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Mr. President, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Israel is a
time for reflection. Many of us, as well as our clergy and laity, will be
attending events in recognition of this anniversary. The prayer -- "Next
year in Jerusalem!"-- became a reality in 1948, too late for almost all of
European Jewry. Those who came to Palestine from Europe were joined by
others from many parts of the world in building a Jewish state where every
Jew was welcome. The creation of Israel and its fifty year struggle for
stability and security is seen by many in the United States as an
incredible testimony to the human spirit.
Largely unseen by Americans, however, was what the Palestinians call
"al Nakba"-- the catastrophe which simultaneously befell them. Hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians became refugees and hundreds of villages were
destroyed during and after the fighting in 1948. With the Arab states
having rejected the partition plan devised by the United Nations, there was
little heed paid to the plight of the Palestinian people. In the decades
since, the Palestinians have been a pawn in a power game between nations
within and outside the Middle East.
The 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles seemed to create a framework
for ending the conflict. Many of us joined you that day on the White House
lawn with our hopes and prayers for a future where the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples would live in security and thrive in a new climate of
cooperation along with their neighboring states. The year-long deadlock in
the peace process has led to a profound and dangerous sense of
discouragement. Nevertheless, there is still evidence that many Israelis
and Palestinians support active, determined efforts by the U.S. to
reinvigorate the peace process.
We are entirely convinced that a resolution of the question of
Jerusalem is essential for peace and cooperation among the three Abrahamic
faiths. The U.N. partition plan (U.N. General Assembly resolution 181 of
November 29, 1947), cited in both Israel's Proclamation of Independence and
the PLO's 1988 Declaration recognizing Israel, foresaw that the status of
Jerusalem would be terribly difficult to resolve, so difficult that it must
be postponed. The U.N. blueprint called for Jerusalem to have a special
international regime administered by the U.N. for a ten-year period after
which, "the residents of the City shall be then free to express by means of
referendum their wishes as to possible modifications of the regime of the
City." But that was not the course of history. Instead Jerusalem has been
subject to war and continuous, bitter dispute.
With Jerusalem accepted in the Oslo Declaration of Principles by both
Israel and the PLO as an issue for final status negotiations, we stand at a
point in history where the future of Jerusalem is open to peaceful
resolution. As Christians, we join Jews and Muslims in longing for the time
when Jerusalem, the spiritual heritage of all the children of Abraham, will
truly be the City of Peace for humankind.
But peace is not the reality of Jerusalem today. It is a divided
city. Again and again, actions related to Jerusalem have been flashpoints
for violence and cause for halting negotiations. It is a city where Jews
and Arabs fear each other. It is a city where the bombs of Palestinian
extremists kill civilians. In and near the city, more and more land is
taken out of Palestinian hands and placed under Israeli control for the
building of houses and settlements for Jewish families. Jerusalem is now
where the identity cards of Palestinians are confiscated, where
Palestinians are not allowed to build homes, where Palestinians from the
West Bank and Gaza are not allowed to freely enter -- where institutions
and hopes wither.
The absence of a resolution of the question of Jerusalem can only sow
the seeds of new religious conflicts between Muslims, Jews and Christians.
The goal of "a warm peace" between Israel and its Arab neighbors can only
be achieved in the context of a shared city where the interests of all the
parties are respected. It is essential that the two peoples who call
Jerusalem their home and capital openly negotiate its future.
Representatives of the three Abrahamic religions must also have a role in
shaping the ultimate resolution of issues affecting historic Jerusalem and
the commitment of the international community to guaranteeing the living
presence of the three religious communities in the Holy City. The creative
ideas for resolving the future of Jerusalem, and the other final status
issues, that emerged in 1994-5 from dialogue and unofficial negotiations
between prominent Israelis and Palestinians stand as guideposts to a
solution that will be acceptable to majorities on both sides.
Mr. President, we, like you, abhor the violence that has so marked
the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians over the past fifty
years. All acts of violence create fear and suffering and undermine
confidence that peace can be achieved. We encourage you to seek agreements
that both protect the human rights and security of the Palestinians as well
as enhancing the security of the State of Israel. We call on you to
redouble your efforts to achieve a negotiated peace in the Middle East
where Israel is accepted by its neighbors and the Jewish people no longer
fear for their existence; to make clear your commitment to a peace under
which the Palestinian people can gather their refugees to live with dignity
and security in their own democratic state; to continue your principled
stand for a Jerusalem that is shared by its two peoples and by three
religious communities, with no exclusivist claims; and to tirelessly
promote a climate of cooperation and economic development, in which
vengeance and hatred may be overcome.
If there is to be universal and whole-hearted celebration of the
creation of the State of Israel this year, the reality of the dislocation
and suffering experienced by the Palestinian people must be acknowledged,
and questions of restitution, self-determination (statehood) and a just
peace need to be openly addressed and resolved.
While Israelis and Palestinians separately celebrate and grieve the
events of 1948, we pray that God will bless and protect both peoples, and
all who care about them and work for the peace of Jerusalem. May God
inspire their leaders, us, and you to work for just solutions that will be
honored and celebrated by all fifty years hence. |
