It is our moral responsibility as a people of faith and conscience to speak out against war and violence wherever it occurs.

We denounce the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, and condemn violence against Israeli citizens.

We demand that Israel cease immediately its greatly disproportionate military operations in Gaza which impose collective punishment on 1.3 million residents of Gaza. As a result, innocent civilians in Gaza are being killed. The population is, being deprived of electricity, water, food and medical care. The United Nations has stated that Gaza faces a humanitarian catastrophe.

The disparity of power between the Israeli armed forces with all of its superior military technology with the financial support of the United States used against overwhelmingly unarmed Palestinian civilians and the Gaza infrastructure contributes to the further instability of the Middle East.

We also demand the cessation of the invasion of Lebanon and the targeting of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians and civilian infrastructure in violation of the US Export Control Act and the Geneva Conventions.

Religious communities must stop blessing war and violence everywhere. To remain silent is to give legitimacy to this intolerable situation.