Rome, 30 April 2002 (NEV) - While the Protestant Churches in Italy closely follow the developments in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the efforts of the World Council of Churches (for example, the visit of vice secretary Georges Lemopoulos and the international team in that area to promote reconciliation, and the urgent plea of the Middle East Council of Churches inviting international organizations to put pressure on the government of Israel to cease the military offensive) there is a constant effort to keep the Italians aware of the situation and to work for peace and reconciliation on every possible front.
The Protestant Youth Federation raised its voice for a cessation of terrorist violence and military.
retaliation urging the application of the United Nation's resolutions. The Youth Federation expressed solidarity with those people who peacefully try to intervene between the contenders to support and increase the voices of peace in the Israeli society, encourage dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinian civil societies and represent a deterrent to violence with its own presence. The role of Christians, it was stated, is to work for peace, fulfilling Jesus' invitation in the Sermon on the mount in Matthew's Gospel (5,9), which today means to work steadfastly for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

The leaders of the major Protestant Churches in Italy prepared a joint statement that is given in its entirety in the Documentation section of this number of NEV.

DOCUMENTATION
PASTORAL LETTER TO THE CHURCHES PREPARED BY THE EXECUTIVES OF SOME OF THE PARTNER CHURCHES OF THE FEDERATION OF PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN ITALY ON THE MIDDLE EAST SITUATION

Isaiah (32, 15-17): "The wasteland will become fertile, and fields will produce rich crops. Everywhere in the land righteousness and justice will be done. Because everyone will do what is right, there will be peace and security forever".
Today in the Middle East there is neither justice nor peace nor security. The biblical vision of Isaiah is trampled upon and obsolete, just as the hopes of Israelis and Palestinians are destroyed. In the Middle East "garden" the sound of terrorist explosions and shots from military guns and tanks are heard; every day innocent civilians die, men and women survive barricaded in their homes, others die for lack of adequate and fast aid, thousands of children are forced to remain confined in their homes while they see some of their schools destroyed. In this situation there is no security for Israel, there are no rights for the Palestinians: there are only victims, pain and desperation. All this hurts us as Christians and calls us to confess our sin, to pray with more intense faith, to give witness to the peace of Christ with greater commitment and determination. For these reasons we write to our sisters and brothers today: so that in the various Protestant Communities there may be prayers for "peace in Jerusalem", just as the psalmist implores: "May there be peace inside your walls and safety in your palaces" (Psalm 122, 7). We know that today Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Christians and Muslims are living together in Jerusalem as in the surrounding territories. We ask you to confess to the Lord our sin, for not having known how to be "peacemakers", for not having been able to read the signs of failure in the peace process that had even given rise to great expectations, for not having done all that was possible to help those in conflict to find common grounds to continue the way of negotiation and talks. Together with you we want to renew our support for all those initiatives that, looking at both the suffering of the Israelis as well as that of the Palestinians, will try to stop the use of weapons and begin again a strategy of dialogue. We have in mind the United Nations' resolutions, the efforts of international diplomacy and in particular that of the European Union, the grass roots initiatives aimed at building bonds of solidarity with faith communities and people who, all together, are living days of exceptional physical, moral and spiritual suffering. We are also thinking of the support, moral and financial, for peace groups that speak out both in the Israeli as in the Palestinian camps and the participation in initiatives for dialogue aimed at living together in peace, justice and reconciliation.
The Protestant and ecumenical press, magazines for interreligious dialogue and the network of our international relations will be precious tools at the service of our communities for sharing information, deepening understanding and analysis on what is happening so as to seek ways of dialogue and meetings between those, in Italy and even within our communities, that express different opinions on what is happening.
May the Protestant Communities keep constant watch so as to recognize and report any gestures of anti-Semitism (some synagogues are already burning in Europe) as well as any anti-Islamic gestures. Prayer, confession of sin, active witness for peace. These are the ways that our churches are called upon to follow in these difficult times. Well aware of our modest forces, we are however convinced that we must do all that is possible to contribute to giving hope to these two populations and to a land that for many reasons is so close to us. As for us, we plan to realize an ecumenical peace mission to the Middle East to express solidarity with the victims of both sides of the conflict in this terrible season of violence and to actively support every effort for peace both in Israel and in the Palestinian Territories; to call for an immediate and complete cease fire that at the same time stops all terrorist actions and military intervention; to urge the Israeli government to respect the UN resolutions that call for an immediate withdrawal from these territories; to ask the National Palestinian Authority to perform concrete and public actions to verify the struggle against terrorism and a strong condemnation to those who justify them, both in the Middle East as in the rest of the world; to express our fellowship and solidarity in Christ to the Christian minority that lives in Israel and in the Palestinian Territories; to promote educational, cultural and interreligious initiatives that favor the reciprocal recognition among the peoples in the conflict; the meeting and the dialogue among the different faith communities.

In the spirit of the Pentecost blessing that calls us to witness our faith in Christ the Lord of peace, we greet you fraternally.

Gianni Long, President of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy
Gianni Genre, Moderator of the Waldensian Board Valdo Benecchi, President of the Methodist Church in Italy
Aldo Casonato, President of the Evangelical Christian Baptist Union of Italy
Juergen Astfalk, Deacon of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy

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