Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold of the Episcopal Church in the United States joined 32 other religious leaders in announcing a new effort to mobilize support in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. In letters to the U.S. president and members of Congress, the religious leaders called on the administration to make peace in the Middle East a high priority, warning that "if the Road Map (to Peace) is allowed to fail, Israelis and Palestinians will sink even deeper into cycles of violence, jeopardizing the prospect of a two-state solution, undermining the global campaign against terrorism, and threatening vital U.S. national security interests."