US foreign policy is not favorable for peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately, there are many Christian Americans who “side with” Israel to the detriment of innocent Gazans and Palestinians. People like Pat Roberston, John Hagee and his Christians United for Israel, and Gary Bauer are politically influential. I would venture that the average Christian in America believes that war in the Middle East is inevitable. This is due to a false end times doctrine that permeates (protestant evangelical) Christian culture. Check out the popularity of the “Left Behind” series of books by Tim LaHaye. Since 9/11 many Americans are also convinced that every Muslim is a terrorist. What we need is a good history lesson on the tragic events that are happening in the Middle East, starting with the early 20th century. Fear and hatred need to be replaced with knowledge, understanding, and compassion. If you would please go to this website http://christianzionism.org/ you may have a better understanding of why we should be aware of both sides of the conflict. Thank you. Your friend in peace, Shea Barja

Thanks for responding to this CRS Blog post. Catholic Relief Services is dedicated to helping people in need worldwide.

Catholic Relief Services is committed to achieving two objectives in the Holy Land. The first is responding to a humanitarian crisis that is primarily impacting Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The second is promoting peace in the region. We see these two issues as inextricably linked - there cannot be an end to this crisis without peace.

We are also clear about the nature of this peace - it must ensure BOTH the rights of Israelis AND Palestinians to live with security to live without fear of hunger or inability to access basic services. Catholic Relief Services continues to support the call for a two-state solution that envisions a secure State of Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestinian state. This means that any acts of violence must be condemned as counter to a call for a lasting peace and all sides must engage in a peace process that maintains the human dignity of all people living in the Holy Land.

Our concern extends to all those who are suffering in the Holy Land. After the Lebanon war of summer 2006, CRS committed aid to Israelis displaced by cross-border shelling in northern Israel by contributing to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the American Jewish Committee. Catholic Relief Services has also strongly condemned terrorist actions by Hamas and Hezbollah.

We hope you join our prayers for peace in a land that so many religious traditions hold dear.

Sincerely,
Hedley Abernethy, Catholic Relief Services

Perhaps most telling as CRS seeks both to end the humanitarian crisis and seek a lasting peace in the Holy Land, is the following statement “Hungry, unhealthy, angry communities do not make good partners for peace. To date, failure to address the situation in Gaza has harmed both Palestinians and Israelis and has been detrimental to the broader peace process itself.”