VISITING AN ISRAEL AT WAR: Jan-Aage Torp together with Erik Selle in Jerusalem in March this year. Photo: Oslokirken

The Israeli military escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon for over a week is unfortunately absolutely necessary if there is to be a real and stable peace, says pastor Jan-Aage Torp.

He is concerned with peace work and reconciliation, but emphasizes that it was the UN that was responsible for keeping the demilitarized zone free of terrorists.

- The UN was supposed to keep the zone free of rockets, but when they don't do their job, Israel has to clean up. The Israeli military escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon for over a week is absolutely necessary, if there is to be a real and stable peace, and for tens of thousands of Israelis to dare to move home to Northern Israel after a year of daily shelling from Southern Lebanon, says pastor Jan-Aage Torp to Norge Idag.

- Isn't it important to work to achieve peace between Hezbollah and Israel?

- This is a just war on Israel's part, emphasizes Torp.

- During the Lebanon war in July-August 2006, which lasted 34 days, Israel's objectives of stopping Hezbollah's constant shelling of Northern Israel were not achieved. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was a weak leader, and bowed to international pressure.

Security buffer

WORKING FOR PEACE: Jan-Aage Torp is a peace ambassador for the UN-recognised Universal Peace Council. Photo: Oslokirken

The UN-led peace agreement was supposed to ensure that Hezbollah had to stay outside a zone from the Litani River in Lebanon, so that it became a security buffer for Israel.

- The UNIFIL peacekeeping force from the UN included soldiers from Norway. Among others, Erik Selle was there for a few months to watch over this zone, says Torp.

As a favor to a friend, he substituted - in addition to his own pastoral work in Oslo - as pastor for Erik Selle´s local church in Bærum, in the fall of 2006 so that he could participate in the UNIFIL force.

- It impressed me that Erik was so motivated to bring security to Northern Israel by being part of UNIFIL, recalls Torp.

- But it obviously helped so little, because the UN never decisively cracked down on Hezbollah's violation of the peace agreement. After just one day, Hezbollah showed that they would not respect this peace agreement, and therefore the shelling of Northern Israel has continued for a full 18 years.

Builds relationships

As a pastor, Torp is involved in work with peace solutions that may have significance in the aftermath of the war. Among other things, over the course of a couple of years he has built a relationship with Lebanese politicians who want an end to Hezbollah's power in Lebanese society.

- There is no doubt that there are strong forces in Lebanon's parliament and in the population who want to return to the good times of peace with Israel. After all, Lebanon was built from the ground up as a complex state formation where Christians and Muslims live well together, side by side, says pastor Torp.

- The fact that my wife Aina and I are particularly concerned with the border areas between Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon is also due to the fact that we have friendly relations with Druze on both sides of the border, says Torp, who this year was appointed peace ambassador by the UN-recognised Universal Peace Council, which is chaired by the world leader of the Druze, Sheikh Kasem Bader.

The latter himself lives in Israel, specifically in Northern Galilee, and has not been able to visit his cousins ​​on the Lebanese side of the border for many years.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Pastor Jan-Aage Torp and Saudi Arabia's ambassador Khaled Alsharif during the celebration of the Saudi kingdom's 94th anniversary on Monday. Photo: Saudi Arabia's embassy in Oslo

The pastor couple Aina and Jan-Aage Torp also work in Oslo for peace in the Middle East, not least among the ambassadors. For the fourth year in a row, this week they were invited by Ambassador Khaled Alsharif to the celebration of Saudi Arabia's 94th anniversary as a state.

- Many of them treat us as «family», and that makes an impression on us, states Oslokirken's pastor and UPC peace ambassador Jan-Aage Torp.