JERUSALEM, Oct. 17, 00 (CWNews.com/Fides) - The Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI) has sent an appeal to religious and political leaders in Israel asking to end the violence and to come back on the path of peace.
The text of the appeal was sent out today, just hours before the accord in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, signed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The ICCI is an umbrella organization of 67 institutions, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim, that seek to promote Interreligious and intercultural understanding within Israeli society.
"As men and women of faith, affiliated with the three monotheistic religions in Israel-- Judaism, Christianity and Islam-- we address this appeal to religious and political leaders on both sides of the conflict, because we are urgently concerned about the escalating spiral of violence in Israel and Palestine, with growing number of injured and dead," the statement begins.
The council continues:
Firstly we appeal to religious leaders in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities in this land at all levels. We ask them to raise their voices for sanity and for peace. We appeal to them to speak prophetically and courageously to their followers:
- to inculcate the values of truth, justice, and love of one's fellow human being, based on the principle "Love your neighbor as yourself" and the practice of reconciliation;
- to condemn, in non uncertain terms, the practice of provocative rhetoric, vengeance and violence, by individuals and groups, both against human being and the holy sites of all religious groups;
- to reinforce the basic value that every human being is created in the image of God and that all human beings have right to life;
- to express sympathy and empathy for the loss of life on both sides of the conflict, by expressing heartfelt condolences to both Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost loved ones in the tragic fighting that has already occurred and to extend good wishes for speedy recoveries for all injured in the hospitals who are struggling for their lives;
- to ensure that territorial disagreement should not be transformed into religious war.
Secondly, we appeal to the political leaders-- on both sides of the conflict-- to return to the path of peace, through the peace process. We remind them that achieving peace will not merely be a victory for the political leaders, but also for the people in the region who strive to live in dignity with security.
To achieve peace, it will be necessary for each side to stop blaming each other and to abide by agreements already reached. Rather, it is essential to re-engage in confidence-building measures that enable the development of cooperation and trust.
The peace process begins with the basic idea of respect for the life of each and every member of the two peoples. Rather than continuing to engage in violence and counter-violence, it is urgent for political leaders on both sides to open their minds and hearts to the human, political, religious, and civil rights and aspirations of others as well as those of their own people.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
17. oktober 2000