The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, is hosting a meeting of religious leaders from the Holy Land. Delegates from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities of the Holy Land will be at Lambeth Palace in London today and tomorrow for a meeting of the Permanent Committee for the Implementation of the Alexandria Declaration.

The two-day consultation comes out of a process which saw a major agreement signed in Alexandria in January this year. The First Alexandria Declaration came about as a result of Dr Carey's invitation to faith leaders to meet in Alexandria and the result was an historic, seven-point declaration which pledged them to use their religious and moral authority to work for an end to violence and the resumption of the peace process. It also envisaged the establishment of the Permanent Committee of leaders from the three religions in the Holy Land, to pursue the implementation of the declaration. The accord also calls on Israeli and Palestinian political leaders to implement the Mitchell and Tenet recommendations.

Permanent Committee for the Implementation of the Alexandria Declaration:

Palestinian:

• Dr Emil Jarjoui, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
• Dr Ramzi Khoury, General Director of the Palestinian President's Office
• Dr Ali El Samman, Adviser to the Grand Imam of al-Azhar al-Sharif
• Sheikh Tal El Sider, Minister for Religious Dialogue of the Palestinian Authority
• Sheikh Tasir Tamimi, Chief Justice of the Sharia Courts
• Dr Hamad Tamimi, Palestinian Adviser on Inter-Religious Dialogue
• Sheikh Mustafa Taweel, Mufti of Bethlehem

Jewish:

• Rabbi David Brodman, Rabbi of Savyon
• Rabbi Menachem Fromen, Rabbi of Tekoa
• Rabbi Michael Melchior, Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel
• Rabbi Yitzak Ralbag, Rabbi of Maalot Dafna
• Rabbi David Rosen, President of the World Conference on Religion and Peace
• Rabbi Beni Lehmann

Christian:

• Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem
• His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain (for Patriarch Irenaios)
• Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian (for Patriarch Torkom)
• Archbishop Boutros Mouallem, Greek Melkite Archbishop of Akka, Haifa, Nazareth and all Galilee
• HB Mgr Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
• Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Bishop in Jerusalem
• Metropolitan Mar Severius Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Vicar Patriarchal of Jerusalem and Jordan

The First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land

In the Name of God who is Almighty, Merciful and Compassionate, we, who have gathered as religious leaders from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, pray for true peace in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and declare our commitment to ending the violence and bloodshed that denies the right to life and dignity.

According to our faith traditions, killing innocents in the name of God is a desecration of his Holy Name, and defames religion in the world. The violence in the Holy Land is an evil which must be opposed by all people of good faith. We seek to live together as neighbours, respecting the integrity of each other's historical and religious inheritance. We call upon all to oppose incitement, hatred and the misrepresentation of the other.

1. The Holy Land is Holy to all three of our faiths. Therefore, followers of the divine religions must respect its sanctity, and bloodshed must not be allowed to pollute it. The sanctity and integrity of the Holy Places must be preserved, and freedom of religious worship must be ensured for all.
2. Palestinians and Israelis must respect the divinely ordained purposes of the Creator by whose grace they live in the same land that is called Holy.
3. We call on the political leaders of both parties to work for a just, secure and durable solution in the spirit of the words of the Almighty and the Prophets.
4. As a first step now, we call for a religiously sanctioned cease-fire, respected and observed on all sides, and for the implementation of the Mitchell and Tenet recommendations, including the lifting of restrictions and a return to negotiations.
5. We seek to help create an atmosphere where present and future generations will co-exist with mutual respect and trust in the other. We call on all to refrain from incitement and demonization, and to educate our future generations accordingly.
6. As religious leaders, we pledge ourselves to continue a joint quest for a just peace that leads to reconciliation in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, for the common good of all our peoples.
7. We announce the establishment of a permanent joint committee to carry out the recommendations of this declaration, and to engage with our respective political leadership accordingly.