Palestinian Christians welcome U.S. United Church of Christ affirmation of right to Boycott Israel for Occupation of Palestinian Territories

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Palestinian Christian organization Kairos has thanked the General Synod of the United Church of Christ for its “Just Peace” theological declaration, which calls Israel’s actions toward the five million Occupied, stateless Palestinians “a sin.”

In 2015, the denomination resolved to boycott Israeli products produced by Israeli squatter-settlers on usurped West Bank Palestinian land, and to disinvest from corporations that enabled this land theft.

The United Church of Christ is a major liberal Protestant denomination in the United States, with 1.2 million members. It came out of a union over time of sections of four major streams of Protestantism that include the British Puritan/Pilgrim or Congregationalist heritage, Geneva Calvinism, a faction of German Lutherans, and the 1810 “Christian Church” formed on the American frontier. By 1959 all had come together in the UCC.

The UCC has a history of taking progressive stances. It ordained an openly gay minister in 1972, voted to affirm gay marriage in 2005 and voted to divest from fossil fuel companies in 2013. Churches from which it descends had fought slavery, ordained a Black pastor in the 1780s, and ordained a woman pastor in 1853.

The church recognizes the independence of each congregation, who are linked in regional or state conferences, and elect delegates to meetings of the nationwide General Synod. It is this body that voted the statement.

The church newsletter observed, “The Declaration was adopted with overwhelming support (462 yeas-78 nays-18 abstentions).”

The G.S. said,

Therefore, we reject any laws and legal procedures which are used by one race or
religion or political entity to enshrine one people in a privileged legal position at the
expense of another, including Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures.”

The UCC delegates firmly rejected the claims of religious Zionism alleging that Jews have a God-given right to Palestinian property, which produced a lot of squawking from religious Zionists. They also spurned “Christian Zionism,” a movement within Evangelicalism that sees the foundation of Israel and the establishment of Jewish squatter-settlements in the Palestinian West Bank as presaging the return of Christ.

The UCC denounces anti-Semitism but forcefully disputes the allegation that any criticism of policies of the state of Israel can be equated with anti-Jewish bigotry.

The UCC statement said,

“we reject the use of Scripture to claim a divine right to the land as the rationale for Israel’s illegal seizure and annexation of Palestinian land as well as the imposition of so-called peace agreements by Israel or the United States through the exercise of political and military domination that leaves Palestinians without equal rights, full citizenship, and the opportunity to thrive religiously, culturally, politically, and economically.”

They roundly attack efforts of the Israel lobbies to quash free speech on Palestine in the US and attempts to criminalize the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement against the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories:

Therefore, we reject the idea that any criticism of policies of the State of Israel is inherently antisemitic, in confession that some criticism is antisemitic in intent or impact, and we oppose the efforts of U.S. federal and state governments to limit free speech on university campuses and to restrict or ban support of the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.”

The full text of the UCC General Synod motion is as follows:

