Press Release

Washington, D.C. - March 21, 2024

Media Contacts:
Janine Walsh, (203) 685-1856, walsh@franciscanaction.org
Judy Coode, (202) 425-0576, jcoode@paxchristiusa.org
media@cmep.org


202-543-1222

 

Pray-in for a Permanent Ceasefire: A Nonviolent Witness for Gaza
March 21 at 1pm Capitol Hill

Washington, D.C. - The crisis in Gaza and the pending full invasion of Rafah demands consistent public action and powerful witness. In addition to the 31,000 killed in the war and people being killed while seeking aid, Palestinians are now dying from starvation; and Sen. Schumer is calling for new elections in Israel.

As part of a Lenten Ceasefire Campaign, on Thursday, March 21, 1-2 pm, Christians for Ceasefire will hold a prayer vigil with national faith leaders, including three Palestinian Christian voices, on Capitol Hill (100 Maryland Avenue NE), followed by a nonviolent witness action. For Christians, nonviolent witness includes calling for a just peace, especially as our Muslim family members enter their holy month of Ramadan.

Confirmed speakers:

Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee
Mubarak Awad, Nonviolence International
Rev. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace
Rev. Leslie Copeland-Tune, Chief Operating Officer, National Council of Churches
Jonathan Kuttab, Executive Director, Friends of Sabeel North America
Scott Wright, Stones Cry Out faith delegation to Palestine, Pax Christi USA

Christians for Ceasefire (a group of national organizations and peacemakers) continues to raise faith voices together, asking our Creator for guidance and strength as we urge those in power to do the courageous work of nonviolent peacemaking. We believe that the focus of the conflict must shift to diplomacy, accountability mechanisms, and urgent humanitarian relief, and that neither war nor retribution is accountability. We call for the urgent action needed to stop the mass slaughter, destruction, and generational trauma.

We urge all parties to:

a) Publicly call for bilateral ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life
b) Support demilitarization rather than supplying additional military aid or arms to Israel 
c) Focus on a release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners held without due process 
d) Support robust humanitarian assistance and restarting U.S. government funding to UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees
e) Work diplomatically to end the siege on Gaza and end the occupation of the Palestinian Territory in order to address the root causes of the violence, accountability for harm, and move all parties toward a lasting, just peace that protects all human life and ensures long-term security and sustainability in the Middle East

Endorsing organizations include Christians for a Free Palestine; Churches for Middle East Peace; Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces; Dorothy Day Catholic Worker; Festival Center; Franciscan Action Network; Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA); Georgetown University Medical Students for Palestine, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; National Council of Churches, USA; Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace; Pax Christi USA; Quixote Center; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team; Sojourners; United Church of Christ; The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society; US Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph; and the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER).

 

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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:

March 1, 2024: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Joins the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem in Condemning Events Yesterday That Caused the Deaths of Civilians in Gaza Seeking AidChurches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joins the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem in condemning the atrocious and despicable events yesterday that caused the deaths and injuries of so many civilians in Gaza seeking aid and humanitarian assistance. We pray for the sustainability of our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Holy Land and that all who have suffered and experienced trauma from the atrocities of the October 7th attacks, the violence between warring parties, and the ongoing injustices of decades of occupation might be brought comfort and healing.

February 23, 2024: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Calls on US Government to Hold Israel Accountable to US Laws and for the Deaths of American CitizensWe mourn the staggering loss of life that we continue to witness. We fervently pray and work for an end to the assault on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. We call upon the US government to cease sending additional military to Israel, to support and press for an immediate ceasefire, to ensure the provision and delivery of necessary humanitarian aid, to work for a just and lasting peace that ensures the rights of all involved, and to hold Israel accountable to US laws and for the deaths of American citizens.

February 15, 2024: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Executive Director joins 22 church-based denominational leaders in a letter to President BidenChurches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon joined 22 church-based denominational leaders in a letter to President Biden. Several signatories of the letter were in Washington, DC where they delivered the letter during meetings with staff at the State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and with Ambassador Rashad Hussain, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.

February 14, 2024: Christian Leaders Take Public Action on Ash Wednesday to Call for a Ceasefire, a Political Process, and Humanitarian Assistance to Gaza. On Wednesday, February 14 at 11:00 AM in Lafayette Park by the White House, national Christian organizations and peacemakers will launch a weekly Lenten Ceasefire Campaign, starting with a Catholic Mass to be followed by an ecumenical public witness, to call attention to and in mourning for the tens of thousands of lives that have been destroyed in Gaza and Israel since October 7, 2023.


See all of our public statements and press releases.

 

Contact Us

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 505
Washington, District of Columbia 20002
(202) 543-1222  info@cmep.org

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