Nearly two dozen U.S. church and church-related organizations are pressing for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict at a conference beginning on Sunday.
Representatives of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Unite Methodist Church among others are gathering for the annual advocacy conference sponsored by Christians for Middle East Peace (CMEP). The theme of the April 20-22 conference in Washington, D.C., is “Calming the Storm: Middle East Peacemaking in a Turbulent Time.”
"The Annapolis peace process now underway deserves robust support from the U.S. Congress," said Warren Clark, CMEP's executive director, in a statement. "The achievement of a two-state peace agreement will be an important step towards durable peace with security for Israel and will help build a positive future for all the people of the Holy Land, including the now rapidly declining Palestinian Christian community."
Participants include church members and clergy from around the country, high-level Christian leaders, policy experts and government officials. Workshops will cover a range of topics including Evangelical peacemakers, Palestinian Christians, and Iran-Israel-U.S. relations.
"We are pleased to host this important gathering," CMEP’s Clark said. "This is a crucial time for peacemaking in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”
Prior to this weekend’s meeting of U.S. church leaders in Washington, former President Jimmy Carter was also engaged in meetings to try to work on a peace agreement.
Carter, who has been in the Middle East since this past week, met with the exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, on Friday and Saturday despite strong criticism from U.S. and Israeli leaders.
The United States and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist group because it does not acknowledge the right of Israel to exist, vows to destroy the Jewish State, and is accused of being behind suicide bomb attacks that has killed over a hundred Israeli citizens.
Hamas deputy Moussa Abu Marzouk, who met with Carter during the Saturday morning meeting, said they discussed possible prisoner exchange with Israel, lifting a siege by Israel on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, and a solution to the Rafah terminal, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Rafah terminal is on the border with Egypt and is the only crossing into Gaza that avoids Israel. It has been closed almost permanently since June 2006 when Hamas overthrew Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ forces in Gaza.
The meeting between Hamas and Carter was the highest level U.S.-Hamas meeting.
After the meeting on Saturday, Carter flew to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah.
Comments
It was a fascinating conference. Lutheran Bishop Mark Hanson opened the Churches for Middle East Peace conference in Washington, D.C., last week. Video of his keynote is at this link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8215992586234816634&hl=en
Churches for Middle East Peace Conference Report: A Time for Learning, Prayer & Advocacy for Peacemaking in the Nation's Capitol
This message can be found online at: http://www.cmep.org/2008_conference/Report.htm
150 church advocates and clergy from around the country gathered in Washington earlier this week amidst pouring rains that cleared just in time for their advocacy day on Capitol Hill.
"Calming the Storm: Middle East Peacemaking in a Turbulent Time" was the theme of CMEP's April 20-22 conference that sought to build support in theU.S. Congress for diligent follow-up on the Annapolis process toward the goal of a two-state Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.
The conference was a unique gathering of Christians from a wide variety of denominations committed to effective advocacy with policymakers as well as continued education and training back home. The conference reflects CMEP's partnership with Middle East policy experts, Jewish and Palestinian partner organizations and officials from the U.S. Congress and the Administration as we work to build support in Washington for U.S. policies conducive to peacemaking.
What Right to Christians in the USA have to impose their faith on any agreements made in this matter? Non whatsoever.
The bible says that the wheat and tairs shall live together ... Be not discouraged,Know your bible so now to be swept away from the worlds deceptions. Show your light and pray for the peace of Jeruesalem. urge Christians , lets pray for Jimmy Carter, who is at present engaged in this spirtual warfare and is projecting the Christian Baptist a bad name/example.
Gods good plan will go forth.
Wow, Former President Carter actually read my suggestions and is currently discussing the possibility of opening Christian mega churches in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Riyadh and Hail. Ha-ha-ha
Seriously, the declining Palestinian and Arab Christian community is the main concern here. Hamas is expected to stop this continuing violent persecution of Palestinian and Arab Christians
It's amazing this got 4 thumbs up: "We should NEVER agree to a split palastinian state!"
Should we have world war three to make your man-made god happy? Christians are a danger to the world. It would be a much safer world without Christians.
Maybe it's because their brains are unusually small.
GeorgeX
The answer is two fold...
1. Hirelings in the pulpits Mommy called and Daddy sent
2. Their Biblicly Illiterate!
Why are Christians so stupid?
Before you get tied up in knots about this, take a close look at the churches that are attending and/or sponsoring the "confrerence. Enough said. I couldn't help but think that the PC(USA) should take its own advice and maybe adopt a "two-church solution" to solve its crippling internal problems.
Am I alone when I ask... what is wrong with these christian views? God's chosen nation is Isreal! He asked all of us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We should NEVER agree to a split palastinian state!
"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."
1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 (in Context)
Hope Page: http://itsallaboutjesusnotme.blogspot.com