This declaration is a prophetic call for renewed and continued advocacy for a just peace in Palestine and Israel and is a plumbline for taking action, including committing to hearing the voices of Palestinians regarding their situation, including the voices of Palestinian Christians through the study of Palestinian Liberation Theology.

The continued oppression of the Palestinian people remains a matter of theological urgency and represents a sin in violation of the message of the biblical prophets and the Gospel.

We critique our use of Scripture, liturgies and hymns that equate ancient Biblical Israel with the modern state in ways that promote settler colonialism and the dispossession of Palestinian land.

We affirm that all people living in Palestine and Israel are created in the image of God and that this bestows ultimate dignity and sacredness to all.

We affirm the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes if they so choose or to be compensated for their loss of property, consistent with UN General Assembly resolution 194.

We reject any theology or ideology including Christian Zionism, Supercessionism, antisemitism or anti-Islam bias that would privilege or exclude any one nation, race, culture, or religion within God’s universal economy of grace.

We reject any laws which are used by one race, 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.

We reject imposition of so-called peace agreements by Israel or the United States that leaves Palestinians without equal rights.

We affirm the First Amendment constitutional right to freedom of speech and assembly to protest the actions of the State of Israel and to uphold the rights of Palestinians, including the use of economic measures to join the international BDS movement.

We advocate for the end of U.S. military aid to Israel until such time that Palestinian human rights, civil rights, and self-determination are fully realized and protected in compliance with the principles of human rights.

We support the full restoration of US funding for the UNRWA which carries out critical services by and for Palestinian refugees.

• Resolution Full Text - English
• Resolution Full Text - Spanish / Resolución-en-Español: DECLARACIÓN POR UNA PAZ JUSTA ENTRE PALESTINA E ISRAEL: Translation by: Crystal Silva-McCormick & Sofía Santín Manzanera
• Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the 2021 General Synod resolution: Declaration for a Just Peace between Palestine and Israel

General Synod 31 adopted this resolution overwhelmingly.  It encompasses a fivefold action strategy to be used by all settings of the United Church of Christ. 

• Requests that the UCC advocate for the human rights of the children of Palestine;

• Requests that UCC leadership ask Israeli authorities to guarantee basic due process rights and exercise an absolute prohibition against torture and ill-treatment of children detained by Israeli authorities; 

• Insists that, from the moment of arrest, all operations and procedures imposed on Palestinian children be carried out in accordance with international juvenile justice standards;

• Calls on the United States government to adhere to U.S. laws concerning human rights violations and the disbursement of military aid and assistance to Israeli armed forces; and 

• Urges the UCC to persist in efforts to end the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza as called for by the Thirtieth General Synod. 

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This resolution proposes a fourfold strategy by the United Church of Christ to help end the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The strategy seeks to combine: 

(1) educational empowerment (study of Kairos Palestine 2009 – ‘A Moment of Truth’: A Word of Faith, Hope, and Love from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering); 

(2) economic leverage (divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and boycott of products produced in such territories by Israeli companies); 

(3) political pressure (petition to Congress to ensure that aid to Israel violates neither the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act nor the U.S. Arms Export Control Act); and 

(4) interreligious dialogue (conversation among the three Abrahamic faiths aimed at reaching religious reconciliation and achieving political resolution).

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