WCC affirms commitment to finding a timely solution to conflict in Israel and Palestine
The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), meeting in Trondheim, Norway, from 22 through 28 June, authorized the convening of an international ecumenical conference in 2017 “to reaffirm and strengthen ecumenical witness for peace with justice for Israelis and Palestinians.”
In its “Statement on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Peace Process,” the Central Committee called on member churches and ecumenical partners to “listen and respond to the voices of Palestinian Christians”; to take “active steps to encourage a continued robust indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land; to promote and support “all nonviolent efforts to end the occupation” of Palestinian territories; to intensify “dialogue and cooperation with Jewish and Muslim partners on the pilgrimage of justice and peace”; and to support leaders and members of the churches in the area, “strengthening their presence in the cradle of Christianity.”