FW: Presbyterian Witness in Washington Weekly - August 4, 2008
Melinda Thompson
Dear Friends,
Below is part of an email that I received from the PCUSA Washington office. I have included the portion on making Holy Land Peace a priority because it has links to allow you to give input to the candidates and the platform committees. You may already have already received this information or given input, but I pass this on in case you would like to do so. Not that the Democratic platform committee meets this Saturday.
From: Presbyterian Washington Office
[mailto:ga_washing...@pcusa.org]
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 7:04 AM
To: Melinda Thompson
Subject: Presbyterian Witness in Washington Weekly - August 4, 2008
WITNESS IN WASHINGTON WEEKLY
The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
August 4, 2008
Congress has adjourned for the August recess, and so too will the Witness in Washington Weekly. We will return after Labor Day with coverage of the final weeks of work of the 110th Congress and the 2008 election cycle.
This week’s messages are—
· Tell Platform Committees & Candidates: Make Holy Land Peace Top Priority
· Let Justice Roll Urges Faith Leaders to Endorse Call for $10 in 2010
· Faith Leaders Applaud U.S. House for Passage of Bill to Protect Kids From Tobacco
· Washington Office Welcomes Annette Greer
· Psalm 9 -- God’s Power and Justice
Tell Platform Committees & Candidates: Make Holy Land Peace Top Priority
There is just a little over a month before the political conventions and both parties are seeking input to their platforms NOW. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is sure to be a topic of extreme interest throughout the campaign, given Sen. Obama's Mideast trip and the continued debate between the two Presidential candidates as to who is better able to address America's national security issues.
It is vital that you add your voice to that of the leadership of 22 Christian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church, (USA), who sent a letter July 21st to Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, urging them to commit to making a two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority as candidates and if elected President.
The letter, organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, emphasizes that peacemaking efforts must not falter and will require the immediate attention of the next Administration. The letter urges the candidates to "rise above polemical rhetoric", "ignore skeptics who proclaim that no agreement is possible" and offer, as President, "a policy that addresses the fundamental needs of both peoples." The full text of the letter is included below.
Churches for Middle East Peace is also requesting meetings with senior advisers to each candidate and is following up with letters to key members of each party platform committee. Please use the links below to take the issue of Holy Land peace directly to your platform committee and the two candidates. The more they hear from citizens across the country, the more apt they are to listen.
TAKE ACTION
Christians are called to be peacemakers and as citizens, to be active in public life and the political process. Do your part today to help make peace between Israel and the Palestinians a top priority of the next Administration and take a moment to share this email with a friend.
1. Make Israeli-Palestinian Peace Part of Your Party Platform
Democrats: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening/
Republicans: http://www.gopplatform2008.com/intro.aspx
Sample Language: A two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will help safeguard long- term U.S. national security interests and is a top foreign policy priority of the XX party.
Party Platform Processes:
For Democrats, the meeting of the full platform committee is scheduled for Aug. 9th. The Democratic National Convention will be held Aug 25-28 in Denver, CO.
Republicans are invited to participate in the party platform process via an interactive web-based initiative. The party platform meeting is tentatively scheduled for Aug 25-28, before the official opening of the Republican National convention which will take place Sept. 1-4 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
2. Send a Message to the Presidential Candidates:
Contact Sen. John McCain http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/;
Contact Sen. Barack Obama http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/contact2
Your Message: Make Holy Land Peace a Top Priority for a New Administration
1. As an American Christian, I am deeply concerned over the longstanding conflict in the Holy Land and the welfare of all the peoples in the region.
2. I join with the leadership of the Presbyterian Church, (USA) and many other denominations, who in a July 21st letter, urged you to commit to making a two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority for a new Administration. Peacemaking efforts must not falter and will require the immediate attention of the next President.
3. A durable peace agreement is essential for the future wellbeing of Israelis and Palestinians, including the small and dwindling Palestinian Christian community, and would help safeguard long- term U.S. national security interests.
4. I urge you to rise above polemical rhetoric, ignore skeptics that say peace isn't possible, and offer, as President, a policy that addresses the fundamental needs of both peoples.
The full text of the letter is included below:
July 21, 2008
The Honorable John McCain/Barack Obama
Campaign Headquarters
Address
Dear Sen. McCain/Obama,
Peace between Israel and its neighbors is vitally important to the American Christians we represent as Board members of a coalition of 22 U.S. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant national churches and church-related organizations. Our church members and congregations are deeply concerned over the longstanding conflict in the Holy Land and the welfare of all the peoples of the region. We are joined in this appeal to you by members of our Leadership Council, prominent individuals who each hold a particular expertise and connection to the Middle East.
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) urges you - as a candidate, and if you are elected President - to commit yourself publicly to making a two-state resolution of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict a top priority. Mideast peace efforts must not falter and will require the immediate attention of the next President and robust American diplomacy in the region.
The Israeli- Palestinian conflict is a tragic struggle between two proud peoples who have, thus far, been denied the blessings of peace and security. Both have been victims of tragedy and repeated wars and violence. Both sides have made serious mistakes. Neither one has fully grasped the suffering of the other. However, years of discussions and polls reveal that Israeli and Palestinian majorities are willing to make concessions for peace and understand that it can only be achieved through two states with secure and recognized borders, a withdrawal from settlements, and a Jerusalem that is shared by the two people and three faiths. Even the refugee issue is soluble in the context of a comprehensive regional agreement.
The respective interests of the two peoples are in fact interdependent. Both will continue to suffer without peace and security for Israel, and freedom, dignity and sovereignty for Palestinians. Additionally, we have a particular concern for the small, indigenous Palestinian Christian community. This historic community and their institutions play an important role in fostering a religiously diverse, pluralistic, and tolerant Palestinian society, but Christians are rapidly emigrating due to the difficult political and economic conditions imposed by the conflict. A durable and equitable peace agreement is essential for the future wellbeing of the Palestinian Christians and all the people of the Holy Land.
The United States has a key role to play in resolving this terrible conflict and needs to show understanding and provide support for both Israelis and Palestinians if we are to be effective. We urge you to rise above the polemical rhetoric that often characterizes political commentary on this conflict, ignore skeptics who proclaim that no agreement is possible, and to offer, as President, a policy that addresses the fundamental needs of both peoples.
Such American leadership is needed, not only as a moral imperative on behalf of suffering protagonists, but to safeguard long-term U.S. national security interests. This conflict helps shape attitudes towards the United States throughout the Arab and Muslim world and elsewhere. A just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as between Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon, would help undercut support for extremist elements and bolster moderation in the region.
We know that a great many American Christians would respond very positively to your promise to make Israeli- Arab peace a high and urgent priority for your Administration. Moreover, based on our long experience and cooperation with other American religious communities, we are persuaded that you would find strong support in the American Jewish and American Muslim communities as well. For our part, we pledge to continue our work to build bi-partisan support in Congress for U.S. diplomatic engagement and look forward to working with the next President to help secure peace in the Middle East.
Respectfully yours,
General Assembly Guidance:
The 218th General Assembly (2008) approved a resolution to:
1. Be a voice for the victims of violence in both Israel and Palestine. We ask PC(USA) members, congregations, committees, and other entities to become nonpartisan advocates for peace. As such, we will not over-identify with the realities of the Israelis or Palestinians. Instead we will identify with the need for peacemaking voices in the midst of horrific acts of violence and terror.
2. Focus our energy on the United States government, demanding that it assume an intensive and unrelenting role as a peacemaker, bringing together the opposing parties in forums where reasonable people can reach reasonable compromises about highly complex issues.