July 29, 2003

WINNIPEG, Canada - In a press briefing at the Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the Rev. Dr Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ), declared that the "Roadmap to Peace" is a "golden opportunity" to solve the enormous problems in his troubled region of the Middle East. Younan said that for the first time the United States is actively involved in the peace process.

Younan also cited the fact that the roadmap peace plan is the first agreement that has achieved the backing of the essential "quartet" of world partners: the United Nations, US, European Union and Russia. But the true test of the Roadmap, cautioned Younan, will be the fulfillment of certain benchmarks on the path to a full and free Palestinian state stretching from the West Bank to the Jordan River, existing side by side with Israel by 2005.

The roadmap must also address the root issue of the illegal occupation of Palestinian land by Israel. "That is a sin against God and humanity," declared Younan. "The occupation demoralizes both the occupier * Israel * and the occupied * Palestine."

The right of Palestinians' to return to their former homes that are now within Israeli borders is non-negotiable, said Younan. It is not something that can be "traded" for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories. He condemned the "double standards" by which 450,000 Palestinians still live in refugee campsin Lebanon, yet Russian Jews are allowed to return to Israel.

Younan, whose church has congregations in Jordan, Palestine and Israel, said that Israelis would be welcome to stay in their settlements, but under Palestinian rule. He sees such an arrangement as an ideal outcome of the peace process.

He believes that Christians, through the regional Middle East Council of Churches, have a special role to play in the peace process * a role of reconciliation and helping oppressed Palestinian people to achieve parity in the region.

It therefore concerns him greatly that Palestinian Christians, who comprise less than 2 percent of the population, are immigrating out of the region in large numbers. Around 1,600 of 16,000 Palestinian Christian residents of the Bethlehem district are reported to have moved out of the region last year, Younan said. "What is the Holy Land without Christians?" he asked. To counter this hemorrhage Younan stated that his church, with support from other sources, must improve educational, medical and housing resources for his people.

"The church is the only hope for the oppressed people of the region," declared Younan, "because a living church condemns injustice." He added that if Christians leave, the entire peace process will be in danger of compromise. "I am worried about the physical wall," said Younan, referring to the "security fence" that has recently been erected by the Israeli army, "but there is an unseen wall of hatred that daily grows higher and higher."

He pointed to some successful efforts to promote understanding, such as the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) in which international volunteers spend three months working and living side by side with Palestinian Christians.

Younan condemned the so called "Christian Zionism" movement as "dangerous, anti-peace, anti-reconciliation, and basically anti-semitic." He said that Christians should not seek a literal fulfillment of biblical prophecy but rather Christ, who reconcile the world to himself.

In conclusion the ELCJ bishop said that Christians living in other parts of the world can help in very concrete ways to bring about justice and peace in his region. First and foremost, "Pray," he declared. In addition, he asked that people advocate for the peace process; send others or visit as EAPPI participants and support educational, medical and housing programs for Palestinians, so that they will remain as citizens of Palestine.

Lutheran World Federation