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People of
Faith for Peace
and
Non-Violence
in the
Gaza Conflict
In this time of renewed
Hope for Peace,
we come together, as people of faith, to
stand in solidarity and to issue this
statement with the hope and belief that
our interfaith voices will be heard
clearly and that a non-violent solution
to peace will be found for Israel and
Palestine. As our guiding principles:
We
acknowledge the long, complex, and
painful history of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
We
acknowledge the wide range of
deeply-held beliefs, and intensely-felt
narratives on all sides
We
acknowledge that all sides are capable
of assigning blame to others, and
asserting justification for their cause
We
observe that violence by any side begets
more violence, hatred, and retaliation
We
deplore any invocation of religion as a
justification for violence against
others, or the deprivation of the rights
of others
We
decry any use of inflammatory rhetoric
that demonizes the other and is
intended, or is likely, to promote
hatred and disrespect.
We believe the conflict
can be resolved only through political,
diplomatic, spiritual, person to person,
and other peaceful methods and not
through military means.
We
call for an immediate and significant
increase in humanitarian aid to address
the needs of the people of Gaza, and for
all parties involved to join in taking
responsibility to address those human
needs.
We call on all parties involved
in the conflict to work sincerely and
vigorously toward a just and lasting
peace that addresses and promotes the
national aspirations of both the Israeli
and Palestinian peoples.
We call on President Obama and
Secretary of State Clinton to assert
U.S. leadership to achieve a
comprehensive diplomatic resolution of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Through this
statement we affirm our commitment to
engage with one another, even, and
especially, during times of great
stress. We also affirm our common
humanity and our common belief, as
people of faith, that all human life is
valued, and that all parties must
cooperate to make the peace – a just and
lasting peace desperately needed and
deserved by all the peoples of the
region.
Interfaith Council of
Greater Portland
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