Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)’s executive director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, attended the Palestine National Council convention this week, including Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech. CMEP welcomes the commitment of the PLO to peace negotiations, but condemns the inflammatory and anti-Semitic rhetoric used during the speech. To learn more about CMEP’s reaction to the speech and Abbas’ subsequent apology, click here or read below. As a member of CMEP, the ELCA affirms the CMEP statement.

For Immediate Release: Churches for Middle East Peace Welcomes PLO Re-Commitment to Peace Negotiations, Condemns Anti-Semitic Remarks.

Washington, D.C. – May 3, 2018 – Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas presented his future policy to the first regular session of the Palestine National Council (PNC) since 1996, calling for new negotiations leading to a two-state solution. His re-commitment to the peace process comes after remarks made earlier in January in which he threatened to withdraw from the Oslo Accords and suspend PLO recognition of Israel. However, the conciliatory tone brought to the conversation regarding the two-state solution was severely undermined by anti-Semitic rhetoric peppered throughout the speech.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) welcomes President Abbas’s renewed commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel and his calls for non-violent popular resistance to Israel’s occupation. CMEP condemns the anti-Semitic and inflammatory remarks and affirms that support for a Palestinian state does not require downplaying historical Jewish suffering or denying their connection to the land.

The PNC is the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)’s parliament representing a wide range of Palestinian political groups, including President Abbas’s own Fatah Party. The PNC endorsed Abbas’s vision of a two-state solution and his calls for non-violent resistance. They elected a new PLO Executive Committee with Abbas serving as its chairman.

Abbas’s remarks before the PNC also included highly inflammatory, anti-Semitic rhetoric, which included claims that modern Israelis have no ties to the land, that European Jews are descendants of the Khazar converts to Judaism and not Middle Eastern Jews, and that the Holocaust can be blamed on Jews’ social behavior.

On May 4th in Ramallah, Abbas issued an apology and clarifying his remarks, “I would also like to reiterate our long-held condemnation of the Holocaust, as the most heinous crime in history, and express our sympathy with its victims… Likewise, we condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms, and confirm our commitment to the two-state solution, and to live side by side in peace and security.”

CMEP Executive Director Dr. Mae Elise Cannon attended the PNC session, along with representatives from Canada, the European Union, Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and a deputy speaker of Israel’s Knesset.

Cannon said this about the PNC Meetings: “It was appalling to hear some of the comments from Abbas about history and the Jewish people. While I am encouraged by his recent apology and statement, the anti-Semitic tone and emphasis of his speech were unacceptable. At the same time, Abbas’ speech did reconfirm a stalwart commitment to peace and the two-state solution; which should be lauded. The Palestinian Authority has reiterated time and time again that they are willing to be a partner for peace of the core commitments of 1967 borders, a shared Jerusalem, and other final status issues are addressed.”

Right of Refugees, Right to Demonstrate Peacefully, Right to Dignity

A Statement of US Churches and Christian Agencies on Gaza

April 12, 2018

Friday, March 30, thousands of Palestinians participated in the first of several weeks of planned nonviolent demonstrations in Gaza near the fence with Israel. These demonstrations are expected to continue until May 15, when Palestinians mark Nakba (“catastrophe”) Day, remembering the 1948 displacement and dispossession of 750,000 Palestinians, and resulting in a Palestinian diaspora and a refugee population that today numbers over five million, including descendants. At the same time Israel will celebrate 70 years since its establishment on May 14, 1948.

More than 1.3 million of Gaza’s nearly 2 million people are refugees. The Gaza demonstrations are an assertion of Palestinian rights: the rights of refugees, the right to demonstrate peacefully against injustice, and the right to live in and with dignity, not under closed military confinement or blockade.

In the first week of demonstrations, at least 16 people were killed and, according to the International Committee for the Red Cross, approximately 1500 people required medical assistance, with approximately 800 injuries resulting from the use of live ammunition. Reports indicate that the firing came from the Israeli military in an indiscriminate manner. A group of United Nations human rights experts [1] stated, “There is no available evidence to suggest that the lives of heavily armed security forces were threatened.” The United States stood by and allowed Israel to carry out these attacks without any public criticism or challenge. Such US complicity is a continuation of the historical policy of active support for Israel’s occupation and US disregard for Palestinian rights. This complicity builds resentment and damages US national security. Palestinian refugees have the right to return to their homes, and to compensation for loss of property, as laid out in UN General Assembly resolution 194.

As US churches and Christian agencies, we support the Palestinian people as they courageously stand up for their rights. We have worked in our own context in the cause of justice, peace, and equality, and continue to do so even as we recognize we have too often fallen short in these efforts. We reject the use of violence by individuals, groups or states. In the wake of demonstrations that have resulted in tragedy and death, and anticipating the continuation of Palestinian protests over the coming weeks, we cannot be silent.

