World Council of Churches leader urged end to violence

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, met the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank, yesterday.

According to Religion Media Center he urged an end to the “seemingly endless cycle of violence and suffering.”

He is on a six-day visit to the region, meeting many religious and political leaders, including Israel’s president Isaac Herzog.

President Abbas briefed the WCC delegation on the latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank and stressed the immediate urgency for a ceasefire and an end to attacks on Islamic and Christian sanctuaries. Dr Pillay, from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, underlined the need for international and local partners to find a way to stop the war in Gaza.

President Abbas affirmed that his government is prepared to participate in dialogue with the Israeli government to establish a peaceful and stable future for all people.