BICOM

Israel’s President yesterday hosted a meeting between senior Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders as they issued a joint call for peace and coexistence.

The meeting, which was held at President Reuven Rivlin’s residence in Jerusalem, was attended by figures including Israeli Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, and Palestinian Authority (PA) President of the Sharia Court and PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Islamic affairs advisor Sheikh Mahmoud Habbash, who led a delegation of Palestinian spiritual leaders.

A joint statement by the religious leaders said: “God created life and commanded life. Therefore, we denounce the killing of innocents or any kind of aggression against the other.”

It continued: “We believe the deliberate killing of or attempt to kill innocents is terrorism, whether it is committed by Muslims, Jews or others. In this spirit, we encourage all our people to work for a just peace, mutual respect… and the eradication of religious hatred.”

Rivlin addressed the participants, saying that “the meeting between us today is important and significant – perhaps the most important meeting that could be held during these days”. He explained that there is “a minority in all the faiths” which attempts to “convince the whole public – that war and violence are a commandment of God”.

Rivlin added: “We all know that the tensions between Jews and Muslims are difficult and far from simple, and specifically for that reason we insist to meet together here today. We must not allow this land to be once again a sacrifice of blood senselessly spilled.”

Yesterday’s meeting came at the initiative of two scholars of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Makowsky and David Pollock.

Makowsky said: “With all the stabbings and price tag [attacks] and other religiously motivated violence in the last year, there was a need for religious leaders to stand up.”

He added that organisers hope there will be a follow-up meeting in Ramallah with PA President Abbas.