wfn.org | [ENS] Presiding Bishop affirms President's recent stance on West

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Friday, April 8, 2005

Presiding Bishop affirms President's recent stance on West Bank
settlements;
barrier concerns underscored

Letter precedes April 11 meeting of President Bush, Israel's Prime
Minister
Sharon

[ENS] -- In anticipation of the meeting of President Bush and Prime
Minister
Sharon of Israel on Monday, April 11, the Presiding Bishop has written
the
following letter to the President. The letter praises recent efforts and
statements by the administration including criticizing the continued
building of West Bank settlements, and also raises concerns about the
effects of the separation barrier.

April 7, 2005

The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Almost one year ago today I wrote to you about the Episcopal Church's
strong
support for your advocacy of both a two state solution for Israel and
Palestine and your "Road Map" for peace in the troubled Holy Land. We
are
grateful for the positions you and your administration have taken this
year
to forward that effort and the difference it is making. While still very
fragile, hope among the Palestinians and Israelis is palpable and we
know it
will take a sustained effort to turn that hope for peace into reality.

I write again now in advance of Prime Minister Sharon's expected visit
next
week. We continue to be deeply concerned about the growth of
settlements, in
particular the proposed expansion of Ma'ale Adumin, that seriously
undermine
any possibility of the contiguous Palestinian state you have outlined.
We
are grateful for the questions that you and Secretary Rice are raising
about
the settlement expansion and for your statement this week that "the road
map
calls for no expansion of the settlements."

While fully recognizing Israel's need for protection against acts of
terror,
we continue to question the building of the separation barrier: most of
it
violates Palestinian land and therefore it has a devastating impact on
the
daily lives of Palestinians and engenders deep resentment and anger that
can
cause volatile reactions. It also makes it more difficult for Christian
pilgrims to visit their holy places and walk the paths followed for
centuries. While it is said that the barrier need not be permanent, it
is
now feared that even were it to be torn down, in many places the
settlements
would serve the same ends, becoming a "fact on the ground" and thereby
preempting discussions that should be part of final status negotiations.

As I wrote last year, the Episcopal Church has a long record of support
for
a just peace that guarantees Israel's security and Palestinian
aspirations
for a viable state with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both Israel
and
Palestine. There can be no just or lasting peace for either Palestinians
or
Israelis without the engagement of both parties in the peace process,
and it
appears that in President Abbas you have found the partner for peace
that
you sought.

I note here that we have been happy to provide grassroots support for
your
request for Palestinian aid and hope you will call upon us if there are
other ways in which we can support these efforts for peace. Please be
assured, Mr. President, of my continued prayers for you in these complex
and
difficult times.

Yours sincerely,

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church, USA

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