• We oppose in no uncertain terms the use of violence against the protesters, especially the lethal use of weapons and force by the Israeli military, and call for it to end that practice. We support the call by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, to Israeli soldiers to refuse orders to shoot when it said, “Soldiers must not be ordered to use lethal force other than in life-threatening situations. As a rule, demonstrations inside the Gaza Strip, approaching the fence or even sabotaging it, do not constitute such situations. … [W]hen the government betrays its soldiers’ trust and arms them with unlawful orders, we are here to remind not only of the rules of morality but also of legal requirements: A patently unlawful order must not be obeyed.”
• We call for an investigation into the deaths and injuries suffered resulting from the use of force.
• We concur with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who recently has said “Violence against civilians – in a situation such as the one prevailing in Gaza – could constitute crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”), as could the use of civilian presence for the purpose of shielding military activities…. My Office will continue to closely watch the situation and will record any instance of incitement or resort to unlawful force. I urge all those concerned to refrain from further escalating this tragic situation.”
• We call upon the United States, and particularly President Trump and members of Congress, to censure the violent and indiscriminate actions of the State of Israel in response to the demonstrations which in no way threaten the security of the state or its citizens, and to hold Israel appropriately accountable, ensuring that US aid isn’t used in ways that contravene established US and international laws, given the more than $3 billion in military aid the US disburses to Israel annually.
• We call on the US to support the rights of refugees, including Palestinian refugees, based on international law and conventions, through the fora in which the US participates.
• In keeping with the imperative to support refugees’ rights, we call upon the United States to resume its full funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which supports schools, hospitals, and other essential services for Palestinian refugees. The US recently announced that it would provide $60 million to UNRWA with no assurance of further funding for 2018. If the US provides no additional funds in 2018, this would mean an 83% funding cut over the 2017 contribution of $365 million.
• We call upon the international community, including the US government, to insist on an end to the blockade of Gaza, which has resulted in uninhabitable conditions for the people there, including poverty and lack of sufficient access to clean water, food, medicine and medical supplies, electricity, fuel, and construction equipment. The United Nations concluded as early as 2012 [2] that Gaza was on track to be unlivable by 2020, and noted in 2017 [3] that the trends of deterioration had accelerated.

In demonstrating, Palestinians have sought to bring the world’s attention to, and to recover, their rights—rights as refugees, to demonstrate, and to live in dignity. They have been met with an immediate and tragic rejection of those rights, but as people of hope, and in the season of Easter, we believe that those rights will ultimately prevail. In this time, we pray fervently, speak clearly, and act diligently in support of peace, justice, and equality.

Alliance of Baptists

American Friends Service Committee

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

National Council of Churches

Pax Christi International

Pax Christi USA

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Reformed Church in America

The Episcopal Church

The United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

United Church of Christ

PDF Version of the April 12 Gaza Statement

[1] http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22924&LangID=E

[2] https://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/file/publications/gaza/Gaza%20in%202020.pdf

[3] https://unsco.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/gaza_10_years_later_-_11_july_2017.pdf

On February 6, 2018 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined thirteen other Christian denominations and organizations concerned about and working in the Middle East in signing a letter to President Trump “to express our dismay at the recent decision to withhold $65 million in U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).”

The letter highlights the devastating humanitarian impact of these cuts, the politicization of humanitarian aid, and the denial of basic rights to Palestinians.

You can read the full letter about UNRWA funding  here.

Saleem Moussa Anfous is a member of the Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.  In September 2017 he participated in the Lutheran World Federation’s first interfaith “Peace Messengers Training”.  The participants gained skills and tools on advocacy, negotiation and mediation. They also learned how to combine such capacity with individual experiences, faith and cultural traditions.

Read his blog post here about the vocation of being a peacemaker in the multi religious context of the Holy Land.

Consecration of Bishop Sani Ibrahim Charlie Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land on Friday January 12, 2018 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jerusalem’s Old City. Photo by Ben Gray / ELCJHL

In Jerusalem on January 12, 2018 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land consecrated and installed The Rev. Sani Ibrahim Charlie “Barhoum” Azar as its fourth Bishop in the church’s history. Under the guidance of the Scripture, “You did not choose me, but I chose you,” John 15:16 Bishop Azar addressed the congregation and honored guests.

“It seems the Lord has called me today to follow in a new way, and to bear new fruit. Today, the six congregations of the ELCJHL are under my care. I am humbled and honored to take up this new responsibility, and promise to continue our relationship based on love companionship and respect,” Bishop Azar.

