wfn.org | NCC-USA Ends Middle East Visit, Issues Sobering Statement

["Carol Fouke" <cfouke@ncccusa.org>]

For Immediate Release

NCC-USA Ends Middle East Visit, Issues Sobering Statement

February 7, 2005, New York City - "God's children are called to seek justice,
to break down the walls that separate them, and to live side by side in
peace," declares the National Council of Churches USA's delegation in its
statement issued at the close of its Jan. 21-Feb. 4 visit to the Middle East.
 

The 11-member delegation asked those with whom it met: "Is there a new window
of opportunity for peace?"  In the statement "Barriers Do Not Bring Freedom,"
the delegation concludes, "A sliver of hope for peace does exist, but we feel
strongly the moment must be seized now or the future will remain dim."

The full statement follows.  Visit www.ncccusa.org for additional reports and
reflections.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES USA
Barriers Do Not Bring Freedom

For Christ is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and
has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.
(Ephesians 2:14)

As a delegation of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA,
we traveled across the Middle East from Beirut to Cairo to Bethlehem to
Jerusalem over the past two weeks, from January 21-February 4, 2005 on a
mission of peace. Our journey coincided with the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity. The Middle East Council of Churches and individual partner churches
have graciously hosted our delegation. We are grateful to God for the witness
to Christ made by the living churches of the Middle East from which we
descend. We affirm the whole earth is God's holy land, though of course the
land of Israel and Palestine holds particular importance for us, for it is
the land of the Prophets and Our Savior. We also affirm that God's children
are called to seek justice, to break down the walls that separate them, and
to live side by side in peace.

Especially for the sake of the children, we have hope that peace remains
possible and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine can be reached.
But for many of us this was our saddest journey to the Holy Land. Facts on
the ground make time of the utmost essence. We posed a question to those with
whom we met: "Is there a new window of opportunity for peace?" Our conclusion
is that a sliver of hope for peace does exist, but we feel strongly the
moment must be seized now or the future will remain dim. As American church
leaders, we urge our government to take balanced, strategic action now. 

Our word is one of alarm and worry. Current policies promise more war, death,
and destruction. We are deeply concerned for all people in the region whether
they be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of other faiths. There are far too many
disturbing realities to give us confidence. Not only should people everywhere
insist on and act for peace in the Middle East, they must also pray fervently
for the peace of Jerusalem.

We believe that American Christians must see themselves as bridge-builders
for peace and must not abandon or forget all Godâ??s children of the Middle
East. We heard many pleas from our Christian sisters and brothers to raise
our voices and work for a just, enduring, and comprehensive peace. The rapid
disappearance of the Christian presence in the Holy Land and, indeed, the
entire region due to emigration is alarming and can only be reversed if
conditions are changed for all the peoples of the Middle East. The Christian
community in the Middle East is a living church, not simply the custodian of
sacred places for others to visit. We pledged to them we will redouble our
efforts for an end of the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank, East
Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and for an end of the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

We met with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders as well as with a wide
variety of missionaries, intellectuals, and political officials including
those of Israel, Palestine, and the United States. Dialogue and understanding
between all faith communities is not an academic exercise in the Middle East;
it is absolutely necessary for survival. We must all work for a change of
heart and a change of mind that leads toward reconciliation and harmony. We
confess that the life of every human being is sacred and that the violent
death of anyone is tragic.

Our delegation was in the region at a momentous time: the beginning of
President Bush's second term in office; the election of a new Palestinian
President, Mahmoud Abbas, and his moves to demilitarize the militants; Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon's opening move to disengage from Gaza; the continued
building of Israel's Separation Barrier; the killing of a 10-year-old
Palestinian girl in the Gaza; the exposure of Israel's decision to invoke the
Absentee Law which has the effect of confiscating Palestinian land in East
Jerusalem; elections in Iraq; and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz.

We reaffirm our strong support for Israel and for its right to live in peace
and security. Israel has suffered from a long series of suicide bombings,
which we find reprehensible. Our support of Israel goes back many years, as
does our support for justice for the Palestinian people. Our itinerary
included a visit to Yad Vashem, where we honored the victims of Auschwitz and
other victims of the Holocaust. We met with victims of terror and other
representatives of a wide spectrum of the Jewish community.

We understand that the Separation Barrier is being built as a deterrent
against attacks on Israel. However, we learned 85 percent of Israel's
Separation Barrier is being built on Palestinian land. Much of this is to
include West Bank settlements within the Barrier. Quite simply, these
settlements should never have been built and must be removed. Like any other
nation, Israel has the right to build a Barrier; however one people's barrier
should not be built on the land of another people. We call for the removal of
the Separation Barrier from Palestinian territory.

