FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Corinne Whitlatch, 202-543-1222

Washington, D.C. June 14 –In a letter to the Senate, the Board members of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP),  urged co-sponsorship of Senate Resolution 224, a new bi-partisan resolution that shows strong Congressional support for U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.   

The CMEP Board members joined the resolution’s sponsors in “calling on President Bush to make a two-state settlement a top priority and pursue a diplomatic effort that could realize the vision he first presented in June 2002”.   

“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is recognized as one of the most intractable conflicts in our troubled world today, but as S. Res. 224 notes, support for a two-state solution is broad and there is a critical need for robust diplomacy to pursue peace negotiations” wrote the CMEP Board members.  They noted, “With the Senate’s leadership, the Congress can strengthen Secretary Rice’s efforts and encourage sustained diplomatic engagement by the United States.” 

Commenting on the resolution, Corinne Whitlatch, CMEP’s Executive Director, said, “The Feinstein/Lugar resolution is an important show of support from Congress for U.S. leadership on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.  There is a deep yearning for Israeli-Arab peace among American Christians, Jews and Muslims.  A just resolution of this conflict and a comprehensive Israeli-Arab peace agreement is the national interest of the United States and necessary for the reconciliation of the peoples of the region.  We applaud this important Congressional effort and hope that all Senators will support it.”        

Senate Resolution 224, initially introduced by Sens. Feinstein (D-CA), Lugar (R-IN), Dodd (D-CT), Hagel (R-NE), Baucus (D-MT), Byrd (D-WV), Sununu (R-NH), Voinovich (R-OH) and Whitehouse (D-RI), reaffirms the Senate's commitment to a "true and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the establishment of 2 states, the State of Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, with recognized borders." The resolution calls on President Bush to “pursue a robust diplomatic effort to engage the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, begin negotiations, and make a 2-state settlement a priority.”  It also “welcomes the Arab League Peace Initiative” and “calls on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace efforts to achieve peace and refrain from taking any actions that would prejudice the outcome of final status negotiations.”   

The CMEP Board members reiterated the church coalition’s long-held support for “a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict where Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state”.  They concluded, “Now is indeed the time for all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve peace.”   

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Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant church bodies and organizations that work together in pursuit of a peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict where two viable states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side within secure and recognized borders.