Celebrate the Victories
By Jonathan Kuttab
Today, we are blessed with the news of a great victory from the International Committee of the Presbyterian General Assembly 2022, where a number of important overtures were overwhelmingly passed. One overture on apartheid passed by 28 votes to 3, while a second overture designating May 15 as "Palestinian Nakba Remembrance Day" passed 31 votes to nil. An additional overture calling on Israel to lift the siege of Gaza also passed unanimously.
Overture INT-02: On Recognition That Israel’s Laws, Policies, and Practices Constitute Apartheid Against the Palestinian People asks the General Assembly to:
Recognize that the government of Israel’s laws, policies, and practices regarding the Palestinian people fulfill the international legal definition of apartheid. Apartheid is legally defined as inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them. This occurs in Israel/Palestine through:
Establishing two sets of laws, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians, which give preferential treatment to Israeli Jews and oppressive treatment to Palestinians
Expropriating Palestinian land and water for Jewish-only settlements
Denying the right to freedom of residence to Palestinians
Dividing the population along racial lines by the creation of separate reserves and ghettos for the Palestinians
Denying Palestinians the right to a nationality.
Urge members, congregations, presbyteries, and national staff units, including the Office of Interfaith Relations, to seek appropriate ways to bring an end to Israeli apartheid.
Direct the Stated Clerk to communicate this action to all other PC(USA) councils.
This victory has not come easily but was the result of much work, prayer, and persuasion by many unsung heroes, persisting in the face of both resistance and apathy in order to educate, preach, persuade, and advocate for these positions over many years. Many of these heroes and heroines are friends and supporters of FOSNA and of Palestinian Christians; we send our deep gratitude and congratulations to them. It is expected that these overtures will now be overwhelmingly supported by the General Assembly. May this victory be an inspiration to others, such that other churches and denominations might follow their example.
This past year has witnessed a sea-change in the recognition of Israel as an apartheid regime. No doubt, the collapse of the Two-State Solution and increasing rightward drift of Israeli politics, as well as the faithful persistence of Palestinians and advocates for Palestinian liberation have all contributed to this change. While the very word “apartheid” was taboo in the past, it is almost accepted as a given when applied to Israel today. The only exception is those die-hard Zionist proponents, who refuse to enter into a reasoned discussion of apartheid and simply throw out empty accusations of anti-Semitism and Jew-hatred. Even at the Presbyterian General Assembly we are celebrating, a small group of about eight protesters, with a police permit, hoisted a huge balloon with the accusation, “PCUSA: Fight Racism, Not Jews,” outside of the convention hall.
The detailed reports by Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Amnesty International, the UN Special Rapporteur, and even Harvard University Law School all reached the same conclusion: that the international crime of Apartheid was in fact being perpetrated by Israel. As Presbyterians and other church denominations join in this recognition, it will become a standard, recognized description of the situation on the ground.
The big challenge, however, is how to translate such a new understanding into actionable political facts. We must find ways to translate this growing understanding of Palestinians and their cause into a new political reality that challenges apartheid in favor of a new society built on justice and equality for all.
Last week, I suggested in this column what I assumed would be seen as a radical idea, the need to talk to Hamas and bring them into the political process. I asked those who thought otherwise to present their views. Tens of email responses were received, and not a single one of them were negative. They uniformly thought it was a good idea and, despite the US and Israeli designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization and the criminalization of contact with or support for such an organization, they all thought that it was both useful and necessary to speak with Hamas, urging them to take the necessary actions to advance peaceful negotiations with Israel.
Take Action!
Contact Congress!
Pushing Peace out of Reach: Stop Biden from Cozying up to Apartheid and Authoritarianism
(US Campaign for Palestinian Rights) This summer Biden is heading out on a war crimes tour, cozying up to apartheid and making deals with dictators, placing the lives of Palestinians and Yemenis at risk. By shaking hands with Israel's leaders, Biden is greenlighting Israel's mass destruction of 1,300 Palestinians' homes. This March also marked seven years of Saudi Arabia's horrific war on Yemen which has killed nearly 400,000 Yemenis. Just like you and me, Palestinians and Yemenis are entitled to freedom and safety, and they shouldn't have to wait another day for it. At the link below, you can join USCPR in asking Biden to #CancelTheTrip as an act of real accountability for Israeli and Saudi war crimes. Contact Congress to amplify the call for justice!
Or, Contact Biden!
Urge President Joe Biden to stand up for Peace and Justice during his trip to Israel/Palestine
(Churches for Middle East Peace) As President Biden’s July 13-14 visit to Israel and Palestine approaches, events on the ground are propelling the region towards escalating conflict, violence, and suffering. Approvals of plans for more Israeli settlements in the West Bank are accelerating, as are threats to dispossess and forcibly expel Palestinians. No one has yet been held accountable for the May 11 killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, though multiple media investigations have all concluded that she was likely shot to death by an Israeli soldier. And the East Jerusalem hospital network that is critical for the welfare of so many Palestinians remains drastically underfunded. The President must address these issues and others in his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leadership.
Get Involved!
FOSNA invites you to join us in the following events and activities:
July 13
Theology, Liberation, & Palestine: Conversations in Honor of Rosemary Radford Ruether
Join Naim Ateek, Marc Ellis, Nora Carmi, and Kathy Bergen for a webinar conversation on the past, present, and future of liberation theology in the context of Palestine/Israel, in dialogue with and honor of the life and work of Rosemary Radford Ruether. On top of being one of the most important theologians of recent memory, Rosemary was a a dear friend and deeply important to FOSNA and the global Sabeel movement as a whole.
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! (Week 26) Nuclear Israel. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was signed on July 1, 1968. According to the U.N., “More countries have ratified the NPT than any other arms limitation and disarmament agreement, a testament to the treaty’s significance.” Only five countries are not party to the treaty: North Korea, South Sudan, India, Pakistan, and Israel. Currently, international data estimates that Israel has 80 to 90 nuclear warheads and has produced enough weapons-grade plutonium for up to 200. As we mark the anniversary of this important treaty, the Kumi Now community looks at the story of how the world came to know that Israel possessed nuclear weapons and examines what this means for Palestine and the region, so that together we can rise up.
