Attachments
The Lutheran World Federation expresses grave concern over the “Peace to Prosperity” plan for Israel and Palestine presented by the U.S. administration this week.
Lasting peace is an outcome of dialogue, negotiation, and cooperation between conflicting parties. Peace-building requires respecting and upholding the dignity of the other. Peace can never be unilaterally imposed.
The plan ignores fundamental principles of international law and human rights conventions, as well as numerous UN General Assembly and UN Security Council resolutions, setting a dangerous precedent for the future.
The LWF calls upon the international community
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to renew their commitment to international law and multilateral cooperation and negotiation, as the only way to safeguard security and ensure lasting peace,
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to take immediate actions to reduce the humanitarian suffering in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including encouraging Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza, ensuring sufficient funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and increasing its support for the East Jerusalem hospitals and other humanitarian programs given the severe cuts in U.S. funding for the West Bank and Gaza.
The LWF calls upon its member churches
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to pray and advocate for peace with justice in the Holy Land,
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to remember and support the LWF member church and its people, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land,
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to remember and support the LWF ministries in the Holy Land and the people it serves through the Augusta Victoria Hospital and the Vocational Training Centers,
Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa, President
The Lutheran World Federation
Rev. Dr Martin Junge, General Secretary
The Lutheran World Federation