Church Response

 

 

Christian leaders laud Obama's Middle East peace talks

 

PC(USA)'s Parsons joins Churches for Middle East Peace in statement

 

September 1, 2010
http://www.pcusa.org/news/2010/9/1/christian-leaders-laud-obamas-middle-east-peace-ta/

 

Presbyterian News Service

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE

 

The Rev. Gradye Parsons, General Assembly stated clerk for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has joined nearly 30 other U.S. Christian leaders in welcoming the direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians being held this week in Washington.

 

In a letter to President Obama, the group — brought together by Churches for Middle East Peace, also noted the need for sustained U.S. cooperation with both parties if an agreement is to be reached and said the direct talks, backed by the U.S., provide a unique opportunity to resolve key issues that have been persistent barriers to peace.

 

"We are grateful for President Obama's tireless efforts for this hope," said Parsons. "The Presbyterian Church hopes that the talks will bring lasting peace for Israel and Palestine."

Added Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace: "This conflict continues to undermine the social, economic and spiritual fabric of the lives of all persons in the region, including Christians who have lived in the Holy Land since the earliest days of our faith. With majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians supporting a durable peace, it is incumbent on their political leaders and our own to do everything possible to help bring about a just peace."

 

The letter to Obama says, in part, "We fully support your goal of ending the occupation that began in 1967 and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace with a viable Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security. At the same time we have no illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead…Without your help it seems unlikely that an agreement can be reached."

 

The leaders' statement also committed to continue to work with the American Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities to support peace with justice in the Holy Land, and with Palestinians and Israelis to assure them of achieving both people’s aspirations for peace and security.

 

"The U.S. will need to empower both sides to take risks for peace and when necessary to make proposals to bridge remaining differences,” the letter states. “The United States must be clear that actions or words by either side in the coming year that undermine confidence in the negotiations, incite disrespect or prejudge the outcome of final status issues will not be tolerated."

 

The full text of the Christian leaders' letter to Obama, dated Aug. 30:

 

Dear Mr. President,

As leaders of American Christian faith communities deeply concerned with the need to end the long-standing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, we are pleased with the success of your diplomacy in bringing the Prime Minister of Israel and the President of the Palestinian Authority together in Washington September 1-2 to restart direct negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on final status issues within the coming year.  We fully support your goal of ending the occupation that began in 1967 and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace with a viable Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security.     

 

At the same time we have no illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead. Both sides hold deep convictions contrary to those held by the other.  Although many issues have been clarified in past negotiations, major compromises by both sides will be needed at considerable political risk and cost.  Without your help it seems unlikely that an agreement can be reached. Time is short.  If an agreement is not reached within the coming year, it may not be reachable at all. 

 

For that reason we call on you and your negotiating team to continue your vigilant efforts to help the parties find acceptable solutions.  We are heartened by the statement of Senator George Mitchell that he will remain closely involved in the negotiations.  The U.S. will need to empower both sides to take risks for peace and when necessary to make proposals to bridge remaining differences. The United States must be clear that actions or words by either side in the coming year that undermine confidence in the negotiations, incite disrespect or prejudge the outcome of final status issues will not be tolerated.  

 

In support of this effort, we pledge to maintain and expand our dialogue on this issue with American Jewish and Palestinian communities and to assure them of our steadfast support for achieving the aspirations of both Israel and the Palestinian people for peace and security. 

Mr. President, we are praying for you as you seek to bring God's justice and peace to a place torn by walls and weapons.  We are convinced that with your vigilant support this dream can be fulfilled, and the lives of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as U.S. national security interests, can be transformed for the better.

 

In addition to Parsons and Hubbard, signers of the letter were Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Orthodox Church; Jimmy R. Allen, New Baptist Covenant; Ray Bakke, Bakke Graduate University; the Rev. Geoffrey Black, United Church of Christ; Bishop Wayne Burkett,

Moravian Church in America; J. Ron Byler, Mennonite Central Committee U.S.; the Rev. Thomas Cassidy, Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men’s Institutes; the Rev. Tony Campolo, Eastern University.

