The Archbishop of Canterbury has sent a message to President Yassir Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu saying he was "deeply troubled by the sudden upsurge of violence in the Holy Land" and appealing to them "to bring an end to this suffering" and to recognise "the real danger of the present conflict".

The Churches of the Anglican Communion have been asked today to offer special prayers for the Palestinian Christians in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. The Revd Canon John L. Peterson, Secretary General, called upon the church "to be responsive to the dire circumstances that our fellow Anglicans now face - the violence, killing, and degradation" and to have prayers offered in all our churches for a lasting peace. The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East is one of the 36 Provinces of the Anglican Communion.

The Episcopal Bishops of Jerusalem have issued a strong statement deploring the "ugly scenes of brutality, bloodshed and unnecessary loss of life in the wake of the present Israeli Government's refusal to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority and move towards complete implementation of the Oslo Accords". They say the violence "must stop now". Speaking of Jerusalem, Bishops Samir Kafity and Riah Abu el Assal say that there can not be peace and justice "until unilateral claims to the city sacred to all three faith communities are given up".

"Recent actions by Israel have inflamed passions not seen since the intifada", said the Most Revd Edmond L. Browning, Primate of the Episcopal Church USA in a statement issued in New York. The Presiding Bishop expressed "grief for all those who have died or been wounded in the current violence....the victims are on both sides." The American prelate called on the United States Government, as the principal sponsor of the peace talks, to "assure both parties that the future of Jerusalem must be negotiated between the two sides".

The Dean of Jerusalem, the Very Revd John Tidy, echoed Canon Peterson's call for universal concern on the part of church members asking Anglicans "to join with us in prayer for all the victims of the violence, for a return to dialogue, and for reconciliation and a just peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land".

The critical situation in Jerusalem will be on the agenda of the forthcoming International Anglican Consultative Council, beginning next week in Panama.

From the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion

To the Member Churches of the Anglican Communion:

"Once again our sisters and brothers in a Province of the Anglican Communion are facing the worst possible scenario with renewed conflict and violence in the Middle East. I call the churches of our global family to prayer for justice for the people of the Holy Land. The scenes of bloodshed and devastation continually flash on our television screens and appear in the newspapers. I ask our churches to be responsive in any way possible to the dire circumstances that our fellow Anglicans now face - the violence, killing, and degradation. Let us pray for a lasting peace. May peace come to the Holy City Jerusalem and the claims of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam be respected by all."

The Revd Canon John L. Peterson