Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace | Page 17

Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace

Furthermore, merely restating our values and affirming the importance of human rights is
not enough in situations so filled with suffering. We recommend, therefore, that the
church operationalize the values it holds by working in partnership with organizations
that share our values and applying them in the situations that deny the human dignity of
people involved with the conflict. Doing so is part of our life of faith, and engaging in
this way is an appropriate response to the needs faced, especially by the most vulnerable
in the conflict.
Acting on the basis of our Christian values and in alignment with the concerns of
human rights, we will work for justice and hope that such work can shape viable political
processes and solutions. Previous preoccupation with particular political arrangements,
we see now, has delayed the betterment of peoples’ lives—Israeli as well as Palestinian—
as the daily routines of the occupation degraded their human worth and dignity.
The church has spoken clearly on various issues that support the operationalization of
values to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, such as in Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling
(1980) and . It should continue to promote human rights in the Middle East and to work
with those organizations that promote them, no matter whether those organizations are
Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish or Christian or Muslim, centered in the Holy Lands or
beyond.
2. Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights [UDHR], adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly in 1948, asserts that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the
equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of
freedom, justice, and peace in the world.” The U. N. General Assembly calls upon
“every individual and every organ of society” to promote respect for the rights
enumerated in the Universal Declaration’s thirty articles.xxix
Living its values, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has answered this call by faithfully
proclaiming the inherent dignity of all people and affirming that equal human rights are
essential to achieve just and lasting peace. The 221st General Assembly (2014) called for
the establishment and protection of equal rights for all people in Israel-Palestine. The
Assembly action enumerates key areas where rights have been routinely denied to
Palestinians, including the right to equal protection under the law, the right to freedom of
movement and worship, the right to protection of property, and the right to unhindered
opportunity for economic development. The rights of children are lifted up for special
care.xxx
All Israelis and Palestinians are entitled to full and equal human rights. The UDHR
makes clear that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms” which it sets forth,
“without distinction of any kind,” and expressly states that “no distinction shall be made
on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory
to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under
any other limitation of sovereignty”. The Declaration makes no exceptions or
exemptions for reasons of national security, regional stability, or geopolitical advantage.

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