Presbyterian General Assembly to Consider Report Condemning Israeli Policies

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