Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land
Communiqué
NOVEMBER 5, 2007
All of us believe in one Creator and Guide of the
Universe. We believe that the essence of religion is
to worship Him and respect the life and dignity of
all human beings, regardless of religion,
nationality and gender.
We accordingly commit ourselves to using our positions of
leadership, and the influence of our good offices, to advance
these sacred values, to prevent religion from being used as a
source of conflict, and instead serve the goals of just and
comprehensive peace and reconciliation.
Our respective Holy Places have become a major element in our
conflict. We lament that this is the case, as our respective
attachments to our holy places should not be a cause of
bloodshed, let alone be sites of violence or other expressions
of hatred. Holy places must remain dedicated to prayer and
worship only, places where believers have free access and put
themselves in the presence of the Creator. Holy places are there
for believers to draw inspiration to strengthen their acceptance
and love of Almighty and all His creatures, from all religions
and all nationalities.
Accordingly each religious community should treat the Holy
Sites of the other faiths in a manner that respects their
integrity and independence and avoids any act of desecration,
aggression or harm.
We, believers from three religions, have been placed in this
land, Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is our responsibility to
find the right way to live together in peace rather than to
fight and kill one other. Palestinians yearn for the end to
occupation and for what they see as their inalienable rights.
Israelis long for the day when they can live in personal and
national security. Together we must find ways of reaching these
goals.
Towards these ends we are actively working to:
1. Establish "hot line" procedures of rapid communication
among ourselves in order to address and advise government
officials regarding issues of protection of and access to Holy
Sites before such issues become cause for conflict.
2. Establish mechanisms to monitor media for derogatory
representations of any religion, and issue statements in
response to such representations.
3. Together reflect on the future of Jerusalem, support the
designation of the Old City of Jerusalem as a World Heritage
Site, work to secure open access to the Old City for all
communities, and seek a common vision for this city which all of
us regard as holy.
4. Promote education for mutual respect and acceptance in
schools and in the media. We will sponsor a conference for
Israeli and Palestinian educators, academics and Ministers of
Education on “The Role of Religion in Educating for Peace:
Principles and Practices.”
5. Demonstrate through our relations that differences can and
should be addressed through dialogue rather than through
violence, and strive to bring this message to our respective
communities and political leaders that they may embrace this
approach accordingly.
6. Provide ongoing consultation to our government leaders,
and through the example of our work together remind them that
the interests of one community can only be served by also
respecting and valuing the humanity and interests of all other
communities.
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