Keep pressure on for Israel/Palestine peace

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) offers some suggestions for summer activities to keep the movement towards a just peace in the Holy Land going strong.

The upcoming summer congressional recess is a good time to engage your members of Congress on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. During the recess, Aug. 3 to Sept. 7 (House) and Aug. 10 to Sept. 7 (Senate), schedule a meeting with your members or their staffs. Urge them to support the Obama administration's efforts to resolve the Holy Land conflict.

CMEP provides resources and guidance to help hold productive meetings and effectively engage your members of Congress. To learn more about how to organize a district meeting, visit CMEP’s District Meeting Organizing Resource.

Sign up today on CMEP’s website to hold or participate in a district meeting! If you have any questions about organizing a district meeting in your area, contact CMEP’s field organizing staff.

No more settlements

Meetings June 29 and July 6 between U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak have kept pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a freeze on settlement activity in Palestinian territories. Reports from Jerusalem indicate Netanyahu is considering a "temporary" freeze on settlements of several months, according to CMEP, but he is seeking U.S. agreement for certain exceptions.

A State Dept. spokesperson said July 8 that the United States had not agreed to completion of certain West Bank settlement construction, and that the United States continues to believe that settlements activity "has to stop."

Having agreed to the possibility of a Palestinian state, CMEP hopes it will be hard for Netanyahu to hold out against the “determined U.S. drive” for comprehensive negotiations.

New DVD on U.S. role

"New Hope For Peace: What America Must Do to End the Israel-Palestine Conflict" features four U.S. statesmen — Jimmy Carter, James Baker, Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski — who say the time is right for a new U.S. initiative. This 20-minute DVD is presented by Landrum Bolling with cooperation from the Foundation for Middle East Peace and Mercy Corps International.

New Hope for Peace can be previewed on YouTube. Copies are also available on request from the Foundation for Middle East Peace by sending an e-mail to keith@cmep.org with your name and address.

The United Methodist Church’s highest policy-making body, the General Conference, readopted a resolution last year that urges all United Methodists to advocate with the U.S. administration and Congress to accomplish peace in the Middle East. These suggestions and information from CMEP will be useful in accomplishing this crucial advocacy for peace, commented Mark Harrison, director of the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society Peace with Justice work area.

Peace with Justice

The General Board of Church & Society’s Peace with Justice Program aims to make shalom visible and active in people's lives and communities. The General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) has been assigned by the denomination to implement the program and call the church to "strengthen its capacity to act as a public policy advocate" in communities and nations throughout the world.

Action Network

Mark Harrison, director of GBCS’s Peace with Justice program, supervises an “Action Network” that provides legislative updates, educational resources and identifies opportunities to act on issues such as ending the war in Iraq, overcoming global poverty and hunger, stopping new nuclear weapons proliferation, stopping global conflicts (i.e. Darfur, Philippines) and Middle East Peace. He issues “Action Alerts” periodically through e-mail.

Joining the Peace with Justice Action Network is free: go to umpower.org or click on My GBCS on the General Board of Church and Society Web site, www.umc-gbcs.org. You can also contact Donna Brandyberry, (202) 488-5641.

Mark Harrison can be reached at (202) 488-5645.