We personally witnessed the devastating effects of the Barrier. Because it is
being built not on the 1967 Green Line but primarily on Palestinian land,
parents are separated from children, husbands from wives, farmers from their
land, patients from hospitals, workers from employers, and local Christians
from the holy sites. Palestinian leaders long ago accepted a two-state
solution giving Palestine 22 percent of the territory that once comprised
Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Now, the 22 percent has shrunk
considerably due to the so-called "natural growth" of Israeli settlements and
a vast strategic network of roads, highways and tunnels open only to Israeli
settlers, police, and the military. Palestinians, like people everywhere,
must have freedom of movement. Palestinian land is increasingly being chopped
into tiny cantons making the possibility of a sustainable Palestinian state
unachievable. 

Israel has established hundreds upon hundreds of checkpoints, roadblocks, and
gates across the Occupied Territories making daily life and travel extremely
difficult for ordinary Palestinians. Palestinians and Israelis are trapped in
a cycle of violence. The crushing burden of Israel's occupation of
Palestinian territory contributes to deep anger and violent resistance, which
contributes to fear throughout Israeli society. Israelis told us of a
hardening of the Israeli soul against Palestinians, and Palestinians told us
of the desperation they feel under Israel's collective punishment. Normal
life has ceased. At least half of the Palestinian people live in poverty. We
were distressed to learn too many Israelis have little or no knowledge of the
human rights abuses experienced by Palestinians.

Our delegation witnessed several of the many instances of harassment and
humiliation visited daily upon Palestinian people. Stereotypes of all
Palestinians as terrorists must be broken, and Palestinians must understand
that many Israelis also want a just peace. Presently, a "lethal dialogue" is
underway between extremists on all sides. This must be transformed into a
peaceful dialogue. While every leader we met - Christian, Jewish, Muslim -
condemned violence, it is clear the overriding problem is Israel's continuing
occupation of Palestinian territory. 

We are authentic friends of Israel and we have a vision of peace and
security. We are not blind in our support and reserve the right to question
the actions even of our friends. We believe genuine negotiations and not
unilateral action can avoid unimaginable violence in the future.

We urge President Bush to send a credible special envoy to assist in
negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Strong, genuinely constructive US
action can hasten peace. We ask Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice upon her
visit to Israel this weekend to touch the wall and feel the pain it causes.

We ask the international community to invest in Palestinian projects and
businesses. We learned of the pressing need for aid to flow to Palestinian
communities in East Jerusalem, in addition to other occupied territories.

We will invite Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas, at the time of
their next visits to the United States, to meet with ecumenical leaders as
partners in peacemaking.

We call on American Christians to contact the President of the United States
and their Members of Congress to insist U.S. policy be balanced toward both
Israel and Palestine. 

Middle East churches have a vital role to play as bridge builders and
peacemakers. We pledge our solidarity with them as part of the One Body of
Christ and we will look for ways to lift up their presence and needs within
our churches.

We affirm and endorse the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment
Program which assists Palestinians and Israelis in their everyday lives and
urge our member communions to support and participate in this program. We
urge people of faith and others in the U.S. and from around the world to
visit the Middle East and better understand the situation for themselves.

As people of faith, we affirm life. When ancient olive trees are uprooted
from the soil in which they were planted, when access to water is denied,
when children's futures are threatened, this does not lead to life in this
world as intended by God. Join us in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and in
seeking justice for all people of the Middle East.

The National Council of Churches is composed of 36 member national
denominations, which collectively represent 45 million people in 130,000
congregations. Members of the delegation are:

*Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, President
of the NCCCUSA;
*Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar, General Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Orthodox Church of America, Secretary of
the NCCCUSA;
*Dr. Sylvia Campbell, Alliance of Baptists, NCCCUSA Justice and Advocacy
Commission;
*Rev. Dr. Thelma Chambers-Young, Progressive National Baptist Convention,
Vice-President of the NCCCUSA;
*Rev. SeungKoo Choi, General Secretary, Korean Presbyterian Church in
America;
*Bishop C. Christopher Epting, Episcopal Church;
*Ms. Ann E. Hafften, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;
*Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, Disciples of Christ, NCCCUSA Justice and Advocacy
Commission Chair;
*Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Greek Orthodox Church, Associate General Secretary
of the NCCCUSA;
*Mr. Jim Winkler, General Secretary, United Methodist General Board of Church
and Society.

-end-

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