The World Council of Churches has announced "the presence of Israel on the West Bank is an occupation and contradicts international law." Dr. Konrad Reiser, the Council's secretary general, set forth this body's position at a Moscow press conference on Wednesday.
According to him, "peace is possible only after the end to the occupation of Palestine." Reiser stressed that the Council's position was "neither anti-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian." He said that the Council adhered to the principle that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, just like any other one, could only be resolved within the framework of international law and UN Security Council resolutions. "They are the formal part of all the resolutions to end the conflict, but Israel had not fulfilled all the demands of the UN Security Council resolutions," Dr. Reiser said.
The World Council of Churches is a body of an ecumenical movement that is trying to find ways to restore unity within the Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church is a member of the Council.