Violence in Gaza and Israel

Dr. Deborah Weissman; ICCJ President | 18.11.2012

During the last five days, Israel and Gaza have experienced a frightening round of violence. The ICCJ's member organization in Israel, the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, or ICCI, has sent out the following statement. ICCJ President Dr. Deborah Weissman and the Co-Chair of ICCJ’s International Abrahamic Forum Rabbi Ehud Bandel, both Israelis, fully endorse the ICCI statement. We have many people we are worried about, and we mourn the loss of human life on both sides.

Dear friends,

As the war in the South of Israel and in Gaza rages, we are anxiously hoping that a ceasefire will be announced today or tomorrow, before more lives are lost on both sides and even more physical and psychological trauma sets in, causing further damage to both the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples. The sooner the violence stops the better - we need to return to dialogue and negotiation rather than use war as a form of conflict resolution.

We believe that the use of force cannot resolve our conflict. Negotiations for peace are the only way to bring about sustainable security for all peoples in the region.

In the meantime, we continue our peace-building work on the ground in Israel, bringing Jews, Christians and Muslims together in ongoing dialogue and educational programs for youth, women, religious leaders, and educators.  In the end, peace will ensure us more security than ongoing war and recurring violence.

L'Shalom,

Dr. Ron Kronish, Director, ICCI