wfn.org | [ENS] Gaza agreement,

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

Daybook, from Episcopal News Service

November 28, 2005 -- Monday Mission

Gaza agreement, Road Map are focus of interreligious leaders' letter

Rice, Hughes commended for leadership roles

[ENS] Thirty-seven American Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders,
including Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and the heads of 24 other
national organizations, have written Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice commending her leadership in helping Israel and the Palestinian
Authority reach agreement on opening Gaza. The letter from the National
Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East
also calls for urgent efforts to restart negotiations to implement the
Road Map to Peace.  (Full text of letter to Secretary Rice and list of
leaders follow)

National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East
(Project of A Different Future) P.O. Box 6307 Hamden, CT 06517

November 20, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice U.S. Secretary of State U.S. Department
of State 2020 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520

The Honorable Karen Hughes Under Secretary for Diplomacy and Public
Affairs U.S. Department of State 2020 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madame Secretary and Ambassador Hughes,

We write on behalf of 37 Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders of the
National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle
East.  These leaders, including the heads of twenty-five national
organizations, are joined together since 2003 in an unprecedented
cooperative effort to support U.S. leadership of the Road Map to Peace. We
would welcome an opportunity for leaders of the National Interreligious
Initiative to meet with you.

We write today to express our deep appreciation to you, Secretary
Rice, for the crucial leadership role you played in helping Israel
and the Palestinian Authority to reach agreement about opening Gaza,
while effectively meeting Israeli security concerns. We write also in
appreciation to you, Ambassador Hughes for the challenging role you have
taken on as Under Secretary for Diplomacy and Public Affairs and the
sense of urgency for achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace we understand
you developed in the course of your important trip through the Middle
East. We believe Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible, that active,
fair and firm U.S. leadership is essential to achieving this goal, and
that achieving peace is vitally important to protecting U.S. national
security interests and reducing the threat of global terrorism.

Leaders of the Interreligious Initiative are committed to encouraging
local interreligious support for your efforts in cities across the
country. In January 2005 more than 250 religious leaders in fifteen
cities joined in an appeal to the President and Congress in support of
the Road Map. In June 3000 Jews, Christians and Muslims gathered in
synagogues, churches and mosques in fifty cities to participate in a
Trans National Town Hall Meeting for Peace (via the internet) sponsored
by A Different Future, with religious and civil society speakers from
Jerusalem and Washington, DC. Senator Lugar and Representative Hyde
initiated bi-partisan "Dear Colleague" letters in the Senate and House
acknowledging the message of urgency from their constituents across the
country in support of leadership that only the U.S.  can provide to help
Israelis and Palestinians resolve the conflict. This Fall A Different
Future has initiated a series of Conference Call Briefings for national
and local
 religious leaders.

We believe the Road Map to Peace continues to provide an essential
framework for negotiated progress toward peace, including its mandate
for reciprocal, simultaneous steps by both parties, monitoring of
implementation, and an accepted timetable. We fear that if negotiations
to implement the Road Map are not resumed quickly, the opportunity for
progress toward peace created by Israel's disengagement from Gaza may
be lost.

Leaders of the Interreligious Initiative strongly support the President's
commitment to the goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine,
living side-by-side in peace, and his commitment to restart the Road Map
to Peace. Based on provisions in the Road Map, we support the appointment
of a successor to General Ward for an "enhanced mission" to strengthen
Israeli-Palestinian security coordination to prevent violent attacks
on Israelis. Preventing such attacks is essential to restoring Israeli
hopes for peace. The recent attacks and counter-attacks give even greater
urgency to this mission.

We deeply applaud your work in helping Israel and the Palestinian
Authority reach agreement on enabling freer movement of people and goods
in and out of Gaza and the West Bank to build positively on Israeli
disengagement, while effectively meeting Israeli security concerns. We
believe reconstruction of the economy in Gaza, including large scale
job creation, is essential for restoring Palestinian hopes for peace
and providing further incentive for a nonviolent path to peace.

