We, the members of the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition, are saddened and alarmed by the ongoing sectarian violence in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank, especially the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza.
We recognize the tragic loss of life, the risk that the conflict will widen, and the trauma the conflict has caused to diaspora communities.
Therefore we, the members of the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition, call on all parties in the conflict to cease hostilities, to release all wrongfully detained individuals, and to provide humanitarian aid to those displaced by the conflict.
We call on the international community to pursue a just peace in the region, recognizing the basic human rights and right to self-determination for all peoples, and to cease or suspend the sale or supply of weapons to all combatants.*
We call on the international community to investigate crimes against humanity, including war crimes, genocide, and ethnic cleansing, committed by
nation-states, their irregular military and civilian proxies, and individuals.
We offer our prayers and meditations, each according to our own custom, for peace, healing, and justice, this day and always.