From the Executive Director's Desk...
Increase the push for peace in the Holy Land

August 2007
By Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service

This summer has seen several new initiatives toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians. President Bush has announced that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will head a Middle East Peace Conference later this year. In addition, the “Quartet” -- the US, European Union, UN and Russia – tapped former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to serve as a special Middle East envoy. CWS welcomes more energetic efforts by the U.S. government and others. But these steps in themselves are far from adequate. Now is the time for the Bush Administration to do all that it can to get all parties on a road to lasting peace. The Feinstein/Lugar Senate resolution supporting Israeli-Palestinian peace provides an opportunity for Americans to call on Congress to urge President Bush to do more for Middle East peace.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

Matthew 5: 9

Last November, I led a delegation of leaders from the historic African-American churches to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem. We saw for ourselves the stark contrasts in living conditions between the Israeli and Palestinian communities. We walked portions of the 400 mile “separation barrier” or wall that keeps Palestinians and Israelis apart. Our hearts were heavy, witnessing the blatant discrimination our Palestinian brothers and sisters face.

At the time, I wrote that I could not understand the extent of the marginalization and isolation of the Palestinians. We keenly felt how the very fabric of their society was under great economic, political, and spiritual duress. Shortly after our visit, UNICEF published a report documenting that two-thirds of Palestinians live below the poverty line. Policies that multiply unemployment and poverty in the Palestinian territories are acts of oppression and grave injustice.

And now this summer, the situation has deteriorated further with the dissolution of the Palestinian Unity government and more violent conflict. The situation may seem intractable, and it is certainly dire. Without greater imagination, courage and determination, the possibility of a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians is rapidly receding.

Keystones for Peace with Justice

The elements of a long-lasting peace are clear. There needs to be a two-state solution – Israel and Palestine – secure, viable, living at peace with each other and their neighbors, with internationally-recognized borders resembling those in 1967.

A Palestinian state must be established as a politically, economically and culturally viable and unified nation.
The Arab states must recognize Israel, which must be secure from attack.
Israel must end its occupation of the Palestinian territories and remove illegal outposts and settlements.
The West Bank and Gaza must not be politically and economically divided; and the fragmentation of the West Bank by Israeli settlements, exclusive roads and roadblocks must end.
Jerusalem must serve as the capital of both Israel and Palestine, and an open city for the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.

As many Israelis recognize, Israel's own security depends on the establishment of a viable Palestinian state in which the Palestinian people can live and prosper in freedom and dignity.

Obstacles to viability

The route of the separation wall – deep into Palestinian territory -- is harmful for a variety of reasons. Palestinians no longer have open access between East Jerusalem and rest of the West Bank. Many Palestinians are unable to get to their former jobs, farmers cannot till their own land and students face major hurtles attending school. The viability of the Palestinian state depends on full access. East Jerusalem used to be -- and must again be -- the economic center of the West Bank.

In May, the World Bank issued a report saying that the Palestinian economy will not recover as long as large areas of the West Bank remain inaccessible for economic purposes and Palestinians are subject to such broad restrictions on their movement.

Hundreds of kilometers of main roads within in the occupied West Bank are restricted or forbidden for cars with Palestinian license plates, while dozens of check-points and hundreds of roadblocks hinder travel on the roads that are available to them.

Lack of housing is a critical issue for Palestinians in Jerusalem. If they have no place to live, they have to move out of Jerusalem, and consequently lose their permanent residency status. This carries with it deep political repercussions, because permanent residency status grants Jerusalem's residents most of the privileges enjoyed by Israeli citizens, unlike their Palestinian counterparts in the West Bank and Gaza.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of East Jerusalem residents whose permanent residency status has been revoked by the Israeli government. The latest statistics available show that last year the revoking was six times what it was in 2005. This is the highest number on record since the policy was established in 1995.

The separation barrier also makes it difficult for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to have access to holy places and practice their faiths. Jerusalem currently is severed from Bethlehem. A critical portion of any peace agreement needs to guarantee access to these holy places and religious liberty for all peoples. Jerusalem must be an open city to all three Abrahamic religions, as it has been historically.

Protecting the fragile Palestinian Christian community

For millennia, Jerusalem has been a rich, religious mosaic of peoples. When Israel was established in 1948, Jerusalem consisted of 31,400 Christians, 93,000 Jews, and 35,000 Muslim residents. Today, there are over 400,000 Jews, 200,000 Muslims and less than 10,000 Christians. Palestinian Christians experience the same pressures as their Muslim neighbors as a result of Israel's security measures, and they are moving out of the territories at a more rapid rate. This is further eroding the presence of Christians in the Holy Land, destroying this precious mosaic.

Enabling Christians to stay is a critical factor in the overall peace process as Palestinian Christians and various related institutions – churches, schools and health facilities – play a vital role in peace-building efforts and the establishment of a democratic and pluralistic Palestinian state.

Humanitarian challenges in Gaza

Some 1.5 million people live in Gaza. With the recent takeover of Gaza by Hamas, and the subsequent closure of borders by Israel, a humanitarian crisis is looming. At the end of June, Reuters reported that only about half the usual number of trucks were getting in with supplies. The World Food Program, a UN agency, notes that while the situation has improved somewhat, the daily food needs of Palestinians in Gaza are not being met.

In early July, the World Health Organization (WHO) was concerned that Gazans were not able to get needed medical treatment because the health infrastructure within Gaza was inadequate and the usual referrals were being blocked. WHO estimates between 300-400 patients a month need to travel through Rafah for treatment in Egypt and that crossing is now closed.

Current CWS efforts

Church World Service is doing what it can to help promote peace. The delegation of church leaders that visited the Occupied Territories in November is spurring greater advocacy for peace here in the U.S. CWS was signatory to a recent ecumenical letter to President Bush urging him to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians a priority and to become more actively engaged. Along with thirteen of its member denominations, Church World Service is a member of Churches for a Middle East Peace [www.cmep.org], which advocates for a just peace and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We are assisting in the current humanitarian crisis by providing food, health services and cash grants as emergency assistance through partner organizations on the ground. CWS funds a water cistern program that provides safe water to many West Bank residents. Because Israel uses much of the renewable water in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians there face a severe water shortage. We also provide funds for ongoing health care through the Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem.

The need for greater Administration involvement

It is time for the U.S. to give full and unfettered diplomatic support for an accelerated solution to both the current crisis and the long-term cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Our nation must be actively engaged to overcome the appeal of violence, vengeance and exclusivity. In its role as a special friend to Israel, the U.S. Government can best ensure Israeli long-term safety and security by helping achieve a truly viable Palestinian state. The U.S. and world will become safer as confidence grows that the U.S. is willing to take real leadership for peace.

I urge you to contact your Senator and urge her or him to support the Feinstein / Lugar Resolution on Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which calls for the Administration to take a much more active role in getting all parties back on track.

The positive repercussions of achieving peace in the Holy Land and economic stability for the Palestinian people go well beyond that small area of land. Anything less than a negotiated two-state agreement is a recipe for continued instability and further radicalization of the region.