"New Year but Same Story Here and There"

Reflection by the Rev. Loren McGrail

Political leaders have come and gone after recent elections in the United States and Israel. Focus was on maintaining, losing, or gaining power. Change for policies that would benefit or protect people, especially the vulnerable or marginalized, BIPOC or LGTQIA, are few or under direct attack in both countries. Democratic values are waning or under minded in both countries. 

As you can read in Breaking the Stories, the Biden Administration, and the newly elected progressive Democrats, are not only not stepping up to Israel and its newly elected right-wing government, but they are remaining silent or quietly reinforcing their strategic military alliance. This silence echoes in the halls of academia, this time in the case of former HRW leader Kenneth Roth, whose fellowship process at Harvard was shut down due to his criticism of Israel.

In Israel, Israelis have taken to the streets in large numbers to protest attacks on their judicial system while young Palestinians still die weekly on their own dusty streets or refugee camps. There were 146 deaths in 2022 with the number climbing already since January 1st.

On Tuesday, January 17, more than 90 United Nation member states rejected Israel’s punitive measures imposed against the Palestinian Authority in response to their request for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on Israel’s “belligerent” occupation. 

Rejection is important, however, without accountability or teeth, it will not stop the violence of this ongoing siege against the Palestinian people. Settler colonialism or apartheid are the correct terms to use as all our webinar panelists agree but perhaps, we in our faith communities would find firmer footing if we called it what it is, crimes against humanity. 

In a recent webinar from the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, former human Rights Rapporteur Richard Falk called on the faith community to act upon its “sacred imperative” to “create a moral consensus” to put pressure on the political systems in both countries to stand up for Palestinian rights, especially the right to sovereignty. The moral imperative is for us to stand against all political systems and policies that allow for and protect Israeli dominance and supremacy. 

For the United Church of Christ whose history includes the Amistad and the Civil Rights Movement, standing against Apartheid in South Africa and more recently standing in solidarity for Black Lives Matter, understanding and acting on the overt racism codified in laws and practices in Israel should be clear for us.

UCCPIN is working hard to bring these issues to the forefront to help create this moral consensus through building awareness and education and seeking ways to advocate for change. You will hear more about our efforts in our February newsletter as we introduce new members of the Steering Committee and hear from our Solidarity Circles. You will also learn about new resources for the Lenten Season. In the meantime, let us bind ourselves together to do the faithful work we have been called to do which includes following the One who calls us to act on that moral imperative to protect and defend human rights for all of God’s people.