BIBLICAL, HISTORICAL, THEOLOGICAL GROUNDING 44
45
In Kairos Palestine: A Word of Faith, Hope, and Love From the Heart of Palestinian Suffering 46
(2009), Palestinian Christians assert that 47
48
our land has a universal mission. In this universality, the meaning of the promises, of the 49
land, of the election, of the people of God open up to include all of humanity, starting 50
from all the peoples of this land. In light of the teachings of the Holy Bible, the promise 51
of the land has never been a political programme, but rather the prelude to complete 52
universal salvation. It was the initiation of the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God on 53
earth” (Kairos Palestine par. 2.3). 54
55
The promise of God regarding land and blessing in Genesis was ultimately not about possession 56
of land, but about the role of the people of Israel as a blessing that “all the families of the earth 57
shall be blessed” (Genesis 12.3). 58
59
United Church of Christ biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann writes that “the Torah and the 60
world it evokes are beyond a possessed land, and this notion links to ‘a true community of all’ 61
that transcends any tribalism” (Chosen? Reading the Bible Amid the Israeli-Palestinian 62
Conflict,” 2015, p. 37). He goes on to quote Jewish philosopher Martin Buber: “This entire 63
history of the road from Ur of the Chaldees to Sinai is a consequence of choices and partings, 64
events of history – tribal history and national history. But above them stands revelation [which] 65
gives them their meaning, points out to them their goal. For the end of all these partings is a true 66
community of all men.” 67
68
In 1987 the General Synod affirmed its recognition that God’s covenant with the Jewish people 69
has not been rescinded or abrogated by God, but remains in full force, inasmuch as “the gifts and 70
the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29) – a clear rejection of Christian supersessionist 71
theology. Along with this, however, the General Synod in 2003 rejected the theological claims 72
of Christian Zionism which seek to privilege Jews in the modern State of Israel over others who 73
share the land, and instead, while recognizing “the diversity of biblical perspectives on the 74
question of a Jewish homeland,” also “affirms that all such perspectives should be grounded in 75
the message of justice and peace taught by Jesus and the biblical prophets.” That message is 76
summarized in the passage from Isaiah that Jesus quotes in Nazareth to inaugurate his ministry: 77
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. 78
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the 79
oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61.1-2; Luke 4.18-19). 80
Isaiah reminds us that the mere accumulation of property at the expense of justice and 81
righteousness offers only a barren future: “Ah, you who join house to house, who add field to 82
field, until there is room for no one but you and you are left to live alone in the midst of the land” 83
(Isaiah 5.8). 84
85
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The United Church of Christ, through its mission agencies, has maintained a close relationship 86
with the Palestinian Christian community, as well as the wider Arab population of Palestine. For 87
decades it has supported churches and church-related agencies, as well as human rights, 88
humanitarian, and social justice organizations in Palestine and Israel to the end that God’s 89
blessings might be shared by all in the land and that the violence and oppression that have 90
afflicted the region for over seventy years may end. 91
92
Consistent with these understandings, the General Synod has repeatedly called for the 93
implementation of a vision of the future for Israel and Palestine based on justice and security for 94
all and the principle of self-determination. In 1973 the General Synod affirmed that “peace and 95
security can be attained only through a just and stable political settlement that takes into account 96
the legitimate aspirations of all the peoples in the area and, particularly, the right to existence of 97
the State of Israel and the rights of the Palestinian Arabs.” In 1997 the General Synod called for 98
a negotiated agreement on the status of Jerusalem “that respects the human and political rights of 99
both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the rights of the three religious communities.” 100
101
In 2005 the General Synod called upon United Church of Christ settings and members “to use 102
economic leverage, including, but not limited to: advocating the reallocation of US foreign aid so 103
that the militarization of the Middle East is constrained; making positive contributions to groups 104
and partners committed to the non-violent resolution of the conflict; challenging the practices of 105
corporations that gain from the continuation of the conflict; and divesting from those companies 106
that refuse to change their practices of gain from the perpetuation of violence, including the 107
Occupation.” Further, the same Synod in a resolution on Israel’s construction of the separation 108
barrier, called upon the Israeli government “to cease the project to construct the barrier, tear 109
down the segments that have already been constructed, and make reparations to those who have 110
lost homes, fields, property, and/or lives and health due to the barrier and its effects.” 111
112
In 2015 the General Synod called on United Church of Christ settings “to divest any direct or 113
substantive indirect holdings in companies profiting from or complicit in human rights violations 114
arising from the occupation of the Palestinian Territories by the state of Israel” and to “boycott 115
goods identified as produced in or using the facilities of illegal settlements located in the 116
occupied Palestinian territories.” In 2017 the General Synod called on Israel to honor the United 117
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, calling attention to the practice of military 118
detention for Palestinian children, denial of access to legal assistance, and the use of physical and 119
emotional abuse. Most recently, in 2019 the General Synod called for advocacy for Palestinian 120
refugees specifically as stipulated in UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (1948), and for 121
continued US funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. 122
123
TEXT OF THE MOTION 124
WHEREAS for over seventy years Palestinian people have faced dispossession of their land, 125
displacement from their homes, a harsh military occupation, severe restrictions on travel, the 126
military detention of their children, home demolitions – over 120,000 to date and the constant 127
