CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] encouraged President Clinton to continue his efforts to halt the violence in Israel and "forge a just and comprehensive peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians." The bishops also said the President and his negotiating team remain in their daily prayers, along with Palestinians and Israelis who are "suffering in so many ways these days."
The Rev. H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop, wrote to Clinton Oct. 12 on behalf of the Conference of Bishops. The letter to the president was written a few days before an emergency summit meeting in Egypt involving Clinton, Ehud Barak, prime minister of Israel, and Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and ELCA secretary. At its Oct. 5-10 meeting here, the conference asked Anderson to write to Clinton expressing its concerns about the current turmoil in the Middle East.
"We have watched, heartbroken, as the numbers of killed and injured rise," the letter said. "We are particularly aware of the impact the fighting is having on the Palestinian community, because of our church's closeness to Lutheran congregations in and around Jerusalem and our involvement with the Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives."
In a statement Oct. 3, the ELCA called for an end to the fighting and protested what it called "the disproportionate and excessive use of lethal force by Israeli forces." The church strongly protested the presence of Israeli security forces on hospital property, during which the Israeli forces were shooting at Palestinians. The ELCA also expressed deep concern that Israeli security forces continued to block access of patients to Augusta Victoria. The hospital is owned and operated by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) , a global communion of 131 Lutheran churches representing 59.5 million members. The ELCA is a member of the LWF.
The conference called on Clinton "to support a full, impartial, international investigation of the recent violence" in the Middle East. They asked Clinton to press Barak to restrain his troops and urge Arafat to do all he can to stop the violence.
The ELCA bishops said the excessive use of lethal force by the Israeli military and their use of tanks and helicopters has helped escalate the conflict.
"We oppose Israel's use of U.S.-supplied Apache and Cobra helicopters against Palestinian civilians and Israel's use of Blackhawk helicopters in its attack on the electrical grid in Lebanon in May," the letter said. "We ask that the recently approved sales of Blackhawk and Apache helicopters by the United States to Israel be suspended."
The Conference of Bishops said it appreciated Clinton's efforts at the July 2000 Camp David Summit and the discussions on sharing Jerusalem among Christians, Jews and Muslims. However, they said, violence and protests in Arab nations and at the United Nations made it clear that the international community must be more involved to protect Jerusalem's citizens.
"We encourage you to be open to a greater role for the United Nations in resolving Jerusalem's status and other issues such as the future of the refugees," said the conference of Bishops' letter to the president.
In expressing hope for a lasting peace, the bishops said such an agreement must provide for "an equitable solution for Jerusalem that respects the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis as well as the three religious communities." Negotiations regarding Jerusalem must be "firmly rooted in the United Nations Security Council resolution 242, which calls for Israel's withdrawal from land occupied in 1967, and in the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into occupied territories and deals with the protection of civilians under occupation," they said.
Finally, the Conference of Bishops reminded Clinton that the ELCA's Palestinian church partners have repeatedly appealed to the international community for protection of the Palestinians in Jerusalem and in Palestinian territories.
"They fear for their safety because of the presence and activities of armed settlers, often protected by Israeli troops, and vigilante patrols," the ELCA bishops said. "We ask that you help to put into place the protection that is needed for those who are vulnerable in this context." -- -- --
The Oct. 12 letter is available at http://www.elca.org/ob/mideast2.html on the ELCA Web site. The Oct. 3 letter is at http://www.elca.org/ob/mideast.html on the World Wide Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
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
