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Letter to
President Clinton by ELCA Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson on
behalf of the ELCA Conference of Bishops
October 12, 2000
President William Jefferson Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Clinton:
On behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) we, the
67 members of the ELCA's Conference of Bishops, wish to encourage you in
your efforts to bring an end to the violence in Israel and the
Palestinian territories, renew negotiations, and forge a just and
comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Please know, Mr. President, that you and your negotiating team are in
our prayers daily along with the Palestinians and Israelis who are
suffering in so many ways these days.
We have watched, heartbroken, as the numbers of killed and injured rise.
We are particularly aware of the impact the fighting is having on the
Palestinian community because of our church's closeness to Lutheran
congregations in and around Jerusalem and our involvement with the
Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives. In a statement
released last week, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America called on
all sides to end the fighting and at the same time protested "the
disproportionate and excessive use of lethal force by Israeli forces,
their increasing use of live ammunition, their firing of rubber-coated
bullets into the faces and heads of Palestinian youth, and their
disregard for humanitarian institutions, such as the Augusta Victoria
Hospital on the Mount of Olives." It is extremely disturbing that
the premises of this hospital were occupied by Israeli forces and then
used to fire upon Palestinian protesters, and that access to this and
other hospitals continues to be seriously impeded for the wounded and
dying, as well as the hospital staff itself.
Unfortunately, the situation has continued to escalate due in large
measure to the excessive use of lethal force by the Israeli military and
the introduction of tanks and attack helicopters into the conflict. We
oppose Israel's use of U.S. supplied Apache and Cobra helicopters
against Palestinian civilians and Israel's use of Blackhawk helicopters
in its attack on the electrical grid in Lebanon in May. We ask that the
recently approved sales of Blackhawk and Apache helicopters by the
United States to Israel be suspended.
We call upon you, Mr. President, to support a full, impartial,
international investigation of the recent violence. Please press Prime
Minister Barak to restrain his troops as you urge President Arafat to do
all in his power to stop the violence.
We appreciate your efforts which brought the Palestinians and Israelis
together at the July Camp David Summit and, for the first time, to
discuss openly the concept of sharing the city of Jerusalem. Now, with
the spiral of violence, the disproportionate use of force, and the
ensuing protests at the United Nations and in the streets of numerous
Arab nations, it is clear that there must be a broader involvement of
the international community in promoting and protecting the rights of
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
We encourage you to be open to a greater role for the United Nations in
resolving Jerusalem's status and other issues such as the future of the
refugees. The ELCA supports the call, since 1994, of the twelve
Patriarchs and Heads of Jerusalem churches for a special statute for
Jerusalem that would "allow Jerusalem not to be victimized by laws
imposed as a result of hostilities or wars but to be an open city which
transcends local, regional or world political troubles. This statute,
established in common by local
political and religious authorities, should also be guaranteed by the
international community."
We are hopeful that a lasting Arab-Israeli peace can be achieved. At the
core of this agreement will be an equitable solution for Jerusalem that
respects the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis as well as the
three religious communities. The process of negotiating the future of
Jerusalem, as well as the final product, must be firmly rooted,
therefore, in the United Nations Security Council resolution 242, which
calls for Israel's withdrawal from land occupied in 1967, and in the
Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from
transferring its population into occupied territories and deals with the
protection of civilians under occupation.
Attacks on holy sites, perpetrated both by Israelis and Palestinians, is
another unsettling development in the past days. We believe UNSC
resolution 242 and the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as a special
statute for Jerusalem to assure freedom of religion and conscience for
all and access for all to places of worship and other institutions, are
more relevant now than ever and need to be embraced by the Israeli and
Palestinian negotiators.
Our Palestinian church partners have repeatedly appealed to the
international community for protection for the Palestinians in Jerusalem
and in the Palestinian territories. They fear for their safety because
of the presence and activities of armed settlers, often protected by
Israeli troops, and vigilante patrols. We ask that you help to put into
place the protection that is needed for those who are vulnerable in this
context.
Thank you for hearing our concerns. May God bless and strengthen you as
you work for justice and reconciliation between Israelis and
Palestinians in the challenging days ahead.
Sincerely,
The Rev. H. George Anderson
Presiding Bishop
on behalf of the ELCA Conference of Bishops
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