Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace | Page 9

Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace Presbyterians support ecumenical and interfaith educational programs that bring Israeli and Palestinian children into contact with each other, such as Hand-in-Hand and Face-to-Face/Faith-to-Faith. Congregations need to educate themselves about all sides of the history of the conflict and about the structures of the Occupation that prevent free movement within the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and into and out of Gaza. During mission trips they should witness and experience the restrictions on movement faced by Palestinians. PC(USA) supports international accompaniment programs of the ecumenical churches to observe and be protective witnesses to prevent violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories. The Ecumenical Accompaniment Program of the World Council of Churches, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and Interfaith Peacebuilders all provide significant protection against settler and military violence against Palestinians. PC(USA) has urged the police and courts of Israel and Palestine to provide equal protection under the law for all persons and their property in the West Bank and in Israel proper, without discrimination by ethnicity, nationality or religious affiliation. PC(USA) has given strong support for a democratic Israel with secure and internationally agreed upon boundaries, living at peace with its neighbors and providing equal rights to all its citizens under one system of justice. Because Palestinians under occupation or exiled from their homes do not have such rights, however, PC(USA) has taken several actions regarding corporate engagement in Israel-Palestine. In 2006, the GA adopted a statement urging that “… financial investments of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as they pertain to Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, be invested in only peaceful pursuits, and affirm that the customary corporate engagement process of the Committee on MRTI of our denomination is the proper vehicle for achieving this goal.”xxii The GA 2008 also called upon corporations doing business in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank “… to confine their business activity solely to peaceful pursuits, and refrain from allowing their products or services to support or facilitate violent acts by Israelis or Palestinians against innocent civilians, construction and maintenance of settlements or Israeli-only roads in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territory, and construction of the Separation Barrier as it extends beyond the 1967 “Green Line” into Palestinian territories.”xxiii GA 2012 recommended that members and congregations avoid buying goods manufactured in the illegal Israeli settlements and pursue “occupation-free” investment within Israel-Palestine. The Presbyterian Foundation and Board of Pensions, as recommended by GA 2014, refrain from investing in and profiting from three US firms that supply critical equipment for the illegal occupation of the West Bank and the destruction of Palestinian houses and agriculture. The Middle East Liaison Office and other mission offices gather and share information on what is happening to Palestinians and Israelis of all faiths and participate in joint discussions among Christian, Jewish, and Muslim congregations and communities on human values and human rights. A study guide for this report will be available to read and discuss within our congregations and communities. 9