At least the churches agree on a plan

The chorus of appeals from the Christian world for peace in the Middle East, from Lebanon to Israel and Gaza, is growing louder and louder.

The World Council of Churches issued “A Call to End the Violence” today, reports AsiaNews.

In their statement, they warn that “[s]uch acts will lead to even deeper hatred between the parties than that which has fuelled the current violence”.

It goes further saying: “We abhor the untold human costs of this conflict, especially its impact on innocent people”. And “[i]n the face of tragedy of such magnitude, we affirm that God calls us to do justice, reconcile with our enemies, and live together in peace.”
Speaking about the tragic fate of the Palestinian people, the ecumenical leaders “call upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza. [. . .] The devastation of the infrastructure of Gaza brings added hardship to people who already have nothing.”

One thing I’ve noticed in most of the reporting on the war is that while scenes of destruction are covered thoroughly, the “face of tragedy” of the people is not there. Because this war is between Israel and Hezbollah, the IDF is bombing their location — Lebanon. There are a lot of innocent people caught up in this whole thing on all sides, but great numbers of them are the innocents of Lebanon.