Kairos Palestine is a coalition of Palestinian churches and Christian organizations. It issued the Cry for Hope document in July 2020 in response to the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. Cry for Hope calls on Christians and churches around the world to:
In May 2021, the world witnessed the impact of direct armed violence and indirect systemic violence on the people of Palestine and Israel. We saw the interconnectedness of suffering experienced by both peoples.
In previous years the United Church of Canada has passed many resolutions and proposals. It has condemned violence in the region, and continues to do so.
Two respected human rights groups have named the actions of the Israeli government as Apartheid. In the 1970’s and the 80’s, Canada led the way in naming the South African state as apartheid and taking strong action to hold the government of South Africa accountable.
The Israeli Knesset (parliament), the Israeli Supreme Court, Israeli military and police forces and illegal settlers are each involved in the continual dispossession of more and more Palestinians from their lands and homes, and in removing Palestinian control over essential life resources, such as water and electricity, as well as restricting the movement of people within Palestine.
B’Tselem, a non-governmental human rights organization in Israel declared in 2020 that due to its policies regarding Palestine and Palestinians, Israel has become an apartheid state. Human Rights Watch made the same declaration in 2021. Now is the time to hold the state of Israel accountable for its persistent violations of international law including the 4th Geneva Convention.
As noted above, this proposal is in response to the explicit call for justice by Christians in Palestine, including United Church partners there.
As the United Church seeks to heal its own participation in settler colonialism and racism, it is time to explicitly and publicly reiterate the Church’s stated position on human rights for Palestinians, and facilitate pro-rights investment decisions and other actions by all Church bodies holding funds in trust in the form of stocks. To be faithful to its understanding of the Gospel is to take and publicize action on widespread and devastating human rights offenses against Palestinians. This is consistent with our opposing discrimination of any kind on the basis of identity and our commitment to becoming an anti-racist denomination.
In order to stop the escalating violence affecting both Palestinians and Jewish Israelis, and to non-violently pursue peace and justice for all in the region, it is proposed that the United Church take seriously the calls to action made by our church partners in the 2020 Cry for Hope document and that its response include the following: