Press Release

Washington, D.C. - January 12, 2024

Media Contact:
media@cmep.org
202-543-1222

 

JANUARY 13 CHRISTIAN-LED CANDLELIGHT PRAYER VIGIL FOR CEASEFIRE IN TANDEM WITH THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR GAZA

With many mobilizing in Washington D.C. for the March for Gaza, this Christian-led prayer vigil will be held as part of the Global Day of Action for Ceasefire in Gaza. Leaders, including some who have recently returned from Israel/Palestine, will offer prayers for a comprehensive ceasefire and demilitarization in Israel and Palestine. This event is held in solidarity with the calls in the November 9, 2023 letter from thirty American Christian leaders calling on President Biden and his Administration to support an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all involved (see full text below).

What: A Candlelight Prayer for Ceasefire vigil led by national Christian leaders calling for a ceasefire and an end to all violence between the government of Israel and Hamas. The speakers and sponsoring organizations are in agreement with our calls to action: (1) an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and an end to violence against civilians, including the bombing campaign and mass killings in Gaza, (2) immediate and adequate humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and (3) the release of hostages and release of Palestinian prisoners who are being held without charges and due legal process. All are welcome.  Learn more by clicking here.

When: Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 4:00 PM EST as part of the Global Day of Action for Ceasefire

Where:  The Ellipse (South of the White House), 15th St. and Constitution Ave NW and live streamed via Youtube @ChurchesforMEP

Sponsors: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA); Freedom Road; Quixote Center; Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Inc; Franciscan Action Network; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); American Friends Service Committee; Pax Christi USA; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Justice Team; National Council of Churches; Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; Telos; Christians United for Palestine; Red Letter Christians; Sojourners; The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society; Presbyterian Peace Fellowship; DetermineTruth; Alliance of Baptists; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Mennonite Central Committee, Community of Christ, KTF Press, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ; Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy; Church World Service; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)

 

Full Text of the November 2023 Letter

November 9, 2023
Dear President Biden: 

We, the heads of churches, denominations, and church-based organizations in the United States, remain deeply grieved at the now more than month-long violence between Hamas and Israel. We condemn the brutal attacks of Hamas on October 7th that caused the loss of life of nearly 1,400 Israelis and citizens of other nations, and we call for the immediate release of all civilians held hostage. The horrific violence of Hamas does not justify further violence against Palestinian civilians.  

We condemn the collective punishment imposed upon the more than 2.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza when, on October 8, the Israeli government cut off water, gas, and electricity, and all goods and supplies to the territory, putting even more pressure on a community already suffering from a humanitarian crisis more than a decade in the making. We further condemn Israel’s large-scale air bombardment and ground invasion that continues to have an indiscriminate and tragically disproportionate impact on civilians. As of November 6, Israel’s unrelenting military assault has killed more than 10 thousand Palestinians in Gaza, including more than four thousand children, and also included the destruction of hospitals, churches, mosques, cultural centers, and other civilian infrastructure throughout Gaza. The lives of all people, be they Israelis or Palestinians, must be protected.  

Hamas’ actions and the Government of Israel’s response in Gaza in no way advance peace. Instead, they have caused loss of life and much harm, grief, and devastation, not only to the individuals affected but also to the legitimate cause of the Palestinian people in seeking an end to the decades-long occupation and the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

We join the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem in the call for the international community to enforce immediate protections in Gaza for Sanctuaries of Refuge such as hospitals, schools, and houses of worship. As the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports, there are currently no safe places in Gaza, as more than 1.5 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes and communities, many of whom are refugees already. We also stand in solidarity with the Jerusalem church leaders, sharing their real concerns, which predate the events of the past month, about the sustainability of Christianity and all faith traditions in the Holy Land. 

Strong leadership from the United States is needed at this moment. We call on you, President Biden, and your Administration to support an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all involved. We have made the same requests to Congress. All efforts, including bilateral and multilateral ones, must be made for this war to be brought to a swift end.

We implore your administration not to ignore the growing catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to demand immediate and adequate access to and provision of humanitarian needs. Much more food, water, medicine, electricity, and fuel supplies than are currently provided must reach all the people of Gaza now. 
We further support the demilitarization of the conflict rather than supplying additional military aid or arms to Israel at this time. The US already sends $3.8 billion per year in military assistance to Israel, for which, effectively, the U.S. has not imposed consequences for its gross violations of human rights as required in U.S. laws. Additional military aid will only prolong Israel’s offensive, will lead to more Palestinian civilian deaths, and will not likely be subject to any accountability. Please do everything possible to demilitarize the conflict and call for a ceasefire.

We call on you to press all parties to abide by the Geneva Conventions and customary international law and for the collective punishment imposed upon the civilians in Gaza to be brought to an end. Atrocities against civilians are never justified. We call for actions to be taken to secure the immediate release of all civilians being held hostage and ensure international protection for all civilians. 

