CMEP Activity Review: First Half of 2009

Below are highlights of activities undertaken by Churches for Middle East Peace in the first half of the year to promote effective U.S. leadership for Israeli-Palestinian peace. These activities include reaching out to decision-makers on Capitol Hill and in the Administration, providing tools and information so that engaged and caring citizens around the country can make their peace message heard, and serving as a balanced and thoughtful analyst of both U.S. policy and the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

As you will see, the first half of the year has been our most productive by many measures.  Please help keep our critical peacemaking work going strong for the rest of 2009 and beyond!  Make a gift today to CMEP on our secure credit card donation form.

CMEP is the only church advocacy coalition working full time with U.S. policy makers and Christian peace-makers nationwide.  Day in and day out CMEP is here in Washington promoting pro-peace initiatives in Congress and engaging the Obama Administration.  With your help, we can make Holy Land peace a reality!  Please give generously today! 

At the White House and Administration...

Following the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January, CMEP presented an ecumenical letter to the White House signed by 41 prominent national church leaders and over 17,000 American Christians.  A delegation of the Board and Leadership Council met with Daniel Shapiro, the White House's National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

In March, CMEP organized a conference call and conversation between national Christian leaders and Special Envoy for the Middle East, Senator George Mitchell.

On the heels of a spring filled with Administration diplomacy with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders, CMEP was involved in an ad-hoc initiative of Christian organizations and leaders that formed to send a letter to President Obama following the President's historic June 4 speech in Cairo, Egypt which stressed strong U.S. support for Israeli-Arab peace.  The letter was signed by 55 church leaders from Evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and African-American traditions.  

On The Hill ...

In 2009, CMEP created an 8-page Policy Guide for Middle East Peace Issues that was circulated to all House and Senate offices.  In response to the Gaza war, CMEP sent a message to Congress urging Members to support an immediate cease-fire and catalogued over 50 constructive statements and actions by Representatives and Senators.  CMEP also supported a letter signed by 64 House members to Secretary of State Clinton on Gaza humanitarian issues.      

With the 111th Congress, the Board and Staff of CMEP made over 30 (as of July 2009) formal visits to House and Senate offices and set up over 75 visits of grassroots advocates during its annual conference in June.  CMEP also coordinated meetings with visiting experts: leaders of Israeli human rights organizations, including Physicians for Human Rights Israel and GISHA; Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli attorney and expert on Jerusalem; and Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, CEO of the Lutheran-run Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives.  

CMEP continued its collaborative work with collegial Jewish and Arab-American organizations to support constructive bi-partisan Congressional initiatives on Israeli-Palestinian peace.  In February, CMEP rallied support for H. Res. 130, a resolution introduced by Congressman Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and a diverse group of 31 other members that welcomed the appointment of former Senator George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.  In May, CMEP worked with other groups to support a House sign-on letter in support of President's Obama's Middle East Peace policy led by Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN), Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and signed by 87 Representatives.

CMEP also co-sponsored exciting Hill briefings, together with allied groups on the Gaza humanitarian situation, settlements, and the two-state solution.

As part of its annual advocacy conference, CMEP convened its second annual Congressional Prayer Breakfast for Peace in the Holy Land which included remarks by Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Lois Capps (D-CA).  

International Activities ...

CMEP strives to create an ongoing dialogue with Israeli, Palestinian and religious leaders working in the region and Washington policymakers as a way to promote peace and encourage leaders to aim for a peaceful solution.

Following a delegation of CMEP staff and Board in December, 2008 to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan, CMEP's Director, Warren Clark traveled in May with an interfaith group to meet with leaders of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land.  In March, CMEP's Deputy Director, Julie Schumacher Cohen traveled to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the West Bank, in cooperation with Catholic Relief Services and to research Palestinian Christian issues.  

In the Field ...

Our grassroots email advocacy messages advise a growing number of concerned citizens, engaged activists and church leaders, and decision-makers from across the country. These alerts and messages provide timely advocacy guidance, useful news and information, and key tools to help make the call for peace heard at the highest levels of government.  

•    Issued over 34 messages (as of July 2009) to its growing email network of 15,000 advocates nationwide.  The messages included 14 timely email action alerts directed to Congress and the White House and 12 bulletins, providing policy updates, resources and CMEP news.  In 2009, CMEP's Facebook group grew to nearly 1,500 members.

•    Organized annual advocacy conference in Washington with the theme, "Israeli-Palestinian Peace: Hope for Things Unseen" that drew over 170 attendees including church members and clergy from 29 states.  Conference participants held meetings with over 75 House and Senate offices.  

•    Coordinated an unprecedented 30 District Advocacy meetings with grassroots throughout the country over the spring Congressional recess in April.

•    Continued CMEP conference call grassroots program featuring prominent analysts and experts including Professor Nathan Brown of George Washington University and the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace on After Gaza: Challenges Facing Obama's Peace Efforts and Ori Nir of Americans for Peace Now on The Obama-Netanyahu Meeting and U.S. - Israel Relations.

•    Conducted parish briefings in Minneapolis, MN with Congressman Keith Ellison.

•    Created and distributed two newsletters on  Preserving Hope for Holy Land Peace (April 2009) and The Time is Now (July 2009).

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