wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] NCC Middle East delegation concludes visit,

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Note #8642 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05079
February 8, 2005

NCC Middle East delegation concludes visit, issues statement

'Barriers do not bring freedom'

by Carol Fouke
NCC News and Information office

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," declared the
National Council of Churches USA's delegation in a 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 entitled "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."

	Members of the delegation were: Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt Jr. of the
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the NCC's president; the Rev. Robert
Edgar, NCC general secretary; Bishop Vicken Aykazian of the Armenian Orthodox
Church of America and NCC secretary; Sylvia Campbell of the Alliance of
Baptists and a member of the NCC's Justice and Advocacy Commission; the Rev.
Thelma Chambers-Young of the Progressive National Baptist Convention and NCC
vice-president; the Rev. SeungKoo Choi, general secretary of the Korean
Presbyterian Church in America; Bishop C. Christopher Epting of the Episcopal
Church; Ann E. Hafften of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the
Rev. Michael Kinnamon of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and chair
of the	NCC's Justice and Advocacy Commission; Antonios Kireopoulos of the
Greek Orthodox Church and the NCC's associate general secretary; and Jim
Winkler, general secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church
and Society.

	The full text of the delegation's statement: 

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 God'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.

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