|
Warren
Clark, Executive Director and Julie Schumacher Cohen, Legislative
Coordinator
There is
just a little over a month before the political conventions and both
parties are seeking input to their platforms NOW. The
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is sure to be a hot topic throughout the
campaign and especially this week, given Sen. Obama’s Mideast trip and the
continued debate between the two Presidential candidates as to who is
better able to address America’s national security issues.
It is vital
that you add your voice to that of CMEP’s leadership who sent a letter
today to Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, urging them to commit to
making a two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top
priority as candidates and if elected President.
The letter,
signed by the CMEP Board and Leadership Council, emphasizes that
peacemaking efforts must not falter and will require the immediate
attention of the next Administration. The letter urges the candidates to
“rise above polemical rhetoric”, “ignore skeptics who proclaim that no
agreement is possible” and offer, as President, “a policy that addresses
the fundamental needs of both peoples.” The full text of the letter,
including a link to the pdf version with the full list of signers, is
included below.
CMEP also
is requesting meetings with senior advisers to each candidate and is
following up with letters to key members of each party platform
committee. Please use the links below to take the issue of Holy Land
peace directly to your platform committee and the two candidates. The
more they hear from citizens across the country, the more apt they are to
listen.
TAKE ACTION
Christians
are called to be peacemakers and as citizens, to be active in public life
and the political process. Do your part today to help make peace between
Israel and the Palestinians a top priority of the next Administration and
take a moment to
share this email with a friend.
1.
Make Israeli-Palestinian Peace Part of Your Party Platform
Democrats:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening/
Republicans:
http://www.gopplatform2008.com/intro.aspx
Sample
Language:
A two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will help
safeguard long-term U.S. national security interests and is a top foreign
policy priority of the XX party.
Party
Platform Processes:
For Democrats, party platform
meetings that are open to the public are being held in all 50 states
throughout this week (July 19 through July 27th).
A
national hearing will take place August 1st and the platform drafting
committee will meet separately August 2nd and 3rd. The meeting
of the full platform committee is scheduled for Aug. 9th. The
Democratic National Convention will be held Aug 25-28 in Denver, CO.
Republicans
are invited to participate in the party platform process via an
interactive web-based initiative. The party platform meeting is
tentatively scheduled for Aug 25-28, before the official opening of the
Republican National convention which will take place Sept. 1-4 in
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
2. Send a
Message to the Presidential Candidates
Contact
Sen. John McCain; Contact
Sen. Barack Obama
Your
Message:
Make Holy
Land Peace a Top Priority for a New Administration
1)
As an
American Christian, I am deeply concerned over the longstanding conflict
in the Holy Land and the welfare of all the peoples in the region.
2)
I join with
the leadership of Churches for Middle East Peace, who in a July 21st
letter, urged you to commit to making a two-state resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority for a new Administration.
Peacemaking efforts must not falter and will require the immediate
attention of the next President.
3)
A durable
peace agreement is essential for the future wellbeing of Israelis and
Palestinians, including the small and dwindling Palestinian Christian
community, and would help safeguard long-term U.S. national security
interests.
4)
I urge you
to rise above polemical rhetoric, ignore skeptics that say peace isn’t
possible, and offer, as President, a policy that addresses the fundamental
needs of both peoples.
Text of the
CMEP Letter:
Letter
in PDF format with Signers
July 21, 2008
The Honorable John McCain/Barack
Obama
Campaign Headquarters
Address
Dear Sen. McCain/Obama,
Peace between Israel and
its neighbors is vitally important to the American Christians we represent
as Board members of a coalition of 22 U.S. Catholic, Orthodox and
Protestant national churches and church-related organizations. Our church
members and congregations are deeply concerned over the longstanding
conflict in the Holy Land and the welfare of all the peoples of the
region. We are joined in this appeal to you by members of our Leadership
Council, prominent individuals who each hold a particular expertise and
connection to the Middle East.
Churches for Middle East
Peace (CMEP) urges you – as a candidate, and if you are elected President
– to commit yourself publicly to making a two-state resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority. Mideast peace efforts must
not falter and will require the immediate attention of the next President
and robust American diplomacy in the region.
The Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is a tragic struggle between two proud peoples who have, thus
far, been denied the blessings of peace and security. Both have been
victims of tragedy and repeated wars and violence. Both sides have made
serious mistakes. Neither one has fully grasped the suffering of the
other. However, years of discussions and polls reveal that Israeli and
Palestinian majorities are willing to make concessions for peace and
understand that it can only be achieved through two states with secure and
recognized borders, a withdrawal from settlements, and a Jerusalem that is
shared by the two people and three faiths. Even the refugee issue is
soluble in the context of a comprehensive regional agreement.
The respective interests
of the two peoples are in fact interdependent. Both will continue to
suffer without peace and security for Israel, and freedom, dignity and
sovereignty for Palestinians. Additionally, we have a particular concern
for the small, indigenous Palestinian Christian community. This historic
community and their institutions play an important role in fostering a
religiously diverse, pluralistic, and tolerant Palestinian society, but
Christians are rapidly emigrating due to the difficult political and
economic conditions imposed by the conflict. A durable and equitable
peace agreement is essential for the future wellbeing of the Palestinian
Christians and all the people of the Holy Land.
The United States has a
key role to play in resolving this terrible conflict and needs to show
understanding and provide support for both Israelis and Palestinians if we
are to be effective. We urge you to rise above the polemical rhetoric
that often characterizes political commentary on this conflict, ignore
skeptics who proclaim that no agreement is possible, and to
offer, as President, a policy that
addresses the fundamental needs of both peoples.
Such American leadership
is needed, not only as a moral imperative on behalf of suffering
protagonists, but to safeguard long-term U.S. national security interests.
This conflict helps shape attitudes towards the United States throughout
the Arab and Muslim world and elsewhere. A just and lasting peace between
Israel and the Palestinians, as well as between Israel and Syria and
Israel and Lebanon, would help undercut support for extremist elements and
bolster moderation in the region.
We know that a great many
American Christians would respond very positively to your promise to make
Israeli-Arab peace a high and urgent priority for your Administration.
Moreover, based on our long experience and cooperation with other American
religious communities, we are persuaded that you would find strong support
in the American Jewish and American Muslim communities as well. For our
part, we pledge to continue our work to build bi-partisan support in
Congress for U.S. diplomatic engagement and look forward to working with
the next President to help secure peace in the Middle East.
Respectfully yours,
Churches for Middle East
Peace Board
Churches for Middle East
Peace Leadership Council
(Full list of signers
included in
pdf
format of letter)
|
