Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, offered the following statement in reaction to the normalization of Israel and the United Arab Emirates relations, announced on August 13:
“On the announcement of normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it was gratifying to note that as part of this agreement, the State of Israel announced that it would suspend its efforts for annexation of disputed territory, a proposal not resulting from dialogue and agreement with the Palestinian authorities. The Catholic bishops of the United States have long held that both morally and as a basis for lasting peace, the two parties must negotiate directly and arrive at a fair compromise that respects the aspirations and needs of both peoples. As Catholic bishops, we join in this aspiration and know much work remains in the pursuit of peace in this region.
“As Pope Francis said during his historic visit to the UAE in 2019, ‘Dialogue, understanding and the widespread promotion of a culture of tolerance, acceptance of others and of living together peacefully would contribute significantly to reducing many economic, social, political and environmental problems that weigh so heavily on a large part of humanity…’
“It is our hope that this agreement will contribute to that peace.”
