On July 1 Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice, a worldwide coalition born in response to the Kairos Palestine “Moment of Truth: a word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering,” issued an urgent call to Christians, churches and ecumenical institutions: “Cry for Hope”. We share this with you as an authentic voice of Palestinian Christians and encourage you to read and study it.
(LWI) – Leading ecumenical organizations are urging the international community to oppose Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), together with the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance issued a statement on 29 June calling for an end to the occupation and for a resumption of dialogue to build lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
The Israeli government has said it plans to effectively annex parts of the West Bank by extending its sovereignty to areas that contain Jewish settlements, as well as parts of the Jordan valley. The settlements are considered illegal under international law and an obstacle to a proposed ‘two state solution’ in the region.
The ecumenical organizations say the planned annexation “is in direct violation of international law” and would further threaten hopes for justice and peace in the region.They warn it would “undermine even more the rights of Palestinians, reducing their mobility, their access to land and livelihoods, to adequate infrastructure and basic services,” as well as increasing forced displacement and putting at risk access by humanitarian organizations.
The organizations pledge to continue working for peace in the Holy Land, insisting that “peace can never be unilaterally imposed or achieved by violent means.”
By Kathryn Mary Lohre
The government of Israel has declared its intention to annex West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley, as soon as July 1. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu depends on the backing of the US presidential administration to legitimize what would be considered illegal under international law.
The Palestinian people, who have lived under Israeli military occupation for nearly 53 years, are crying out once again. They are calling us to recognize yet another looming pandemic: the dissolution of prospects for peace with justice for Israelis and Palestinians – Jews, Christians and Muslims.
In recent weeks, these pleas from our Palestinian Christian family have included:
To our Palestinian family, and especially our Palestinian Lutheran family: the ELCA hears your cries. This cannot be overstated – to you, and to anyone else who is listening. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has spoken out clearly on behalf of the ELCA, and also with ecumenical partners. This is critical.
At the same time it falls to all of us to work to amplify your call for “liberation not annexation,” and to accompany you in being a “disturbing presence” for peace through prayer, action, and advocacy with our elected leaders (For Peace in God’s World, 1995). Consistent with our social teaching, we denounce beliefs and actions that “ordain the inherent right of one people, race, or civilization to rule over another” and that “despair of any possibility of peace.” Therefore, as an act of Christian witness, we denounce the government of Israel’s plans for annexation and the political and theological beliefs that falsely justify it as a viable solution for peace.
When we are a disturbing presence for peace, our focus is on justice. Thus, we make a clear distinction between our critique of unjust Israeli government policies and our commitments to anti-Semitism and right relationship with the Jewish community. Our Churchwide Strategy for Engagement and Israel and Palestine can and does coexist with A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community. As Lutherans we live faithfully in the tension of this “both/and,” as justice is at the heart of both sets of commitments.
When we are a disturbing presence, we work to uncover the deep, systemic connection between the oppression of one people and the oppression of another, and between the liberation of the oppressed and the liberation of all. The racism that has kneeled on the necks of Black Americans for 400 years is part of the same global pandemic as the racism that has been kneeling on the necks of Palestinians for 53 years of military occupation, and that has been even more suffocating under Israel’s nation state law, adopted in 2018. The Palestinian cry for justice cannot be heard apart from the Black cry for justice. For those of us who are not crushed under the weight of anti-Black racism or military occupation, we must redouble our efforts to learn, listen, and be transformed for the sake of the liberation of our whole human family.
When we are a disturbing presence, we put people front and center. This means we look to our Palestinian partners, and especially our Lutheran family, to guide our work and witness for just peace. We also engage with our ecumenical and inter-religious partners to amplify these voices, and to enhance the impact of our collective advocacy. Importantly, it also means that we build strong relations with our Jewish partners so that when our church’s decisions, policies, and public witness cause misunderstanding, tension, or conflict, we can interpret as we seek to accompany both the Palestinian people and the Jewish community in seeking justice for all.
500 years ago, Martin Luther wrote the treatise “The Freedom of a Christian.” In it, Luther summarizes the Christian life, also reflected in Galatians 5:1: “For freedom Christ has set us free.” Our freedom in Christ is not a freedom for ourselves, but for the sake of our neighbors, lived out in love. As an expression of the liberating love we share in Jesus Christ, we join our Palestinian family, and our partner Bishop Azar, in calling for “liberation not annexation.”
Please join in ELCA advocacy through Peace Not Walls: June action alert
Kathryn Mary Lohre serves as Assistant to the Presiding Bishop and Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations & Theological Discernment for the ELCA
The original blog post can be found here by Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations
We invite you to join the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge.
Peace Not Walls is the ELCA’s campaign for peace with justice in Israel and Palestine. It is crucial here that we talk about peace with justice. There is no peace without justice. A way of thinking about peace without justice is ‘negative peace’ – this just means that there is an absence of physical violence, but it does not address the structural and systemic elements of inequity that favor one group over another, structures that perpetuate gross disparities in access to healthcare, education, economic opportunity, and threatens people’s lives. A positive peace is when there is justice, when there is opportunity for reconciliation, when there are systems and structures in place that build positive relationships and seek to establish equity, where human dignity and human rights are centered. In the context of Palestine and Israel we are seeking a positive peace, peace with justice.