 

Also, Marie Dennis, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; the Rev. David Emmanuel Goatley,

Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention; the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Reformed Church in America; the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Lynne Hybels,Willow Creek Community Church; the Rev. Larry Janezic, Franciscan Action Network; the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.

 

And, the Rev. A. Roy Medley, American Baptist Churches USA; the Rev. John L. McCullough,

Church World Service; Stanley J. Noffsinger, Church of the Brethren; Leonard Rogers, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding; Daniel A. Seeger, American Friends Service; Ronald  J. Sider, Evangelicals for Social Action; Stephen J. Thurston, National Baptist Convention of America; Joe Volk, Friends Committee on National Legislation; Jim Wallis, Sojourners; the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Bishop John F. White, African Methodist Episcopal Church

 

 

219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA
 

ACTIONS REGARDING THE MIDDLE EAST

http://oga.pcusa.org/ga219/pdf/middleease_final_FAQ.pdf

What did the Assembly do?
The General Assembly approved a comprehensive report on the Middle East – its first since 1997. The paper calls for:

An immediate cessation of all violence, whether perpetrated by Israelis or Palestinians;

The reaffirmation of Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation within secure and internationally recognized
borders;

The end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories;

An immediate freeze on the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and on the
Israeli acquisition of Palestinian land and buildings in East Jerusalem;

And many other steps toward peace in the region.

The General Assembly also approved the report of the Mission Responsibility through Investment (MRTI) committee, which:  Provides an update on all corporations that MRTI has engaged as a result of the 2004, 2006 and 2008 General
Assemblies;

Acknowledges that “Caterpillar has in many ways provided positive leadership to its community, its state, and the nation. It has donated considerable resources and equipment in support of local development and disaster relief at home and overseas. It has significantly improved workplace safety, acted aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and pursued environmental conservation within its production processes. In recognition of these accomplishments, Caterpillar has been listed for seven consecutive years in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index”;

Strongly denounces Caterpillar’s continued profitmaking from nonpeaceful uses of a number of its products on the basis of Christian principles and as a matter of social witness;

Calls upon Caterpillar to carefully review its involvement in obstacles to a just and lasting peace in Israel Palestine, and to take affirmative steps to end its complicity in the violation of human rights.

What does this mean?
Coming into the 219th General Assembly (2010), few thought that agreement on issues relating to the Middle East would be possible. Diverse perspectives divided Presbyterians from each other, and from the Jewish community. However, during the committee deliberations and again in the plenary session, through God’s grace, a place of broad consensus was found common ground for continued peacemaking work in Israel/Palestine.

The General Assembly rejected immediate divestment from Caterpillar in favor of continued corporate engagement with Caterpillar and other companies profiting from the sale and use of their products for non‐peaceful purposes and/or the violation of human rights.

What’s next?
A Monitoring Group for the Middle East will be formed to assist the appropriate General Assembly Mission Council offices and the Middle East staff team in monitoring progress and guiding actions to ensure adequate implementation of policy directions approved by this General Assembly. MRTI will continue to engage Caterpillar, and other companies, in relation to particular actions whereby the company profits from “non‐peaceful action” of their products.

Where can I find out more?
http://www.pcusa.org/middleeastpeace
http://www.pcusa.org/mrti

 

Methodist Church to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements

http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&ne...

The Methodist Church has today voted to boycott all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same.

The decision is a response to a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a growing number of Jewish organisations, both inside Israel and worldwide, and the World Council of Churches. A majority of governments recognise the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories as illegitimate under international law.

Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relationships, said, “This decision has not been taken lightly, but after months of research, careful consideration and finally, today’s debate at the Conference. The goal of the boycott is to put an end to the existing injustice. It reflects the challenge that settlements present to a lasting peace in the region.

“We are passionate about dialogue across communities and with people of all faiths. We remain deeply committed to our relationships with our brothers and sisters of other faiths, and we look to engage in active listening so that we act as agents of hope together.”

In December, Defra introduced new advice on labelling, recommending that packaging of products imported from the West Bank should distinguish between Palestinian areas and Israeli settlements.

