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Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. As a coalition of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches, CMEP works to influence American policy in ways that will bring justice and peace for all people and countries in the Middle East.〔http://www.cmep.org/AboutCMEP.html〕 In addition, Churches for Middle East Peace currently has over 100 partner churches, which are religious orders, congregations, church committees, regional church bodies, and church-related organizations such as peace fellowships that commit to working for Middle East peace, and can agree with CMEP’s mission and views.〔http://cmep.org/content/cmeps-partners〕〔http://cmep.org/content/be-partner-peacemaking〕 == Advocacy == CMEP promotes positions that: :1) realize the vision of a region where two viable states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side within secure and recognized borders; :2) promote the sharing of Jerusalem by the two peoples -- Israelis and Palestinians -- and by the three religious communities that call it sacred; :3) encourage negotiated, just, and peaceful resolutions to conflicts in the region; :4) promote the right of people to live in peace and security, free of fears of harassment, oppression, and violence; :5) encourage the demilitarization of conflicts and help to establish the Middle East as a region free of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons; :6) foster respect for human rights based on full observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights covenants of the UN, and the Geneva Conventions; :7) encourage equitable development and humanitarian assistance to the region by the United States and other nations; :8) promote the rights, and meet the humanitarian needs, of refugees and displaced persons in the region; :8) support the United Nations in playing an important role in seeking a just resolution of problems and the maintenance of a region without conflict; :10) recognize the religious importance of the region to Jews, Christians, and Muslims and protect the religious freedom of all. CMEP emphasizes the important role that Christians have to play in prospects for pluralism and democracy in Palestinian society and supports a safe and secure state of Israel. It urges the United States to pursue the creation of a Palestinian state and the end of Israel’s occupation as integral to helping Israel achieve the security, recognition and normalization of relations with all countries of the region that it has long been denied.〔Policy in Brief: http://cmep.org/about-cmep〕 CMEP has vocally supported the efforts of the Obama Administration to re-establish direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian parties. On August 30, 2010 they organized a letter to President Obama stating support for his goal of ending the occupation that has existed since 1967 and achieving a just and comprehensive two-state solution to the current conflict. Signed by the leadership of 29 national Catholic, Orthodox, mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and historic African American denominations and organizations, the letter acknowledged the difficulties in achieving this goal, but pledged the U.S. Christian community’s efforts to expand the dialogue with American Jewish and Palestinian communities to help achieve this goal.〔http://www.cmep.org/content/letter-heads-denominations-president-obama-restart-direct-talks-august-30-2010〕 CMEP has also advocated for U.S. leadership in ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In June 2010 they issued a statement advocating for the relief of the blockade of Gaza. In doing so, they affirmed their position that Palestinians have the right to more than just humanitarian aid. They are entitled “to trade, travel, study, and engage in productive work, subject only to reasonable security requirements, and to take part in building a viable Palestinian state together with those who live in the West Bank. Israel has the right to self-defense and to prevent illicit trafficking in arms.”〔http://cmep.org/content/relieving-blockade-gaza-june-22-2010〕 CMEP takes an even handed approach, emphasizing the need for both sides to create the conditions for peace. During the 2008-2009 Gaza War, CMEP acknowledged that "Israel's massive military operation has taken a terrible toll on Gaza's population and public infrastructure, while ongoing indiscriminate rocket attacks against towns in southern Israel have made normal life there impossible." 〔Episcopal Life Online, January 20, 2009, www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_104178_ENG_HTM.htm〕 CMEP has received praise for its bi-partisan and even handed approach, seeking only to move toward a negotiated peace for both Israel and Palestinians.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Churches for Middle East Peace」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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