And in the same breathe we are seeking that same positive peace here in the US. Along with the ELCA, we condemn racism and white supremacy, and need to work to dismantle the systems that prop up ways of being and operating that threaten the lives of Black people in our country. Just as we are engaged with peace and justice work in Israel and Palestine and recognize the structural violence of the occupation, we need to interrogate the systems and structures in our own context that not only allow, but give life to racism, a racism that impacts our Black, Brown and Indigenous brothers and sisters on a daily basis. These struggles for peace and justice are connected.
As church we are called to confess the sin of racism, condemn the ideology of white supremacy, and strive for racial justice and peace. Beyond statements and prayers, we are called to also act and respond to injustices. We invite you to commit to one or more of the actions listed in the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton joined 26 faith leaders in a June 2nd letter to Congress about the annexation of West Bank land by Israel.
The letter states, “As of this writing, there is no evidence that President Trump and his administration will reverse course and reject annexation. Warning about the Administration’s current trajectory, Rev. Munther Isaac and Father Jamal Khader, Christian leaders in the West Bank, wrote in Haaretz in early May, “Let us be clear: implementing the Trump plan would bring catastrophic consequences for the prospects of a political solution between Israelis and Palestinians, and particularly for the fulfillment of the rights of the Palestinian people, including Palestinian Christians.”
We call on Congress to wield its power of the purse and not allow any United States funds provided to Israel to be used for the recognition, facilitation or support of annexation, or for denial of Palestinian rights and violation of international law, including continuing occupation. Respect for human rights, compliance with international law, and achievement of peace with justice is essential not only for the security and wellbeing of Palestinians, but for that of Israelis as well. Should Congress fail to oppose and create tangible consequences for annexation by the Israeli government, the United States will bear significant responsibility for the continued deprivation of Palestinian rights and for the continuation of the conflict.”
Read and share the Faith Leader letter opposing annexation June 2020.
In a June 2 statement, ELCJHL Bishop Azar writes, “at this critical time, we call upon our friends, partner churches, and allies around the world to advocate for us now. Please lobby your politicians, speak out on social media, call on friends in halls of power, and tell them that the US-Israeli plan for annexation is not the way to peace based on justice. Annexation is not the way to reconciliation and living together for the people of this land, who all deserve the chance for a liberated future: Israeli and Palestinian, Jew, Christian, and Muslim.”
Read and share the full ELCJHL statement
Take action now: Tell Congress that now is the time for the United States to oppose Israeli annexation and make clear that it will not continue to subsidize Israeli occupation and appropriation of Palestinian land in contravention of international laws and conventions and against established U.S. principles and interests in the region.
It only takes a minute — Send a letter to Congress using our sample letter.
This April 3rd letter to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and USAID Administrator Ambassador Mark Green, signed by the ELCA, LWF, and numerous other organizations, encourages the Administration to release funding for the West Bank and Gaza (including the funding for AVH and the East Jerusalem hospitals) without delay and to commit additional resources to address the spread of COVID-19 in the West Bank and Gaza.
Describing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank: “Without additional resources to alleviate the outbreak and its economic costs, the severely strained health systems in the West Bank and Gaza will soon be pushed beyond the breaking point. In Gaza in particular, the healthcare system is seriously under-resourced due to the shortage of essential drugs and medical and protective equipment. The World Health Organization, for example, has indicated that there are only 15 ventilators currently available for use in Gaza. In the West Bank, there are fewer than 20 intensive care specialists, and as cases continue to rise, the needs will soon outpace the capacity of the public health infrastructure.”
Here is the full text of the April 3 letter signed by the ELCA and LWF regarding funding for West Bank and Gaza
Read here about how Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem Program is responding to COVID-19.
On March 26, 2020 ELCJHL Bishop Azar shared a letter of comfort and assurance. Please find the full letter here.
On March 25, 2020 the ELCA joined other churches and church organizations in a letter to the Trump Administration about COVID-19 and the Middle East.
Generally the letter says, “We urge you to lift sanctions that negatively impact civilian populations and other restrictions that impair governments’ abilities to respond to the health crisis. This includes financial sanctions that impact the ability of countries to import much-needed medical supplies and equipment.” The letter lifts up specifics about Iran, Syria, and Gaza.
On Gaza, the letter states: “The U.S. should end its support for the blockade of Gaza and immediately press Israel to ensure that medical supplies and technology are provided to Gaza, that patients needing treatment outside of Gaza are given the permits necessary for extended periods of treatment, and that family members, especially parents accompanying children, are also granted permits to travel.”
Here is the full Letter to Administration on COVID-19 and the Middle East
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land has issued a statement on COVID-19 in Jerusalem and the West Bank: ELCJHL Statement on COVID-19