As Secretary Rice heads to the Middle East next week and the Gaza crisis escalates, the heads of CMEP churches and agencies sent a letter, asking her to “work with the international community to achieve a ceasefire, end the blockade, and establish real security at Gaza’s borders.”  The letter expresses concern for all civilians caught in the conflict and raises particular distress about the situation of Gaza’s small Christian community.  It concludes by urging Sec. Rice to take action that can “enable substantive progress forward on peace negotiations”.   The letter was faxed to key contacts at the State Department, White House and foreign embassies.  The press release can be viewed here and the full text and list of signers follows below. 

Today’s letter from church leaders is a follow-up to a January 23rd letter signed by CMEP's Director and Chair of the Board sent the day of the breach of the Gaza-Egypt border wall.  Since that time, the economic closure of Gaza has continued with increasing humanitarian hardship and the violence has further escalated, with a flurry this week of rocket attacks by Palestinian militants and Israeli military responses that have caused grave human consequences on both sides.  The risk of even greater military conflict now looms.  Secretary Rice must use her trip to address the Gaza crisis and restore hope that real progress can be made toward a peace agreement in 2008.   

CMEP Resource: For an update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, you can listen to CMEP’s Feb 27th conference call with Andrew Whitley from UNRWA by clicking here. 

TAKE ACTION

Send a message to Secretary Rice and the White House-- Your Urgent Action is Needed Now to Resolve Gaza Crisis: Violence and Suffering Threaten Peace Process

Sec. of State Email/Comment Line: secretary@state.gov/(202) 647-6575

White House Email/Comment Line: president@whitehouse.gov/ (202) 456-1111

Mention the CMEP leaders’ letter and the following key points: 

As an American Christian, I am greatly concerned about the escalating Gaza crisis.  I join with the leaders of U.S. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant church organizations in asking Secretary Rice to use her upcoming Mideast trip to help achieve a ceasefire, end the blockade and establish real security at Gaza’s borders.      

The blockade has created a humanitarian crisis felt by all Gazans while rocket attacks on Israel have targeted civilians indiscriminately and made normal life impossible in the areas affected.

The continuing violence and suffering experienced by both peoples hinder progress on the peace process and also create conditions that pose a particular threat to the small Christian community in Gaza.   

Secretary Rice’s urgent diplomatic effort is needed now to prevent a greater military confrontation and to ensure that real progress can be made on peace negotiations. 

Text of Church Leaders' Letter

Letter in PDF format 

February 29, 2008

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice

Secretary of State

United States Department of State

Washington, DC  20520

Dear Secretary Rice,  

As you prepare to return to the Middle East, we – the leaders of U.S. Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches and church-related organizations that make up Churches for Middle East Peace – are writing to ask you to take urgent action to address the still unresolved Gaza crisis.  The continuing violence and suffering experienced by Palestinians and Israelis is hindering progress on the peace process and also create conditions that pose a particular threat to the small Christian community in Gaza.   

As people of faith, we are greatly concerned by the situation of civilians caught in the conflict.  The blockade of Gaza and the frequent occurrence of rocket attacks against southern Israel cannot be tolerated.  The blockade results in power outages, water and food shortages and a lack of adequate access to medical supplies that create a humanitarian crisis felt by all Gazans, while rocket attacks on Israel have targeted civilians indiscriminately and made normal life impossible in the areas affected. 

If action is not taken soon, the possibility of a larger military confrontation looms.  We welcome your February 22 statement announcing additional U.S. resources to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and recognizing that improvements on the ground are necessary to the peace process. We join together to ask you to work with the international community to achieve a ceasefire, end the blockade, and establish real security at Gaza’s borders.  The current closure and separation of Gaza has increased violence and humanitarian hardship. It also is not compatible with the vision of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state living in peace alongside a secure Israel for which you and President Bush have so eloquently called. 

While our concern is for all the peoples of the Holy Land, we must raise our particular distress about the recent bombing of the YMCA library in Gaza.  Though 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. 

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.  We are grateful to you and President Bush for your efforts, and we urge you to use your upcoming visit to resolve the Gaza crisis and enable substantive progress forward on peace negotiations.  Our prayers will be with you as you travel and in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Bishop Wayne Burkette

Moravian Church in America

Marie Dennis

Director

Maryknoll Global Concerns

Sr. Donna Graham, OSF

President

Franciscan Friars (OFM)

English Speaking Conference, JPIC Council

Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson

General Secretary

Reformed Church in America

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson

Presiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon

General Secretary

National Council of the Churches of Christ

 in the USA 

Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick

Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Presbyterian Church, (USA)

Albert C. Lobe
Interim Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee

Reverend John L. McCullough

Executive Director and CEO

Church World Service

Mary Ellen McNish

General Secretary

American Friends Service Committee

Stanley J. Noffsinger

General Secretary

Church of the Brethren

Bishop William B. Oden

Ecumenical Officer

The Council of Bishops

The United Methodist Church

Very Rev. Thomas Picton, CSsR

President
Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of

 Men's Institutes

Metropolitan PHILIP (Saliba)

Primate

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese

 of North America

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori

Presiding Bishop

Episcopal Church

Rev. William G. Sinkford

President

Unitarian Universalist Association of  

 Congregations

The Rev. John H. Thomas

General Minister and President

United Church of Christ

Joe Volk

Executive Secretary

Friends Committee on National Legislation