For more information, including a biography of Bishop Azar, Bishop Azar’s sermon, a Q&A with Bishop Azar and photos go here.

Bishop Ibrahim Azar speaks to the ELCJHL partners on Saturday January, 15, his first full day as bishop of the church. PHoto by Ben Gray / ELCJHL

On January 13 Bishop Azar addressed the international partner churches in attendance for the installation. The international partners of the ELCJHL include organizations, churches and councils that have entered into mutual companionship and accompaniment for the betterment of both.

Representatives from all of the 29 ecumenical partners, member organizations and companion churches attended the first address to them from the newly consecrated, Bishop Azar.

In a gentle and measured manner,  Bishop Azar thanked partners for decades of missional work in the region. Peppered with humor, Bishop Azar told the partners that he would implement a new strategic plan for the next five years that would include: Spiritual care for the people of the church, financial sustainability projects, Diakonia to the community, and efforts to continue gender justice.

“Our pastors and laypeople will go where the people are, we will not sit by idly in our churches waiting for the people to come to us,” Bishop Azar said.

More info at the ELCJHL blog

ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan embraces LWF General Secretary Martin Junge with ELCA Bishop Elizabeth Eaton looking on. Photo/ELCJHL Ben Gray

Bethlehem, 10 January 2018 – Glowing tributes of the foundation that Bishop Younan established at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) matched the glow of friends, family, Jerusalem and international leaders, and dignitaries from Palestine and Jordan, as they celebrated the third Bishop of the ELCJHL.

For the full story and a gallery of photos check out the ELCJHL blog here.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued this statement in response to the decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In an open letter to U.S. President Trump, the thirteen Heads of Churches in the Holy Land including Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), ask the President to take their viewpoint into consideration in the decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) also issued a letter asking President Trump to refrain from recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has joined members of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East in a letter to President Trump. The letter encourages the president to continue U.S. efforts toward peace in the Middle East.

The ELCA works alongside our companion church in the region, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). The Right Rev. Dr. Bishop Munib Younan of the ELCJHL received the Niwano Peace Prize on July 27 for his work toward interreligious dialogue among Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Jerusalem and worldwide.

The letter from interreligious leaders in the US and the prize for Bishop Younan come at a time when there is increased tension in Jerusalem, specifically around access to the Al Aqsa compound. Bishop Younan along with other heads of churches in Jerusalem signed a letter calling for a peaceful resolution that honors the status quo of access to religious sites.

The recent escalation in violence in Jerusalem is centered around access to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound (Haram AlSharif). Israel has placed metal detectors at the entrances to the compound following the killing of two Israeli Druze policeman by three Israeli Palestinians. In their statement the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem call for the historical status quo governing these holy sites to be respected.

Here is the full statement from the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.

Here is a current news article about the situation.

Presiding Bishop Eaton is among 20 ecumenical leaders to sign a letter to President Trump on the 50 year Israeli occupation. The letter was organized by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) in connection with the CMEP Advocacy Summit now underway.

“Mr. President, we ask you to take the necessary steps to make this year a true jubilee year and work toward a just and durable solution that advances security, human rights, and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians. These steps should include upholding longstanding U.S. policy that recognizes Israeli settlements as illegal and an impediment to peace while ensuring accountability for policies about settlements that disregard legal restraints and international consensus. We call on your administration to promote a shared Jerusalem by Palestinians and Israelis, as well as full access to the Holy Sites of the three religious traditions – Jews, Muslims and Christians – who call them holy.

We pray and hope for a negotiated resolution to the conflict. In this 50th year of occupation, we ask your administration to do more than just seek an end to conflict. Through the confiscation and destruction of viable agricultural lands, deindustrialization, and restriction of movement, the occupation has placed a stranglehold on the Palestinian economy. Trade is an essential component of a stable economy and without it poverty, unemployment, food shortages, and medical crises will continue to destroy the livelihoods and safety of Palestinians which in turn contributes to instability and violence that harms Israelis.

Mr. President, we encourage you to support development and humanitarian assistance that will promote human dignity, especially in the West Bank and Gaza, including access and protection for aid agencies and others. This year, there are more than 2 million people in Gaza and the West Bank in dire need of humanitarian assistance — nearly one out of every two Palestinians.

Mr. President, we Christian leaders continue to choose hope and call for a just peace for both peoples and an end to the occupation. We will support your efforts to build a peace between Israelis and Palestinians “that allows both peoples to live, worship, and thrive and prosper.” It is possible in this 50th year to move from occupation toward jubilee and realize the vision of two viable states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace within secure and recognized borders.”

You can find the full letter here.