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MINNEAPOLIS – Bishop Riah El-Assal of Jerusalem expressed disappointment Saturday that peace in the Holy Land has taken a back seat on the General Convention’s agenda. “I came with pain, and I leave with greater pain when I go back to Jerusalem,” he said. “Simply because I discovered that other issues… have surfaced and are on top of the agenda, rather than situations which have been problematic – tragic – for more than half a century.” The bishop described the 360-kilometer security wall Israel is building to shut off the occupied West Bank, and asked the Episcopal Church to speak out against the wall and its proposed 240-kilometer extension. “The best secure borders for Israel are reconciled neighbors,” he said. Resolution D081 calls for General Convention to support President George W. Bush and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice’s opposition to the wall. It will be considered later in the week, said the Rev. Ernest Cockrell of the Diocese of El Camino Real. That resolution, proposed by John R. Roberts of the Diocese of Massachusetts, is one of three pieces of legislation being considered on the conflict in the Holy Land. Resolution D002, also proposed by Roberts, calls for the United Nations to establish an international peace zone around Jerusalem. And Resolution D008, proposed by Newland F. Smith III, of Chicago, calls on the U.S. government to urge Israel to stop demolishing Palestinian homes. “If you really want to talk a settlement to the life of this major crisis in the life of both cultures, then you have got to address the issue of the wall,” said Bishop John B. Chane, of Washington. Bishop El-Assal said he was saddened that many mainline churches were choosing to offer their support to Israel, rather than to their Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters. He suggested that a dialogue with other denominations might be helpful. “It’s time for them to come and listen to us,” he said. “And we will listen to them.” “I have to tell you that it’s been a difficult issue to place before the mainline churches,” Bishop Chane said, explaining that there is a widespread ignorance of the situation. “We have not taught well about the issues. We have become isolated in our communities.” He spoke of his conversations with the American Jewish Committee in Washington, and said that talks, while slow moving, were also very hopeful. He also spoke of his efforts to begin an Abrahamic dialogue in Washington, drawing representatives from each of the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. “To get these folks to the table has not been an easy task,” he said. “It is slow, but it’s a big step. We’re not sure where we’re going, but we’re sure that it’s a hell of a lot better than where we’ve been.” “We the Palestinian Christians have kept the faith for the last 2000 years,” Bishop El-Assal said. “When will the pain come to an end?” He appealed to American Christians to do their part to bring peace to the Holy Land. “Are they saying words or should praying for the peace of Jerusalem mean some action?” he said. ###
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