Continuing the practice of advocating “to advance the cause of peace and justice in the Middle East,” members of the group Churches for Middle East Peace wrote to U.S. President Joe Biden on March 8, thanking him for making good on the commitment to “to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen” and addressing other policy recommendations related to the Middle East.
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a member of CMEP. Colin Watson Sr., serving as the CRCNA’s executive director, was one of 28 leaders to sign the letter.
“Promoting decisive change for peace and justice in the Middle East will take concerted effort, diligence, and commitment, but must be started right away. We stand ready to support you in any way that we can and will pray for your efforts,” the letter reads.
It goes on to urge that the U.S. reenter the multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran, reverse a ban on outside financial transactions with Syria, and “cultivate conditions for a future negotiated peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The full text of the letter is available from the CMEP’s website.
In November, just after the U.S. general election, CMEP’s executive director, Mae Elise Cannon, wrote on the CRC’s Do Justice blog, pledging continued pursuit of peace.
“While the past four years have been filled with challenges to peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the next four years, are certain to bring their own challenges that CMEP and our partners will need to address. We will not only oppose policies that harm Palestinians and Israelis but also mobilize to fight political inertia and advocate for new legislation that reflects our vision of a just peace toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she wrote.
Last June Watson signed a letter from the Churches for Middle East Peace to Congress opposing “unilateral annexation of the Occupied West Bank.”
For background on how the Christian Reformed Church, through its Office of Social Justice, has responded to work on Middle East Peace, see justice.crcna.org/middle-east-peace-church-speaks.
About the Author
Alissa Vernon is the news editor for The Banner.
