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25 April 2002
President George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
WASHINGTON DC 20500
Dear President Bush,
The members of the one hundred four Meetings in four states that make up the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) approved the following minute of concern on April 25, 2002.
We are grateful that the American government is working to try to stop the bloodshed in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel. Amid frustrating circumstances, it is encouraging to see the State Department of the United States working positively to bring peace to this troubled region of the world.
Now we exhort our government to re-double its present efforts in this search for justice and peace. Furthermore, we hope that both sides of this conflict -- the Israelis and the Palestinians -- will be held fully accountable for their behavior which exacerbates tension in the region.
Quakers believe that there is that of God in every person and thus, we feel great concern for both the Palestinians and the Israelis. We ask our government to treat both sides with fairness and dignity. We also urge our government to refuse to supply weapons that may be used in the conflict.
At this moment all parties are living in fear. We, as a Yearly Meeting, are offering our aid and support to Ramallah Friends Meeting, the Quaker congregation located on the West Bank. We also encourage the Israeli peace movement.
We pray that our government can help the Israelis and Palestinians find a true and just peace and that our nation will be seen as a force for peace in the world. We believe that the world's problems cannot be solved with violence, but by people reaching out to and cooperating with each other.
Sincerely,
Christine Mahon, Clerk, Interim Meeting
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM