The old city of Jerusalem. The US âPeace to prosperityâ planâs suggestion about the future situation of the capitals for Israel and Palestine is but one of the contested measures proposed. Photo: LWF/ A. Danielsson
International community to take “decisive action” against further annexation of Palestinian territory
(LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has signed on to a statement with a coalition of other non-government organizations, advocating against the “Peace to prosperity” plan for the Middle East which was announced by the US administration on 29 January 2020.
The statement by the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) calls to reject the recent US peace plan for Israel. AIDA is a coalition of 84 international non-government organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.
“Harmful impact” of “de facto annexation”
According to the statement, the US proposal “denies Palestinians’ fundamental rights and diminishes prospects for lasting peace.” The statement cautions that a unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory would “further exacerbate the risk of forcible transfer of Palestinian families and communities, entrench poverty, and hamper the provision of essential humanitarian assistance.”
AIDA calls upon the international community to take “decisive action, including employing all available lawful countermeasures” to “halt further annexation and severance of Palestinian territorial integrity and ensure rapid reversal of those measures announced or already implemented.”
The LWF is present in the region through The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, an LWF member church. LWF World Service runs the Augusta Victoria Hospital, a center of medical excellence in East Jerusalem, serving all 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. It offers specialized care not available in other hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza, including radiation therapy for cancer patients and pediatric hemodialysis. It also has vocational training centers in the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Beit Hanina.
