Please Consider:

National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for
Peace in the Middle East

PRINCIPLES OF COOPERATION

The National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East (NILI) adopted these Principles of Cooperation at the time of its founding in 2003. The primary purpose of the Principles is to build a well-informed, broad and active interreligious constituency that urges the Administration and Congress to support active, fair, and firm U.S. leadership for comprehensive, just, and lasting Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace. 

Adopted December 2003

• We are American Jews, Christians and Muslims who believe working together for Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace reflects fundamental teachings in our religious traditions.
• Recognizing and appreciating the deep, precious bonds many of us have with different sides
  of this conflict and how these bonds sometimes cause us to have different and conflicting viewpoints, we believe our areas of agreement are more important than our disagreements,
  and we commit ourselves to work together conscientiously and sensitively to emphasize our common agenda for peace.
• Echoing the Alexandria Declaration by Middle Eastern Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders based on core teachings in all three of our religious traditions, we unequivocally condemn killing of innocents and call for an end to all acts of violence. What each side needs most – recognition and real security for Israelis and an end of occupation and a viable state for Palestinians – cannot be achieved by violence but only by negotiations.
• We support the creation of a viable, independent, democratic Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, with peace and security for both peoples.
• We are encouraged by many Israelis and Palestinians who are working together for peace, and we believe that civil society projects such as the Geneva Accord, the People’s Voice and One Voice, as well as earlier official Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese negotiations provide benchmark principles and ideas for peace agreements which could be acceptable by majorities on both sides.
• We support U.S. leadership for peace, coordinated with the European Union, the Russian Federation and the U.N. Secretary General, and consistent with U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242, 338 and 1397 (supporting a two-state solution). We believe active, determined U.S. leadership in pursuing negotiations and effective public monitoring are essential to achieving progress toward peace.
• We join together to learn from each other and to work for active, fair and firm U.S. efforts to help Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states achieve peace. We seek by our prayers and active working together to build bridges in our communities and broad, public interreligious cooperation and action for peace.

Please feel free to copy and distribute this material, using the citation: From The National Interreligious Initiative For Peace In The Middle East