Anglican Communion News Service

[Anglican Journal] The leaders of nine Canadian churches have called for a peace settlement in the Middle East that would guarantee "peaceful existence within secure borders" for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Responding to a rash of violent incidents and a growing death toll that began escalating last fall, the leaders of the Christian churches said that "Palestinians have the right to exist in peace and freedom in an internationally recognized homeland and state."

Israel, they added, has an equal right to exist in peace and security. "We believe that the rights which apply to one people must also apply to the other," the leaders said.

"Both Israelis and Palestinians are entitled to security, and to the right to determine their own future as a people, while respecting the rights of the other."

For the Palestinians, peace must mean the withdrawal of Israel from settlements in the Gaza and the West Bank, and provision of territorial integrity for a Palestinian state.

Speedy implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions are also needed, the leaders said. For Israel there must be assurance of their right to exist in peace and security within internationally recognized borders. Recognition of Israel's legitimacy as a contemporary state must be affirmed by internationally and regionally, the leaders added.

They called for continued dialogue "to keep Jerusalem open and accessible to the three faiths that hold it sacred, and to all residents of the region who see it as the centre for their livelihood and identity."

The statement said: "The downward spiral if violence protest and violent repression must give way to nonviolence and negotiation."

The leaders commended the Canadian government for the humanitarian assistance it has provided to the victims of violence. "We believe that Canada can play a significant leadership role in the search for peace."