"We, faith leaders from the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, speak today with one voice, united in grief, compassion, and resolve in response to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said Ryhan Prasad, one of the three leaders, while reading the plea online, monitored from here on Tuesday.
The plea from the faith leaders was read out at a press conference held by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) in collaboration with the 1000 Abrahamic Circles Project, an interfaith peace initiative initiated by former Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, Dino Patti Djalal.
The three leaders who initiated the plea are Rabbi Elliot J. Baskin from Rabbi Association at Temple Emanuel, Denver, Colorado, USA; Alaa Elzokm, Imam at Elsedeaq Islamic Society, Melbourne, Australia; and Reverend Ryhan Prasad, Minister at Khandallah Presbyterian Church, Wellington, New Zealand.
In the plea, the three leaders stressed that amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they urged Israel to immediately implement a ceasefire and promote peace in the Palestinian enclave.
They stated that they could no longer remain silent in the face of the immense suffering experienced by the people of Gaza. "The loss of life, the destruction of homes, the cries of the wounded, and the anguish of the displaced demand our urgent attention and collective action," said the plea.
Therefore, they are committed to prioritizing a comprehensive approach to achieving peace and justice in Gaza, based on respect for human dignity, mutual understanding, and collaboration through prayer, dialogue, and concrete action.
Theologically, they believe that Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Palestine and Israel are each other's neighbors.
Therefore, acts of violence, the construction of illegal settlements, and the Israeli government's policies towards Gaza residents are considered to be contrary to the values of the three religions in treating others.
Not anti-Semitic
They also condemned Hamas's actions in holding hostages without adequate access to food or medical treatment. Therefore, they called for the release of the hostages and an immediate cessation of all forms of violence.
They emphasized that the main direction of the plea is addressed to Israel specifically because they are concerned that the faith of Judaism has become subservient to the power of the empire and is failing to follow God's call to love its neighbour.
The plea, they said, is not anti-Semitic, it is specific to Israel because it is addressing the role of Judaism and the actions of Israel's government and settlers, which do not line up with the claims of the Jewish faith to love neighbours.
They seek immediate action and a theological response to prevent the loss of any more civilian life.
"We claim that the level of violence and strategy used in this conflict by Israel is theologically indefensible to visit on a neighbor. The level of violence has escalated beyond any reasonable claims of self-defense to the point where many in the world are using the term genocide," the plea said.
Therefore, they urged Israel to open unhindered access for the distribution of international aid to Gaza.
They also called on Israel to immediately implement a sustainable ceasefire to stop the killings and protect all civilians without discrimination.
"We seek Israel to action an immediate and sustained ceasefire to end the killing and protect all civilians without distinction. We seek Israel to cease all actions that continue to destroy or impede the infrastructure needed for the Palestinian People's Society to function," said the plea.
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Translator: Katriana
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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