We support the President in his support for Palestinian democratic
elections to form "a functioning government that delivers economic
opportunity," his commitment to provide (monitored) economic aid to
the Palestinian Authority, and his call on the Palestinian Authority
to consolidate security services and take further effective action in
"rejecting and fighting terrorism."  As the new Palestinian government
gains strength, it is essential that the Palestinian Authority act
effectively to disarm Palestinian factions and dismantle groups that
persist in carrying out acts of violence against Israelis. At the same
time, based on its Road Map obligations, we support the President's
call on Israel simultaneously to "remove unauthorized outposts, stop
settlement expansion," and "not undertake any activity that contravenes
its Road Map obligations or prejudices the final status negotiations with
regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem." We believe U.S insistence
on these objectiv
 es would be supported by a substantial majority of Americans.

We are committed to mobilizing support from our communities nationwide
including urging bi-partisan Congressional support, for active, fair and
firm U.S. leadership in pursuing implementation of the Road Map. We would
welcome an opportunity for the leaders of the National Interreligious
Initiative to meet with you to discuss how we, and our congregations
and communities, can best help your efforts at this critical time on
this critically important issue.

Respectfully,

Dr. Bruce E. Wexler Co-Coordinator

Ronald J. Young Co-Coordinator

Enc: List of Leaders of the National Interreligious Initiative National
Interreligious Leadership Initiative For Peace in the Middle East

Christian Leaders

His Eminence, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick Archbishop of Washington

His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, Primate Greek Orthodox Church
in America

His Eminence, William Cardinal Keeler Archbishop of Baltimore

His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate Armenian Apostolic
Church in America

Most Reverend William Skylstad, President United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold III, Presiding Bishop The Episcopal Church

Bishop Thomas Hoyt, Jr. President National Council of Churches

The Reverend Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk Presbyterian Church (USA)

Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America

The Reverend John M. Buchanan, Editor and Publisher Christian Century

The Rev. John Thomas, General Minister & President United Church of Christ

Richard J. Mouw, President Fuller Theological Seminary

Bishop Ann B. Sherer, the Council of Bishops The United Methodist Church

The Reverend Leighton Ford, President Leighton Ford Ministries

The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Min, President Christian Churches
(Disciples of Christ)

David Neff, Editor and Vice-President Christianity Today

Richard E. Stearns, President World Vision

Jewish Leaders

Rabbi Harry K. Danziger, President Central Conference of American Rabbis
(Reform)

Rabbi Peter S. Knobel, Member of the Council Parliament of World Religions

Rabbi Paul Menitoff, Executive Vice President (ret) Central Conference
of American Rabbis (Reform)

Rabbi Janet Marder, Past President Central Conference of American Rabbis
(Reform)

Rabbi Alvin S. Sugarman, Vice President A Different Future

Rabbi Amy Small, Past President Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Rabbi Brant Rosen, President Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Rabbi David E. Stern Temple Emanu-El, Dallas, Texas (Reform)

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rector University of Judaism (Conservative)

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
(Conservative)

Rabbi David Saperstein, Director Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Muslim Leaders

Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, Secretary General Islamic Society of North
America

Dawud Assad, President (ret) Council of Mosques, USA

Naeem Baig, General Secretary Islamic Circle of North America

Nahid Angha, Ph. D., Co-Director International Association of Sufism (IAS)

Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, Leader The Mosque Cares

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Director American Sufi Muslim Association

Iftekhar A. Hai, Founding Director United Muslims of America

Imam Yahya Hendi, Chaplain Georgetown University

Imam Hassan Qazwini Islamic Center of America

Organizations for Identification Only

-- To SUBSCRIBE to enslist, send a blank email message, from the address
which you wish subscribed, to: join-enslist@epicom.org

Send QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS to news@episcopalchurch.org

The enslist is published by Episcopal News Service:
  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens

--