The Conference also adopted a statement calling for a full arms embargo against all sides in the conflict. “This conflict is further fuelled by partisan support by other countries. Violence from all parties in this conflict must be denounced, and a just peace sought for all peoples living in the region,” said Christine.

The move to boycott is just one among a number of measures agreed by the Conference, which also include a commitment to regular and informed prayer for the needs of those in region. Methodists across Great Britain are also encouraged to visit the region, write to their MPs and engage in respectful dialogue with Jews and Muslims on this issue.

PRESS RELEASE

Mission Network Praises Presbyterian Call to Withdraw Military Aid to Israel
http://israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/index.php/component/conten...

Supports Palestinian Solidarity

MINNEAPOLIS, July 9--The 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) today approved a comprehensive report on Israel/Palestine, and other resolutions calling for the United States to withdraw military aid to Israel until it follows U.S. foreign assistance law and to embrace the United Nations Goldstone report.

The Middle East Study Committee Report is the first official statement of the PC (USA) on conditions in Palestine.

Carol Hylkema, Moderator of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) from the Presbytery of Detroit said, “This Assembly is the first time the voice of Palestinian Presbyterians, as well as Middle Eastern Christians, was given an intentional hearing within the process of deliberation.”

The GA also called upon the U.S. government to withdraw military assistance from the nation of Israel until such time that Israel complies with U.S. law in regard to using military equipment for the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

In addition, the General assembly called upon the U.S. government to embrace the U.N. Goldstone report regarding Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which documents human rights violations committed by all parties.

The IPMN was disappointed that the General Assembly did not set a deadline for divestment from Caterpillar, Inc., which provides the Israeli Defense Forces with machinery to sustain the occupation of Palestine. The network leadership was pleased, however, to see that the GA, in two separate measures, moved to denounce Caterpillar’s profiting from such activity.

The Middle East Study Committee Report includes all the church’s historic policies from 1948 to the present, as well as the plea from the Kairos Palestine: Moment of Truth document (2009) for solidarity from the leaders of every Palestinian Christian communion. The study report has not only been heard by the church’s highest governing body, but has now been commended to every Presbyterian congregation for use and study.

Passing the report in plenary required a consensus of Presbyterians with concerns about Israel/Palestine who do not necessarily agree with each other and yet understood that bringing security to Israel requires justice for Palestine.

The Reverend Will McGarvey, vice-moderator of the IPMN from the Presbytery of San Francisco said, “The Presbyterian Church is the first religious body to consider whether the policies of Israel meet the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, ratified by the U.N. in 1973.” In May 2010, the GAMC (the elected body that implements GA mandates) stated that the apartheid proposal “accurately describes many of the current policies, actions and laws of the Israeli government and their impact on Palestinians.” McGarvey continued, “While the apartheid overture gained a full hearing in the committee, the assembly was not ready to apply the term in order to maintain dialogue with the American Jewish community.”

Established by action of the 2004 General Assembly, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network encourages congregations and presbytery mission committees, task groups and other entities toward specific mission goals that will create currents of wider and deeper involvement with Israel/Palestine.

 

GA approves ‘Breaking Down the Walls’ report on Middle East
http://www.presbypeacefellowship.org/node/334
 

PC(USA) News Service

MINNEAPOLIS

The 219th General Assembly approved the recommendation of the Middle East Peacemaking Issues Committee on Friday regarding the report “Breaking Down the Walls,” which spotlights the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The full Assembly action followed a unanimous decision by the committee to accept an amended version of the report, which came to it from the GA Middle East Study Committee (MESC).

The was a lot of heat coming in regarding this report, Cindy Bolbach, Moderator of the 219th General Assembly, told members of the press gathered Friday. The committee worked hard to find an avenue on which the Assembly could agree, she said.

The action taken was “Presbyterians at our best,” said Bolbach.

The Assembly took its vote after hearing from committee moderator the Rev. Karen Dimon and various commissioners who rose to speak.

The committee was aware that the views of the church on this issue are diverse and passionate, Dimon told the Assembly. And the committee represented “a wide range of those views,” she added.

Yet I stand witness to “the Holy Spirit working in our committee,” said Dimon.

