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July 14, 2006
Middle East violence futile, say NCC and CWS, urge nonviolent
solution, prayers and advocacy
NEW YORK CITY, July 14, 2006 – "Is there ever to be an end to
violence in the land we call holy," asks the National Council of
Churches USA and Church World Service, its humanitarian partner agency,
in a statement issued today following days of unchecked death and
destruction in the Middle East.
"What has violence solved these last 60 years? What has violence
solved these past weeks," the statement also asked as the NCC and CWS
called for an immediate cessation of attacks on all sides. The statement
urges the United States government and other nations, "recognizing the
success of former peace initiatives," to seek nonviolent solutions with
the assistance of the United Nations for all the parties in the region.
The NCC and CWS also urged their 35 member Christian churches,
including The United Methodist Church, to "pray for all those who have
suffered and died as a result of this violence, and their families and
communities, and to engage in humanitarian and advocacy actions for
peace."
Here is the complete statement:
A Statement of the National Council of Churches USA and Church
World Service on the Current Violence in the Middle East
July 14, 2006
"As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, 'If
you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make
for peace!'" (Luke 19:41-42a, NRSV)
Jesus' lament echoes over the landscape of the Middle East, and
in the hearts of men and women everywhere, as we witness the
senseless violence engulfing the region. Is there ever to be an end
to violence in the land we call holy?
What has violence solved these last 60 years? What has violence
solved these past weeks?
Any hope for peace, itself a miracle in the midst of occupation,
was stifled with Israel's missile strike on Gaza and the death of
innocent Palestinians. Any chance of reconciliation was hindered by
the retributive attacks and kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by
Hamas. Any call for restraint was ignored with disproportionate
retaliations by Israel. Any plea for reason was cast aside with the
capture of two more Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. Any prayer for an
end to this escalation of hostilities was silenced with the Israeli
incursions into Lebanon, the subsequent shelling of Haifa and
Beirut, and the death of more and more civilians.
We hear Jesus' lament in the cries of the Israelis, Palestinians,
and Lebanese, the Christians, Jews, Muslims and others whose lives
are threatened by this unending violence. Where can this cycle of
vengeance, retribution and violence lead?
When will all Israeli leaders see that aggression only breeds
more aggression, and that security cannot be achieved through the
oppression and humiliation of others? When will all Palestinian
leaders understand that calls for justice demand the doing of
justice, and that suffering injustice does not confer moral license
to respond with violence? When will the United States see that being
an honest, effective broker for peace requires fairness in our
dealings with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, and now the
Lebanese, and that doing nothing to end the violence costs us dearly
in spirit, blood, treasure, and moral integrity?
The National Council of Churches USA and Church World Service:
- Call upon our own government and all governments,
recognizing the success of former peace initiatives, to
encourage aggrieved parties to engage in earnest negotiation,
and through the United Nations to work with all concerned
parties to address immediate humanitarian needs and to resolve
the long-term issues underlying the continued violence;
- Call upon all parties in the Middle East to end the current
hostilities, to develop non-violent strategies for engagement,
and to work toward a just and sustainable settlement of the
issues that plague the region;
- Call upon the religious communities of the region to pray,
teach and lead their people in the ways of peace, and upon
religious communities throughout the world to walk with them in
solidarity until peace is achieved; and,
- Call upon their member communions to pray for all those who
have suffered and died as a result of this violence, and their
families and communities, and to engage in humanitarian and
advocacy actions for peace.
We issue this statement remembering the words of Jesus Christ:
"Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will
perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52, NRSV).
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e-HUM Announcement copyright
2006 by Indiana Area United Methodist Communications.
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