07132
March 8, 2007

World Council of Churches launches new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative 

by Ecumenical News International

GENEVA — The World Council of Churches (WCC) says it is will launch in June an international, ecumenical peace initiative for peace in Israel and the Palestinian territories. An initial meeting will occur June 17-21 in Jordan. 
 
     “The initiative is a major step toward the WCC’s goal of mobilizing churches around the world for peace with justice in the Middle East,” the WCC said in a March 7 statement. “Its launch will take place during this year's observances of 40 years under occupation
for Palestinians.” 
 
     “Although their living roots in the region go back to Bible times, WCC member churches in the Middle East increasingly link their prospects for a continuing presence and witness in the region today to a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said the WCC. 
 
     The plan for the June meeting, to take place in the vicinity of Amman, was approved during a meeting last week of the WCC’s executive committee, a governing body of the church grouping representing 560 million Christians in more than 110 countries.  
 
     “WCC member churches and related organizations from different regions of the world and especially churches from the Middle East will take part in the inaugural conference. The forum they launch will coordinate existing church advocacy work and promote new
joint efforts for peace,” said the WCC statement. 
 
     It noted, “Middle Eastern churches at the meeting will lay out their expectations of a just peace and their experiences of conflict. Churches from other regions will share lessons learned during other deeply rooted conflicts, for example, in South Africa, Sudan or Sri Lanka.” The churches aim to launch a new ecumenical advocacy forum for peace in Israeli and Palestinians.

     The WCC said that “at the time of the conference churches and civil society groups around the world will be marking the start of the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in 1967 and the 40 years of suffering, dislocation and loss that ensued.”  
 
     This was after a conflict sometimes called the Six-Day War took in which Israel occupied land in Egypt, Jordan and Syria.