Fair Witness Statement on the Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks and the Settlement Construction Freeze

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East ("Fair Witness") strongly urges both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to remain at the negotiating table and to work diligently to achieve an agreement that will create a Palestinian State and ensure Israel the security and peace it has been longing for.

"We regret Israel's decision not to extend the 10-month moratorium on settlement construction," said Rev. Dr. Peter A. Pettit, Director of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College and Fair Witness Executive Committee member.  "While the Palestinian Authority made this decision much more difficult for Israel by waiting until fairly late in the 10-month period to agree to begin direct talks, extending this moratorium clearly would have been helpful now."

Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College, also a member of the Executive Committee of Fair Witness, pointed out that "looking at the situation broadly, however, the critical issue to be negotiated concerns territory, not settlements in a limited sense. Finding viable parameters of a two-state solution will bring Palestinian sovereignty on the one hand and real guarantees of peace and security to Israel on the other."

"Both sides need to stay at the table now," added Rev. James Loughran, S.A. Director of the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute and Fair Witness member. "If they could only agree on security arrangements and the placement of the border between the Palestinian state and the Jewish state, the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories would end and the issue of settlements would just resolve itself."

"For the sake of a peaceful future and a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, Fair Witness strongly urges both parties to remain at the table until a just solution can be found," said Sr. Ruth Lautt, O.P., Esq., Fair Witness National Director.

SOURCE Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East