Support a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, Quakers and others tell world governments

Quakers and other religious leaders have condemned governments for their complicity in continued violence through their opposition to a ceasefire.

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Quakers and other religious leaders have condemned governments for their complicity in continued violence through their opposition to a ceasefire, photo credit: EAPPI

In a joint letter delivered to governments around the world, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, faith leaders called on governments to do all they can to stop all violence from Hamas and Israel.

“We are deeply grieved by the complicity of the United States and several other Western countries in the continued violence through efforts to actively oppose a ceasefire, including by vetoing multiple United Nations Resolutions," the letter reads.

[QUOTE-START]

Even the loss of one more life is one too many

- signatories

[QUOTE-END]

Governments should work for the safe release of civilian hostages still held in Gaza and immediate access for humanitarian aid, they said, and advocate for a just and durable resolution to the crisis.

Faiths including the Church of England and the United Methodist Church recorded their horror and sadness and joined in grief for the Israelis and Palestinians mourning loved ones.

“Even the loss of one more life is one too many," the signatories write. “We write as religious leaders to say enough is enough."

“Without an agreed upon end to violence from all parties - there is no path forward."

Faith leaders including Paul Parker, Quakers in Britain recording clerk, condemned the recent rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism around the world.

They acknowledged “the profound and existential grief experienced as a result of the actions of Hamas on October 7 as a tragedy for Jewish people in Israel and around the world."

And “our broken hearts weep as we hear of Palestinian babies in Gaza dying and of the thousands of children who have lost their lives."

The escalation of war cannot be adequately understood without acknowledging the conflict's broader backdrop, they said.

This includes: “ongoing Israeli occupation and the disenfranchisement of Palestinians for more than 70 years."

Read full letter here