Christian Leaders Letter to President Obama Urging a New Beginning for Peace

posted on: Jan 11, 2013

Dear Mr. President,

The goal of a just peace among Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians has eluded leaders in the Middle East and in the U.S. for more than a generation. As you embark upon your second term, there is an unprecedented opportunity for your Administration to play a catalytic role in the resolution of this conflict. As faith leaders deeply committed to peace and reconciliation in this land held sacred by so many, we write to ask that you now bring the full energies of your Administration to bear toward facilitating a just, durable, and final negotiated agreement to end the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We understand the difficulty and cost of undertaking this effort. There are groups on both sides that oppose any agreement. The losses Palestinians have experienced since the Oslo Accords were signed nearly twenty years ago have deeply marred trust and made many despair for the possibility of negotiations ever producing an acceptable outcome. Israelis fear that that the losses they may face in negotiations could undermine the existence and security of their state in future generations.

Your own Administration experienced the costly challenges of working toward peacemaking during your first term, but another generation cannot wait as prospects for peace grow dimmer. The U.S. should place the full weight of its support behind the long-term well-being of Israelis and Palestinians. Proposals put forward must be feasible and convincingly address their separate national aspirations for security and justice.

American political leadership is needed now more than ever to support both Israelis and Palestinians in creating a resilient and just peace. Conversely, the consequences of maintaining the status quo, while events further complicate the feasibility of a two-state solution, may perpetuate the conflict for generations to come.

Mr. President, we recognize the awesome burdens you carry for the welfare and fate of so many people at home and abroad. We pray that you will be given courage, patience, and wisdom for your decisions in this and in all other matters.

Respectfully,
Fr. Mark Arey
Ecumenical Officer
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Dr. Carroll A. Baltimore, Sr.
President
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
The Most Rev. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
Primate
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
Rev. Geoffrey Black
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
J. Ron Byler
Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee – U.S.
Shan Cretin
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee
Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey
Minister for Partnership Relations
Alliance of Baptists
Rev. Tom De Vries
General Secretary
Reformed Church in America
Very Rev. John Edmunds, ST.
President
Conference of Major Superiors of Men’s Institutes
Rev. David Emmanuel Goatley
Executive Secretary
Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention
Rev. David Guthrie
President, Provincial Elders Conference, Southern Province
Moravian Church in America
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Very Rev. John Hardin, OFM
President
Franciscan Friars (OFM) English Speaking Conference
Dr. Joel C. Hunter
Senior Pastor
Northland – A Church Distributed
Archbishop Cyril Aphrem Karim
Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox
Church of Antioch for the Eastern USA
Kathryn Mary Lohre
President
National Council of Churches – USA
Rev. John McCullough
President and CEO
Church World Service
Kathy McNeely
Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley
General Secretary
American Baptist Churches – USA
Janet Mock, CSJ
Executive Director
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Rev. Peter Morales
President
Unitarian Universalist Association
Richard J. Mouw, PhD
President
Fuller Theological Seminary
Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren
Harriett Jane Olson
General Secretary and CEO
United Methodist Women
Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Bishop Richard E. Pates
Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Metropolitan Philip
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Diane Randall
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Bob Roberts
Senior Pastor
NorthWood Church
Leonard Rodgers
Director
Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
Dr. Julius R. Scruggs
President
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Ronald J. Sider
President
Evangelicals for Social Action
Jim Wallis
CEO
Sojourners
Rev. Sharon Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Bishop Rosemarie Wenner
President, Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church