Kairos Palestine Statement on Syria Crisis
Karibu partner Kairos Palestine releases statement on the crisis in Syria, callinging upon churches, civil society organizations, and international networks to take a stand in opposition to the intended military intervention by the Obama administration which will not herald any just peace. The full statement can be found below.
Bethlehem, 2 September 2013Once again, the drums of war are sounding
in our region. Once again, the US is leading the campaign for this war,
this time on Syria. And once again, the US and some European and Arab
countries are justifying it in the name of democracy, human rights, and
humanity itself.
We have heard all this before… Many American and
European-led wars have been waged in these lands, and are still being
waged, under the same pretexts. All of these wars have failed to bring
about peace, security, and democracy. On the contrary: they have sowed
political and social instability and encouraged more extreme movements
to flourish and expand their reach.
The anticipated but dreaded war
on Syria, being justified on the grounds that the Syrian regime has used
chemical weapons, will only intensify the suffering of the Syrian
people. Kairos Palestine that stands against injustice is horrified by
and concerned about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, as we await
the UN investigation committee’s conclusions on the perpetrators of this
crime. However, we are certain that any military response will merely
escalate the situation and increase civilian disaster?
We must
remember the tragedy of Iraq and the war launched against it in 2003.
The US initiated this war under the pretext that the Iraqi regime
possessed weapons of mass destruction – which, as former US Secretary of
State Colin Powell has since admitted, was utterly false, and was used
to justify the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the occupation of Iraq.
The ensuing war killed, injured and displaced millions of Iraqis. More
than a million Iraqi Christians left the country. From all perspectives,
the tragedy is far from over.
If the US, in conjunction with any or
several European countries, proceeds to fight this war, it will be no
better than NATO’s intervention in Libya: an intervention that destroyed
state infrastructure and helped unleash a civil war, the full
consequences of which are still inconclusive for Libya and the region as
a whole. We cannot see how a military assault on Syria – a nation
already heavily fragmented and besieged by violence – will bring about
anything different. Indeed, war will only worsen their plight. US
President Barak Obama has cynically described the intended assault as
“surgical strikes,” but recent history proves this concept to be
impossible. Calamities spiral out of control as soon as the missiles are
fired and we fear the repercussions that will affect the whole region
and even further.
The people of Syria deserve better, safer and more
just lives based on more respect for their human rights – but these must
be brought about, by Syrians themselves, within their own context.
External intervention will cause further destruction and push the Syrian
people further into relentless civil war
Kairos Palestine condemns
the calls for war, and we urge countries around the world – whether
Western states or regional ones – to help Syria maintain itself, broker
peace among all Syrian parties involved, and stop supporting any armed
groups entering from outside the country.
We call upon churches
worldwide, as well as other civil society organizations and networks, to
take a stand in opposition to this intended war which will not herald
any just peace.
We commend the UK House of Commons’ decision to
refuse participation in the possible war on Syria, and we urge the US
Congress to do the same.
We all face, today, a way that is blocked and a future that promises only woe
(A
moment of truth 5:1), so let us continue to act in concord with God and
God’s will building, resisting evil and bringing closer the day of
justice and peace.
Kairos Palestine
Posted by Karibu Foundation - Last updated 09.09.2013