Christian Leaders Praise Middle East Peace Talks

A group of nearly 30 evangelical, Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic leaders have praised U.S. President Barack Obama for restarting peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian authorities, who had not held direct negotiations in nearly 20 months.

In a letter delivered to President Obama on Monday, the group said that they are "deeply concerned" with the need to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that they "fully support" the president's goal of ending occupation and achieving a "just, lasting and comprehensive peace" in the region.

President Obama had "open and productive" meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday both individually and then jointly at a dinner.

Speaking before the dinner, Obama said that he was "hopeful – cautiously hopeful, but hopeful" that the negotiations would be successful.

The president also commended the two leaders for coming to the talks, calling it a "testament to their courage and their integrity and I think their vision for the future."

On Thursday, Netanyahu and Abbas will hold trilateral negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in an attempt to hammer out details regarding a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

Clinton has said that she believes the solution can be implemented within one year – a timeframe that the Christian leaders say is "short" and will require continued vigilance.

"If an agreement is not reached within the coming year, it may not be reachable at all," the group said.

The leaders also urged Obama and Clinton to "empower both sides to take risks for peace and….make proposals to bridge remaining differences," as well as take a zero-tolerance stance on "actions or words by either side in the coming year that undermine confidence in the negotiations, incite disrespect or prejudge the outcome of the final status issues."

"In support of this effort, we pledge to maintain and expand our dialogue on this issue with American Jewish and Palestinian communities and to assure them of our steadfast support for achieving the aspirations of both Israel and the Palestinian people for peace and security," the group said, adding that they are praying for the president as he seeks to bring "God's justice and peace to a place torn by walls and weapons."

"We are convinced that with your vigilant support this dream can be fulfilled, and the lives of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as U.S. national security interests, can be transformed for the better," they said.

Signers on the letter include Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Armenian Orthodox Church; Rev. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; Rev. Howard J. Hubbard, Chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Lynne Hybels, Advocate for Global Engagement at Willow Creek Community Church; and others.

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