|
|
|
|
|
« Return
|
|
Churches for Middle East Peace writes President Bush on Mideast peace
2002-031-5
2/4/2002
|
[Episcopal News Service]
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), an ecumenical coalition of 16 churches and agencies--including the Episcopal Church--has written to President George Bush asking his administration 'to reconsider the tactic of focusing blame and demands on Mr. Arafat [of the Palestinian Authority] while ignoring the provocative policies of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon.'
The letter, which was also sent to key people in Congress and the State Department, asks the president, in his meeting with Sharon, to 'insist that all violence, including the violence of military occupation--house demolitions, repressive closures, land confiscation, destruction of trees, torture of detainees, and settlement activity--end immediately.' It called 'the destruction of the infrastructure of Palestinian self-rule, through targeted assassinations, reoccupation of land, and other measures,' with financial support from the United States, 'a serious policy error.'
CMEP's letter asked for 'clarity that the United States intends to take steps that will end Israel's military occupation and fulfill the explicit goal of the Administration to reach a two-state settlement based on the pre-1967 boundaries' as directed by resolutions of the United Nations. 'To deny this vision to the suffering and angry Israeli and Palestinian people is cruel and dangerous; to offer hope for peace and the common good of the two peoples and three faiths would be a blessing for them and for all,' the letter concluded.
Referring to a declaration recently signed in Alexandria, Egypt, by Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders, CMEP endorsed the call 'for a religiously sanctioned cease-fire, respected and observed on all sides, and for implementation of the Mitchell and Tenet recommendations, including the lifting of restrictions and a return to negotiations.'
Thomas Hart, director of the Office for Government Relations in Washington, DC, signed the letter on behalf of the Episcopal Church.
The letter in its entirety can be found at http://www.cmep.org/letters/BushLetter.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
