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This note was faxed to the PLO Mission
to the United States this morning. Following the CMEP note is an
excerpt from a statement of the Lutheran World Federation.
On behalf of Churches for Middle East
Peace, Corinne Whitlatch sends condolences to the Palestinian people.
We join them as they mourn the loss of their historic leader and
president, Yasser Arafat.
We remember his life of service to the
Palestinian people. Yasser Arafat’s long commitment to good relations
between Palestinian Christians and Muslims sets an important example
for his people and the region, and we hope it will be part of his
legacy.
The refusal of Prime Minister Sharon
and President Bush to negotiate with President Arafat has blocked a
political process for far too long. We urge resumption of a political
process that can restore hope to both Israelis and Palestinians that
their future has promise. We pray that Yasser Arafat’s dedication to a
Palestinian state living in peace with its neighbor Israel will come
to fruition.
(Excerpt)
Statement from the Lutheran World Federation on Yasser Arafat's Death
"Yasser Arafat's death is a seismic
event in both Palestinian and Israeli history, the consequences of
which are unpredictable. However, opportunity as well as risk
invariably accompanies such a change. In this new era in the entangled
history of Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, a renewed and
active commitment by leaders of both communities to dialogue instead
of
violence can yet bring peace to a land wracked by conflict. Israelis
and Palestinians must together find a way to peace - a genuine peace
that is secured by justice, mutual acceptance and reconciliation. They
must find a way to break the mutually self-destructive cycle of
violence. Both peoples share a land, a heritage and a promise. For the
children of Abraham, both
Israelis and Palestinians, there is no alternative to peaceful
co-existence.
We pray that God will loosen hatred's grip on human hearts, and that
God's peace will descend on the land of Christ's birth. We pray that
Israelis and Palestinians will work together for peace. We call on the
Palestinian leadership and the Government of Israel to grasp the
opportunity for change and for a return to dialogue. And we call on
the Government of the United States of America, the other members of
the 'Quartet', and all members of the international community to
re-engage in the search for peace in Israel-Palestine and to accompany
its peoples and their leaders on the path to peace." |
