September 30, 2010

WASHINGTON – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined 27 other religious leaders Sept. 29 in issuing a public statement supporting "a new hope for the peace of Jerusalem."

"We stand united in support of active, fair, and firm U.S. leadership for Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace," the leaders said in the statement.

The statement by Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders was coordinated through the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East (NILI).

"As religious leaders, we remain firmly committed to a two-state solution to the conflict as the only viable way forward," the leaders wrote. "We believe that concerted, sustained U.S. leadership for peace is essential. And we know that time is not on the side of peace, that delay is not an option."

The leaders said they have prayed for peace, made public statements, met with public officials and supported religious leaders throughout the Middle East region. They have called on members of their religious communities to pray for peace in Jerusalem and to support U.S. leadership to advance comprehensive peace in the Middle East, according to the statement.

"The United States has a unique and indispensable role which gives our nation a special responsibility to pursue peace. Achieving Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace will have positive reverberations in the region and around the world. Our nation and the world will be much safer with the achievement of the peace of Jerusalem," the leaders wrote.

Members of NILI who gathered in Washington Sept. 29 met with Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton and Jeffrey D. Feltman, assistant secretary of state, Near Eastern Affairs. Earlier in the day NILI members met with General James L. Jones, national security advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama. Hanson was not able to be in Washington to attend the meetings.

"NILI has pressed the U.S. government for many years for direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. These meetings have been a way to affirm the steps the Administration is taking. The meetings also signify the commitment of U.S. religious leaders to the parties involved in the conflict and our religious communities that peace is possible," said Dennis W. Frado, director, Lutheran Office for World Community, who was present at the meetings on behalf of Hanson.

The full text of the Sept. 29 NILI public statement is at http://www.ELCA.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Issues/Israel-Palestine.aspx, on the Web.

ELCA News Service