wfn.org | US Lutheran bishop affirms, criticizes Jerusalem peace effort

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

CHICAGO, United States/GENEVA, 22 Sept. 2000  LWI/ELCANEWS) - Leaders of
Christian churches in North America urged President Bill Clinton to promote
sharing of Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians and among Jews,
Christians and Muslims in the negotiations Clinton is facilitating.

In a letter on September 6, the 15 leaders of Roman-Catholic, Protestant
and Orthodox churches, including the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding
bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), criticized the
US administration for lack of attention to Christian concerns and
international law as it affects the holy city. They said their view is
"based on our steadfast commitment to an equitable solution for Jerusalem
that respects the human and political rights of Israelis and Palestinians,
as well as the three religious communities."

"At this time we do not view the administration's attention to the American
churches' interests, concerns and recommendations or those of the Jerusalem
churches' interests and rights to be adequate," the church leaders said in
the letter, which was also signed by the Rev.  Andrew Young, president of
the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the nation's
leading ecumenical body.

The letter commended Clinton for blocking, thus far, the congressionally
mandated move of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The
church leaders discouraged him from threatening to move the U. S. mission
before an agreement is reached.

The American church officials also endorsed the proposal of Jerusalem's
church leaders to create an internationally guaranteed special statute for
the governance of the city. "This would allow Jerusalem to be an open city
which transcends local, regional or world political troubles," they said.

The leaders described as "totally unacceptable" the current Israeli
procedure of requiring Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza to acquire
Israeli permits to enter Jerusalem. They also criticized Israel's continued
building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land in and near Jerusalem
during Clinton's leadership of the peace process.

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing over 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven
years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which
meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is located
in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
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