Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing it. (Hillel)
The Women of Reform Judaism in Assembly, this 3rd day of December 1995, welcomes the peace agreement initialed in Dayton, Ohio, by the leaders of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia after almost four years of hostilities which left a quarter of a million dead, millions driven from their homes and countless victims of rape and torture. We look forward to the signing of the Peace Agreement in Paris later this month.
We understand that peacekeeping is a major component in reaching a lasting peace in this region where there has been deep enmity and distrust. Through its world leadership role the United States was able against great odds to bring the warring parties to the peace table. We believe this same leadership is required in the peacekeeping effort. Two times in this century regional conflicts in Europe escalated into world wars with cataclysmic results. This must not happen again.
Deployment of 20,000 United States troops as part of the NATO peacekeeping forces under the conditions outlined by the United States administration is an essential step toward a lasting peace.