During January 19-21, the World Conference of Religions for Peace held an emergency consultation of Israeli and Palestinian religious youths in a Paris hotel.

With a desire to seek a peaceful resolution through interreligious dialogue, four Israeli and four Palestinian religious youth leaders, representing Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, met to discuss the causes of the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas.

This meeting came about through the cooperation of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel and Religions for Peace's Global Youth Network. Religions for Peace was represented by Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, assistant secretary-general, and Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, special advisor to the secretary-general for youth affairs and director of Rissho Kosei-kai's Youth Department.

At the same time, the International Youth Committee, a leading organization of the Global Youth Network, called for religious youth around the world to unite in praying and acting for an immediate ceasefire and lasting peace.

On the second day of the meeting, Rev. Matsumoto made a speech in which he praised the youth leaders' efforts for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He produced 1,643 letters from Japanese religious youth calling for peace in Gaza.

The meeting aroused public interest in France and was reported on radio and TV and in the newspapers.