ELCA, U.S. religious leaders reaffirm need for two-state peace agreement

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders are
calling for a bold new U.S. initiative for a two-state peace agreement
between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East “before it is too
late.” In a Jan. 25 statement issued by the National Interreligious
Leadership Initiative, 30 religious leaders -- including leaders of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- endorsed the statement,
which says that “twilight has fallen on the possibility of a two-state
solution.”
The endorsers of the statement said that an Israeli-Palestinian
settlement should be an immediate priority of the Obama administration in
2013. The United States “has unique leverage and credibility in the
region. Indeed, no past progress towards peace has occurred in this
conflict without U.S. leadership, facilitation or staunch support. Once
again, we need active, fair and firm U.S. leadership to help break the
current deadlock and to achieve a two-state peace agreement now before it
is too late,” said the statement.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, said the statement
signed by U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders is “a clear sign that
our resolve to work together for peace in the Holy Land will not be
diminished by those whose actions perpetuate the cycle of violence and
occupation or by those who say it is too late to find a two-state
solution.”
Hanson said that in a recent phone conversation with the Rev. Munib
Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy
Land, Younan asked, “‘Will the voices of religious extremists be the only
ones heard in the world? Is the United States going to exercise bold
leadership so that the possibility of a two-state solution will finally
become a reality? We must not give up hope.’”
While the issues are complex, Hanson said the mandate is clear --
“negotiating a two-state peace agreement that provides for a secure and recognized Israel living in peace alongside a viable and independent
Palestinian state must be a priority for all of us. As we continue to
accompany the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land in
their witness to the gospel and working for peace, may our commitment be
unwavering and our prayers unceasing.”
“For a safe and secure future for Palestinians, Israelis and others
in the region, it is critical for the Obama administration to move as
soon as possible to bring the parties back to negotiations with the goal
of a final status agreement,” said Dennis W. Frado, director for the
Lutheran Office for World Community, New York.
In the statement, leaders of the National Interreligious Leadership
Initiative for Peace in the Middle East are pledged to mobilize broad
public support for U.S. leadership for peace and mobilize the support
that exists in churches, synagogues and mosques across the country.
“As Christians, we are people of the dawn. Now is the time for us
to speak boldly to the Obama administration about ushering in the dawn of
peace through a new viable initiative for a two-state solution,” said
Kathryn Lohre, director for ecumenical and inter-religious relations at
ELCA churchwide ministries. She also endorsed the statement as president
of the National Council of Churches in Christ.
Earlier in January, Hanson joined 35 other U.S. Christian leaders
in another letter calling upon President Obama to “bring the full
energies of your Administration to bear toward facilitating a just,
durable, and final negotiated agreement” between Israelis and
Palestinians. Saying that the United States “should place the full weight
of its support behind the long-term well-being of Israelis and
Palestinians,” they cited “an unprecedented opportunity for your
Administration to play a catalytic role in the resolution of this
conflict.”
The full text of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative
statement and list of endorsers is available on the ELCA website:
http://blogs.ELCA.org/peacenotwalls/peace-process/christian-muslim-and-jewish-leaders-call-for-renewed-peace-process-for-palestinians-and-israelis-26.