Religions for Peace Middle East / North Africa Council
Calls for New and Vigorous Start of the Holy Land Peace Process
 
—Council appeals to heads of state, United Nations, Arab League, and Organization of Islamic States—
 
(NEW YORK, 3 April 2009)— The Religions for Peace Middle East / North Africa Council, a regional affiliate of the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, today called for a re-starting of the peace process in the Holy Land, including: encouraging the engagement of senior religious leaders in the search for peace, providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, ensuring respect for democratic elections in the region, and preserving Jerusalem as a holy city that should be accessible to all believers.
 
Twenty members of the Religions for Peace Middle East / North Africa Council—Muslim, Christian, and Jewish—met on 2–3 April 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. Participants requested that Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, send letters of appeal on the Council’s behalf to the United Nations; the UN-supported Quartet on the Middle East; the Arab League; the Organization of Islamic States; His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; and US President Barack Hussein Obama.
 
“We share your profound concern for peace in the Holy Land,” the religious leaders said. “We abhor the great suffering of so many innocent people in our lands. The terrible violence and destruction during the recent war in Gaza adds urgency to our desire to work together to achieve genuine peace based on justice and international law that can provide security to all.”    
 
In the religious leaders’ letter, they urgently requested the political leaders to assist in: 
1. “Ensuring that the peace process achieves a new and vigorous start.  In particular, we [the religious leaders] note the efforts of the Arab Peace Initiative, the United Nations-supported Quartet on the Middle East and the opportunities attendant to the new US Administration. All avenues need to be seized to re-start a fully serious and sustained peace process. 
2. “Engaging religious leaders in the search for peace. We are religious leaders, not politicians.  We want bold and principled political efforts designed to achieve peace with justice. Nevertheless, we are also convinced that there will be no genuine peace without the appropriate engagement of the religious leaders in the Holy Land.  We ask that we be appropriately engaged and formally consulted on issues related to religion, holy sites and freedom of worship. 
3. “Ensuring that the humanitarian needs of the population of Gaza are addressed immediately and the siege lifted.  We ask that critically needed aid be made available immediately and that reconstruction commence without delay. 
4. “Ensuring respect for democratic elections and domestic political processes.  We believe that democratic processes in the region should be respected and accepted by all parties and the international community.
5. “Preserving the status of Jerusalem as a holy city that should be accessible to all believers, especially those living in the Holy Land. The ultimate political status of Jerusalem must be decided in accordance with the provisions of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
“We are committed to a notion of ‘Shared Security,’ which recognizes that the security and well-being of both Israelis and Palestinians are intimately and reciprocally related,” the religious leaders said. “ Instead, there must be initiated a sustained peace process based upon international law that will end occupation and establish a just peace to provide for the security and flourishing of both Palestinians and Israelis.” 
 
The Religions for Peace Middle East / North African Council is a coalition of senior religious leaders, representing the region’s major religious communities and committed to work together through dialogue and action for peace with justice in the region.

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.