As you focus on Gaza, we also urge your administration to do all it can to ensure the accountability of settlers in the West Bank who are using this opportunity to attack Palestinians and illegally confiscate even more Palestinian land through violent means. Numerous Palestinians in the West Bank have been shot since October 7 with weapons issued by the Israeli government. 

We urge you to recognize that the root causes of suffering must be addressed so that, when this current crisis is over, we do not witness a return to an unsustainable status quo. It is not enough to stop the current fighting.

Peace with justice is the only lasting solution that will protect the long-term security and sustainability of the State of Israel and the self-determination and independence of Palestinians. The United States must demonstrate its commitment to the protection of all human life, advocating for a just and durable resolution to this crisis in which all Israelis and Palestinians might realize a vision of a just peace, illuminating human dignity, advancing security and self-determination for all. 
 
Rev. Eddy Alemán
General Secretary
Reformed Church in America

Joyce Ajlouny 
General Secretary 
American Friends Service Committee

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate 
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt
President
Unitarian Universalist Association

Rev. Bronwen Boswell
Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Rev. David E. Bennett 
President 
Provincial Elders’ Conference, Moravian Church in America, Northern Province
Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
Executive Director
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)

Stassi Cramm
President
Community of Christ

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

Rev. Emmett L Dunn 
Executive Secretary/CEO
Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention

Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Roland Fernandes
General Secretary
The United Methodist Church - General Board of Global Ministries

John Hill
Interim General Secretary 
The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
Father Lawrence Hayes, (OFM)  
Provincial Minister, Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, 
Franciscan Friars

Sr. Teresa Hougnon, M.M.
President 
Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie 
President and General Secretary
National Council of Churches (NCC)

Bridget Moix
General Secretary 
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)

Scott Murphy
President
Community of Christ

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 

Reverend David Peoples
President 
Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc. 

Elvira Ramirez
Interim Executive Director
Maryknoll Lay Missioners
Rev. David Steele 
General Secretary 
Church of the Brethren

Dr. Andrea Smith
Founder and Board Member
Evangelicals 4 Justice (E4J)

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ (UCC)

Nikki Toyama-Szeto
Executive Director 
Christians for Social Action (CSA)

Sally Vonner
General Secretary and CEO
United Women in Faith

Dr. C. Jeff Woods
General Secretary 
American Baptist Churches USA

Father Thomas Zain
Vicar General 
Antiochian Orthodox Church 

Rev. Dr. Elijah R. Zehyoue 
Co-Director 
Alliance of Baptists 

Rev. Juan Zuniga, M.M.
Secretary General 
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers

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Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.

 

Recent CMEP Statements:

 

December 22, 2023: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) affirms the statement by The Episcopal Church in response to the Israeli military’s closure of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. CMEP joins the Episcopal Church in condemning “the repeated attacks on hospitals and targeting of medical workers, just as we condemn all actions throughout this conflict that kill and wound innocent civilians, especially babies and children, the elderly, and other medically vulnerable people.”

December 12, 2023: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Denounces Yet Another US UN Veto for Ceasefire in Gaza. With the temporary pause in violence having ended, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) condemns the escalating violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza that is having devastating effects on civilians. The Biden Administration’s reluctance to support a comprehensive ceasefire and its consistent practice of publicly articulating empty rhetoric about the protection of civilians is abhorrent as Israel continues its destructive bombardment on the Gaza Strip and more than 170 have died in the first 24 hours.

December 11, 2023: CHRISTMAS CEASEFIRE SERVICE IN SOLIDARITY WITH CHURCHES IN BETHLEHEM AND THE MIDDLE EAST FOLLOWED BY PRAYER WALK. We are praying that the ongoing violence between Hamas and the government of Israel might come to an end. This Christian service is being held in solidarity with Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem and throughout the Middle East who are calling for a ceasefire and an end to all violence. Christians throughout the Middle East have canceled Christmas celebrations to stand in solidarity with their neighbors suffering in Gaza.

December 7, 2023: CHRISTMAS CEASEFIRE SERVICE IN SOLIDARITY WITH CHURCHES IN BETHLEHEM AND THE MIDDLE EAST FOLLOWED BY PRAYER WALK. We hope and pray that the ongoing violence between Hamas and Israel will come to an end before this event on December 11, 2023. This Christian service is being held in solidarity with Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem and throughout the Middle East who are calling for a ceasefire and an end to all violence. Christians throughout the Middle East have canceled Christmas celebrations to stand in solidarity with their neighbors suffering in Gaza.

December 2, 2023: A Ceasefire Is the Only Way Forward to Prevent Mass Killing, Further Death, and Destruction. With the temporary pause in violence having ended, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) condemns the escalating violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza that is having devastating effects on civilians. The Biden Administration’s reluctance to support a comprehensive ceasefire and its consistent practice of publicly articulating empty rhetoric about the protection of civilians is abhorrent as Israel continues its destructive bombardment on the Gaza Strip and more than 170 have died in the first 24 hours.

 

 


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