09 November 2007
In an unusual joint appearance in Washington, DC, senior Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders have said they were a vital part of the Middle East peace process. The two chief rabbis of Israel, Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar, sat alongside senior Muslim and Christian clerics and said they had agreed on steps to help resolve the conflict. "It is our responsibility to find the right way to live together in peace rather than to fight and kill one another," the leaders, who make up the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, said in a joint statement.
Each religious community should respect the other faiths' holy sites. The leaders said they wanted to set up a "hotline" of rapid communication among the groups to deal with issues of protection and access to holy sites to avoid clashes. Moreover, the different religious leaders also want to monitor and respond to the media for "derogatory representation of any religion”, promote education for mutual respect and acceptance in schools and the media", demonstrate to their constituents peaceful conflict resolution through their dialogue and relationships.
"This opportunity and this interfaith dialogue can really much help in moving the peace process forward," said Salah Zuhayka, assistant secretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs. While they had not reached any agreement on the status of Jerusalem, the council agreed to "seek a common vision for this city which all of us regard as holy." The statement was issued during a gathering of the council in Washington, where they were also meeting with American lawmakers.
