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Statement on the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict: Give Sight to the Blind and Freedom to the Captives

Anglican Consultative Committee
A resolution submitted by the Anglican Peace and Justice Network calling for all Provinces "to take appropriate action where it finds that its corporate investments support the occupation of Palestinian lands or violence against innocent Israelis" was approved unanimously by the Anglican Consultative Committee.

• U.K. Council of Christians & Jews - June 28
• U.K. Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks - June 29
• Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (Cambridge University) - June 29

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

• Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations, Department for Ecumenical Affairs: "Divestment or Constructive Investment? - Alternative Responses to the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict"

• Text of letter from the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Orthodox Union, the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism to the Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the National Council of Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church (April 22, 2005)

United Church of Canada

• A number of United Church of Christ of the USA congregations ? four from Hawaii, one from Montana, and one from the State of Washington ? have submitted a resolution "Calling for a Study of Divestment of Church Funds from Companies that Profit from the Perpetuation of Violence and Injustice in Israel and Palestine" for consideration at the July 2005 25th general assembly. Click here for .
  

• The 25th General Assembly of the United Church of Christ passed two resolutions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on July 5, 2005. Neither of them are considered binding until an October review and approval by the church's Executive Council:

• The called for:
  
  "[the use of] economic leverage, including, but not limited to: advocating the reallocation of US foreign aid so that the militarization of the Middle East is constrained; making positive contributions to groups and partners committed to the non-violent resolution of the conflict; challenging the practices of corporations that gain from the continuation of the conflict; and divesting from those companies that refuse to change their practices of gain from the perpetuation of violence, including the Occupation; and ... that all settings of the United Church of Christ are urged to remain committed to interreligious dialogue and to participation with Jewish, Christian and Muslim partners to work for peace in Israel-Palestine; and ... that materials [be developed] that may be used by all settings of the church to discern how economic leverage can be used to support the development of Palestine and Israel as two independent, secure, economically viable states ..."

• A separate resolution entitled called for:
  
  " the Israeli government to cease the project to construct the barrier, tear down the segments that have already been constructed, and make reparations to those who have lost homes, fields, property, and/or lives and health due to the barrier and its effects as security for both peoples can best be achieved through an end to the occupation and efforts to encourage access and contact, rather than restricting and denying it ..."

• A UCC minister, Rev. David Runnion-Bareford of Candia, NH, Executive Director of the Biblical Witness Fellowship, an evangelical group within the United Church of Christ, issued the following statement in response to the General Assembly votes:
  
  APOLOGY TO OUR JEWISH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS FOR THE ACTION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
   
  On behalf of the many thousands of United Church of Christ members who opposed any action by the United Church of Christ against Israel at the 25th General Synod in Atlanta, we apologize to our Jewish friends and neighbors both here and in Israel for the action of our Synod and leaders.
  
  We recognize that the two resolutions passed by the Synod, one calling for divestment and the other for Israel to "Tear Down the Wall," create a deepened liability to the safety of our Jewish friends. The resolutions as they were proposed and debated openly equated the only democracy in the mid-east region with the apartheid regime in South Africa and the murderous, enslaving tyranny of Soviet communism. Such comparisons can only serve to encourage anti-semitism and give comfort to those terrrorists who have criminally murdered over 1000 Israeli citizens and maimed over 7000 using teenagers and women as homicide bombers.
  
  We recognize with sorrow and deep concern that these misguided actions by the United Church of Christ in General Synod 25 violate our commitment to peace and justice. Indeed they seriously threaten the relationship between Christians and Jews that has evolved since the horror of the holocaust. We must never forget that some of our theological as well as historic roots are in the liberal church of Germany that abdicated responsibility when faced with history once before.
  

• American Jewish Committee: (July 5)

• Anti-Defamation League: (July 6)

• World Jewish Congress: (July 6)

Despite their contrasting headlines, the first two items above are similar in focusing on the economic resolution, while the third reacts more to the resolution concerning the "security wall."

• American Jewish Congress issued the following statement on July 8:
  
  

  AJCongress Disappointed in UCC Resolutions on Middle East

  Based on reports from the United Church of Christ news service, while the UCC resolution on economic leverage in the Middle East contains positive ideas, the American Jewish Congress finds unacceptable the resolution?s inclusion of divestment as a course of action. ?Investment is constructive and creates hope, while divestment from one side is destructive and unjustifiable,? said Neil B. Goldstein, AJCongress Executive Director. ?We urge the UCC to choose the responsible path.?

  Dr. Eugene Korn, AJCongress Director of Jewish Affairs, commented ?The UCC opted for positive and constructive use of economic leverage as a first option. This will help Jewish-Christian relations and aid Israelis and Palestinians working for peace. But if UCC decides to divest from companies doing business with Israel, it will lose its moral credibility and harm chances for peace. In the end, the call for divestment is rhetoric to weaken Israel and strengthen the extremists and the rejectionists.?

