Local churches in Palestine/Israel are looking to the whole fellowship of the World Council of Churches to play a stronger role in supporting local churches' struggles for a just peace there.
This has been the main finding of a delegation led by the WCC's General Secretary Rev Dr Samuel Kobia who visited Palestine/Israel between 21 and 26 June.A new advocacy forum launched prior to the visit and ecumenical accompaniment are high on the list of priority actions for the local churches in pursuit of this goal.
"The visit allowed us to confirm that the WCC does have a role to play in strengthening and supporting the churches in Palestine/Israel," said WCC delegation member Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, head of the Church of Norway's Council on Ecumenical and International Relations.
"In so doing, it will be crucial to carefully listen to the churches in the Holy Land and let them decide what kind of support they need," he added.
The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum was recently launched in Jordan and welcomed by the heads of churches in Jerusalem. Kobia said the new forum would be "a privileged tool to facilitate greater involvement of the WCC member churches in advocacy efforts for a just peace in the region".
"It will enable our member churches to increase the work in awareness raising as well as in education both of their constituencies and the public at large," he said.
