Contact: Jim Wetekam, jim@cmep.org
Churches for Middle East Peace
 

(WASHINGTON, February 5, 2002) -- Church leaders today urged President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon to use their meetings on Thursday to create new, far-reaching steps toward Israeli-Palestinian peace. Commenting through a national ecumenical coalition named Churches for Middle East Peace, the leaders made clear that the United States must exert more pressure on all parties to begin an extensive effort for peace in the region.

Father Bill Headley, Catholic Relief Services’ deputy executive director for policy and strategic issues, observed, "We hear constantly of hardening attitudes between Israelis and Palestinians and of hopelessness in the region. Creating the possibilities for peace now requires bold action. It is essential that such action commence at the meetings between President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon."

Recognizing a new overture which emerged from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat this past weekend, the Rev. John McCullough, executive director of Church World Service, pointed to previous times when Middle Eastern leaders and American presidents had taken the necessary risks to produce peace. "Nearly a decade ago, significant progress was made to establish a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace. That would not have been possible if the American, Israeli, and Palestinian leaders had been incapable of putting aside their apprehensions - some of which were justified - and creating a new possibility for the people. Such vision and resolve are needed now."

Rev. McCullough was explicit about steps to be taken: "Continuing to severely restrict the Palestinian people to their villages and cities contributes to a cycle of deadly violence and insecurity for all people in the region. It is clear that the current Israeli policy will not lead to a negotiated peace. Its implementation is at a horrendous human cost to both Palestinian and Israeli citizens."

Other church leaders expressed the need to have President Bush exert pressure upon Prime Minister Sharon as well as on President Arafat. "Palestinian Christians ask me," said the Rev. Mark Brown of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs, "how the United States can demand that Palestinians cease all hostilities while Israel maintains the violence of military occupation itself." A member of the executive committee for Churches for Middle East Peace, Rev. Brown added, "It is my hope that President Bush will use this valuable time with Prime Minister Sharon to urge that the Israeli government show real determination for a two-state solution to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and provide secure borders for the Israelis."

For nearly two decades, Churches for Middle East Peace has worked diligently with policymakers in Washington as well as with people on the ground in Israel and the Occupied Territories to encourage steps that will produce a comprehensive and just peace. While condemning violence perpetrated by both peoples, the church leaders have continued to believe that this spiral of violence can be broken. Having returned this past week from Jerusalem, Fr. Headley observed, "It is not a matter of whether the cycle in which Israelis and Palestinians find themselves can be reversed. For the sake of both peoples, it must be reversed. It is our fervent prayer that President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon will set in motion the events that could ultimately allow Israelis and Palestinians to live, work, and prosper together as neighbors."