Episcopal Press and News

Episcopal Church Leaders Urge Pressure for Mideast Peace

Episcopal News Service. May 14, 1991 [91120V]

Returning from a Holy Week pilgrimage to the Middle East, four Episcopal Church leaders urged continued pressure for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Presiding Bishop and Mrs. Edmond Browning, the Rev. Patrick Mauney, the church's deputy for Anglican affairs, and Dr. Betty Coats of the church's Washington office said the Bush administration should be "thanked for taking quick initiative following the Gulf War to refocus on an Israeli-Palestinian peace process." In calling on Episcopalians to demonstrate their support for such a process by contacting the president and Secretary of State James Baker, the four said they were told by those they visited in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank that the settlements are an obstacle to peace and that Palestinians continue to suffer discrimination and harassment from Israeli authorities.