An ecumenical consultation being held in Amman, Jordan, 25-26 February is exploring “Just Peace in Palestine and Israel.”Those gathered are discussing new developments and the current situation in Israel and Palestine, as well as ecumenical responses and initiatives. The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) has been an important way to consult ecumenically and coordinate activities for just peace, and the structure and mandate will be revised.
Addressing the opening of the forum, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit defined love of one another as the work and actions of justice that meet the qualities of peace. “It is God’s realities and qualities we are longing for and praying for,” he said. “We have seen signs of what they are.”
Those working for just peace in Palestine and Israel have shown their resiliency, he said. “I also want to thank you, sisters and brothers, working on behalf of churches, ecumenical partners and bodies, for your ongoing, impressive and inspiring commitment to work for a just peace for Israel and Palestine,” he said. “Your work is an ongoing inspiration for many of us.”He also expressed personal gratitude for the collegial and friendly relations he has experienced from the forum over the years.
Tveit also addressed the challenges that remain. “There are many who suffer enormously from many armed conflicts in this region,” he said. “And everything that can be done for a just peace for them all should be done.”
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway.
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