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In letters and
messages over the past weeks, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), a
coalition of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches and church-related
organizations, has expressed grave concern over the spiraling violence in
Israel, Gaza and now Lebanon and has called on all parties to restrain
from using force and, rather, to pursue a diplomatic process to bring an
end to the crises.
CMEP has condemned the
provocative raid and capture of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah and their
continued rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and the capture of Israeli
soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants in Gaza. CMEP has also
urged a restraint of military force in Israel's retaliatory response,
which has resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of
infrastructure in Gaza and throughout Lebanon. To end the
Gaza
crisis, CMEP has urged the intervention of the
United States at the
highest level with both Israeli and Palestinian officials. CMEP has also
urged President Bush to restrain Israel’s military response in Lebanon and
to work with the United Nations to press Hezbollah and its supporters to
stop attacks on Israel and to return the captive soldiers.
Today, we urge Congressional support for Presidential leadership,
in cooperation with parties in
the region and the United Nations, to help
achieve an immediate cease-fire. Below and attached is a
CMEP letter released today, July 21st, (also sent via fax to
all House and Senate offices) calling on President Bush to “work with
other world leaders to secure an immediate cease-fire in the violent
conflict raging now between Hezbollah and Israel.”
It is
clear that the parties cannot find their way out of this tragic situation
alone. US
leadership by the Administration, and with the full support of Congress,
is urgently needed to help achieve a cease-fire that will
end the tragic
escalating violence and secure a safe return of the kidnapped Israeli
soldiers, protect civilian lives and prevent further destruction of
infrastructure in
Lebanon. The US must engage in intensive diplomatic efforts to achieve a
cease-fire that ends the current crisis and paves the way toward a
comprehensive Middle East peace,
the absence of which
the G-8 leaders called the “root cause of the problems in the region.”
July 21, 2006
The Honorable George
W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW
Washington,
DC
20500
Dear President Bush:
We urge you to
work with other world leaders to secure an immediate cease- fire in the
violent conflict raging now between Hezbollah and Israel.
We are deeply
concerned for the innocent victims of the attacks and reprisals between
non-state parties in Lebanon and the government of Israel. This violent
conflict has created a grave humanitarian crisis, and no hoped-for
benefit should outweigh the cause of saving innocent lives.
If this conflict
continues, the current humanitarian crisis could escalate toward a
catastrophe. Already in the first days of attacks and reprisals, reports
say that 34 Israelis have been killed, including 15 civilians, others
injured, and thousands have been made to leave their homes, and, in
Lebanon, at least 335 people, most of them civilians, are reported killed
and hundreds of thousands have been displaced or sought refuge in other
countries.
In the face of such a
humanitarian crisis, calls for the fighting parties to be restrained in
their actions fall short of what is needed.
Your presidential leadership and the full
weight of the
United States, acting
in concert with the international community, must be applied now to
achieve
an immediate cease-fire and to launch an intensive diplomatic initiative
for the cessation of hostilities.
This is a necessary first step toward the diplomatic resolution of this
crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the way toward a
comprehensive Middle East peace.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robb
Davis
Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee
Marie Dennis
Director
Maryknoll Office for
Global Concerns
Rev. Robert Edgar
General Secretary
National Council of
Churches USA
Rev. Wesley
Granberg-Michaelson
General
Secretary
Reformed Church in America
The Most Rev. Frank T.
Griswold
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
in America
The Rev. Mark S.
Hanson
Presiding
Bishop
Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
The Rev. Dr. Stan
Hastey
Executive
Director
Alliance of
Baptists
Very Rev. Dominic Izzo,
OP
President
Roman Catholic
Conference of
Major Superiors
of Men's Institutes
Rev. Dr.
Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church, (USA)
Rev. John L.
McCullough
Executive Director & CEO
Church World Service
Metropolitan PHILIP
Saliba
Archbishop of New York
and
Metropolitan of North
America
Antiochian Orthodox
Archdiocese
of North America
Rev. William G.
Sinkford
President
Unitarian Universalist
Association of
Congregations
Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and
President
United Church of
Christ
Joe Volk
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on
National
Legislation
The Rev. Dr. Sharon E.
Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
James W. Winkler
General Secretary
General Board of
Church and Society
United Methodist
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