National Council of Churches ends middle east visit, issues sobering statement
Arabic News
Feb 9 2005
Palestine-USA, Politics, 2/8/2005
“God’s children are called to seek justice, to break down the walls
that separate them, and to live side by side in peace,” declares the
National Council of Churches USA’s delegation in its statement issued
at the close of its Jan. 21-Feb. 4 visit to the Middle East.
The 11-member delegation asked those with whom it met: “Is there a
new window of opportunity for peace?” In the statement “Barriers Do
Not Bring Freedom,” the delegation concludes, “A sliver of hope for
peace does exist, but we feel strongly the moment must be seized now
or the future will remain dim.”
The council said in a statement: As a delegation of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, we traveled across the
Middle East from Beirut to Cairo to Bethlehem to Jerusalem over the
past two weeks, from January 21-February 4, 2005 on a mission of
peace. Our journey coincided with the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity. The Middle East Council of Churches and individual partner
churches have graciously hosted our delegation. We are grateful to
God for the witness to Christ made by the living churches of the
Middle East from which we descend. We affirm the whole earth is God’s
holy land, though of course the land of Israel and Palestine holds
particular importance for us, for it is the land of the Prophets and
Our Savior. We also affirm that God’s children are called to seek
justice, to break down the walls that separate them, and to live side
by side in peace.
Especially for the sake of the children, we have hope that peace
remains possible and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine
can be reached. But for many of us this was our saddest journey to
the Holy Land. Facts on the ground make time of the utmost essence.
We posed a question to those with whom we met: “Is there a new window
of opportunity for peace?” Our conclusion is that a sliver of hope
for peace does exist, but we feel strongly the moment must be seized
now or the future will remain dim. As American church leaders, we
urge our government to take balanced, strategic action now.
Our word is one of alarm and worry. Current policies promise more
war, death, and destruction. We are deeply concerned for all people
in the region whether they be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of other
faiths. There are far too many disturbing realities to give us
confidence. Not only should people everywhere insist on and act for
peace in the Middle East, they must also pray fervently for the peace
of Jerusalem.
We believe that American Christians must see themselves as
bridge-builders for peace and must not abandon or forget all GodÕs
children of the Middle East. We heard many pleas from our Christian
sisters and brothers to raise our voices and work for a just,
enduring, and comprehensive peace. The rapid disappearance of the
Christian presence in the Holy Land and, indeed, the entire region
due to emigration is alarming and can only be reversed if conditions
are changed for all the peoples of the Middle East. The Christian
community in the Middle East is a living church, not simply the
custodian of sacred places for others to visit. We pledged to them we
will redouble our efforts for an end of the Israeli Occupation of the
West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and for an end of the
U.S. occupation of Iraq.
We met with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders as well as with a
wide variety of missionaries, intellectuals, and political officials
including those of Israel, Palestine, and the United States. Dialogue
and understanding between all faith communities is not an academic
exercise in the Middle East; it is absolutely necessary for survival.
We must all work for a change of heart and a change of mind that
leads toward reconciliation and harmony. We confess that the life of
every human being is sacred and that the violent death of anyone is
tragic.
Our delegation was in the region at a momentous time: the beginning
of President Bush’s second term in office; the election of a new
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and his moves to demilitarize
the militants; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s opening move to
disengage from Gaza; the continued building of Israel’s Separation
Barrier; the killing of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl in the Gaza;
the exposure of Israel’s decision to invoke the Absentee Law which
has the effect of confiscating Palestinian land in East Jerusalem;
elections in Iraq; and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz.
We reaffirm our strong support for Israel and for its right to live
in peace and security. Israel has suffered from a long series of
suicide bombings, which we find reprehensible. Our support of Israel
goes back many years, as does our support for justice for the
Palestinian people. Our itinerary included a visit to Yad Vashem,
where we honored the victims of Auschwitz and other victims of the
Holocaust. We met with victims of terror and other representatives of
a wide spectrum of the Jewish community.
We understand that the Separation Barrier is being built as a
deterrent against attacks on Israel. However, we learned 85 percent
of Israel’s Separation Barrier is being built on Palestinian land.
Much of this is to include West Bank settlements within the Barrier.
Quite simply, these settlements should never have been built and must
be removed. Like any other nation, Israel has the right to build a
Barrier; however one people’s barrier should not be built on the land
of another people. We call for the removal of the Separation Barrier
from Palestinian territory.
