Religion Press Release Services

Contact:
Sr.Ruth Lautt, O.P., Esq.
(516) 870-0335 Ext. 3
(Jericho, New York) July 21, 2006 –

Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East (“Fair Witness”) is greatly disturbed by the escalating violence in Israel and Lebanon and the tragic loss of innocent lives on all sides. We are mindful, however, of the fact that the peaceful resolution of conflict can be elusive in the land that is holy to Jewish, Christian and Muslim believers. Moreover, simplistic calls for an immediate cease fire will not help achieve the goal of a just peace which will both protect human life and promote stability in the region.

Rev. Peter Pettit, Director of the Institute for Jewish Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College says, “In light of the amount of collateral damage, especially in Lebanon, Christians will understandably raise questions regarding proportionate response. This is not fundamentally anti-Israel, but grows out of the ‘just war’ tradition. Legitimate military objectives must be pursued with every effort to limit collateral damage and cannot include actions that in any way amount to collective punishment.”

“Coming to a reasoned conclusion to this question requires an understanding of the history and nature of Hezbollah,” says Sr. Ruth Lautt, National Director of Fair Witness.

“Hezbollah, which operates with Syrian and especially Iranian backing, supports the destruction of the state of Israel and co-operates with other militant Islamic organizations such as Hamas in order to promote this goal,” says Sr. Lautt. “It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the European Parliament, and has repeatedly taken credit for attacks against Israeli military and civilian targets. Hezbollah also presents a serious threat to legitimate Christian interests in Lebanon.”

Thousands of Hezbollah activists are now located in Lebanon’s Beqa’a valley, Beirut and southern Lebanon. Since Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000, Hezbollah has been stockpiling weapons from Iran and has effectively built itself into a powerful military force with short and medium range missiles that can reach as far as Tel Aviv. Those weapons are now in use against Israel, beginning with an unprovoked cross-border raid by Hezbollah that included the capture of two Israeli soldiers.

However, as Dexter Van Zile, also of Fair Witness, points out, “This is not merely a reaction by Israel to its captured soldiers. With the emergence of a soon-to-be nuclear-armed Iran that has very recently called for Israel to be ‘wiped off the map of the world,’ the threat posed by Hezbollah has increased drastically and become imminent. The failure of the Lebanese government to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure of Hezbollah left Israel with little choice but to take some form of action. Merely calling for a cease-fire at this time will not eliminate the danger to Israel.”

Sr. Lautt adds: “A distinction must be made as to how the different armies are dealing with civilian populations. There has not been a single report of damage done to an Israeli army base, airport, power station, bus station, refinery or factory. With two exceptions, every Hezbollah rocket has been aimed at civilian targets. On the other hand, while Hezbollah operates from civilian areas, making it impossible to avoid civilians entirely, Israel has specifically targeted legitimate military objectives, and has leafleted areas prior to bombing, warning civilians to get out of harm’s way.”

All of these “on the ground” realities must be considered in determining a proportionate and morally acceptable response by both the Lebanese government and Israel to Hezbollah at this time. Therefore, Fair Witness strongly encourages the Lebanese Government to take immediate steps to dismantle the existing terrorist infrastructure of Hezbollah so that it cannot continue to threaten and imperil the entire region.

We encourage Israel to strive to attain its legitimate military objectives with no more force than necessary and to make every attempt to avoid collateral damage to civilian life and property. We also affirm that the Israeli Government has the right and the duty to protect its citizens, using force when necessary to counter the pattern of terrorism that threatens its people as well as the region’s hopes for security, stability and a lasting peace.

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