Israel/Palestine
The long-standing conflict in the Holy Land between Israel and the Palestinians has cost countless lives, destroyed homes and property, displaced millions of people and has reverberated around the world.
Learn More About...
- CRS' work in the Holy Land.
- The Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative and how it is promoting peace.
- Peace, conflict and our Catholic response by watching this brief video.
- CRS' priority policy issues for 2009-2010.
- CRS' advocacy work and how you can make a difference in the CRS newsletter, The Advocate.
- Who your elected officials are and how to contact them.
Take Action
- Pray for the people of the Holy Land. Organize a prayer service at your church with this guide.
- Visit the CRS Action Center for our latest action alerts.
- Join the CRS Advocacy Network to receive action alerts and information about our advocacy efforts.
- Join our advocacy webcasts. These monthly interactive sessions with our staff and partners are where you can learn about our priority issues, ask questions, and find out how you can be part of the solution to global problems.
- Be one in a million. Join the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative by CRS and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and help us reach our goal of reaching out to one million people.
- Give to CRS. Our work around the globe would not be possible without the generosity of our many supporters in the United States.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) strongly supports efforts to bring peace and stability to the region through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Campaign for Peace in the Holy Land that promotes understanding and support for a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. CRS and USCCB also collaborate with Churches for Middle East Peace, an ecumenical coalition on advocacy for peace in the Holy Land and supports the USCCB's work on the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative.
CRS Policy Position
CRS believes that the United States must provide immediate, persistent and determined diplomatic leadership toward the clear goal of a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, establishing a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. A two-state solution is supported by majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians as the best way to end this tragic conflict. However, there is now a special urgency because the window of opportunity for achieving the two-state solution is rapidly narrowing, and action must be taken immediately.
U.S. efforts must be sustained and include a commitment and specific actions to hold all parties accountable. Immediate concerns include assuring effective access to and reconstruction in Gaza, as well as an effective freeze on all settlement activity in the West Bank including East Jerusalem. All final status questions including borders and security arrangements, settlements, refugees, and Jerusalem can only be settled by negotiation. Any efforts by either side to predetermine the outcome of those negotiations are unacceptable—including continuing expansion of settlements, home demolitions, land confiscation and routing of the separation wall or security fence.
