Among Ateek allies are the Lutheran Bishop of Jordan and the Holy Land, Dr. Munib Younan, Lutheran Pastor and Director of the International Center in Bethlehem Mitri Renab, the father son team of Egyptian born clerics Rev. Victor Makari, co-ordinator of Middle East-Interfaith Ecumenical Relations of the Presbyterian Church USA and Dr. Peter Makari, Middle East and Europe Secretary, Common Global Ministries, United Church of Christ (UCC). The Rev. Victor Makari was instrumental in advising the Presbyterian USA leadership in 2004 in adopting the group's Israel divestment resolutions. Dr. Peter Makari was prominent in the UCC synod this summer in Atlanta advising on adoption of their Israel divestment resolutions.

Lutheran Bishop Younan addressed the delegates to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ECLA)General Assembly by phone before adoption of the group's watered down anti-Israel security fence resolution "Peace Not Walls". I attended the ECLA general assenbly with Dexter Van Zile and other members of the David project team in August in Orlando.

To get some idea of the extremist sentiments of Lutheran Bishop Younan witness this quote from his talk at the Bethany Award given him by the Bethany Foundation for engaging in interfaith dialogue among Christians, Jews and Muslims in Oslo in 2004:

"Many visitors of Oslo-from the church of hope- raise the question: Why do Palestinians fight the Jews who returned to their homeland promised by God? Pastor Munib Younan answered the question during a discussion panel saying:

This promise is in the Old Testament, which was added to the gospel in a latter period of time, we as Middle Eastern Christians do not recognize this promise, as we don't see nor believe God would give such a promise in order to expel people from their land to grant it to others, as one of the attributes of God is justice"

The Sabeel "road show" includes stops in Denver and San Francisco before a World Council of Churches convocation with Sabeel on Israel divestment involving pro-Palestinian Christian clerics and lay people in Toronto on October 26th and 27th.

How extreme is Sabeel?
A recent Israel mission composed of mainstream Christian groups including the Baptists, Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ and sponsored by major American Jewish Groups composed of the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League and JCPA went to Israel and several west bank PA communities and met with Canon Ateek on September 26th. According to Dexter Van Zile of the Judeo Christian Alliance of the Boston-based David project, Rabbi Eugene Korn who represented the American Jewish Congress at the session reported that Canon Ateek said:

"Israel never should have been established in the Holy Land, but instead in Germany following World War II because that's where the Holocaust took place."

The Coalition of Responsible Peace for the Middle East composed of activist groups StandWithUs, Judeo Christian Alliance of the David Project, American Jewish Congress and CAMERA-the Middle East media monitoring group is in Chicago monitoring the Sabeel kickoff session in North America and issued the following news release regarding Mayor Richard M. Daley's letter of welcome for the extremist Sabeel meetings.

Sabeel welcoming letter of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley,
October 7, 2005

As mayor and on behalf of the City of Chicago, it is my pleasure to extend my warmest greetings to all those attending the Chicago Sabeel Conference at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

With a theme of "JERUSALEM: will justice and peace embrace?", this conference gathers Christians of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, as well as Muslims, Jews and secular persons, to explore and affirm a shared commitment to justice and peace through nonviolence in Palestine and Israel. Noted speakers, analysts, activists, scholars, artists and theologians from the United States, Israel and Palestine will discuss the progress and continuing problems in achieving peace in the region.

I hope this conference and reflections on co-existence and understanding will inspire a more tolerant and peaceful environment in the Middle East. Please accept my best wishes for a productive, enjoyable and memorable event.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Daley

News Release: Coalition for a responsible Peace in the Middle East, Chicago, October 7, 2005

Mayor Daley Mistakenly Welcomes Extremist Conference to Chicago

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley mistakenly welcomed a Palestinian nationalist group whose leader denies Israel's right to exist in the Holy Land by sending greetings to a Sabeel conference at the Lutheran School of Theology held this weekend.

"Sabeel masquerades as a peace group, but its founder, Anglican Canon Naim Ateek, has portrayed Israel as a baby- and Christ killing nation that blocks the political salvation of the Middle East," says Dexter Van Zile, Christian outreach director of the David Project and member of the United Church of Christ. "He has also denied the Jews' right to live in the Holy Land and encouraged his Muslim countrymen to fight the Israelis during the Second Intifada. This is not the language of peace."

Nevertheless, Daley welcomed the group to Chicago and praised its "commitment to justice and peace through non-violence."

"This is an unfortunate mistake," says Roz Rothstein, executive director of StandWithUs. "Sabeel should be marginalized as an extremist group that represents an obstacle to peace by demonizing Israel."

During the first few hours of the conference, speakers called for an economic boycott of Israeli products and accused Israel of ethnic cleansing. George Rishmawi said Israel used muscle-weakening gas on Palestinians and of collecting the canisters to prevent activists from learning the gas' chemical composition. He also suggested the gas was manufactured in the U.S.

"These speakers in no way reflect Mayor Daley's commitment to coexistence and understanding and the creation of a more tolerant and peaceful environment in the Middle East," says Gary Ratner, executive director, Western Region, American Jewish Congress.

Ateek's imagery prompted the Lutheran Theological Seminary to back away from a previous commitment to co-sponsor the Sabeel conference. The school did live up to its commitment to make facilities available for the event, which will last until Saturday night.

Leaders from the American Jewish Congress, StandWithUs and the David Project Center for Jewish Leadership are attending the conference as part of the Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East.