Lutherans Denounce Israeli Occupation of Church Property
Episcopal News Service. August 28, 2001 [2001-233]
(ELCA) Israeli military forces shelled and entered the West Bank town of Beit Jala August 28 and occupied several homes and buildings, including the premises of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation, said the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and Palestine (ELCJ).
"We denounce in the strongest possible terms the Israeli occupation of our buildings and demand that the army immediately withdraw from our church premises as well as from Beit Jala," Younan said in a news release.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) also condemned the Israeli military occupation of the town of Beit Jala. In a message to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, expressed "in the clearest possible terms, the outrage" of the LWF's global family at the invasion of "one of the holy places of the Christian community of Beit Jala" and the danger in which this action has thrust innocent people including the children and staff of the Lutheran orphanage in the church premises there, the LWF said in a news release.
The LWF is a global communion of 131 Lutheran churches, representing more than 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. The ELCJ and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are LWF members.
Noko, who is attending the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, called for the immediate cessation of the Israel Defense Force activities in Beit Jala and for the withdrawal of all Israeli armed forces from the area, including the premises of the Lutheran congregation, according to the release.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation is one of six congregations in the 2,000-member ELCJ. Beit Jala is in Israeli-occupied territory under Palestinian control just south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. Israeli forces also shelled sites in Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, Younan said.
The Israeli moves followed heightened protests from Palestinians over Israel's killing of Mustafa Zibri, a top Palestinian leader. Some Palestinians were said to have fired into an Israeli neighborhood, Israel's Defense Forces said, leading to Israel's action.
Younan said the Israeli army entered the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation building, Evangelical Lutheran Home--an orphanage that houses 50 children and Abraham's Herberge, an interreligious center and guesthouse.
"Soldiers took positions on the roof of one of the church buildings, with tanks stationed immediately outside the entrance to the church premises," Younan said in the release. "Fifty youngsters between four and 18 years of age are kept isolated in the home together with some educators living on the premises."
A curfew has been imposed, and the pastor and staff were not able to reach the premises after the army entered, Younan said. "We are trying to find ways to bring food and other necessities to the isolated children," he said. Later in the day, Younan and others were able to speak with Israeli military officials about the children.
"We want to make clear that no shooting has taken place, neither yesterday nor in the past, from our church buildings in Beit Jala," Younan continued. "We are now receiving reports that the Israeli army is shooting from the position on top of our buildings, injuring and killing people in the town, which of course endangers the lives of our children."
Since the persistent violence in the Middle East began nearly one year ago, ELCA congregations have joined with other denominations in an ecumenical prayer vigil for peace in the region. At the recent ELCA Churchwide Assembly, voting members adopted a resolution supporting the ELCJ and urging Israelis and Palestinians "to end the cycle of violence and seek a just and lasting peace."
In Washington, DC, the Rev. Mark B. Brown, with the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), sent a message August 28 calling for help to "end the violence and promote a climate where negotiations to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can take place." LOGA is the ELCA's federal public policy agency.
In his message, Brown urged people to contact members of the U.S. Congress and President Bush and ask them:
+ "to contact the government of Israel and insist that the Israeli military immediately remove troops and tanks from all of Beit Jala, particularly the premises and surrounding area of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation and adjacent orphanage;"
+ "to contact the Palestinian authority and the government of Israel and urge both to do all they can to end the violence and intimidation, including helicopter and fighter jet attacks, assassinations, suicide bombings, house demolitions, destruction of trees and other property and torture while in detention;" and
+ "to support the deployment of multinational observers to promote peace, justice and security in the Occupied Territories."
More information on the current situation in Beit Jala and the Prayer Vigil for Peace in the Middle East can be found at http://www.loga.org on LOGA's Web site. Additional Middle East resources can be found at http://www.elca.org/co/mideast.html on the ELCA's Web site.