Church leaders have urged the United States to intercede to prevent Israeli-Palestinian violence from spiralling out of control … Church leaders have urged the United States to intercede to prevent Israeli-Palestinian violence from spiralling out of control following the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip. “The United States, as Israel’s closest ally, must work closely with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz and insist that they restrain their military response and work with [Palestinian] President Abbas to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis,” said Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of 21 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant church organizations in the US.