Christian groups press for support of Christians in Palestine and Israel

Church Coalition Welcomes Bond-Rockefeller Christmas Letter to Bush Highlighting Decline of Palestinian Christians & Need for Holy Land Peace
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Julie Schumacher Cohen, 202-543-1222; 917-655-4273; julie@cmep.org

[Washington, DC- December 21, 2007] Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) welcomes the letter to President Bush sent today by Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO) and John "Jay" Rockefeller (D-WV) commending his efforts to reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and bringing to his attention, ahead of the Christmas holiday, the rapid decline of the Palestinian Christian community. The CMEP coalition, comprised of 22 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant national church bodies, shares the Senators' concerns regarding the increasing emigration of Palestinian Christians and agrees that the achievement of a peaceful, two-state solution would greatly benefit the long-term viability of this historic community, and indeed all the peoples of the Holy Land.

The Bond-Rockefeller letter describes the difficulties faced by the dwindling Palestinian Christian community "caught in a storm of violent conflict, religious extremism and economic deterioration, often unable to access their holy sites, and lacking reliable law and order." Senator Rockefeller, chair of the Select Intelligence Committee and ranking member, Sen. Bond, highlight the important role that Palestinian Christians play in any future democratic and pluralistic Palestinian state and cite the decline of indigenous Christian communities throughout the Middle East as having "serious implications for U.S. national security interests and the stability of the region". Their letter also points out the impact that the decline of the Christian community has in Jerusalem, saying that if the trend does not change, the city "with its universal and sacred importance, will cease to be the home of three living faith communities."

The Senators conclude by encouraging the President's continued peacemaking efforts, which can help transform the Holy Land "from the tragic symbol of strife and discord that it has become, into the powerful beacon of hope and tolerance that it can and should be."

Commenting on the letter, Corinne Whitlatch, CMEP's Executive Director said, "We commend Sens. Bond and Rockefeller for bringing attention to the plight of the Christians in the Holy Land and the urgent need for peace at this time when Christians everywhere are preparing for Christmas and are reminded of the place of Christ's birth. The American churches have long been concerned about the situation of Palestinian Christians, who are increasingly emigrating due to political and economic instability. The loss of this historic community would not only be a tragedy for world Christianity, but as the Senators say, would have serious ramifications for a future Palestinian state, the interreligious nature of Jerusalem, and regional peace and security."

Whitlatch added, " We join with the Senators in urging the President's continued efforts, with the support of the Congress, to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. A two-state solution where a viable Palestinian state lives alongside a secure Israel is the best hope for preserving the Palestinian Christian community and for ensuring a positive future for Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike."

Following, is the full text of the letter:
December 25, 2007

The Honorable George W. BushPresident of the United States1600 Pennsylvania AvenueWashington, DC

Dear Mr. President,

We commend your efforts to reinvigorate the peace process with last month's international meeting in Annapolis, and your vision of "two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security." As you work to achieve this vision, and as Christmas approaches, we wish to draw your attention to the decline of the Holy Land's Christian community. A necessary element of a peaceful, stable Middle East- in which Jews, Christians and Muslims can live together-is the vitality of Christianity in the land of its birth. The small Palestinian Christian community is increasingly emigrating and it is clear that the achievement of a peaceful, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would greatly benefit the long-term viability of this vulnerable population.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects the lives of all peoples of the Holy Land - including the Palestinian Christians, who comprise a small minority that is today less than 2 percent of the Palestinian population. Caught in a storm of violent conflict, religious extremism and economic deterioration, often unable to access their holy sites, and lacking reliable law and order, many Christians are emigrating. Progress toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would greatly improve the lives of the Palestinian Christians, who will play a critical role in any future democratic and pluralistic Palestinian state.

The dwindling of the Christian community in Jerusalem, for 1300 years the shared focal point of Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious devotion, is especially troubling. For all these centuries, the Christian community has breathed daily life into the sacred sites of Christianity - caring for them, worshipping at them, preserving them. However, while the overall population of Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem is increasing, the Palestinian Christian community is steadily declining. If this trend does not change, the sacred sites of Christianity will soon be reduced to museums for visiting tourists - and Jerusalem, with its universal and sacred importance, will cease to be the home of three living faith communities.

The fate of Palestinian Christians should not be a matter of interest only on religious and cultural grounds. Rather, the decline of this population, as well as the decline of other indigenous Christian communities throughout the Middle East, has serious implications for U.S. national security interests and the stability of the region. The presence of Christian populations and their active participation in civil society is critical to maintaining a pluralistic Middle East and developing tolerant, open, democratic forms of government that respect human rights, including minority rights. Ensuring the vitality of the Palestinian Christian community is integral to achieving peace and stability in the Holy Land and throughout the region.

Mr. President, we welcome the commitment to Israeli- Palestinian peace that you articulated in Annapolis. As this process moves forward and you work to bring peace, stability, and security to the Holy Land and all of its inhabitants - and as hundreds of millions of Christians throughout the world celebrate Christmas - we ask you to keep in mind the plight of the Palestinian Christian community. The health and viability of this community, and indeed the coexistence of all three faith communities, is essential to the transformation of the Holy Land from the tragic symbol of strife and discord that it has become, into the powerful beacon of hope and tolerance that it can and should be - a beacon illuminating a path to better relations between peoples and religions in the region and around the world.

Sincerely,
Christopher S. Bond
John D. Rockefeller
###

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of 22 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant church bodies and organizations including the Alliance of Baptists, American Friends Service Committee, Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, Armenian Orthodox Church, Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Institutes, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the Brethren, Church World Service, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Franciscan Mission Service, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Maryknoll Missioners, Mennonite Central Committee, Moravian Church in America, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church.

email: info@cmep.org
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Israeli occupation fueling dwindling Christian Arab population, ATFP report shows

Press Release
Capitol Hill Briefing Attributes Dwindling Palestinian Christian Population To The Effects Of The Israeli Occupation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rafi Dajani
Phone: 202-669-5888

Washington, D.C., November 1, 2007 – The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) and The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) held a Capitol Hill briefing this week featuring four Christian mayors of Palestinian towns in the West Bank. The panel focused on the causes for the population decrease of the Palestinian Christians to below 2 percent of the population, attributing it mainly to the economic stresses resulting from Israeli occupation measures such as checkpoints and the route of the separation barrier, a vast majority of which is built on occupied Palestinian land.

The mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Hanan Jubrail Batarseh, referred to the wall as ‘a snake’, saying, it has ‘strangled the community; economically, psychologically, and educationally’ causing the Palestinian Christians to emigrate.

The economic strangulation has led to nearly 70% of the West Bank population living under the poverty line, said the mayor of Birzeit, Mr. Yousef Nasser. He continued saying, “Unemployment has risen 200% due to the check points,” which not only inhibit the movement of people but also shipments of produce. Mr. Nasser stressed the need for the removal of the checkpoints in order for the economy to improve. Without an improved economy, the Christian population will continue to decrease. This is why Dr. Batarseh stressed the need for peace , asking for a ‘bridge of love,’ to be built, not a ‘wall of separation.’

“Historically, it has been easier for the Palestinian Christian population to emigrate due mainly to family ties in the West, although Palestinian Muslims are emigrating in significant numbers too if they are able,” said ATFP executive director Rafi Dajani who moderated the panel. “Emigration of either community has nothing to do with religious tensions between the two communities and attempts to portray it as such are meant to deflect blame away from the main reason, the Israeli occupation.”

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