We personally witnessed the devastating effects of the Barrier.
Because it is being built not on the 1967 Green Line but primarily on
Palestinian land, parents are separated from children, husbands from
wives, farmers from their land, patients from hospitals, workers from
employers, and local Christians from the holy sites. Palestinian
leaders long ago accepted a two-state solution giving Palestine 22
percent of the territory that once comprised Israel, the West Bank,
and the Gaza Strip. Now, the 22 percent has shrunk considerably due
to the so-called “natural growth” of Israeli settlements and a vast
strategic network of roads, highways and tunnels open only to Israeli
settlers, police, and the military. Palestinians, like people
everywhere, must have freedom of movement. Palestinian land is
increasingly being chopped into tiny cantons making the possibility
of a sustainable Palestinian state unachievable.
Israel has established hundreds upon hundreds of checkpoints,
roadblocks, and gates across the Occupied Territories making daily
life and travel extremely difficult for ordinary Palestinians.
Palestinians and Israelis are trapped in a cycle of violence. The
crushing burden of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory
contributes to deep anger and violent resistance, which contributes
to fear throughout Israeli society. Israelis told us of a hardening
of the Israeli soul against Palestinians, and Palestinians told us of
the desperation they feel under Israel’s collective punishment.
Normal life has ceased. At least half of the Palestinian people live
in poverty. We were distressed to learn too many Israelis have little
or no knowledge of the human rights abuses experienced by
Palestinians.
Our delegation witnessed several of the many instances of harassment
and humiliation visited daily upon Palestinian people. Stereotypes of
all Palestinians as terrorists must be broken, and Palestinians must
understand that many Israelis also want a just peace. Presently, a
“lethal dialogue” is underway between extremists on all sides. This
must be transformed into a peaceful dialogue. While every leader we
met – Christian, Jewish, Muslim – condemned violence, it is clear the
overriding problem is Israel’s continuing occupation of Palestinian
territory.
We are authentic friends of Israel and we have a vision of peace and
security. We are not blind in our support and reserve the right to
question the actions even of our friends. We believe genuine
negotiations and not unilateral action can avoid unimaginable
violence in the future.
We urge President Bush to send a credible special envoy to assist in
negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Strong, genuinely
constructive US action can hasten peace. We ask Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice upon her visit to Israel this weekend to touch the
wall and feel the pain it causes.
We ask the international community to invest in Palestinian projects
and businesses. We learned of the pressing need for aid to flow to
Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, in addition to other
occupied territories.
We will invite Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas, at the time
of their next visits to the United States, to meet with ecumenical
leaders as partners in peacemaking.
We call on American Christians to contact the President of the United
States and their Members of Congress to insist U.S. policy be
balanced toward both Israel and Palestine.
Middle East churches have a vital role to play as bridge builders and
peacemakers. We pledge our solidarity with them as part of the One
Body of Christ and we will look for ways to lift up their presence
and needs within our churches.
We affirm and endorse the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical
Accompaniment Program which assists Palestinians and Israelis in
their everyday lives and urge our member communions to support and
participate in this program. We urge people of faith and others in
the U.S. and from around the world to visit the Middle East and
better understand the situation for themselves.
As people of faith, we affirm life. When ancient olive trees are
uprooted from the soil in which they were planted, when access to
water is denied, when children’s futures are threatened, this does
not lead to life in this world as intended by God. Join us in prayer
for the peace of Jerusalem and in seeking justice for all people of
the Middle East.
The National Council of Churches is composed of 36 member national
denominations, which collectively represent 45 million people in
130,000 congregations. Members of the delegation are:
*Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., Christian Methodist Episcopal Church,
President of the NCCCUSA;
*Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar, General Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Orthodox Church of America,
Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Dr. Sylvia Campbell, Alliance of Baptists, NCCCUSA Justice and
Advocacy Commission;
*Rev. Dr. Thelma Chambers-Young, Progressive National Baptist
Convention, Vice-President of the NCCCUSA;
*Rev. SeungKoo Choi, General Secretary, Korean Presbyterian Church in
America;
*Bishop C. Christopher Epting, Episcopal Church;
*Ms. Ann E. Hafften, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;
*Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, Disciples of Christ, NCCCUSA Justice and
Advocacy Commission Chair;
*Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Greek Orthodox Church, Associate General
Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Mr. Jim Winkler, General Secretary, United Methodist General Board
of Church and Society.
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