In Pursuit of a Just Peace
A Statement from the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — October 12, 2023
We are horrified by the death and suffering inflicted by Hamas on Israeli civilians, including the holding of hostages. And we are horrified by Israel’s massive retaliation against Gaza, whose population of over two million human beings has no way to flee and nowhere to hide from a crushing military assault. An immediate ceasefire is essential to stop the bloodshed now.
As this latest abhorrent violence continues, IPMN remains steadfast in our commitment to pursue a just peace for all in the region. We share the conviction voiced by many others that peace will only come when underlying causes are addressed, namely dispossession, settler colonialism, occupation, and apartheid that the Israeli government continues to perpetrate on the Palestinian people.
To this end we reiterate and highlight a resolution already passed by the PC(USA) in 2022, A Call for Ending the Siege of Gaza and Collective Punishment of Innocent Palestinian and Israeli Citizens, which states, “As Presbyterians following the example of Jesus, we believe the prophetic mission of the church is to speak out courageously, honestly, and lovingly against the siege of Gaza and all forms of collective punishment carried out in Israel/Palestine as well as the rest of the world. As the Body of Christ on earth, we are called to stand alongside the oppressed to help bring about justice for them, leading to peace and reconciliation with their oppressors.”
This resolution calls for the US government to:
a. Exhort the government of Israel immediately to cease and desist all hostile actions that are defined as “collective punishment” under international law. This includes stopping military attacks by air, land, and sea on non-military targets in Gaza that have disproportionately killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and caused billions of dollars in property damage since 2008.
b. Exhort the government of Israel to end the siege of Gaza that restricts its access to adequate water and electricity and the entrance of food, medicine, and fuel to Palestinians in Gaza so as to alleviate and end the humanitarian and environmental crises caused by the siege and provide the material resources necessary for economic prosperity, human health and safety, and environmental protection.
c. Exhort the government of Gaza and all Palestinian militias within Gaza to cease and desist all hostile activities against Israel and its citizens that are defined as “collective punishment” under international law. This includes the launching of unguided rockets into civilian areas of Israel.
We join Sabeel, one of our partners in Palestine, in “envision[ing] a future where every life holds intrinsic value, and every individual enjoys freedom and safety, irrespective of their background or identity.”
In a recent interview author Nathan Thrall warned, “…all the world’s attention is on the issue as soon as we have any kind of a surge in violence. But we all turn our eyes away when that doesn’t exist.”
Let us not turn our eyes away. Instead, may we with renewed vigor continue to pray and to work for a just peace.
— IPMN, October 12, 2023
Act:
We invite all to join IPMN in taking the Apartheid Free Communities pledge and finding new and creative ways to live out this commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for all.
Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), of which the PC(USA) is a member, in calling on elected officials to support a ceasefire and address root causes of the violence.
Take part in the non-violent Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) effort which “works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”