|
CMEP thanks
all those in the CMEP network who were able to participate in the
Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference last weekend. At the
conference, we introduced a new tool for outreach to clergy that
engages them and their congregations in advocacy for
Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. CMEP asks you to help increase
the awareness, commitment and involvement of churches and church
leaders in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
We at CMEP are
encouraged by the active advocacy and education done by church
members, clergy and congregations associated with our member
churches in local communities all over the country. As a result of
the advocacy work of national religious groups and the CMEP
coalition, the Bush Administration and Congress are familiar with
our common concerns for an end of the occupation and a just and
durable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
At this key
time of change and uncertainty, CMEP invites you to join in
amplifying the voice of the Christian community for peace in the
Holy Land by signing the “Christian Clergy Letter for
Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking” and using it as a tool to engage
others. The letter, which will be relevant for some time, urges
President Bush to make Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking a high
priority in his Administration and take a positive, proactive role
in bringing the parties together toward a negotiated resolution to
the conflict.
Below is the “Christian Clergy” sign-on letter and an invitation
letter from CMEP with guidance in using the letter for outreach
and advocacy. These letters are also on
www.cmep.org. You are encouraged to:
-
Ask your
minister or priest to sign the letter.
-
If you are
clergy, sign the letter and invite others in your congregation,
denomination or community to join you.
-
Print the
letter on your church’s letterhead and send copies to the
President, your members of Congress, and CMEP.
-
Collect
signatures at a meeting of your local clergy association or
judicatory body.
CMEP regularly
visits Congressional offices to convey the hopes of our member
churches for Israeli-Palestinian peace and to explain our concerns
about U.S. policy. Your involvement in this campaign will help us
show the Administration and Members of Congress that local clergy
leaders, congregations and associations place a high priority on
Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
Print Clergy
Letter for Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking in PDF format
Print Clergy
Invite Letter in PDF Format
Christian Clergy Letter for Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking:
A
Negotiated Two-State Solution with a Shared Jerusalem
Dear President
Bush,
(Our churches)
commend your call for a negotiated two-state solution to the
conflict and we share your vision of a viable, contiguous
Palestinian state living in peace with its neighbor Israel. We
recognize that new challenges have arisen in the pursuit of peace
and encourage your continued leadership.
We remain
steadfast in our pursuit of peace and justice, and we continue to
be hopeful that, with your help, both parties can achieve peace
and security for their peoples. These three elements reflect the
long-standing positions of (your denomination/church) and Churches
for Middle East Peace, an ecumenical coalition of twenty one
churches and church related agencies.
Active,
sustained and constructive engagement by the United States
government,
in cooperation with the United Nations, toward resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for
the sake of Israelis, Palestinians, the broader region and for our
own national security.
A negotiated
resolution of the conflict
that realizes
the vision of a region where two viable states, Israel and
Palestine, live side-by-side with secure and recognized borders.
The sharing of
an undivided Jerusalem
by the two
peoples – Israelis and Palestinians – and by the three religious
communities that call it sacred.
We therefore
ask you to:
-
Press the
new Palestinian government to commit to nonviolence, recognize
Israel and accept previous agreements, while you continue to
engage the moderate Palestinian leadership and help the
Palestinian people through financial aid from the U.S.
Sincerely,
cc: Senator
NAME
Senator NAME
Representative
NAME
Churches for Middle East
Peace invites clergy of our member churches
to join our advocacy in
support of Israeli-Palestinian peace
At this time,
when Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking has come to a standstill,
Churches for Middle East Peace appeals to clergy of our member
churches to join our important work. CMEP is the official
ecumenical advocacy voice of twenty-one Orthodox, Catholic and
Protestant denominations, churches and church-related agencies.
Our direct advocacy work with the Administration and Congress has
been strengthened by the advocacy of the individual church members
and clergy who are already part of CMEP’s network.
But we need
more help; we need your help – as clergy of our member churches –
to amplify the message of peace
because, without a restoration of constructive
U.S.
leadership and hope, the opportunity to resolve this tragic
conflict could be lost.
Please sign
the “Christian Clergy Letter for Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking”
and encourage others to do so. Ask members of your congregation to
join you in signing the letter, invite other clergy in your
denomination or community to co-sign with you, or seek signers
from your regional judicatory body. Use official letterhead if
that is appropriate for the signers. You will want to adapt the
introduction sentence and other identifiers to fit the signers,
such as change “Our churches” to “We, pastors of ELCA churches in
Cleveland, commend your...” But, for this campaign to be
effective, the body of the letter should not be changed.
Mail the
letter to President Bush and fax copies of the signed letter to
your two senators, your representative and to CMEP. We will use
these clergy letters in our Hill meetings.
The U.S.
churches place a high-priority on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking
for numerous reasons. First is the profound connection of our
faith to the Holy Land, particularly
Jerusalem,
and to the Middle Eastern Christians and churches. Second is the
enormous dangers presented by the conflict, not only to the people
caught in the struggle, but also to the whole of the region and to
the United States itself. And the third reason is because of the
schism this conflict brings to relations among Jews, Christians
and Muslims.
CMEP knows
that sometimes local churches are
reluctant to address Israeli-Palestinian issues because of its
complexities and controversies. This letter is based on long-held
policies of the denominations and churches that make up CMEP, and
is consistent with CMEP’s constructive and balanced voice.
If you have
questions, please contact CMEP at 202-543-1222 or
info@cmep.org
Send the
Christian Clergy Letter to:
The
Honorable George W. Bush,
President of
the United States, The White House
Washington, DC 20500 or Fax: 202-456-6218, Office of the Public
Liaison
Members of
Congress:
202-224-3121 – connects you to any office – or access Member’s
website at
www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov for fax numbers and addresses.
CMEP:
110
Maryland Ave. NE, Ste. 311, Washington, DC 20002 or Fax:
202-543-5025
|
