JERUSALEM - 9 May 2008 - 430 words
Christian
leaders urge peace on Israel's 60th anniversary
More than 140 international Christian
leaders have signed a joint declaration to mark Israel's 60th
anniversary, calling for a just peace between Israeli and Palestinians.
The declaration was released to the media to coincide with Israel's
celebration of the anniversary yesterday.
"We urge all those working for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine to consider that any lasting solution must be built on the foundation of justice, which is rooted in the very character of God. After all, it is justice that 'will produce lasting peace and security'," they said, quoting from the prophet Isaiah (32:17) in the Bible.
The full statement follows:
We, the undersigned, church leaders and representatives of our different denominations and organisations, join together on the 60th anniversary of the Israeli state to offer a contribution to that which makes for peace.
We recognise that today, millions of Israelis
and Jews around the world will joyfully mark the 60th anniversary
of the establishment of the state of Israel (Yom Ha'atzmaut).
For many, this landmark powerfully symbolises the Jewish people's
ability to defy the power of hatred so destructively embodied
in the Nazi Holocaust. Additionally, it is an opportunity to celebrate
the wealth of cultural, economic and scientific achievements of
Israeli society, in all its vitality and diversity.
We also recognise that this same day, millions of Palestinians
living inside Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and
the worldwide diaspora, will mourn 60 years since over 700,000
of them were uprooted from their homes and forbidden from returning,
while more than 400 villages were destroyed (al-Nakba). For them,
this day is not just about the remembrance of a past catastrophic
dispossession, dispersal, and loss; it is also a reminder that
their struggle for self-determination and restitution is ongoing.
To hold both of these responses together in balanced tension is
not easy. But it is vital if a peaceful way forward is to be forged,
and is central to the Biblical call to "seek peace and pursue
it" (Ps. 34:14). We acknowledge with sorrow that for the
last 60 years, while extending empathy and support to the Israeli
narrative of independence and struggle, many of us in the church
worldwide have denied the same solidarity to the Palestinians,
deaf to their cries of pain and distress.
To acknowledge and respect these dual histories is not, by itself,
sufficient, but does offer a paradigm for building a peaceful
future. Many lives have been lost, and there has been much suffering.
The weak are exploited by the strong, while fear and bitterness
stunt the imagination and cripple the capacity for forgiveness.
We therefore urge all those working for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine
to consider that any lasting solution must be built on the foundation
of justice, which is rooted in the very character of God. After
all, it is justice that "will produce lasting peace and security"
(Isaiah 32:17). Let us commit ourselves in prophetic word and
practical deed to a courageous settlement whose details will honour
both peoples' shared love for the land, and protect the individual
and collective rights of Jews and Palestinians in the Holy Land.
"Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own
fig tree, and no one will make them afraid" (Micah 4:4)
© Independent Catholic News 2008
Contact Independent
Catholic News tel/fax:
+44 (0)20 7267 3616 or email
Chaplain • Latest news • Archive • Listings • Pictures •