TIFFIN, Ohio – Sister Paulette Schroeder, director of the Sisters of St. Francis’ Project Peace, has issued a statement and is circulating a petition on behalf of the people of Palestine as a response to the current situation in the Middle East.

“We are asking President Obama to conduct an investigation into this most recent escalation of conflict by the State of Israel,” Sister Paulette said. “Some of us who have lived in or traveled to the West Bank and to Gaza know there have been many instances of nonproportionate Israeli aggression on this small strip of land, which is a virtual prison to the Palestinians living there.”

Sister Paulette, who is a contributing writer for Toledo Faith & Values, spent three years in Hebron as a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

“I have a passion for the voices of the Gazans, which have been suppressed for so long. We are asking for accountability on both sides of this issue. We are asking for a guarantee of justice and human rights for all Palestinians and Israelis,” she said in the statement.