WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 (WAFA) - Nearly two dozen U.S. church and church-related organizations are pressing for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict at a conference beginning on Sunday.

Representatives of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Unite Methodist Church among others are gathering for the annual advocacy conference sponsored by Christians for Middle East Peace (CMEP).

The theme of the April 20-22 conference in Washington, D.C., is “Calming the Storm: Middle East Peacemaking in a Turbulent Time.”

'The Annapolis peace process now underway deserves robust support from the U.S. Congress,' said Warren Clark, CMEP's executive director, in a statement.

'The achievement of a two-state peace agreement will be an important step towards durable peace with security for Israel and will help build a positive future for all the people of the Holy Land, including the now rapidly declining Palestinian Christian community.'

Participants include church members and clergy from around the country, high-level Christian leaders, policy experts and government officials. Workshops will cover a range of topics including Evangelical peacemakers, Palestinian Christians, and Iran-Israel-U.S. relations.

'We are pleased to host this important gathering,' CMEP’s Clark said. 'This is a crucial time for peacemaking in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”

Prior to this weekend’s meeting of U.S. church leaders in Washington, former President Jimmy Carter was also engaged in meetings to try to work on a peace agreement.