As the Palestinian people face the anniversary of 40 years of life under occupation, organizations in the Holy Land and around the world are planning commemorative events and advocacy efforts. The links below are provided for your information, should you and your local groups wish to participate. However, the views expressed at these Web sites represent the positions of the outside organizations and may not reflect official positions of the ELCA.

On January 29, 2007, Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson was part of a group of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders who met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In a Jan. 30 news release, Hanson said, “All participants acknowledged the immediate need to end the human suffering while pursuing the long-standing, vexing issues that have prohibited peace from being achieved thus far. I urged Secretary Rice to hold both Israelis and Palestinians accountable for advancing steps toward negotiations immediately.”

Patriarchs and Heads of Local Christian Churches in Jerusalem call upon Christians around the world to join in the International Church Action for Peace in Palestine & Israel particularly during the period June 3rd to 9th 2007. [more]

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has designated June 3-9, 2007 as a week of “International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel [ http://www.icappi.org.au/ME111E06.pdf ]

The WCC is also launching an international, inter-church advocacy initiative for peace in Israel and Palestine - the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum - at a conference June 17-21, 2007, in Jordan.
[ http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/all-news-english/display-single- english-news/article/1637/work-begins-on-an-interna.html ]

WCC Israel-Palestine page
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/regconcerns-palestine-israel.html

June 5 Initiative of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information http://www.june5thinitiative.org/

IPCRI home page
http://www.ipcri.org/

Statement by Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, LWF General Secretary on the 40th Anniversary of the Six-Day War and the Occupation of the Palestinian Territories

This week we mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War, and of the occupation of the Palestinian territories. These momentous events fundamentally altered the modern history and politics of the Middle East, and continue to reverberate today. Meeting in Lund, Sweden, in March this year (on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Lutheran World Federation) the LWF Council noted the forthcoming 40th anniversary of the 1967 war, and called for actions by the international community for an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories and for LWF member churches to join ecumenical coalitions for that purpose.

Full text at http://www.wfn.org/2007/06/msg00064.html

The Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) Calls For An End Of 40 Years Of Occupation June 8, 2007

We, the undersigned international NGOs working in the OPT, remain seriously concerned by the humanitarian impact of 40 years of occupation on the Palestinian population as reflected by our experience in the field and recent UN reports.
We agree with the assessment of the World Bank, United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, among others, that the ongoing civil and military occupation of the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and effective control of Gaza's borders is a violation of international law. This occupation lies at the heart of the ongoing conflict and of the increased poverty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Full text and signatories at www.lwfjerusalem.org/aida statemen on 40 years of occupation.htm