the divergent views
about Arafat, "his death removes from the scene an
indisputably pivotal figure in the political landscape of the
Middle East."

Arafat died aged 75, in a Paris hospital, to which he had
been brought from Ramallah on October 29. A funeral will be
held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, before his burial in
Ramallah on Saturday, November 13.

The LWF President and General Secretary note that while the
consequences of Arafat's death are unpredictable, it presents
opportunity as well as risk. They call on the Israeli and
Palestinian leadership to grasp this moment as an opportunity
to return to a renewed and active commitment to dialogue
instead of violence. "For the children of Abraham, both
Israelis and Palestinians, there is no alternative to
peaceful co-existence," they stress.

They also call on the Government of the United States of
America and the other members of the Quartet - the United
Nations, European Union and Russia - involved in shaping an
international policy toward resolution of the
Israel-Palestine conflict, to re-engage in the search for
peace.

In the statement, Hanson and Noko offer their prayers for the
LWF member church in the region, the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan (ELCJ) and its bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, as
well as the essential humanitarian work carried out by the
LWF Department for World Service program in Jerusalem and the
West Bank. "We pray that they will continue to be
strengthened for their witness and mission, and for their
role as bridge-builders and peace-makers."

The ELCJ has congregations in Israel, Jordan and Palestine.