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Barriers Do Not Bring Freedom
NCCCUSA Delegation to the Middle East Issues Statement
~February 6, 2005~
For Christ is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one
and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between
us. (Ephesians 2:14)
As a delegation of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the USA, we traveled across the Middle East from Beirut to Cairo to
Bethlehem to Jerusalem over the past two weeks, from January
21-February 4, 2005 on a mission of peace. Our journey coincided with
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Middle East Council of
Churches and individual partner churches have graciously hosted our
delegation. We are grateful to God for the witness to Christ made by
the living churches of the Middle East from which we descend. We
affirm the whole earth is God's holy land, though of course the land
of Israel and Palestine holds particular importance for us, for it is
the land of the Prophets and Our Savior. We also affirm that God's
children are called to seek justice, to break down the walls that
separate them, and to live side by side in peace.
Especially for the sake of the children, we have hope that peace
remains possible and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine can
be reached. But for many of us this was our saddest journey to the
Holy Land. Facts on the ground make time of the utmost essence. We
posed a question to those with whom we met: "Is there a new window of
opportunity for peace?" Our conclusion is that a sliver of hope for
peace does exist, but we feel strongly the moment must be seized now
or the future will remain dim. As American church leaders, we urge our
government to take balanced, strategic action now.
Our word is one of alarm and worry. Current policies promise more war,
death, and destruction. We are deeply concerned for all people in the
region whether they be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of other faiths.
There are far too many disturbing realities to give us confidence. Not
only should people everywhere insist on and act for peace in the
Middle East, they must also pray fervently for the peace of Jerusalem.
We believe that American Christians must see themselves as
bridge-builders for peace and must not abandon or forget all God’s
children of the Middle East. We heard many pleas from our Christian
sisters and brothers to raise our voices and work for a just,
enduring, and comprehensive peace. The rapid disappearance of the
Christian presence in the Holy Land and, indeed, the entire region due
to emigration is alarming and can only be reversed if conditions are
changed for all the peoples of the Middle East. The Christian
community in the Middle East is a living church, not simply the
custodian of sacred places for others to visit. We pledged to them we
will redouble our efforts for an end of the Israeli Occupation of the
West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and for an end of the
U.S. occupation of Iraq.
We met with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders as well as with a
wide variety of missionaries, intellectuals, and political officials
including those of Israel, Palestine, and the United States. Dialogue
and understanding between all faith communities is not an academic
exercise in the Middle East; it is absolutely necessary for survival.
We must all work for a change of heart and a change of mind that leads
toward reconciliation and harmony. We confess that the life of every
human being is sacred and that the violent death of anyone is tragic.
Our delegation was in the region at a momentous time: the beginning of
President Bush's second term in office; the election of a new
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and his moves to demilitarize
the militants; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's opening move to disengage
from Gaza; the continued building of Israel's Separation Barrier; the
killing of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl in the Gaza; the exposure of
Israel's decision to invoke the Absentee Law which has the effect of
confiscating Palestinian land in East Jerusalem; elections in Iraq;
and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
We reaffirm our strong support for Israel and for its right to live in
peace and security. Israel has suffered from a long series of suicide
bombings, which we find reprehensible. Our support of Israel goes back
many years, as does our support for justice for the Palestinian
people. Our itinerary included a visit to Yad Vashem, where we honored
the victims of Auschwitz and other victims of the Holocaust. We met
with victims of terror and other representatives of a wide spectrum of
the Jewish community.
We understand that the Separation Barrier is being built as a
deterrent against attacks on Israel. However, we learned 85 percent of
Israel's Separation Barrier is being built on Palestinian land. Much
of this is to include West Bank settlements within the Barrier. Quite
simply, these settlements should never have been built and must be
removed. Like any other nation, Israel has the right to build a
Barrier; however one people's barrier should not be built on the land
of another people. We call for the removal of the Separation Barrier
from Palestinian territory.
We personally witnessed the devastating effects of the Barrier.
