CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and other members of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) sent a letter Jan. 15 to President Bill Clinton, praising him for meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. "As the principal sponsor of the (Arab-Israeli) peace process, the U.S. government's responsibility for its success or failure cannot be overstated."
The letter expressed concern that conflict in the Middle East will continue into the next century. CMEP called the Israeli Cabinet's reluctance to cede control of parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip "a great disappointment" and asked Clinton to hold Israel's leadership to earlier agreements to withdraw.
CMEP also decried trends "that the conflict is increasingly being cast as one between religions and is increasingly dominated by extremist elements." The letter added, "The United States must insist that both Israeli and Palestinian authorities deal with their extremists who have, too often in the name of religion, murdered civilians with the aim of generating hatred and destroying the chance of peace."
The Rev. Mark B. Brown, associate director for public policy advocacy ministry with the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA) in Washington, D.C., signed the letter as chair of the CMEP executive committee.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
