ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 4, 2007
ELCA Presiding Bishop Supports Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace Conference
07-163-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said he
supports an international conference aimed at taking steps toward
resolving conflict peacefully between Israelis and Palestinians
in the Middle East, and this week joined in a call for specific
steps for a successful conference. The meeting is to be hosted
in November by the United States government at a location to be
determined.
Hanson is a member of the National Interreligious Leadership
Initiative for Peace in the Middle East (NILI), an organization
of U.S. faith group leaders that has spoken publicly about the
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. NILI members have
challenged the Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. governments each to
do more to resolve the conflict. Members have met several times
with officials of the Bush Administration, asking that the U.S.
government become more involved in negotiations for a just and
lasting peace. The religious leaders have also presented ideas to
U.S. officials aimed at promoting Middle East peace. Christian,
Jewish and Muslim leaders make up NILI.
This week, the religious leaders, through a message of the
NILI steering committee, are asking members of U.S. Congress and
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to consider specific
steps to help make the conference successful. NILI issued a
statement, "Steps for a Successful Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Conference."
"The ELCA is committed to praying and working for a lasting
and just peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Hanson said of
the message. "Our resolve is to increase awareness and advocacy
as we accompany the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the
Holy Land as articulated in the ELCA Peace Not Walls Initiative."
The NILI message to Congress and the Bush Administration
recommended:
+ Inviting all of Israel's Arab neighbors, as well as Israel
and the Palestinian Authority: The religious leaders said the
United States should invite representatives from Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria to the meeting. They also said
"all issues" should be on the agenda, including Israeli-
Palestinian status issues.
+ Seeking agreement on principles and taking other steps in
advance of the conference: The United States must press for
concrete steps by Israel and the Palestinian Authority to improve
conditions on the ground, including agreement on a cease-fire and
principles such as borders and security, settlements, refugees
and Jerusalem, the religious leaders said.
+ Resolving the split between the West Bank and Gaza: The
religious leaders said the split in Palestinian governance could
thwart success of the meeting. The United States should
"quietly" support efforts to form a united Palestinian government
that can represent Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and
that is committed to rejecting violence and negotiating a two-
state peace agreement with Israel, they said.
The steps called for by NILI "are critical to turning the
Middle East from a path of violence and extremism to one of
freedom, justice and peace," Hanson said. "The issues are
extremely complex and deeply rooted in a history of conflict and
distrust. A solution requires broad participation by Arab nations
willing to make difficult compromises for the sake of peace. May
the November conference be one important step in that process."
NILI members met Aug. 10 with Undersecretary for Political
Affairs R. Nicholas Burns in Washington, D.C. They expressed
their support and the support of their communities for the Bush
Administration's renewed commitment to work for peace between
Israelis and Palestinians as a high priority of U.S. policy,
according to a NILI news release. They also presented specific
ideas in their meeting with Burns related to preparations for the
peace conference.
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Information about the ELCA's Middle East resources,
including the ELCA Peace Not Walls initiative, is at
http://www.ELCA.org/middleeast/ on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