Because it is being built not on the 1967 Green Line but primarily on
Palestinian land, parents are separated from children, husbands from
wives, farmers from their land, patients from hospitals, workers from
employers, and local Christians from the holy sites. Palestinian
leaders long ago accepted a two-state solution giving Palestine 22
percent of the territory that once comprised Israel, the West Bank,
and the Gaza Strip. Now, the 22 percent has shrunk considerably due to
the so-called "natural growth" of Israeli settlements and a vast
strategic network of roads, highways and tunnels open only to Israeli
settlers, police, and the military. Palestinians, like people
everywhere, must have freedom of movement. Palestinian land is
increasingly being chopped into tiny cantons making the possibility of
a sustainable Palestinian state unachievable.
Israel has established hundreds upon hundreds of checkpoints,
roadblocks, and gates across the Occupied Territories making daily
life and travel extremely difficult for ordinary Palestinians.
Palestinians and Israelis are trapped in a cycle of violence. The
crushing burden of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory
contributes to deep anger and violent resistance, which contributes to
fear throughout Israeli society. Israelis told us of a hardening of
the Israeli soul against Palestinians, and Palestinians told us of the
desperation they feel under Israel's collective punishment. Normal
life has ceased. At least half of the Palestinian people live in
poverty. We were distressed to learn too many Israelis have little or
no knowledge of the human rights abuses experienced by Palestinians.
Our delegation witnessed several of the many instances of harassment
and humiliation visited daily upon Palestinian people. Stereotypes of
all Palestinians as terrorists must be broken, and Palestinians must
understand that many Israelis also want a just peace. Presently, a
"lethal dialogue" is underway between extremists on all sides. This
must be transformed into a peaceful dialogue. While every leader we
met - Christian, Jewish, Muslim - condemned violence, it is clear the
overriding problem is Israel's continuing occupation of Palestinian
territory.
We are authentic friends of Israel and we have a vision of peace and
security. We are not blind in our support and reserve the right to
question the actions even of our friends. We believe genuine
negotiations and not unilateral action can avoid unimaginable violence
in the future.
We urge President Bush to send a credible special envoy to assist in
negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Strong, genuinely
constructive US action can hasten peace. We ask Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice upon her visit to Israel this weekend to touch the
wall and feel the pain it causes.
We ask the international community to invest in Palestinian projects
and businesses. We learned of the pressing need for aid to flow to
Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, in addition to other
occupied territories.
We will invite Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas, at the time
of their next visits to the United States, to meet with ecumenical
leaders as partners in peacemaking.
We call on American Christians to contact the President of the United
States and their Members of Congress to insist U.S. policy be balanced
toward both Israel and Palestine.
Middle East churches have a vital role to play as bridge builders and
peacemakers. We pledge our solidarity with them as part of the One
Body of Christ and we will look for ways to lift up their presence and
needs within our churches.
We affirm and endorse the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical
Accompaniment Program which assists Palestinians and Israelis in their
everyday lives and urge our member communions to support and
participate in this program. We urge people of faith and others in the
U.S. and from around the world to visit the Middle East and better
understand the situation for themselves.
As people of faith, we affirm life. When ancient olive trees are
uprooted from the soil in which they were planted, when access to
water is denied, when children's futures are threatened, this does not
lead to life in this world as intended by God. Join us in prayer for
the peace of Jerusalem and in seeking justice for all people of the
Middle East.
The National Council of Churches is composed of 36 member national
denominations, which collectively represent 45 million people in
130,000 congregations. Members of the delegation are:
*Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., Christian Methodist Episcopal Church,
President of the NCCCUSA;
*Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar, General Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Orthodox Church of America,
Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Dr. Sylvia Campbell, Alliance of Baptists, NCCCUSA Justice and
Advocacy Commission;
*Rev. Dr. Thelma Chambers-Young, Progressive National Baptist
Convention, Vice-President of the NCCCUSA;
*Rev. SeungKoo Choi, General Secretary, Korean Presbyterian Church in
America;
*Bishop C. Christopher Epting, Episcopal Church;
*Ms. Ann E. Hafften, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;
*Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, Disciples of Christ, NCCCUSA Justice and
Advocacy Commission Chair;
*Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Greek Orthodox Church, Associate General
Secretary of the NCCCUSA;
*Mr. Jim Winkler, General Secretary, United Methodist General Board of
Church and Society. |
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