Israel-Palestine peace plan needed, say churches and agencies
-11/11/04
Commenting in t
Israel-Palestine peace plan needed, say churches and agencies
-11/11/04
Commenting in the immediate aftermath of Palestinian leader Yassir Arafatís death, and British PM Tony Blairís visit to President Bush, the Methodist Church in Great Britain has called for a resumption of meaningful negotiations over the future of Israel and Palestine.
The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool and Vice-president of the Catholic Bishopsí Conference of England and Wales, has also offered his prayers for peace. And the international agency Christian aid has called for renewed efforts towards a just, bipartisan solution.
“As Palestinians mourn the loss of ‘Abu Ammar’ they must also look for new opportunities to achieve their demands for an independent Palestinian state”, said Steven Hucklesby, Methodist Secretary for International Affairs.
“We pray for a new peace process based on peace and constructive dialogue, and urge our government to play its part in breaking the current deadlock.”
“The path to this goal can only be through peaceful negotiation. The violence of the suicide bombings and Israeli assassination operations and house demolitions have put the political process on hold.”
He went on: “We welcome Mr Blairís statement urging that the situation in Palestine and Israel become the top priority in international affairs. Colin Powell has stated that the US Administration is ready to engage constructively with an emerging Palestinian leadership to make progress towards establishing a Palestinian state at peace with Israel.”
The Methodists and other churches are also drawing attention to the new report from Christian Aid entitled Facts on the Ground, which reveals that time is short for achieving a viable two state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis.
The report details the strangulation of the Palestinian economy, as more land is taken from the West Bank for settler roads and settlements.
As a result, poverty levels are rising and Christian Aid is hearing of mounting malnutrition and anaemia, of unemployment and of farmers prevented from tilling their land.
Christian Aid is the development arm of 40 UK churches, and an associate of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
The post-Arafat situation is being described as one of both threat and opportunity by many observers. The Churches in Britain are continuing to sponsor practical peace-building work in the area, especially through the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) in Palestine-Israel, which places trained observers alongside church and voluntary bodies in zones of conflict.
The Quakers are the lead body for the Programme in Britain. Other member churches and agencies of the Middle East Forum of the CTBI Churchesí Commission on Mission are also involved.
Hands-on Ecumenical Accompaniment in the occupied territories was requested by the heads of churches in Jerusalem. It is coordinated internationally through the World Council of Churches.
Israel-Palestine peace plan needed, say churches and agencies
-11/11/04
Commenting in the immediate aftermath of Palestinian leader Yassir Arafatís death, and British PM Tony Blairís visit to President Bush, the Methodist Church in Great Britain has called for a resumption of meaningful negotiations over the future of Israel and Palestine.
The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool and Vice-president of the Catholic Bishopsí Conference of England and Wales, has also offered his prayers for peace. And the international agency Christian aid has called for renewed efforts towards a just, bipartisan solution.
“As Palestinians mourn the loss of ‘Abu Ammar’ they must also look for new opportunities to achieve their demands for an independent Palestinian state”, said Steven Hucklesby, Methodist Secretary for International Affairs.
“We pray for a new peace process based on peace and constructive dialogue, and urge our government to play its part in breaking the current deadlock.”
“The path to this goal can only be through peaceful negotiation. The violence of the suicide bombings and Israeli assassination operations and house demolitions have put the political process on hold.”
He went on: “We welcome Mr Blairís statement urging that the situation in Palestine and Israel become the top priority in international affairs. Colin Powell has stated that the US Administration is ready to engage constructively with an emerging Palestinian leadership to make progress towards establishing a Palestinian state at peace with Israel.”
The Methodists and other churches are also drawing attention to the new report from Christian Aid entitled Facts on the Ground, which reveals that time is short for achieving a viable two state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis.
The report details the strangulation of the Palestinian economy, as more land is taken from the West Bank for settler roads and settlements.
As a result, poverty levels are rising and Christian Aid is hearing of mounting malnutrition and anaemia, of unemployment and of farmers prevented from tilling their land.
Christian Aid is the development arm of 40 UK churches, and an associate of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
The post-Arafat situation is being described as one of both threat and opportunity by many observers. The Churches in Britain are continuing to sponsor practical peace-building work in the area, especially through the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) in Palestine-Israel, which places trained observers alongside church and voluntary bodies in zones of conflict.
The Quakers are the lead body for the Programme in Britain. Other member churches and agencies of the Middle East Forum of the CTBI Churchesí Commission on Mission are also involved.
Hands-on Ecumenical Accompaniment in the occupied territories was requested by the heads of churches in Jerusalem. It is coordinated internationally through the World Council of Churches.