ICJ Opinion On Mideast Barrier Supports ELCA, LWF Actions

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- U.S. church leaders have appealed to the United States, Israel and all other governments to support the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory opinion on Israel's separation barrier. This month the court said it is against international law for Israel to build its barrier in the occupied territories and the barrier should be dismantled.
The churches announced their appeal through Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Washington, D.C., an organization of 19 public policy offices of church denominations, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The ICJ advisory opinion followed calls for action by several church organizations, including the ELCA and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva, Switzerland. Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
In April the ELCA Church Council affirmed an LWF statement, "Break Down the Walls," which called for an end to the construction of the West Bank separation barrier and its dismantling, and called for an end to the creation and support of settlements in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. The LWF action criticized the barrier as an obstacle to Middle East peace. It also condemned attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
For nearly a year, U.S. churches that work together through CMEP have advocated for the U.S. government's intervention to stop Israel's building of the barrier beyond the 1967 "green line" on occupied land in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.
"All members of the United Nations should respect [the] advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice," said Dennis Frado, director, Lutheran Office for World Community, New York, ELCA Division for Church in Society. "This is a particularly important principle for all of the parties seeking an end to the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians."
Referring to the Lutheran churches' historical involvement with Namibia, he said, "We recall the ICJ's opinion in 1971 that South Africa was illegally occupying Namibia. That dispute unfortunately continued to take too many lives and cause unnecessary hardships on both sides before it was resolved."
The religious community is called "to redouble our efforts for peace with justice in this region as well," Frado said, referring to the Middle East.

Actions of Israel, United Nations, U.S. House Following ICJ Ruling
This week Israel's Defense Ministry mapped out a new route for the barrier in the West Bank. The new route is intended to comply with an Israeli Supreme Court ruling issued last month, ordering the government to reroute the wall to reduce hardships for Palestinians, and running closer to Israel's 1967 border. The Israeli government has announced no plans to comply with the ICJ advisory opinion.
Other actions related to the separation barrier have taken place in the United Nations and U.S. House of Representatives since the ICJ opinion was issued. They include:
+ Last week the U.N. General Assembly voted 150 to 6, with 10 abstentions, to demand that Israel comply with its legal obligations as mentioned in the ICJ advisory opinion. Among those that voted against the resolution were the United States and Israel. The general assembly also called on all U.N. member states to comply with their obligations as contained in the ICJ finding, which include a duty "not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction," according to the text of the U.N. resolution.
+ The U.S. House adopted Resolution 713 -- by 361 to 45, with 13 voting "present" -- condemning the Palestinian leadership for failing to carry out its obligations under the Road Map for Middle East Peace, failing to fight terrorism and terrorist infrastructures, and failing to bring an end to terrorist attacks directed at Israel. It deplored the "misuse" of the ICJ by "a majority of members of the U.N. General Assembly" for a narrow political purpose and for infringing on Israel's right to self-defense.
Among those opposed was U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif. 23rd), a graduate of the ELCA's Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash., and a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Santa Barbara, Calif. Capps visited the West Bank and Israel earlier this year with two ELCA synod bishops as part of a fact-finding trip sponsored by the ELCA.
In remarks during debate, Capps said she is a strong friend and supporter of Israel but had serious reservations about the resolution.
"Sadly, as the House once again attempts to demonstrate its full support of Israel, we will pass an unbalanced, unwise resolution that may undermine the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as our own national interests," she said.
For example, she said the resolution refers to some 1,000 people, mostly Israelis, who have been killed since September 2000. "But what about the 3,000 innocent Palestinians who have also lost their lives? Just once, can't the United States Congress admit that Palestinians are people too, and their lives are also precious?" Capps said. She also said the House resolution only mentions the obligations of Palestinians with regard to the Road Map, and not the obligations of Israel.
Capps said she witnessed first-hand the hardships posed by the barrier's route through the West Bank. She said in the village of Jayyous, she had "heartbreaking meetings" with farmers separated from their crops, teachers and students separated from their schools and a policeman unable to get to his job.
"If Congress really wanted to be helpful, we wouldn't pass resolutions on such divisive issues as the security wall, but we would urge our [Bush] Administration to act forcefully to bring both sides back to the negotiating table," Capps said. "America's failure to engage in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not only doom these long-suffering people to continued violence and misery, but harm vital U.S. national interests, as well. That's a risk we cannot afford to take."
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Middle East resources are at http://www.elca.org/middleeast/index.html on the ELCA Web site.

Information about Churches for Middle East Peace is at http://www.cmep.org on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news