Jewish, Christian and Muslim National Religious Leaders Unite for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

WASHINGTON—In a letter to President DonaldJ. Trump, thirty-five Jewish, Christian and Muslim national religiousleaders agree that Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible. They believe,"based on the legitimate, long-standing aspirations of Israelis andPalestinians for national self-determination and security, a two-state solutionstill represents the most realistic way to meet essential interests ofboth peoples and to resolve the conflict."

Theletter includes the signatures of Bishop Oscar Cantú,of Las Cruses, Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace,U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, ArchbishopEmeritus of Washington.

The statement by Christian, Jewish andMuslim religious leaders points to the fact that, "despite deep distrust onboth sides, recent polls among Israelis and Palestinians show that the majoritystill yearn for two states." The leaders believe, "pursing either side'sversion of a one-state solution would likely lead to more years of violentconflict."

The leaders are encouraged that, buildingon years of official and informal negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians,"the basic parameters of a framework for a two-state solution are widelyknown." And they say, "combined with a broader regional framework such as theArab Peace Initiative, the incentives for all sides to make the historicdecision for a two-state peace agreement are monumental."

They believe that "achieving a just peacebetween Israel and the Palestinians would have substantial positive effects forthe people of Israel and Palestine, the region, the United States' owninterests, and our world." The religious leaders are united in pledging their"support for US efforts to achieve this goal."

The full letter can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/global-issues/middle-east/israel-palestine/nili-letter-to-president-on-israel-palestine-2017-07-19.cfm

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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, President, President Donald J.Trump, religious leaders, Israelis, Palestinians, two-state solution, BishopOscar Cantú, Committee on InternationalJustice and Peace, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus,Washington, D.C., Arab Peace Initiative, conflict, peace.

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