  The AJCongress condemns the second UCC resolution regarding Israel?s defensive barrier. Goldstein continued, ??The Tear Down the Wall? resolution is deeply flawed in law, facts and moral logic. It fails completely to acknowledge that the separation barrier is a legitimate defense against Palestinian terrorists who continue to try to murder innocent Israeli civilians. The barrier should be removed only after the Palestinian Authority apprehends the terrorists in its midst, dismantles the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure, and signs a peace agreement with Israel. There can be no peace before responsible Palestinians take these steps.?

• September 19, 2006: John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, U.C.C., "'From Time to Time a New Shipment of History Arrives' - The Church, the Synagogue, and the Dilemma of the Middle East," Fall Convocation Address United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
  
  An address that reviews UCC statements on Judaism. The tone of the sixteen-page text can be seen in its concluding sentences: "The current state of our relationship, stretched almost to breaking by the dilemmas of the Middle East and the depressing regularity of new shipments of history, does not offer an encouraging atmosphere within which to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the 1987 General Synod?s groundbreaking theological affirmations. Yet it is those very affirmations that offer the promise that this precious relationship cannot ultimately be broken and impels us, amid all of today?s challenge and confrontation to find ways to embody the unbreakable covenants that bear witness to the faithfulness of God."

• June 22, 2007: The 26th General Synod sent a resolution titled "" to the Executive Council  for implementation. This council is "to establish a Task Force to engage in serious and balanced study of the causes, history and context of the conflict, including appropriate responses to the situation that may or may not lead to further support of economic leverage and judicious removal of the security barrier. The Task Force is to report to the 27th General Synod in 2009 for any necessary further action, and also to report to all settings of the Church so that they, too, may have a deeper understanding of the situation."
  • Responses to this resolution:
    • Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East, , response to Rev. Thomas (see below),
  • June 29, 2007  

    Expressing outrage at how some outside groups are distorting a recent action on the Middle East by the United Church of Christ General Synod, the Rev. John H. Thomas is calling on the Institute on Religion and Democracy and other groups to correct misleading statements about a proposal considered by the church's national gathering earlier this week.The misleading statements, he said, have led some within and beyond the UCC to get the false impression that the General Synod has somehow changed its policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "This is not accurate," said Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president...

•  

• Methodist's Mission to Demonize Israel, August 22, 2007
• The New England Conference passed in 2005 with regard to divestment from companies supporting the Israeli occupation.
• In June 2007, the Divestment Task Force published its , listing specific companies from which it recommends divestment.
• The ADL issued the following statement on June 28, 2007:
  

  ADL: METHODIST BRANCH?S BIASED DIVESTMENT REPORT

  ?BORDERS ON ANTI-SEMITISM?

   New York, NY, June 28, 2007 ? The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said a new United Methodist Church report recommending divestment from 20 companies that do business with the State of Israel ?borders on anti-Semitism.?  A report by the Divestment Task Force of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church recommends divestment from 20 companies, ?identified as supporting the Israeli occupation in Palestine.?  The report says that ?ending the Israeli occupation is a stated goal of the United Methodist Church.?

  ?This call for divestment by the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church borders on anti-Semitism,? said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  ?The authors of the report must be living in a bubble to ignore ongoing attacks on Israel and Hamas? violent takeover of Gaza to issue such an outrageous, biased report that focuses only on Israel.?

  Mr. Foxman added, ?While this Methodist task force has busied itself researching divestment, the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah perpetrated war against Israel, and rocket attacks targeted Israeli cities and towns in the north and the south.  Yet the Methodists seem to believe that they need to teach Israel a lesson.?

  The ADL leader noted that the report is out of step with another mainline Protestant organization, the United Church of Christ, which recently and publicly acknowledged their unbalanced, biased policies against Israel and have moved to change them.  Just this week, the UCC called for a new, balanced study of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes into account Palestinian suicide bombers and the continued teaching of hatred in schools and the media.

  ?The facts show that any decent fair-minded, spiritual, godly person would not come to a conclusion to boycott the State of Israel, the one that has been praying for peace, suing for peace, hoping for peace,? said Mr. Foxman.

  The Methodist divestment report follows a 2005 divestment resolution adopted by the New England Chapter. ?The goal is to make all United Methodists and other Americans aware of their relationship to companies that benefit from the Israeli occupation,? said a statement by the United Methodist Church. ?The urgency of the humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories cannot be overstated.?

  The United Methodist Church is holding its national conference next year, where divestment resolutions will be debated and acted upon.

• An article by James Besser in the July 21, 2005 The Jewish Week alleges that nationalist Palestinian organizations ? that reject a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis ? have been catalyzing recent divestment campaigns in several mainline Protestant churches. The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem figures prominently in the article's description of the United Church of Christ's general assembly meeting held earlier in July (see above).
  
  For the article click here: "."