ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 3, 2008

ELCA Presiding Bishop, Others Urge Secretary Rice to Resolve Gaza Crisis
08-023-MRC

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a Feb. 29 letter to U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), along with
18 other religious leaders, urged Rice to take immediate
diplomatic action to resolve the crisis in Gaza. The letter
anticipated Rice's trip to the Middle East this month amid
escalating violence and risk of greater military confrontation
there.
     "The continuing violence and suffering experienced by
Palestinians and Israelis is hindering progress on the peace
process and also creates conditions that pose a particular threat
to the small Christian community in Gaza," the church leaders
wrote as part of Churches for Middle East Peace -- a coalition of
22 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches and organizations.
The ELCA participates in the coalition.
     In the letter church leaders expressed their concern for
civilians caught in the Gaza conflict. The leaders wrote that
the blockade of Gaza and frequent rocket attacks against southern
Israel cannot be tolerated. The blockade, they wrote, results in
power outages, water and food shortages and a lack of adequate
access to medical supplies, creating a "humanitarian crisis felt
by all Gazans."
     The religious leaders wrote that rocket attacks against
Israel have targeted civilians indiscriminately and made normal
life impossible in the areas affected. The religious leaders
asked Rice to "work with the international community to achieve a
ceasefire, end the blockade and establish real security at Gaza's
borders."
     The church leaders raised concern about the recent bombing
of the YMCA library in Gaza. They said that although
"authorities in Gaza have denounced this action, it follows the
killing of a Christian bookseller last fall and is symptomatic of
the deteriorating social conditions and instability that threaten
the safety of all the residents of Gaza."
     "A reduction of tensions in Gaza and the easing of daily
life will strengthen the tiny Christian community, just as
progress on the peace process will help sustain Christian
communities elsewhere in the region. Such steps are vital to
preserving the cultural and religious pluralism that has long
enriched the Middle East," they wrote.
     The church leaders concluded their letter by urging Rice to
use her visit to resolve the Gaza crisis. "We believe that all
the children of Abraham should be able to live in the 'land of
milk and honey' free of violence and insecurity and with the
ability to provide a positive future for their families," they
wrote.
- - -
     The text of the letter is at http://tinyurl.com/2gg9yr on
the Churches for Middle East Peace Web site.
     Information about ELCA ministries in the Middle East is
available at http://www.ELCA.org/middleeast on the Internet.

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