WASHINGTON (ABP)—Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders urged President Obama to act early in his administration to work for peace in the Middle East.
Groups including Churches for Middle East Peace called on Obama to seek “a comprehensive and implementable two-state solution” to hostilities between Israel and Palestine.
“You may be the last president who will have the opportunity to deliver a two-state solution for the Israeli and Palestinian people,” the leaders said in a letter to the president, soon after his inauguration.
“The United States will need to take the lead, and work with its international partners to find solutions, create incentives and implement a plan. We pledge to stand by you and your administration as you work with the two parties to achieve it.”
Mideast peace 'urgent"
The leaders said achieving Mideast peace will not be easy, but is urgent and in the “best interests of Israelis, Palestinians, the broader region and the United States.”
Earlier, Churches for Middle East Peace—a coalition of 22 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant denominations and agencies including the Alliance of Baptists—called on the 44th president of the United States to fulfill his promise to engage Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts “from day one” of his administration.
Obama did just that. According to news reports, his first call to a foreign leader was to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Jan. 21, his first full day in office. Agence France-Presse said Obama assured Abbas that he intended “to work with him as partners to establish a durable peace in the region.”
Obama also reportedly placed calls to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Adullah of Jordan, saying he is determined to stop Hamas from smuggling arms into Palestine. Hamas is the radical party that controls the Gaza Strip portion of the Palestinian territories.
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A new way forward
In his inauguration address Jan. 20, Obama pledged a new approach to the Muslim world seeking “a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” To leaders who “seek to sow conflict or blame their society’s ills on the West,” Obama offered to “extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
Israel and Palestinian militants declared unilateral cease-fires Jan. 18, ending three weeks of fighting in Gaza that left 1,300 dead, 5,300 wounded and 4,100 homes destroyed in the narrow coastal strip that is home to 1.5 million Palestinians.
The U.N. Security Council called Jan. 21 for the temporary cease-fire to be turned into a “durable truce” with guarantees to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza and permanently open border crossings to Palestinians.
Churches for Middle East Peace called the cease-fire a “much-needed end to the unbearable violence of recent weeks” but said a long-term solution must address the root causes of the hostilities.
“Ultimately only a comprehensive negotiated resolution of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, including creation of a Palestinian state, can provide necessary security and a brighter future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the group said.
The interfaith leaders said a sustainable solution must also include an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza, measures to secure Israel’s security and urgent humanitarian relief and reconstruction in Gaza.
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