Sir Sigmund's Speech to the Interreligious International Federation for World Peace | July 01, 2005
Sir Sigmund Sternberg
I am happy to be here with you this morning for this conference on Initiatives for Peacemaking in the Middle East and for a particular reason.
It is not often that, within the confines of the Israel-Palestine conflict, one can come amongst friends with good news.
That is my happy mission today.
But, first, a little history:
I am happy to be here with you this morning for this conference on Initiatives for Peacemaking in the Middle East and for a particular reason.
It is not often that, within the confines of the Israel-Palestine conflict, one can come amongst friends with good news.
That is my happy mission today.
But, first, a little history:
As many of you will know, in the summer of 2001, Canon Andrew White, of Coventry Cathedral, was approached by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked to ascertain whether there was anything that could be done to engage the religious leadership of Israel and Palestine in the faltering peace process.
This request was based on the conclusion that one of the key reasons for the stagnation of the Oslo accords was an overly secular approach that did not deal sufficiently with the conflict's significant religious dimension.
Complex issues associated with Jerusalem, the Holy sites and other areas of spiritual significance are good examples of the need for such dialogue.
It was suggested that the then Archbishop of Canterbury, my good friend Dr George Carey, would be a suitably respected figurehead to lead such an initiative.
He readily agreed.
After a series of covert meetings in and around Jerusalem, and significant engagement with Yasser Arafat, Ariel Sharon and the leadership of Egypt and Jordan, a three-day summit took place in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria.
Sheikh Mohammed Said Tantawi of the Al-Azhar, one of the world's most senior Muslims, hosted the talks, and Dr Carey, chaired the meeting.
The event was funded by the Church of England, with additional financing from the Church of Norway and the World Conference on Religion and Peace.
The meeting resulted in the signing of the historic 'First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land' on 21 January 2002.
The Declaration contained a joint condemnation of violence, a commitment to work together for peace, and a call for the implementation of a series of recommendations to assist the healing process.
A Permanent Committee for the Implementation of the Alexandria Declaration was established from the signatories and other spiritual leaders, and has since met regularly in Jerusalem, as well as in Rome and London.
Many see the Alexandria Process as being the religious track of the Middle East Peace Process.
It aims to complement though not replace the political peace process and, as such, has gained the backing of the Israeli Government, the Palestinian leadership, the British Prime Minister and the US State Department.
The breakdown of the "road map" for Middle East peace and outbreak of the new intifada affected the running of the Alexandria Process, which operates best when in tandem with a functioning political dialogue.
The escalation of the conflict also meant that many of the Palestinian delegates encountered severe difficulties in travelling out of their neighbourhoods.
Nevertheless, the work continued and a summit for Muslim delegates from the West Bank and Gaza was organised in January 2004 in Cairo.
This sought to broaden the support base for the Alexandria Process by empowering moderate Islamic leaders actively to reduce incitement and denounce violent resistance.
Following the death of Yasser Arafat and the subsequent election of President Abbas, new initiatives to revive the peace process have created a fresh impetus amongst the Alexandria group and on May 29 in Jerusalem, Lord Carey was able to announce that, "for the first time in Middle East history, we have a set of grass roots initiatives that have the backing of all three Abrahamic faiths."
He rightly pronounced it "a major breakthrough for the Alexandria Process after three years of hard dialogue and discussion."
The grass roots initiatives include the establishment of three new centres, in Jerusalem, in northern Israel and in Gaza which will be involved in a variety of localised projects, with a strong emphasis on education and on communal, cultural and religious issues.
The programme will begin with a series of regular video conferences between Gaza and Jerusalem and will continue the inter-religious engagement that has already begun in a large number of Jewish and Muslim schools.
The Alexandria Process is also involved in the establishment of academic-religious dialogue over the final status of Jerusalem's Holy Sites.
A consultation on the future of Jerusalem has twice had to be postponed due to circumstances beyond the control of the participants, but the academic strand of the Alexandria Process is still key to the overall success of its initiatives.
A statement of consensus between Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders over their desires for the final status of Jerusalem and their recognition of others rights would be one of the most significant steps possible towards peace.
In a follow-up to these initiatives, all of which are costly in terms of administration and organisation, an announcement was made at a House of Lords press conference on Monday last that a newly-established Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East, directed by Canon White, would, amongst its other commitments, service and support the Alexandria Process.
This is great news, not only for the Israeli-Palestinian initiative, but also for the Iraqi Institute for Peace, which receives Foundation support and which, since 2004, has initiated and sustained regular dialogue between key religious leaders in Iraq and helps them to try and bring peace to that shattered land.
Based in London, and with a board chaired by the former head of the British Office in Baghdad, Mr Christopher Segar, the new Foundation will harness the expertise and skills of a broad range of international professionals, including senior diplomats, politicians, businessmen and faith leaders.
Its policy advisory council, headed by Lord Carey, includes at least five former British ambassadors in the Middle East.
The Foundation has received a particularly warm welcome from one of the original signatories of the Alexandria Declaration, Rabbi Michael Melchior, who is a deputy minister. The timing of its establishment, he said, was critical, adding:
"Never before has it been so important for the Abrahamic faiths to engage with one another and to show that we can walk together down a path of peace, tolerance and understanding."
Indeed, one of the small miracles of the House of Lords' gathering was to have both the Israeli Ambassador and the Saudi Ambassador speaking from the same platform.
The Alexandria Process is now seen by much of the international community as one of the only viable networks that spans the religious and political divide between Palestinian and Israeli leadership.
Most of the delegates to the Committee do not have a history of involvement in inter-faith dialogue and co-operation and, as such, they represent the grassroots opinion of their constituents better than liberal elites well-versed in such initiatives.
It is a difficult journey on which all the participants in the Alexandria process are engaged.
I am glad to add that the Alexandria process has also become involved with the religious component of the World Economic Forum, and participates fully in its Middle East deliberations.
I am sure that everyone here wishes them the best of good fortune as they struggle to prove that, while for too long religion has been seen as a major part of the problem in the Middle East, religion can also be a source of hope and a vital part of the solution.
Posted by admin at July 1, 2005 01:28 PM