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threat of more – and vast inequities in access to natural, economic, and medical resources when 128
compared to that enjoyed by Israeli citizens living in illegal West Bank settlements, and also on a 129
daily basis face severe restrictions on access to their olive groves, farms, and holy sites; [1] and 130
WHEREAS there are more than 5.6 million Palestinian refugees registered with the United 131
Nations Relief and Works Administration representing a global displacement of Palestinian 132
people dating back to 1948 whose future status remains unresolved; [2] and 133
WHEREAS the Israeli government has maintained an illegal military occupation of Palestinian 134
territories since 1967 that includes the establishment of illegal Jewish-only settlements 135
throughout the West Bank and more recently has enacted formal discrimination against its Arab 136
citizens through the passage of the Nation State Law in 2018; [3] and 137
WHEREAS provocative actions under the Trump administration, including moving the U.S. 138
embassy to Jerusalem, the suspension of humanitarian aid to the United Nations Relief and 139
Works Administration, and support for Israel’s proposed illegal annexation of land in the 140
occupied West Bank have further injured the Palestinian community and imposed serious road 141
blocks to peace; [4] and 142
WHEREAS the Trump Administration’s Department of Education has issued a rule labeling any 143
criticism of the State of Israel as an antisemitic act in order to suppress advocacy for Palestinian 144
rights on university campuses, and has joined many state governments in further suppressing 145
freedom of speech in support of Palestinian civil society’s call for boycotts, divestment, and 146
sanctions; [5] and 147
WHEREAS actions by Israel, with tacit and overt support from the United States government, 148
have established conditions comparable to those in force under Jim Crow in the United States 149
south between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement, with segregation laws that 150
enshrined systematic domination and oppression by whites over blacks. Israel’s acts of 151
domination and oppression include, but are not limited to adoption of the Nation State Law in 152
2018, the building of the separation barrier, implementation of a restrictive pass system for 153
Palestinians, the creation of Israeli-only highways through the West Bank, and imposed military 154
detention of Palestinian children accused of crimes; and 155
WHEREAS the General Synod of the United Church of Christ and its officers have for over 156
fifty years advocated for a negotiated process leading to a just peace between Israel and Palestine 157
marked by adherence to international law and international standards of human rights and 158
honoring the principle of self-determination and the rights of Palestinian refugees; [6] and 159
WHEREAS, reminiscent of historical examples such as the United States, Canada, Australia, 160
and Southern Africa, Israel exhibits a current-day form of settler colonialism [7], actively 161
engaged in the removal and erasure of the indigenous Palestinian population, through a matrix of 162
control that includes: the imposition of a harsh military occupation; the de facto annexation of 163
Palestinian lands and threats of further annexation; the expansion of illegal Jewish only 164
settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; the contraction of Palestinian-controlled land; 165
and the restriction of travel for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza; 166
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WHEREAS Cry for Hope: A Call for Decisive Action issued by Palestinian Christian leaders 167
and theologians in July, 2020 [8], states that “the very being of the church, the integrity of the 168
Christian faith, and the credibility of the Gospel is at stake. We declare that support for the 169
oppression of the Palestinian people, whether passive or active, through silence, word or deed, is 170
a sin. We assert that Christian support for Zionism as a theology and an ideology that legitimize 171
the right of one people to deny the human rights of another is incompatible with the Christian 172
faith and a grave misuse of the Bible”; 173
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Thirty-Third General Synod of the United Church 174
of Christ adopts the following Declaration: 175
1. We affirm that the continued oppression of the Palestinian people remains, after more 176
than five decades of oppression of the Palestinian people, a matter of theological urgency 177
and represents a sin in violation of the message of the biblical prophets and the Gospel, 178
and that all efforts to defend or legitimate the oppression of the Palestinian people, 179
whether passive or active, through silence, word, or deed by the Christian community, 180
represent a fundamental denial of the Gospel. 181
Therefore, we reject the notion that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is a purely 182
political problem outside the concern of the church or that the oppression of the 183
Palestinian people is an inevitable consequence of global or regional geopolitical 184
interests. 185
2. We affirm that the biblical narrative beginning with creation and extending through the 186
calling of the Israelites, the corrective admonitions of the prophets, the incarnation and 187
ministry of Jesus and the witness of the apostles to the “ends of the earth” . . . speaks of 188
God’s blessing extending to “all the families of the earth.” (Genesis 12.3) 189
Therefore, we reject any theology or ideology including Christian Zionism, 190
Supercessionism, antisemitism or anti-Islam bias that would privilege or exclude 191
any one nation, race, culture, or religion within God’s universal economy of grace. 192
3. We affirm that all people living in Palestine and Israel are created in the image of God 193
and that this bestows ultimate dignity and sacredness to all; 194
Therefore, we reject any laws and legal procedures which are used by one race or 195
religion or political entity to enshrine one people in a privileged legal position at the 196
expense of another, including Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures. 197
4. We affirm that all peoples have the right to self-determination and to their aspirations for 198
sovereignty and statehood in the shaping of their corporate religious, cultural, and political 199
life, free from manipulation or pressure from outside powers, and that a just resolution of 200
conflicting claims is only achieved through the equal protection of civil rights, the fair and 201
just sharing of land and resources, and peaceful negotiation based on international law and 202
UN resolutions. 203
6

