No Images? Click here MCC speaks out on Jerusalem. January 2018 Issue No. 65Quotation of the month
MCC speaks out on JerusalemOn December 6, U.S. President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, in defiance of a longstanding international consensus on Jerusalem as a place of significance for two peoples (Palestinians and Israelis) and three religions (Christians, Muslims and Jews). In Ottawa, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed that Canada would not follow the U.S. action, because Canada does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967. Moreover, she said, the status of Jerusalem must be “part of a general settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute.” On December 21, Canada abstained from a vote at the UN General Assembly to declare “null and void” the U.S. declaration. The vote passed 128-9 with 35 countries abstaining. MCC Canada wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau, expressing appreciation that his government had affirmed long-standing Canadian policy on Jerusalem. The letter urged the government to “play a more proactive role in supporting a comprehensive peace agreement and in speaking boldly and with clarity regarding actions that are counterproductive to this aim.” It also encouraged support for diplomatic efforts – including UN resolutions – that “seek to uphold international law and protect the rights, well-being, and dignity of the region’s peoples.” Read the letter. Canada hosts consultation on North KoreaOn January 16, Canada will host a special international consultation in Vancouver on North Korea. It is pitching the conference as a way to jump-start diplomatic talks between South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia and help to de-escalate the threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea. Similar six-party talks broke off in 2009. MCC provides material resources and agricultural assistance in North Korea and also facilitates the building of people-to-people connections, where that is possible. MCC Canada senior writer Julie Bell visited North Korea in November, delivering several hand-sewn bags of medical supplies, at the request of North Korean partners. She writes about the experience: “On this day, the hostilities and harsh rhetoric of current times are irrelevant. I think about the many references in the Bible to ‘do the work of God’s hands.’ The call to carry gifts of comfort and words of peace is the only truth that matters.” Read Julie Bell’s story.
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