CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was among an ecumenical delegation who delivered a message calling for "mutual renunciation of violence in the Holy Land" April 23 to David Ivry, Israeli ambassador to the United States. The delegation of capital-area Christian leaders plans to meet May 1 with Hasan Abdel Rahman, chief representative of the Palestinian National Authority in the United States.
"We grieve over the fear and suffering that seem to pervade the lives of all those living in Israel and the Occupied Territories. We deplore the violence that maims and kills persons on both sides of the conflict," said the message.
"We maintain that a fundamental cause of the violence is the illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the expansion of settlements in that area. This occupation and settlement construction are in violation of the Geneva accords and U.N. Security Council resolution 242, both of which have been agreed to by the United States Government.
"This illegal occupation regrettably provokes the Palestinians to use violence to regain their lands, and the Israelis to retaliate with excessive force. We deplore violence on either side. We think that it is counterproductive. Violence unites and hardens the opposition; non-violence divides and softens it. Occupation can lead to abuse of human rights and confiscation of property. Efforts to right these wrongs do not morally justify actions of snipers or suicide bombers.
"Each party to the conflict has a gift to give the other: security and independence, and a future of increasingly, friendly cooperation. We commend those on both sides who continue to work for peace. We call for an extraordinary effort toward reconciliation of differences. Specifically, we call for simultaneous and mutual renunciation of violence. We call for the ending of closures that prevent Palestinians from access to food, medicine, jobs, schools and places of worship. We call for the ending of home demolitions, collective punishment and the uprooting of olive groves. We call for a commitment to end the occupation.
"We affirm that a just peace requires adherence to international law and continued effort in peace making by all parties. We pray to the God of the three Abrahamic faiths to bring peace to this land," said the message.
In addition to Schneider, the delegation included: Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Apostolic Church; the Rt. Rev. Allen Bartlett, assisting bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C.; Jack Edmonston, Unitarian Universalist Association; Dr. Duncan McIntosh, executive minister, Washington, D.C., Baptist Convention; the Rev. Theodore K. Nace, National Capital Presbytery; the Rev. Peter Ruggere, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns; John Salzberg, Friends Meeting of Washington, D.C.; Dr. Wallace Charles Smith, Shiloh Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.; the Rev. Ron Stief, Justice and Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ, Washington, D.C.; and the Rev. J. Philip Wogaman, Foundry United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C.
Aykazian, Bartlett and Schneider have each visited the Middle East in the past four months.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.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.
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Candice Hill Buchbinder
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