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Statement on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank
from Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO of CWS
June 15, 2007
The situation of violence and political polarity in Gaza and the West Bank has escalated to a level that not only threatens prospects for a peaceful two-state solution within the region, but also the viability of day-to-day life for Palestinians there. People have been forced out of their homes by the fighting. Hundreds more have been killed or injured.
We are asking people of good heart throughout the world to join Church World Service in prayer for all the people of this troubled region.
Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem Dr. Munib Younan writes (June 15), "If you want to bring an end to the horrific violence in the Middle East... get serious about implementing the two-state solution, begin immediate serious talks about these issues with all sides..."
We have seen the suffering in occupied Palestine. We have seen some of the hundreds of thousands of children who are not being educated because their schools are closed. We have seen the street merchants in Bethlehem struggling to survive in a town whose economy has collapsed.
In the midst of all this trouble, though, we also see and hear the longing for peace by ordinary Palestinians. Their concerns and aspirations are simple and they are the same ones shared by people throughout the world.
They want jobs. They want to be able to feed, clothe and educate their children. And most of all, they want an end to the violence that has threatened their lives-indeed their very existence-for far too long.
Our prayers are for all the people affected by the fighting and the ongoing absence of peace and self-determination. Palestinians, Israelis, Christians, Muslims and Jews, indeed all of God’s creation are called to do what is necessary and righteous to heal this brokenness; to find our way toward a peace that lets people of all religions, races, and political parties live together and share in the abundance promised to us all.
We urge the U.S. to return Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region to provide full and unfettered diplomatic support for an accelerated solution to both the current crisis and the long-term cause of the Palestinian people.
There exists a space for grace in which all concerned parties can work toward a solution in which the political fighting ceases, the occupation of Palestine ends, and Palestinians and Israelis agree on a way to live side by side.
These times are chaotic, but through the awesome grace of God, peace
indeed can reign.