Therefore, we reject the use of Scripture to claim a divine right to the land as the 204
rationale for Israel’s illegal seizure and annexation of Palestinian land as well as the 205
imposition of so-called peace agreements by Israel or the United States through the 206
exercise of political and military domination that leaves Palestinians without equal 207
rights, full citizenship, and the opportunity to thrive religiously, culturally, 208
politically, and economically. 209
5. We affirm the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes if they so choose or 210
to be compensated for their loss of property, consistent with UN General Assembly 211
resolution 194 (1948). 212
Therefore, we reject the denial of this right, just as we reject efforts to manipulate 213
internationally-agreed upon definitions of refugees to attempt to erase this right 214
which extends across generations. 215
6. We affirm the First Amendment constitutional right to freedom of speech and assembly 216
to protest the actions of the State of Israel and to uphold the rights of Palestinians, 217
including the use of economic measures to support justice as a First Amendment right and 218
joining the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement by individuals, 219
institutions, corporations, and religious bodies that advocate peace with justice or 220
participate in any aspect of the use of economic measures to support justice. 221
Therefore, we reject the idea that any criticism of policies of the State of Israel is 222
inherently antisemitic, in confession that some criticism is antisemitic in intent or 223
impact, and we oppose the efforts of U.S. federal and state governments to limit free 224
speech on university campuses and to restrict or ban support of the international 225
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. 226
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that national setting of the United Church of Christ send the 227
text of this Declaration to Local Churches, Associations and Conferences; and 228
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that all settings of the United Church of Christ be encouraged 229
to receive this Declaration as a prophetic call for renewed and continued advocacy for a just 230
peace in Palestine and Israel and use it as a plumbline for taking action, including, for example: 231
a. Committing to hearing the voices of Palestinians regarding their situation, including the 232
voices of Palestinian Christians through the study of Palestine Liberation Theology, 233
attention to statements and appeals such as Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth (2009) 234
and a Cry for Hope (2020), participation in travel seminars that expose visitors to the 235
Palestinian community, and use of resources from Global Ministries of the United Church 236
of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). 237
b. Implementing the calls of prior General Synod resolutions, including the 2015 238
Resolution, “A Call for the United Church of Christ to Take Actions Toward a Just Peace 239
in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” and the 2017 Resolution, “A Call for the United 240
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Church of Christ to Advocate for the Rights of Children Living Under Israeli Military 241
Occupation.” 242
c. Examining critically our use and interpretations of Scripture as well as liturgies and 243
hymns that equate ancient Biblical Israel with the modern state in ways that promote 244
settler colonialism and the dispossession of Palestinian land, rights, and cultural 245
expressions. 246
d. Offering support and encouragement to college students and faculty members as well as 247
the human rights groups (including Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for 248
Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, and many other allied groups), whose freedom to 249
speak, witness and advocate on university campuses is threatened in any way by state or 250
local governments, or by college administrators. 251
e. Advocating for the cessation of U.S. military aid to Israel until such time that Palestinian 252
human rights, civil rights, and self-determination are fully realized and protected in 253
compliance with international law, US laws on foreign military assistance, and the 254
principles of human rights. 255
f. Supporting the full restoration of US funding for the United Nations Relief and Works 256
Agency which carries out critical services by and for Palestinian refugees, and 257
encouraging continued support for UCC partners which serve Palestinian refugees. 258
g. Demanding that the plight of Palestinian refugees be addressed by Israel and the 259
international community based on United Nations Resolution 194 guaranteeing that 260
“refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should 261
be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid 262
for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property 263
which, under principles of international law or equity, should be made good by the 264
Governments or authorities responsible.” 265
FUNDING: The funding for the implementation of the Resolution will be made in accordance 266
with the overall mandates of the affected agencies and the funds available. 267
IMPLEMENTATION: The Officers of the Church, in consultation with appropriate ministries 268
or other entities within the United Church of Christ, will determine the implementing body. 269
270
Footnotes 271
(1) Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions: https://icahd.org/ 272
(2) United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East: 273
https://www.unrwa.org/ 274
(3) https://www.vox.com/world/2018/7/31/17623978/israel-jewish-nation-state-law-bill-275
explained-apartheid-netanyahu-democracy 276
(4) https://www.globalministries.org/ecumenical_statement_on_current_u_s_policy_and_isra277
el_palestine 278
8

