Anglican Communion News Service

[The Anglican Messenger] On its last day in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, an ecumenical peace delegation of American Church leaders met with the mayor of Jerusalem, officials at the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the top Palestinian leader in Jerusalem-and issued a final statement at a press conference in mid-December.

The final statement said that the delegation "had heard the voices of people...seen the impact of Israeli settlements that strangulate and isolate the Palestinian people from another...heard the terror in the voices of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Christians and Muslims alike...We believe that our faith calls us to tell the truth of what we have seen and that, unless we share with the world what we have seen, the stones will cry out. We are persuaded that the peace which must come for all - Israeli and Palestinian alike-can only be achieved on a firm foundation of justice."

The statement made an "urgent plea that parties heed the moral imperative to do justice," and urges "the community of nations and all people who love mercy and recognise and condemn this new apartheid that oppresses the Palestine people."

In order to achieve peace, the statement said, it is necessary that Israel withdraw from Palestinian areas to the 1967 borders, in fulfilment of the UN resolutions. It also offered some steps to achieve justice:

• both sides cease all acts of violence;
• Israeli forces end the use of disproportionate force;
• suspend current sales of U.S. attack helicopters to Israel;
• stop Israeli confiscation of land, house demolition, closures, destruction of agriculture and expansion of settlements;
• provide immediate international protection for Palestinians;
• seek accountability for U.S. aid to Israel;
• provide humanitarian aid for the Palestinians
• devise a plan to share the city of Jerusalem; also
• parties must cease violent acts if there is any hope for peace.

In answering a question, Bishop Herbert Chilstrom, former Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) said that the impression that churches tend to give greater support to the Israelis is "sometimes based on a reading of Scripture that says that this land should belong to the Jews." On the other hand, he said that he has concluded that "this is a justice issue." Palestinians whose families go back centuries are being uprooted . "We are here to protect their rights while advocating the rights of the Israelis," he said.