Gaza Call for Immediate Ceasefire

by interfaithorganisations

Gaza: Call for Immediate Ceasefire

By interfaithorganisations

Statement from the Secretary General

Dr. William F. Vendley

Call for an Immediate Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire

5 January 2009

The killing and injuring of innocent people in Gaza must stop, as must the rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.

It is deeply mistaken to believe that the current path of armed conflict will bring peace. It will not. Violence breeds more violence, increases human suffering and delays the long, hard work of building a just peace.

Peace can come to the Middle East, but only by honoring the rights of both the Palestinians and Israelis, facilitating painful but honorable compromises through sustained dialogue, and engaging the moral convictions shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims who know the Holy Land to be their common home.

Morally responsible Israelis and Palestinians know that the “right to self defense” can never be used as an excuse for killing, harming or inflicting collective punishment on innocent civilians. These abuses fuel the spiral of violence.

In Gaza, scores of innocent civilians, including many children, have been killed over the last few days. Military action has split Gaza in two, with innocent civilians trapped in the crossfire. The entire population is under siege. Already desperately short of medicine, food and fuel, the residents of Gaza now face an extremely grave humanitarian crisis.

In Israel, innocent civilians continue to be mortally threatened by the ongoing rocket attacks against them.

Neither the suffering of so many innocent Palestinians nor the attacks and suicide bombings targeting innocent Israelis can be justified. These acts are morally wrong, fuel cycles of violence and block the path to peace.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders must initiate an immediate ceasefire. Additional urgently needed provisions and humanitarian supplies must be provided to the Palestinians in Gaza. At the same time, peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, with the full assistance of principled third parties, must begin.

Finally, Jews, Christians and Muslims, supported by the goodwill of believers of all religious faiths, should unite in their efforts to build peace. Religions for Peace knows that real security is “shared security” and that the other’s peace is also their own. In the Middle East, there will be no peace for anyone unless there is peace with justice for all.

Religions for Peace is the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition advancing common action for peace since 1970. Headquartered in New York and accredited to the United Nations, Religions for Peace works through affiliated inter-religious councils in 70 countries in six continents.

This message was sent from Dr. William F. Vendley to hopeis@btinternet.com. It was sent from: Religions For Peace, 777 United Nations Plaza 9th Floor, New York, NY 10017.

This entry was posted on January 6, 2009 at 9:40 am and is filed under Global Interfaith Issues, IION meetings and events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.

One Response to “Gaza: Call for Immediate Ceasefire”

Gaza. Call for Ceasefire « International Interfaith Organisations Network Says:
January 6, 2009 at 9:47 am edit[...] International Interfaith Organisations Network building interfaith co-operation worldwide « Gaza: Call for Immediate Ceasefire [...]

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2 Responses to “Gaza: Call for a Cease Fire”

interfaithorganisations Says:
January 6, 2009 at 9:33 pm editThe World Congress of Faiths joins with Religions for Peace in calling for an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza and expressing its deep sympathy with the bereaved and the injured.
interfaithorganisations Says:
January 6, 2009 at 9:46 pm editStatement from Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs
of the Inter Faith Network for the UK

The Inter Faith Network exists to promote understanding between people of different faiths in the UK and works to help create good inter faith relations in this country. Violent events overseas of any nature can, inevitably, have repercussions here in Britain. As we have said in the past, at times of tension it is particularly important for the upholding and deepening of good inter faith relations that we seek ways to handle well the impact of overseas events of this kind and are able to talk together about them in ways which increase understanding rather than leading to suspicion and distrust or inter community tension. This seems very relevant to us at the present time of crisis in Gaza. While we – from different communities – pray for peace and work for justice, let us also hold firmly to the principle of maintaining bonds of trust between our communities even where these are strongly tested.

Rt Rev Dr Tom Butler (Co-Chair)
Dr Nawal K Prinja (Co-Chair)
Dr Manazir Ahsan MBE (Vice-Chair)
Mr Dorab Mistry (Vice-Chair)
Dr Indarjit Singh CBE (Vice-Chair)
Mr Vivian Wineman (Vice-Chair)

The Inter Faith Network for the UK was founded in 1987. It links in membership national representative organisations of the Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian faiths in the UK; national, regional and local inter faith organisations; and educational and academic bodies with an interest in inter faith issues.

It works with its member bodies and other agencies to promote good relations between the faith communities in the UK; to combat inter religious prejudice and intolerance; and to help make the UK a country marked by mutual understanding and respect between religions where all can practise their faith with integrity.

For further information please see the Network’s website at http://www.interfaith.org.uk or contact the office on 020 7931 7766.

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This entry was posted on January 7, 2009 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Gaza Call for Immediate Ceasefire”

interfaithorganisations Says:
January 8, 2009 at 9:55 am | Reply
Hello friends and supporters,

We are mourning the loss of lives and are praying for the safety of our friends who are in danger in both Gaza and southern Israel. We pray that both peoples come to true compassion and forgiveness toward the other.

With the only news coming from the from the Holy Land being about the war, we send some news of another picture from the Holy Land. Though we Palestinians and Israelis who work together for peace are being tested more than ever, the relationships we have built stay strong. The Sulha Peace Project continues to aspire to create a new reality and prepare the people in the region for a life of mutual respect and trust.

