Episcopal Press and News
Churches Support Ad Calling on Israelis and Palestinians to Share Jerusalem
Episcopal News Service. December 19, 1996 [96-1655]
(ENS) Christian congregations across the country shared in a Christmas prayer for "the peace of Jerusalem," Sunday, December 22, in conjunction with the appearance in the New York Times of a full-page advertisement calling for Jerusalem to be shared by Israelis and Palestinians.
Under the banner "Christians call for a shared Jerusalem," the ad supports "a negotiated solution for Jerusalem that respects the human and political rights of both Palestinians and Israelis," as well as the rights of Jews, Christians and Muslims.
"Jerusalem at peace cannot belong exclusively to one people, one country or one religion," the ad states. "Jerusalem should be open to all, shared by all... two peoples and three religions."
Sponsored by the ecumenical organization, Churches for Middle East Peace, the December 21 ad was purchased through contributions from more than 600 individuals, congregations and Christian organizations. Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning of the Episcopal Church was one of 17 church leaders whose names lead off the list of supporters.
Supporters also sent letters to newspaper editors condemning the expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land within the boundaries of Jerusalem, and noting that there is an increasing voting block of church members who are "intensely interested in promoting a shared Jerusalem. . . and fiercely impatient with the lack of progress toward peace in the Middle East."
In an editorial submitted to the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among other newspapers, Browning noted that "as Christians everywhere turn their attention to the event which occurred 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, our attention must be drawn to what is occurring today in the very same location."
Too little attention has been given, he warned, "to an explosion-in-the-making that combines the combustible issues of settlement building and Jerusalem."
Particularly now that the presidential election in the United States has concluded, "bringing the concept of a shared Jerusalem into the public policy debate in the United States is indeed cause for hope," Browning said. "It's about time."
He urged "international policy shapers" to "recognize the opportunity to forge a foreign relations legacy for the President of the United States and guide him toward reconciliation and hope for Jerusalem."
While "our stakes in this conflict may seem distant in terms of miles, we are bound firmly by heritage and faith-based principles of justice and peacemaking to continue to broker a negotiated settlement that can bring peace on earth and goodwill toward all people," he concluded.