ELCA NEWS SERVICE January 23, 2004 Capps to Encourage Colleagues to Visit Mideast with ELCA Bishops 04-008-JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif. 23rd), who accompanied two bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on a fact-finding trip to the Middle East, said she will encourage her colleagues in Congress to accompany other ELCA bishops on future educational trips to the region. Capps visited Israel and the West Bank Jan. 9-16 with the Rev. Murray D. Finck, bishop of the ELCA Pacifica Synod, Yorba Linda, Calif., and the Rev. Dean W. Nelson, bishop of the ELCA Southwest California Synod, Glendale. Capps, a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), Tacoma, Wash., is a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Santa Barbara, Calif. PLU is one of the 28 ELCA colleges and universities. Capps' visit to the region was sponsored by the ELCA, according to a news release from her Washington, D.C., office. The trip was organized through the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), the ELCA's federal public policy office in Washington, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ), headed by the the Rev. Munib A. Younan, ELCJ bishop. The Lutheran World Federation, the State of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other partners worked in cooperation with LOGA and the ELCJ. "This (trip) was excellent," she said in a telephone interview with the ELCA News Service. "I was honored to be invited by the ELCA. This was a balanced visit." The group met with such Palestinian Authority leaders as Ahmad Qureia, Palestinian prime minister, and Israeli government leaders such as Shimon Peres, chair of the Labor Party, as well as with Dov Weisglas, chief of staff for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon; U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel C. Kurtzer; heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem; ELCJ leaders; representatives of Augusta Victoria Hospital, East Jerusalem; and a variety of local political and business leaders in Israel and the West Bank. The most important message communicated to the ELCA group was "a plea to the United States to be more engaged and to be more consistent" in helping Israelis and Palestinians resolve their longstanding conflicts, Capps said. The conflict must be resolved through diplomacy, she said. "This will not happen without third-party involvement." When the ELCA group visited Israeli political leaders they discussed the plight of the Palestinian people living in Israel and how the numbers of Christians living in Jerusalem have fallen dramatically because many have moved away, Finck said. With the Palestinian leaders, the ELCA group challenged them to denounce violence such as suicide bombings and the targeting of West Bank settlers, he said. Nelson said, after meeting with Palestinian leaders, he realized the "staggering task" they have in trying to maintain unity among their diverse political and social interests while trying to talk about peace with Israelis. Traveling with Lutheran bishops affords members of Congress an opportunity to hear from both Palestinians and Israelis, Capps emphasized. "I am aware that most of my colleagues travel to the Middle East under different auspices," Capps said, noting that Middle East tour guides for members of Congress are often associated with groups that lobby for Israeli interests. "I covet the opportunity to see for myself," she said. Capps said she was impressed that the 65 ELCA bishops are making an effort to visit the Middle East in small groups. The purpose of such trips is to learn first-hand from people who live in the region and to support the ELCJ, said the Rev. Mark B. Brown, LOGA assistant director for international issues, Washington, D.C. Brown and his wife, Susanne, accompanied Capps, Finck and Nelson. To date about 12 bishops, plus the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and his predecessors, have participated in these educational trips, Brown said. This was the first time a member of Congress had been part of such a trip, he said. Capps said she planned to work on two specific issues that she learned more about on the trip. One relates to Augusta Victoria Hospital, located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem and operated by the LWF. The hospital's ministry, which serves mostly Palestinians, is threatened by the possibility of being required to pay an employer's tax to the State of Israel, from which the hospital has been exempt since 1967. In 2003 an Israeli tax court ruled the hospital could be held liable for the tax. If the ruling stands, the hospital may have to pay about $350,000 in taxes annually to the State of Israel. Hospital officials have said paying the tax could threaten many of the hospital services. The case has been appealed, and hospital supporters are asking for U.S. government intervention with the Israelis. "We are working on this," Capps said. Another issue Capps said she'd work on is trying to influence Israeli policy on how nongovernmental organizations operate there. During the trip, the ELCA group witnessed the impact of a nearly completed "security wall" separating Palestinians from Israelis and West Bank settlements. "The world doesn't understand what's happening because there's not much information," Capps said. The security wall will most likely heighten conflict and tension, Finck said. "I am appalled that another wall of separation and segregation is being built in this day and age," he said. "We saw first-hand some of the disastrous effects of the building of the wall," Nelson said. "But we also got many insights into how difficult it is to resolve this conflict, because of a variety of ideological and political issues. There are significant numbers of people on both sides who want to work not only for peace, but for justice as well." The role of churches in resolving conflict in the Middle East is "critical," Capps said. She said she is impressed with an "ecumenical accompaniment" program organized through the World Council of Churches, in which outside observers live for short periods of time in the West Bank to learn about the people in the region and document their observations. The two bishops said they learned that many people, with diverse backgrounds and expertise, must be involved to resolve conflict in the Middle East. "A mixture of people could open up some doors for pursuing cries for peace and resolution," Finck said. He added that he is pleased the ELCA helped sponsor the trip and that LOGA's work "continues to keep us in the midst of the real world and what's going on." For Nelson, the highlight of the trip was meeting with church leaders and members trying to minister to people in a difficult situation. Visiting the region to support other Christians -- and Lutherans in particular -- was also important. "The Lutheran community is a global family," Nelson said. "This helps us recognize each other as sisters and brothers in Christ." -- -- -- Information about LOGA is at http://www.loga.org on the Web. Photos from the Middle East trip are at http://www.elca.org/co/news/images.congresswoman.html on the ELCA Web site. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news