David Austin was the Executive Director for a quiet diplomatic initiative of the US State Department, led by Ambassador Tony Hall and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from 2007 – 2009 to the Middle East. For the first time, they brought together the politically recognized religious leaders of the Holy Land to acknowledge and publicly support the peace process. Including the Chief Rabbis of Israel, the Christian Patriarchs of Jerusalem, and the Chief Justice of the Shari’a Courts of Palestine, this interfaith initiative produced a framework to settle the status of Jerusalem and other sensitive issues which have evaded the political negotiators. During Mr. Austin’s 13 trips to the Holy Land from 2007 – 2009, he met routinely with the established political leaders engaged in the conflict; the various religious leaders involved in ministering to and protecting their communities; and hundreds of people working for peace at the grass roots level on all sides of the many issues involved in this difficult struggle. From these relationships and experiences, he acquired a deeper understanding that peace is possible in the Holy Land, and that most people living there know what it will take to achieve it.
The Institute for Cultural Engagement, an official program of Multnomah University and Biblical Seminary