The process began when George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, was asked by then Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to try to convene a dialogue of religious leaders.
Leaders at this conference included: Iman Shaker Elsayed, former imam of the Islamic Center of Washington, Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Bishop Allen Bartlett, assisting bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Imam Yayha Hendi, Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University, Rabbi Scott M. Sperling, regional director of the Mid- Atlantic Council, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Fr.
The main issue the Arab world had with the Alexandria Declaration and the Greater Middle East Initiative was the forcing of sovereign countries to reform despite the continued Palestinian conflict.
[9] Later, former Christian and Muslim extremist militants in Nigeria, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa adapted the ideals of the Alexandria process to their own peacebuilding efforts, which placed an emphasis on tolerance, mercy, and pluralism.
This meeting was characterized by the involvement of typically "mainstream" religious leaders including Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau and co-founder of Hamas' military wing, Sheikh Imad Falouji.
The declaration resulting from the collaboration of these approximately twenty Muslim, Jewish, and Christian religious leaders emphasized the "sanctity of life", and that both Israeli and Palestinian peoples had a right to live with dignity.