Among the amendments the committee made to the original MESC report were those calling for the Assembly to:

* Receive Part One of the MESC report, which contains eight individual letters to the ecumenical and interfaith community, Israelis, Palestinians and Americans, as rationale for recommendations only, not as policy.
* Reaffirm Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation within secure and internationally recognized borders.
* Authorize the creation of a seven-person monitoring group on the Middle East for the next two years. The group shall include at least one but no more than two members of the existing MESC.
* Commend for study the Kairos Palestine document (“A Moment of Truth”) and endorse the document’s emphases on hope for liberation, nonviolence, love of enemy and reconciliation. The Assembly lifts up for study the often-neglected voice of Palestinian Christians and directs the monitoring group for the Middle East to create a study guide for the document.
* Call on the Israeli and Egyptian governments to limit their blockade of Gaza to military equipment and devices and to guarantee adequate levels of food, medicine, building supplies and other humanitarian supplies and to allow free commercial exchange in and out of Gaza. The Assembly would call on the United States government to end support for the blockade that interferes with the adequacy or exchange of such items.
* Delete a majority of Part Three – study materials to be used by individuals, groups and churches for further study – and ask the monitoring group to replace it with eight comparable narratives arising from “authentically” Palestinian (Christian and Muslim) and Israeli perspectives that are pro-justice and pro-peace. The appendices in the MESC report would remain.

Elder Rick Ufford-Chase, Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004), spoke on the Assembly floor on behalf of eight former Moderators who celebrate the unanimous vote of the committee.

“God’s healing presence has been at work,” said Ufford-Chase, executive director of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.

Additionally, the General Assembly used the action taken on the MESC report as their answer to other related items of business. Those items:

* Call on the PC(USA) to defer from taking any positions or making policy statements on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
* Call for the recognition that Israel’s laws, policies and practices constitute apartheid against the Palestinian people. The committee added the comment: “While we are deeply concerned with the policies implemented by Israel in relation to the Palestinian territories and Palestinians under its jurisdiction, we believe that dialogue is hampered by words like ‘apartheid.’”

Also approved was the item seeking compliance to U.S. government policy in the use of military aid in Israel and Palestine.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNITED METHODISTS VOTE TO DIVEST FROM COMPANIES THAT BENEFIT FROM OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE

CONTACT: CONNIE BAKER, 630-363-7713
End the Occupation, Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church

ST. CHARLES, ILL. June 15, 2010 – At its annual conference, the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) of the United Methodist Church (UMC) voted to divest all holdings in three international corporations that profit from the occupation of Palestine. This action is in response to a plea by Palestinian Christians for action, not just words.

Divestment is a nonviolent form of economic protest long-used by churches and other shareholders to encourage companies to end unjust practices. By selling its investments in Caterpillar (CAT), General Electric (GE) and Terex (TEX), the NIC expresses its commitment to do no harm with its investments and affirms the call of the UMC Book of Discipline to "avoid investments that appear likely, directly or indirectly, to support violation of human rights” (Paragraph 716).

These three companies are among 20 targeted by many UMC conferences across the country because they (1) have a presence on occupied land, (2) are involved with the physical settlements, checkpoints and the separation wall, or (3) support activities of the Israeli military in the occupied territories.

Connie Baker from the End the Occupation Task Force of the Board of Church and Society which brought forth the resolution stated: “We are resolute in our support of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land and the rights of each to co-exist according to the principles set forth in the Geneva Conventions. It is a small step, but an important one.”

The conference will also send a list of the 20 identified companies to the nearly 400 local churches in Northern Illinois and encourage them to consider divestment from any corporations on the list.

For the list of targeted corporations, which was compiled by the New England Conference (UMC) Divestment Task Force, please see: http://www.neumc.org/pages/detail/375.
 

Presbyterian Church USA, report to the 219th General Assembly

A 179-page report of the Presbyterian Church Middle East Study Committee, "Breaking Down the Walls" will be under consideration at the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis July 3-10.  The report urges the U.S. to halt aid to Israel until the Israeli government ends the expansion of settlements in Palestinian territories, ceases its occupation of Gaza, and relocates "Israel's separation barrier" to spots outside of Palestinian territories.

