The following is a true copy of a Resolution adopted by the Executive Council at its meeting on March 2 – 4, 2007 in Portland, Oregon, at which a quorum was present and voting.

Resolved, the Executive Council, meeting in Portland, Oregon, March 2-4, expresses its continuing deep concern for the situation in the Middle East, including increased regional tensions, the escalating violence in Iraq, the lack of progress on the vision of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and instability in Lebanon and therefore,  the Council:

• is encouraged by the announcement of Secretary of State Rice that the United States will participate in international meetings sponsored by the Government of Iraq that will include Syria and Iran,

• opposes U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran and urges regional diplomacy, including both Iran and Syria in bilateral relations, and asks that the U.S. Government refrain from actions that could undermine efforts to constructively engage Iran,

• encourages strengthening U.S. ties in the region with civil society such as academia, non-governmental organizations, the media, and religious groups as important steps toward building relationships and improving the goodwill once enjoyed by the US around the world, and commends the recent ecumenical delegation to Iran, which included the Episcopal Church’s Director of Government Relations, and endorses its conclusions calling upon the two governments to immediately engage in direct face-to-face talks, cease using language that defines the other using "enemy" images, and promote more people to people exchanges including religious leaders, members of Parliament/Congress, and civil society,

• acknowledges that the Church already has said that military action has not and will not resolve the conflicts in the region,  encourages the U.S. government, in consultation with leaders in Iraq and in its neighboring countries,  to set and announce a deadline for full military disengagement, recognizing the sacrifice of U.S. forces in Iraq and the suffering of the Iraqi people,

• believes that peace between Israelis and Palestinians is central to the search for peace in the region, and therefore urgently draws attention to existing Church policy that encourages the U.S. Government to pursue evenhandedly  a two-state solution with other international partners that ends the occupation,

• provides full recognition of Israel and Palestine by the nations of the world as well as security for both, with a shared    Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and Palestine. 
  

Explanation:  The Episcopal Church has long been engaged in promoting a just peace for both Israel and Palestine.  The peace process has been made more difficult in recent years by increased violence between Israelis and Palestinians, war in Iraq, increased tensions between the United States and Iran and Syria, and instability in Lebanon in the aftermath of the war between Israel and Hezbollah.  This resolution gives broad parameters upon which the Church, especially the Office of Government Relations, can advocate for humane policies that respect the dignity of all people.

The Rev. Dr. Gregory S. Straub

Secretary of the Executive Council and
The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America