February 18, 2011

CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said he is "dismayed" the U.S. government today vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that called on Israel to stop illegal construction of settlements on Palestinian land.

The U.S. veto stopped the resolution, which had the backing of 14 other members of the U.N. Security Council.

"I now am concerned that this action will increase a despondent mood about the future of such talks and will possibly strengthen extremist voices in the region who call for a less peaceful resolution of these issues," Hanson said in a statement issued shortly after today's vote.

He called on the international community, including the United States, "to work diligently toward commencing negotiations with the aim of reaching a final status agreement," he said.

Earlier this month, Hanson and 12 leaders of Christian churches and organizations wrote to President Barack Obama, urging his administration to support the U.N. Security Council resolution.

"As I and several other Christian leaders pointed out earlier this month in a letter to the president, the resolution used language regarding the settlements employed by the United States in the past and referred to undertakings on settlement construction agreed to in the past by Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the United States," Hanson said today.

The ELCA presiding bishop said Israeli settlements continue to expand in the West Bank despite the objections of the United States and the international community. He pointed out that the Obama administration has repeatedly characterized such expansions as "an obstacle to peace."

The U.N. Security Council resolution would have "powerfully underscored" the international position on Israeli settlements, he said. It also provided an opportunity to demonstrate the resolve of the international community that the Israelis and Palestinians reach a final status agreement as soon as feasible, Hanson added.

The full text of Presiding Bishop Hanson's statement is at http://www.ELCA.org/bishopstatement, on the ELCA website.

The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with approximately 4.5 million members in more than 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

ELCA News Service