Bishop: U.S. should play role in restarting Israeli-Palestinian talks

Published: 2007-09-04

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The United States has a responsibility to play a vital role in restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' international policy committee. "We have a certain responsibility. By not being engaged at this level it will certainly involve us in ways we do not want to be involved in (later)," said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla. "There needs to be a negotiated solution. "The status quo is not tenable," he said. "The two partners are not on equal strength ... and the USA has to prevail on Israel to negotiate in good faith and not take advantage of the Palestinian weakness." He said the U.S. bishops' conference needs to encourage both sides to negotiate and to reach a workable solution in which East Jerusalem still has a role in Palestinian society. East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians say the city should be the capital of a future Palestine. Bishop Wenski's five-day visit, which began Aug. 29, was hosted by the U.S. bishops' international relief and development agency, Catholic Relief Services.

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