Mennonite
Central
Committee

Letters to government leaders urge end to violence

Gladys Terichow
July 26, 2006

MCC is urging the Canadian and U.S. governments to promote non-violent and equitable resolutions to the conflict in the Middle East.

In letters addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President George Bush, MCC expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Lebanon and Gaza and urged government leaders to use the influence of their Office to negotiate an end to the violence.

"Canada has a respected role in the international community. We urge you to do your utmost to seek alternative ways of promoting security for all people in the region," writes Don Peters, executive director of MCC Canada, in a letter to Prime Minister Harper.

"As a Christian agency committed to principles of nonviolence, we renounce all acts of violence—be they acts of terror or the excessive use of military force," states a letter sent to President Bush from Harriet Sider Bicksler, MCC United States board chair.

Humanitarian disaster could escalate regional conflict

Both letters warn that military attacks and reprisals will not create conditions for peace and security and that the humanitarian disaster in Lebanon and Gaza could escalate to a broader regional conflict. MCC has been working in the Middle East for almost 60 years.

"Certainly, attacks on Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah must stop but we do not accept that Israel's drastic actions are the only way to accomplish this, nor do we believe that these actions will, in fact, give Israel security in the longer term," said Peters.

He stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in a way that is fair, equitable and in keeping with international law.

Two-state solution

"Canada's longstanding official policy of seeking a two-state solution on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, together with a recognition of the rights of refugees, may still be the best way of accomplishing this," states Peters. "To a large extent this policy was embodied in the 1993 Oslo Accords which so raised the hopes of many Palestinians. Unfortunately, developments in subsequent years have deviated far from that plan."

Sider Bicksler urged President Bush to use his influence to promote direct talks between Israel and Hamas and Israel and Hezbollah.

"Talking to groups who have used terror as a tactic is not rewarding them," she said. "Rather, it offers an opportunity to understand their concerns, to directly challenge their tactics and to work for mutually agreeable outcomes.

She also asks President Bush to take an "even-handed approach" to help negotiate a resolution.

Precision-guided bombs from the United States

"We are dismayed by the recent U.S. decision to speed a shipment of precision-guided bombs to Israel for use in their military campaign in Lebanon," said Sider Bicksler. "How can the United States play a constructive role in helping to defuse the conflict while supplying arms to one of the parties?"

Calling for an end to the violence

The importance of calling for an end to the violence and working towards solutions that lead to mutual understanding were also emphasized in a letter sent to President Bush by Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of Christian churches and church-related organizations based in Washington, D.C. MCC is a member of this coalition.

An action alert developed by the MCC office in Washington encourages people to contact their government legislators to urge the U.S. government to take constructive steps to prevent the conflict from escalating further and addressing the root causes of the conflict.

Results of the conflict

A July 24 report on Lebanon submitted by the Middle East Council of Churches states the conflict has resulted in the death of close to 400 people. About 1,200 people have been injured and 950,000 have been displaced.

Damage to infrastructure is estimated at $2.7 billion U.S. The daily direct economic loss is about $15 million U.S. and daily indirect loss is about $100 million U.S.

 

 

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