A Prayer of Peace

    and a Call to Action for the Children of the Holy Land

WE, Arkansas Christians of many different persuasions and traditions ask from our hearts, that our decision makers in Washington work assiduously for peace between Israel and Palestine, for a peace that will provide genuine security to both peoples. We are stepping up to join with many of the national leaders of the established and venerable Christian traditions in asking for a two state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict that has been threatening world security for over 60 years.

Generations of Jewish Israeli children, Muslim Palestinian children, and Christian Palestinian children have been traumatized by war or the threat war between modern Israelis and the Palestinians over what both believe to be a legitimate claim to the same land. On each side of the dividing line are infants, children, women, men, elders, olive and citrus groves, history's long and ancient tale of human love and human enmity between the children of Abraham mothered by Hagar and Sarah.

WE believe a vital key to Peace in Israel and Palestine is held by our United States of America, the world's most powerful nation and Israel's greatest political and financial friend. For goodness and mercy to exist in that land, we must find the political will to push for two independent neighboring states with peace between them.

Jerusalem must be shared by Israel and Palestine for any accord to have merit with Palestinian Christians, with many Israeli & American Jews, and with the world's 1.2 billion Muslims.

The US Congress has guaranteed Israel an annual 3 billion dollars in military aid for the next ten years. It would add nothing to our federal budget to allocate a portion of this 30 billion dollars to actualize peace between the two nations. With some of this foreign aid, the US can help fund / maintain a Multinational Force on the border between Israel and Palestine for as long as needed. A Multinational Force is called for in the Geneva Accord.

Such measures would be very much in keeping with our heartfelt commitment to Israel's survival amongst predominantly Muslim neighbors.

By taking proactive measures, the United States could help bring long term peace to the Holy Land and thereby positively change our world.

We petition our president, our secretary of state and the US Congress to recognize how urgent it is to create a workable solution. As a first step, we call upon President Obama to lead the way by putting current / future U.S. funding of Israel on the negotiating table. If he, representing the American people, has the moral commitment and courage to do this, to press hard for a real rapprochement between Israel and Palestine, we believe that the children of the Holy Land will finally get to live without the constant threat of war.

Lord hear our prayer and make us instruments of your love.

Christ's Peace be with us all,

• signed by individual church members and 12 from Tuesday Men's Study Group, First United Methodist Church,FUMC
• Michael Maddox, Senior Pastor, FUMC, Little Rock
• Hope Norman Coulter, Chair, Board of Stewards, FUMC
• Mary Jane Cole, Associate Pastor, FUMC
• William H Bowen & 40 other members from the Bowen-Cabe Class, FUMC
• Stephen Copley, United Methodist Pastor, Dir, Justice for Our Neighbors
• Kenneth Hicks, Bishop (retired) United Methodist Church
• Rev. Lynn Lindsey, Pulaski Heights United Methodist (PHUMC) LR
• Rev Jeffery Hampton, PHUMC
• P.Jay Clark, Youth Minister, PHUMC
• Jan Sullivan, Past President Board of Stewards, PHUMC
• Rev. Britt Skarda, Senior Pastor, PHUMC
• Frances O Freddie Nixon
• Rev.Vic Nixon Retired United Methodist Clergy
• 23 signed from Fathomers Sunday School Class PHUMC
• Emmett Burnes, Southern Baptist Minister, former President of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Beirut, LEBANON
• Carolyn Staley, Assoc Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist, Little Rock
• Howard Gordon, Minister Emeritus, First Presbyterian Church, LR
• Thompson Murray, Pastor, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church
• Scott Walters, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church, Little Rock
• Jay McDaniel, Steel Study Center of Religion and Philosophy, Hendrix Rev. Ed Matthews \ Retired United Methodist Clergy
• Pat Matthews, Trinity United Methodist Church, Little Rock
• Suzette Cannon, New Millennium Church, Little Rock
• Rev. Wendell Griffin, New Millennium Church
• Raouf Halaby, Professor of English and Art, Ouachita Baptist University
• John Wilkman, M.D.,Former Med Missionary to Gaza, Baptist, Ft Smith
• Betty Bumpers, First Methodist Church, Little Rock
• Dale Bumpers, Retired US Senator, First Methodist Church, Little Rock