Not long ago, over three days last August 26-28, thousands of Israelis and Palestinians met for the seventh annual ‘On the Way to Sulha’ gathering on the grounds of the Latrun monastery between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The Sulha Peace Project worked in full partnership with the Palestinian organization, Al-Tariq, to plan the event. Israelis and Palestinans came from all over the Holy Land, and including 200 Palestinians from the West Bank cities of Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron. Our partners in Gaza who have been with us at previous events sent messages of blessing and support from the people of Gaza.

Daily activities included:
-listening circles that brought Israelis and Palestinians together to share with and listen to each others stories.
- the Bereaved Families Forum, with bereaved Israelis and Palestinians sharing their stories and leading discussions
- a children’s tent for Israeli and Palestinian children to play and make art together
- workshops in culture and music
- special events each day, such as the men’s and women’s dialogue circles
-a traditional Bedouin tent, set us to be a space where Arab and Jewish musicians could jam and make music together
-the inter-religious prayer tent with religious Jews praying dialy prayers, followed by religious Muslims praying in same tent
-the Sulhita program, Sulha youth movement worked together where Israeli and Palestinian teenagerson the final evening performance.

The Kitchen, made fully kosher brought Israeli and Palestinian volunteers together to chop vegetables and cook side by side to feed hundreds of peace each meal.

Our special guest was Rabbi Marc Gopin, director of the Center for World’s Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Rabbi Gopin spoke about his work in Syria for building bridges of dialogue. We had a special corner set up at the Sulha gathering for children and adults to write messages of peace that were then delivered my Gopin to the people of Syria. As Marc Gopin is now in the Holy Land, visit his website for his insightful commentary and postcast about the present war in Gaza and south Israel:

http://www.marcgopin.com/

In the prayer tent, we held inter-religious study sessions, with panels on the themes of ‘Forgiveness’ and ‘Religion and Ecology’.

In addition to Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders and scholars from the Holy Land, joining us were Geshe-la Thebten Phelgye a Tibetan lama and member of the Tibetan Parliament, Sheikha Khadija, teacher of Sufism from New York and Rabbi Marc Gopin. On the main stage the final day religious leaders spoke about Sulha, reconciiation, in our religious texts and traditions.

Each evening there were highlights. Sheikh Abu Falastin from Sakhnin led hundreds of us in a Sufi ‘zikr’ ceremony together, after which Rabbi Menachem Froman led us to chant in unison, calling out Allahu Akbar in Arabic and HaShalom Yinatzeach (Peace will Prevail) in Hebrew.
Later, there was a magical performance by “Acharit Hayamim”- an Israeli religious Jewish reggae band, who performed with an ensemble of refugees from the Darfur region in Sudan. On the final evening, Sheikh Abdul Qarim al-Zorba, Imam of the Dome of the Rock chanted songs from the Islamic tradition.

The ‘Sulha Family’, Israelis and Palestinians continue to meet, planning events events to heal the wounds and re-build trust between our peoples. After the riots in Acco between Arabs and Jews last Yom Kippur, we organized a peace tent there, with two days of bridge building activities. The ‘Sulha Family’ met recently, gathering for Shabbat in Jerusalem to support each other during this time. Israeli ‘Sulha Family’ members are meeting with friends from Palestinian partner organization Al-Tariq. The Sulha Peace Project is joining Middle Way for a peace walk in Jaffa January 9th and setting up a dialogue tent in Jaffa.

Please send a prayer of healing for the children of a Gazan peacemaker who has brought his family to several of our Sulhita youth gatherings. His son and daughter have been seriously wounded in the violence in Gaza.

View this link to see great pictures from the ‘On the Way to Sulha’ gathering last August, and from the Acco peace tent:

http://flickr.com/photos/jerusalem_peacemakers/sets/72157611868341584/

The Sulha Peace Project is in a deep financial crisis. With the global recession, donations have stopped almost completely. We need your support to continue this important work. Please make a donation small or large to the Sulha Peace Project.

For details about how you can offer a donation, please visit this link:

http://sites.google.com/site/sulhapeaceproject/

Shalom, Salaam,
Eliyahu McLean,
Sulha Peace Project, interfaith coordinator

Jerusalem Peacemakers, co-director

with
Gabriel Meyer, co-founding director, and Ihab Balha, Muslim co-director of the Sulha Peace Project
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interfaithorganisations Says:
January 9, 2009 at 1:57 pm | Reply
As members of the Jewish Black Asian Forum, which has been meeting regularly for many years, we wish to express our distress and outrage at the pointless loss of life and humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

The values we share, and the stories of loss and exclusion we bring to our discussions with each other, drive us to speak out together.

As members of British communities closely connected to Israel and Palestine, we call on Israel to immediately end its use of military force in Gaza and on Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel.

Our government, together with other governments and international actors, must engage with the Authorities in Israel, Palestine and Gaza to help facilitate a lasting peace in the Region and an end to the occupation.

In the light of these terrible events we hope that the strong relationships our communities have built together in this country will help us to redouble our efforts for Peace in the Middle East and greater equality at home

Sir Geoffrey Bindma

Lincoln Crawford

Dr. Edie Friedman

June Jacobs

Francesca Klug

Antony Lerman

Tanuka Loha

Arlington Trotman

Mumtaz Rahim

Dr Abduljalil Sajid

Simon Woolley

all representing the Black Jewish Asian Forum

International Interfaith Organisations Network