LWF General Secretary Welcomes Agreement for Palestinian Unity Government

LWF General Secretary Urges Palestinian Parties' Commitment to Resolving Middle East Crisis

Noko Welcomes Agreement for Palestinian Unity Government

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GENEVA, 14 February 2007 (LWI) * The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko has welcomed the 8 February agreement for a Palestinian unity government by the Hamas and Fatah political parties. In a statement issued today, he expresses the hope that this accord would also provide for a more secure basis to resume peace negotiations and dialogue with the State of Israel.

The agreement brokered by the Saudi authorities was signed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia by Mr Khaled Meshal of Hamas, which won the January 2006 Palestinian elections, and Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority (PA) president and leader of Fatah, the former ruling party. The accord is also aimed at ending violence between both parties and an international boycott.
Noko commends the parties' flexibility in reaching "this essential compromise" and stresses that the Palestinian unity government to be established under the agreement "must be committed, in practice as well as in theory, to the realization of a two-State solution to the longstanding crisis in the Middle East." Its main and immediate priority "must be to pursue resumption of genuine negotiations with the State of Israel for the achievement of this end." He highlights the essential role of the region's religious communities in ensuring the agreement's implementation with strong interfaith encouragement and support.

The LWF general secretary reminds the international community of its urgent responsibility to support the signed agreement, saying it has the task "to sustain hope in the Holy Land, for the sake of both Palestinians and Israelis, and indeed for the sake of the whole world."

Noko notes that although the called-for benchmarks for this agreement may not have been attained "to the satisfaction of all," the alternative would be "more chaos, more bloodshed, and even less hope for the future." He calls for reconsideration of the "wisdom of economic blockades imposed on the Palestinian Authority," and urges neighboring states "to take a constructive role in ensuring that a healthier atmosphere is created for renewed dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis."

The full text of Dr Noko'’s statement follows:

Statement by the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation on the Palestinian unity government agreement

I welcome the achievement in Mecca on Thursday 8 February 2007 of an agreement for a Palestinian unity government. This agreement will, I pray, bring to an end the inter-factional violence and bloodshed that has made the intolerable situation in the occupied Palestinian territories even more desperate. It will also - or it should be permitted to - provide a more secure basis for a resumption of dialogue and negotiations with the State of Israel for a permanent peace with justice.

I commend the Saudi authorities for the role they have taken in brokering this agreement. I encourage them to continue to maintain the stake they have built in the search for peace in the Middle East.

I commend the parties to the agreement for their perseverance and flexibility in reaching this essential compromise. The world has listened to the commitments the parties have made to each other, and looks for their full implementation in the spirit of the agreement. The religious communities of the region will have an essential role to play in ensuring the agreement is implemented with strong interfaith encouragement and support.

The Palestinian unity government established under the terms of this agreement is a government that must be committed, in practice as well as in theory, to the realization of a two-State solution to the longstanding crisis in the Middle East. Its chief and immediate priority must be to pursue resumption of genuine negotiations with the State of Israel for the achievement of this end. The world as a whole cannot be at peace unless and until a just peace can be achieved in the land that the three great monotheistic religions call holy.

The international community has now the urgent responsibility to support the agreement that has been achieved. Though the called-for 'benchmarks' may not have been attained to the satisfaction of all, the alternative to this agreement is more chaos, more bloodshed, and even less hope for the future. The wisdom of the economic blockades that have been imposed on the Palestinian Authority must therefore now be reconsidered. I also call on the neighboring states of the region to take a constructive role in ensuring that a healthier atmosphere is created for renewed dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis.

It must be the task of the international community as a whole to sustain hope in the Holy Land, for the sake of both Palestinians and Israelis, and indeed for the sake of the whole world.

Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko
General Secretary
The Lutheran World Federation
Geneva, 14 February 2007

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of 66.2 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

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