"A just and lasting peace and security for the Palestinians is possible when the occupation has ended and Israel does not need to resort to military force to maintain its illegal land possession. If there were no occupation, there would be no Palestinian resistance. If there was no Palestinian resistance, Israelis could live in peace and security."

"We also call upon the various Palestinian political factions to negotiate a unified government prepared to recognize Israel's existence. We proclaim our alarm and dismay--both over the increasingly rapid exodus of Christians from Israel/Palestine caused by anti-Palestinian discrimination and oppression, the growth of Islamic and Jewish fundamentalism, and the occupation-related absence of economic opportunity; and also over the exodus of Christians from other parts of the region caused by various military, economic, religious, and cultural factors. And we oppose the government of Iran's nuclear ambitions, its sponsorship of international guerrilla warfare, and the threat these pose both to Israel and to Arab states."

Rev. Richard Toll, chair of Friends of Sabeel--North America, stated, "The Presbyterian Church in the United States has been a leader in confronting the issues of the illegal occupation of the Palestinian land by the state of Israel," Toll told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "It is important and timely ... that Presbyterians stand up for their previous resolutions and challenge other churches and all Americans to nonviolently resist the occupation."

For more information, visit these sites:

PCUSA MIddle East Study Committee: http://www.pcusa.org/middleeastpeace/

Breaking Down the Walls (full report): http://www.pcusa.org/middleeastpeace/pdf/middleeastpeace-fullreport.pdf
 

THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA

Join with Others to Protest Killing of Gaza Peace Activists
 

Take Action
Protest Killing of Peace Activists and Illegal Gaza Blockade

Faith groups call for new Israeli policies toward Gaza that include meeting human needs and ending the blockade

New York, June 3, 2010 -- The National Council of Churches and other faith groups have expressed alarm and concern over the Israeli action May 31 against an international flotilla on the high seas that led to the deaths of nine persons and the wounding of many others.

"The National Council of Churches has strongly supported Israel's right to exist with peace and security, but this attack on an aid convoy contributes to neither," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary. "In fact, it undermines Israel's standing in the community of nations."

Click here to continue reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ISRAEL PALESTINE MISSION NETWORK STATEMENT ON THE GAZA-BOUND "FREEDOM FLOTILLA"

The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) stands in strong support of the ”Freedom Flotilla” which was attacked by Israeli Defense Forces in international waters on May 31, 2010. We express our sympathy for the loss of life and hold those who were killed and injured and their families in prayer. We commend the people of the flotilla for taking on the delivery of aid in a show of non-violent solidarity with the suffering people of Gaza and deeply regret that a military action by the Israeli Defense Forces has resulted in violence and loss of life. We call on our church leadership and the Obama administration to insist on a full and complete investigation, carried out by non-military officials.

The Freedom Flotilla, composed of over 600 citizens from 50 countries, including the United States, was on a mission to deliver humanitarian relief supplies to the civilian population of Gaza who number more than 1.5 million. Gazans have been living under a severe blockade imposed for almost three years and the flotilla aid was considered a crucial delivery of 10,000 tons of food and medicine as well as building supplies for rebuilding of infrastructure such as the water and sewage systems, hospitals, schools and homes that were destroyed after Israel’s 2008/9 invasion in which 1400 civilians died.

The collective punishment of these civilians is a violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and on such a massive scale, as Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories has said, it is a crime against humanity. In a press release on May 31, 2010, Mr. Falk said “Israel is guilty of shocking behavior by using deadly weapons against unarmed civilians on ships that were situated in the high seas where freedom of navigation exists, according to the law of the seas. It is essential that those Israelis responsible for this lawless and murderous behavior, including political leaders who issued the orders, be held criminally accountable for their wrongful acts.”

This network supports Richard Falk in his call for worldwide action to stop Israel from flagrantly and continuously violating international law and agrees with him that “it is time to insist on the end of the blockade of Gaza. The worldwide campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel is now a moral and political imperative, and needs to be supported and strengthened everywhere.”