The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), meeting in Trondheim, Norway, from 22 through 28 June, authorized the convening of an international ecumenical conference in 2017 “to reaffirm and strengthen ecumenical witness for peace with justice for Israelis and Palestinians.”

In its “Statement on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Peace Process,” the Central Committee called on member churches and ecumenical partners to “listen and respond to the voices of Palestinian Christians”; to take “active steps to encourage a continued robust indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land; to promote and support “all nonviolent efforts to end the occupation” of Palestinian territories; to intensify “dialogue and cooperation with Jewish and Muslim partners on the pilgrimage of justice and peace”; and to support leaders and members of the churches in the area, “strengthening their presence in the cradle of Christianity.”

Text above from the World Council of Churches

Full text of the Statement on the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict and Peace Process

June 20 the Lutheran World Federation Council passed two resolutions related to the Middle East.

The resolution supporting Arab Christians in the Middle East supports the efforts of the “Fellowship of Middle East Council of Churches (FMECC) to sustain the Christian presence in the Middle East as a witness for the gospel of love and the sake of moderation.” The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land is lifted up as a member church of the LWF in the region doing this work. The resolution also states that the LWF supports these churches “for the role they play in building a modern civil society that respects internationally-recognized human rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of speech, and promotes gender justice.”

A second resolution about Israel and Palestine highlights that “the well-known core issues that would be part of a final status agreement are still unresolved – borders, security, settlements, movement and access, refugees, mutual recognition and the status of Jerusalem.”   The resolution supports both the French and Arab Peace Initiatives and calls on member churches to promote the participation of their own governments.

For the full text of the resolution about Supporting Arab Christians in the Middle East click here and about Israel and Palestine click here

To read more about the LWF Council Meeting 2016 click here

The Carter Center recently hosted a summit of Christian churches and church-related organizations from the United States and the Holy Land in Atlanta called “Pursuing Peace and Strengthening Presence: The Atlanta Summit of American and Palestinian Churches.” The summit was aimed at helping to create “a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land.” Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELJCHL) Bishop Munib Younan attended the summit.

One of the summit participants, Rev. Mitri Raheb (ELCJHL pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem), is interviewed by WBEZ 91.5 Chicago about how he thinks Christian churches and American political leaders can help facilitate peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Listen here to the radio interview with Rev. Raheb.