Title: Churches Oppose Jerusalem Settlement ELCA NEWS SERVICE - NEWSBRIEF April 7, 1997 CHURCHES OPPOSE JERUSALEM SETTLEMENT Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) told President Bill Clinton it is "gravely concerned about recent Israeli decisions that jeopardize the peace process." In a March 7 letter the organization asked the administration, "as sponsor of the peace process and friend of Israel, to convince Israel to refrain from actions which create facts-on-the-ground and preempt final status negotiations on Jerusalem." CMEP is a coalition of the Washington public policy offices of member churches and organizations including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The letter cited Clinton's stated view that "the Israeli decision to construct a new settlement, Har Homa, does not build confidence and indeed it builds mistrust." It urged Clinton to "publicly state U.S. opposition to Har Homa in order to restore the confidence of those committed to peace." The organization wrote, "As Christians committed to working for peace, we support a negotiated solution for Jerusalem that respects the human and political rights of both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the rights of the three religious communities. We appeal to you to make that possible." The Rev. Mark B. Brown signed the letter on behalf of the ELCA; he is assistant director for advocacy, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs. In a background paper CMEP says, "For Israel to build a new exclusively-Jewish neighborhood on land that historically was Palestinian and whose sovereignty is subject to negotiation is a slap in the face of the peace process." It continues, "There is concern in Bethlehem that Christian tourists, the principal source of income in Bethlehem, would be re-routed to Har Homa, the so-called Bethlehem of Israel." For information contact: Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html