A national group of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim clergy and leaders of religious organizations met today with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The group, under the banner of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East, is urging our government to take a more consistent, high-level stand regarding peacemaking in the Middle East. Signatories of a joint statement issued by the group include JRF Executive Vice President, Carl A. Sheingold and RRA past president Rabbi Amy Small--a member of the group’s steering committee, along with leaders from the Conservative movement and top Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim clerics.

Today's meeting was a result of a letter issued by the group last month describing a Palestinian-Israeli cease-fire as presenting new hope: “Whatever develops in terms of a possible change of course for U.S. policy in Iraq,” the letter said, “we believe a commitment by the administration, with the support of Congress, to actively re-engage in pursuing Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace is essential and will have positive reverberations in the region and around the world.” The statement, "Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace: From Crisis to Hope," is attached to this story.