The conflict over the status of Jerusalem is often cited as the most sensitive, central and emotive of the conflicts burdening the Middle East region as a whole. Apart from being home to two peoples, Israelis and Palestinians, Jerusalem is a city central to the faith of Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. There is no other city in the world that generates such intense emotions complicating any political negotiations over its future.

The WCC has repeatedly addressed the question of Jerusalem since 1948. Most recently in 1998, the WCC's Eighth Assembly in Harare adopted a statement on the Status of Jerusalem, in which the churches expressed their conviction on principles that should be taken into consideration in any final agreement on Jerusalem's future status and that provide the basis for a common ecumenical approach.

The Statement reaffirms earlier positions that "Jerusalem is a holy city for three monotheistic religions--Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- who share responsibility to cooperate to ensure that Jerusalem be a city open to the adherents of all three religions." It also notes that "Jerusalem must remain an open and inclusive city" and that it "must be a shared city in terms of sovereignty and citizenship".

The WCC's Central Committee meeting in September 1999, reiterated the WCC's conviction that "Jerusalem is central to the faith of Christians" and that Christians' have a responsibility to "pray and work for the peace of Jerusalem".