A statement affirming Israel’s right to exist as a state but opposing “annexation by force” will be voted on tomorrow by the 100-member central committee of the World Council of Churches. Leaders of the Council, which represents 223 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches in more than 80 countries, were reported today as having agreed on such a statement. The Council was embroiled in bitter debate over the issue, when delegates from the Soviet Union and Arab countries sought a statement favoring the Arab position in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Commenting on the statement that was finally hammered out, an Arab spokesman said that although it did not go far enough in condemning Israel, it “expresses the Christian principles on which we can all agree and leaves the implementation to the politicians.”
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