September 26, 2005

Gee, who would've guessed?

וְגַם-יְהוּדָה--תִּלָּחֵם, בִּירוּשָׁלִָם
"And Judah also shall fight against Jerusalem"
זְכַרְיָה - 14

Reform, Conservative Groups Advocate for a Palestinian State

(IsraelNN.com) A group of sixteen Jewish and Christian delegates from the United States returned home this week from a week-long trip to Israel. An official statement of the group - signed by, among others, delegates representing the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Religious Action Center of the Union of Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism - expressed recognition for "the historic links [of]... the Palestinian People have to the land," and advocated a Palestinian State.

The statement said, in part: "As representatives of mainline Protestant Churches and the American Jewish community, we have demonstrated that Christians and Jews can work together to seek peace even when there is disagreement on specific policies and solutions. As a result of these days, we will now be even more effective advocates for a secure, viable and independent Palestinian state alongside an equally secure State of Israel, affirming the historic links that both the Jewish People and the Palestinian People have to the land."

Upon our return, we are committed to... Effectively support those Palestinians and Israelis who are courageously working for reconciliation and a two-state solution with concrete actions that will help sustain their work."

1 comment:

YMedad said...

Couldn't find a contact address, so I'm leaving this here:

Ancient ritual bath discovered in Old City to be opened to public
By The Associated Press

The government will soon open to the public a new archaeological site not far from a sensitive holy shrine in Jerusalem's Old City, officials said Tuesday.

The latest archaeological discovery is a ritual bath from the period of the second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed in A.D. 70, and a small wall from the period of the first Jewish Temple, destroyed in the year 586 B.C. The public will be able to view the remains with a light show about Jewish history in the coming weeks, said Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, chief rabbi of the Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites.

Adnan Husseini, the head of the Islamic Trust that oversees the two mosques at the site, condemned the diggings and Israel's intention to open it to the public, calling it a "confiscation" of Muslim property.