ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was a co-signatory of an ecumenical statement sent November 14 to all members of the U.S. Congress and Senate, as well as to the White House. The statement, signed by 16 U.S. Christian leaders, focuses on shifts in U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“As leaders of U.S.-based churches and Christian organizations with long ties and close connections with Palestinian Christians and churches, we are deeply concerned about these developments and urge our elected officials to consider the devastating impact of these shifts on those most directly affected, as well as on the possibility of positive, constructive, and credible U.S. engagement to work for a resolution to this enduring conflict,” the statement reads, in part.
“The November 14 statement by leaders of churches and church agencies calls for a realignment of U.S. policy toward Israelis and Palestinians in support of a just peace,” said Dennis Frado, director of the Lutheran Office for World Community. “It seeks a more constructive policy that respects Palestinians and Israelis alike. It also calls for a restoration of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians such as that provided through the Lutheran World Federation-operated Augusta Victoria Hospital, as well as other East Jerusalem hospitals.”
On November 15, the ELCA campaign Peace Not Walls sent an action alert calling on Congress to realign support for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis. “Recent violence between Gaza and Israel is a tragic indicator of the need for a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Sadly, U.S. policy is working against such an outcome,” the alert read.
Read the full statement here.
