Episcopal Press and News
Resolution of the Executive Council on War in the Persian Gulf
Episcopal News Service. February 14, 1991 [91045]
Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting in Savannah, Georgia, January 28 to February 1, 1991:
- 1. Reaffirms its condemnation of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and supports the United Nations resolutions calling for immediate withdrawal;
- 2. Deeply regrets the outbreak of war in the Persian Gulf and calls this church to prayer for peace in the Middle East that a spirit of repentance and reconciliation develop among all nations and peoples as we struggle to know God's will for us in these agonizing times;
- 3. Calls the whole church to uphold in prayer and deed the faithful witness of our church in the Middle East during this time of grave hostilities;
- 4. Calls on the church to hold in prayer the president of the United States as he discharges the awesome responsibilities of his office;
- 5. Urges all Episcopalians to support the efforts of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, the Episcopal Migration Ministries, and all those agencies working on behalf of persons displaced by war; and
- 6. Urges local congregations to provide pastoral care and support to those persons in their communities affected by the war.
Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting in Savannah, Georgia, January 28 to February 1, 1991:
- 1. Commends the presiding bishop for his tireless witness for a peaceful solution to the crisis and for his pastoral sensitivity to the men and women deployed in the Persian Gulf as well as his concern for all the people of the Middle East and those at risk everywhere;
- 2. Commends the Office of the Suffragan Bishop for the Armed Forces for its round-the-clock support of Episcopalians in the military, their dependents and families; and
- 3. Entrusts to the pastoral care of this church those persons, including members of the armed forces, who for reasons of conscience may be seeking status as conscientious objectors, including advising them on the process to register their belief with the registrar of the Episcopal Church.
Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting in Savannah, Georgia, January 28 to February 1, 1991:
- 1. Calls on the leaders of the nations involved in the conflict to respect the rights of prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions and to refrain from the use of weapons of mass destruction and from widening the conflict and to respond to the initiatives for a cease-fire;
- 2. Condemns the indiscriminate missile attacks on the State of Israel and her people, and commends Israel's restraint in not retaliating;
- 3. Urges that every effort be made to bring the war to an end and that parties involved return to the negotiating table;
- 4. Reaffirms its support for a regional solution of the conflict under United Nations auspices taking into account the broader historical context in which the war is being waged; and
- 5. Commends the efforts to bring about a Middle East peace conference after the end of the war.
Resolved, That the Executive Council deplores Israel's treatment of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, especially the imposition of a curfew that, in effect, places 1.5 million people under house arrest, and is a form of collective punishment that denies access to work, school, and the pursuit of life; and be it further
Resolved, That the Executive Council further deplores the failure of the Israeli government to provide the Palestinians with an adequate quantity of gas masks and other supplies necessary for their protection; and be it further
Resolved, That the Executive Council calls upon the government of Israel to provide adequate protective supplies and otherwise to respect the rights of the Palestinian people; and be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be communicated to the Israeli ambassador to the United States and to the United States Department of State.
Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting in Savannah, Georgia, January 28 to February 1, 1991:
- 1. Commends the United Nations for its considerable efforts to relieve the distress of people displaced by the war;
- 2. Encourages all neighboring countries to maintain open borders for refugees; and
- 3. Calls upon the United States and other countries to provide needed second-country asylum for these refugees and assist in the repatriation of those who can return to their own countries.
Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting in Savannah, Georgia, January 28 to February 1, 1991, is alarmed to learn of increasing instances of discrimination in this country against Arab Americans and Arab nationals as has been exemplified by the recent announcements from Pan American Airlines that persons holding Iraqi passports will not be allowed to fly on that airline, and calls upon the people of this church and nation to refrain from and to work against all discrimination against Arab Americans and Arab nationals.