WCRP in the Middle East
Peace in Jerusalem
A Statement of the Executive Committee
The World Conference on Religion and Peace
Amman, Jordan - February 1997
Jerusalem is a holy city for three religions: Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- each in their own ways -- love
Jerusalem. She is for each intimately linked to their experiences of
faith in the God of Abraham. Jerusalem is also home to two peoples:
Palestinians and Israelis. Jerusalem will know peace when the realities
of the three religions are acknowledged, and the legitimate political
aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians accepted.
Convinced that each of the three religions summons their communities to
live at peace with others, and motivated by the unique religious
significance of Jerusalem, we, the Executive Committee of the World
Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), meeting in Amman, Jordan,
express our support for Palestinians and Israelis of good will engaged
in the search for a just and lasting peace.
We affirm that peace in Jerusalem can be built only through the
respectful and practical acknowledgement of fundamental religious and
political factors, including
the religious concerns that:
- the sacred character of Jerusalem as a heritage for the Abrahamic faiths
be acknowledged and respected;
- her holy places be protected and preserved, and freedom of access to
them safeguarded for all believers, residents and pilgrims alike;
-
the religious rights and freedoms of all persons and communities be
respected and protected: and
the political concerns ensuring that:
- the fundamental rights and freedoms of both Palestinians and Israelis in
Jerusalem be respected;
- restraint be exercised regarding activities that could prejudice or
pre-empt the final negotiations related to the status of Jerusalem;
-
the process for determining the final status of Jerusalem be acceptable
to both peoples and their legal representatives;
- the final status of Jerusalem reflect and be based upon respect for the
legitimate political aspirations of both peoples.
We call upon the representatives of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,
and upon intergovernmental organizations, governments, and
non-governmental agencies assisting in the search for peace, to ensure
that these religious and political concerns are duly taken into account
in all initiatives addressing the final status of Jerusalem.
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