Analysis: Israel/Palestine Overtures

Although the past two General Assemblies have made significant statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the topic continues to generate a significant number of overtures. The steering committee of the Israel/Palestine mission network has prepared the following guidance, based on prayer, study and research covering hundreds of resources as well as travel in the Middle East to hear diverse perspectives from Israelis, Palestinians and local Christian leaders:

The Military Occupation - It is our firm belief that peace and justice for both Israel and Palestine cannot be achieved until the 40 year military occupation of Palestinian lands comes to an end.

The Wall, Checkpoints, and Curfews - This military occupation is further articulated by a 436 mile wall and hundreds of check points and road blocks, many miles of which encroach upon Palestinian lands. The result is that Palestinians are forcibly separated from one another and are denied access to employment, education, medical care, natural resources, adequate food and basic needs. Curfews prevent Palestinians from going to work, sending their children to school or even leaving their homes for weeks and months at a time depending upon the whim of the occupying military regime.

Denial of Ownership and Home Demolitions - From 2000-2007, 94% of all building permit requests by West Bank Palestinians have been denied (only 91 of 1,624 requests being allowed). By contrast, 18,472 apartments and homes were built in Jewish West Bank settlements in that same period of time. Palestinians who choose to build, or simply add an addition to their homes without the necessary permit often find themselves on an Israeli government list of Palestinian homes scheduled for total demolition. Since 2000, 4,747 Palestinian homes have been completely destroyed (18,147 since 1967). Sometimes the events result not only in the loss of Palestinian property, but life as well.

Construction of Illegal Israeli Settlements on Palestinian Land - It is against international law for nations to construct permanent settlements on occupied land. Both Israel and the United States are signatories of the 1949 Geneva Convention which clearly prohibits this. Even so, nearly 500,000 Israelis have been moved into such settlements and are protected by Israeli political and military power. In the sixty year history of Israel, every elected Prime Minister has presided over the construction of these settlements contrary to its signed agreements.

People Without a Country - Israel maintains a system in which Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have neither the privilege of Israeli citizenship nor the freedom to be citizens of their own nation. Palestinians literally exist as a people without a country. In addition, the territory in which they live is divided into cantons ensuring that Palestine is not contiguous, and can never be, thus eliminating the possibility that a two state solution could ever exist. In this context, millions of Palestinians are controlled by an occupying military force that imposes collective punishment on an arbitrary and routine basis.

Violence - Violence does occur on both sides of this conflict, but its victims are disproportionately Palestinian. According to the Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, at the beginning of 2008 there were 8,436 Palestinian prisoners (most being held without charge) and only 3 Israeli prisoners; 668 Palestinians (overwhelmingly women and children) have been killed in Gaza by Israel over the past two years compared with 13 Israeli dead.

We endorse the following overtures:

• Overture 07-01 On Calling for Tolerance and Peaceful Relations Between the Christian and Muslim Communities (Newton Presbytery). This overture calls for dialogue among three faiths: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Given our global interconnectedness, dialogue at home impacts peace and justice across the world.
• Overture 11-01 On Peace and Justice in Israel Palestine (Greater Atlanta Presbytery). This overture calls for intentional study and dialogue throughout the PC(USA) and beyond concerning the conflict in Israel/Palestine. This is an important and necessary first step towards deeper understanding about what makes for peace and justice in that region.
• Overture 11-02 On Pursuing a Culture of Just Peace in Israel and Palestine (Chicago Presbytery). A “Just Peace” here is defined by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the newly formed United Nations in 1949 to ensure that the Jewish holocaust not be repeated. It applies equally to all factions, countries, and peoples.
• Overture 11-03 On Endorsing the Amman Call (Susquehanna Valley Presbytery). From an ecumenical conference in Amman, Jordan, in June 2007, the Christian Churches in the Middle East appeal to our General Assembly to take significant actions in our policies for seeking a just Israeli-Palestinian peace, in both ecumenical and interfaith contexts, thus assuring them that we are, in Christ, their partners in this important work.
• Overture 11-04 On Travel to Israel/Palestine (East Iowa Presbytery). This overture provides guidelines and resources for Presbyterians planning travel to the Holy Land in keeping with the peacemaking goals of our church and requests more PC(USA)-organized trips for regional teams.
  Overture 11-07 On Supporting Israel’s Right to Exist, But Calling for Temporary Suspension of Military Aid to the State of Israel (Newark Presbytery). While this overture supports Israel’s right to existence, it exercises tough love in calling for the federal government to enforce the U.S. Foreign Assistance, and Arms Export Control Acts which prohibit recipients from using U.S. aid and weaponry in the commission of human rights violations.
• Overture 11-23 On Divestment from Caterpillar, Inc., and Motorola, Inc. for Profiteering from Israeli Military Occupation of Palestinian Territories (San Francisco Presbytery). This overture calls upon the PC(USA) Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee to report on the compliance or lack thereof by the named corporations in regard to General Assembly guidelines on responsible investment, and if necessary, to require the General Assembly Council to act in accordance with those guidelines. Commissioners should note that this overture has to do with divesting Presbyterian assets from two named companies that sell military weaponry and technology to Israel which is then used to violate human rights in Palestine. It has nothing to do with divesting from any other American corporations that do business in and with Israel. Neither does it call for “boycotting Israel” as has been falsely claimed in the past.

We do NOT support the following overtures:

• Overture 11-06 On the 218th General Assembly Being a Voice for the Victims of Violence in Israel and Palestine (National Capital Presbytery). While we embrace the spirit of this overture’s concern for both peoples, we are troubled by the fact that it focuses on ending violence without acknowledging that one side continues its military occupation of the other, imposing debilitating restrictions on the local population and illegally expanding settlements. This overture either ignores or denies that one side completely dominates the conditions it says makes for peace.
• Overture 11-25 On Becoming Non-Partisan Advocates for Peace (Santa Barbara Presbytery)
  Overture 11-26 On Middle East Peacemaking (Santa Barbara Presbytery)
  Both overtures address the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by calling upon the PC(USA) to be non-partisan advocates for peace. Specifically, Overture 11-26 calls upon our church to “defer from taking actions or making statements that align the Presbyterian Church (USA) with unilateral support for any of the specific parties involved in the struggle.” The overtures we endorse above provide the most effective means in achieving peace for both sides in this conflict and do not advocate unilateral support of one side over the other. These overtures do recognize, however, that Israel’s military occupation and absolute control of Palestine supports the ongoing seizure of, and settlement in Palestinian lands, along with the violation of human rights that occurs as a result. This makes a just peace agreement impossible. The advocacy of the Presbyterian Church (USA) calling upon the United States and Israeli governments to do what is necessary to create a just two-state solution is indispensable in achieving a permanent peace agreement. Voting in favor of the overtures we endorse will accomplish this and render moot the concerns of these two overtures from Santa Barbara.