Olive tree in the Mount of Olives, East Jerusalem. Photo: LWF/M.Renaux
“Peace can never be unilaterally imposed”
(LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has expressed grave concern over the “Peace to Prosperity” plan for Israel and Palestine presented by the U.S. administration this week.
“Peace can never be unilaterally imposed,” write LWF president Archbishop Panti Filibus Musa, and LWF General Secretary Rev Dr Martin Junge in a statement released on 29 January. “The plan ignores fundamental principles of international law and human rights conventions, as well as numerous UN General Assembly and UN Security Council resolutions, setting a dangerous precedent for the future.”
The LWF calls upon the international community to take immediate actions to reduce human suffering of the Palestinian population, and LWF member churches to support the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the LWF World Service program in Jerusalem.
“International law, including human rights conventions, was developed as a response to the horrors of the Second World War,” said LWF General Secretary Junge. “Their purpose is to safeguard peace and security. It is deeply worrying that the “Peace to Prosperity” plan undermines them.”
Related statements
- 20/11/2019 - Public Statement: International law and multilateral mechanisms must be respected and strengthened
- 14/05/2018 - Statement: Call for de-escalation of violence in the Holy Land
- 6/12/2017 - Open letter: The Middle East and the world need peace, not more violence
Related LWF member church statement
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land is an LWF member church. LWF World Service runs the Augusta Victoria Hospital, a center of medical excellence in East Jerusalem, serving all 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. It offers specialized care not available in other hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza, including radiation therapy for cancer patients and pediatric hemodialysis. It also had vocational training centers in the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Beit Hanina.