https://www.globalministries.org/ucc_disciples_leaders_issue_joint_statement_in_respon279
se_to_the_peace_and_prosperity_proposal 280
https://www.globalministries.org/not_peace_but_apartheid_b_tselem_s_brief_response_t281
o_the_trump_plan 282
https://www.globalministries.org/ucc_disciples_leaders_issue_statement_on_israeli_settl283
ements 284
(5) https://forward.com/fast-forward/410044/trump-education-dept-adopts-controversial-285
new-definition-of-anti-semitism/ 286
https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/9/11/kenneth-marcus-adopts-controversial-287
antisemitism-definition-at-doe-with-no-public-notice-reopens-dismissed-rutgers-case-288
from-2014?rq=anti-semitism%20department%20of%20education 289
(6) https://www.globalministries.org/mee_resolutions 290
(7) https://www.wrmea.org/israel/palestine/how-settler-colonialism-can-help-us-understand-291
israel-and-the-us.html 292
https://www.globalministries.org/ameu_s_the_link_the_decolonizing_of_palestine_towar293
ds_a_one_state_solution_by_jeff_halper 294
(8) Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice: https://www.cryforhope.org/ 295

The Kairos Document, produced by Palestinian Christians in 2009, says,

We proclaim our word based on our Christian faith and our sense of Palestinian belonging – a word of faith, hope and love.

We declare that the military occupation of Palestinian land constitutes a sin against God and humanity. Any theology that legitimizes the occupation and justifies crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people lies far from Christian teachings.

We urge the international community to stand with the Palestinian people in their struggle against oppression, displacement, and apartheid.

We demand that all people, political leaders and decision-makers put pressure on Israel and take legal measures in order to oblige its government to end its oppression and disregard for international law.

We hold a clear position that non-violent resistance to this injustice is a right and duty for all Palestinians, including Christians.

We support Palestinian civil society organizations, international NGOs and religious institutions that call on individuals, companies and states to engage in boycotts, divestment and sanctions against the Israeli occupation.”

——

Bonus Video added by Informed Comment:

Rifat Kassis – Kairos Palestine for UCC PIN

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