UCC PIN UPDATES

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - February 2026

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 17:15:23 GMT

Gaza Will Rise, by Imad Abu Shtayyeh

Read: Israel Used Weapons in Gaza That Made Thousands of Palestinians Evaporate (Al Jazeera)

Read: Map Shows What Would Happen to Gaza Under the US 'Master Plan' (Al Jazeera)

Read: Palestinian Resistance and the Trap of Trump's Board of Peace (Mondoweiss)

Read: Has Israel Crossed the Annexation Threshold in the West Bank (972 Magazine)

Read: The UN Security Council Declares War on Gaza (Norman Finkelstein)

Listen: What's at Stake is Everything (Popular Cradle Podcast)

Listen: Enduring Devastation: "They Redefined the Human Being in Gaza" (Occupied Thoughts Podcast)

Listen: The Politics of Art: An Interview with Sliman Mansour (This is Palestine Podcast)

You can donate to us here

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
February E News 2026

UCC MPS Delegation to Palestine August 2026

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 17:09:21 GMT

UCC MPS Delegation to Palestine

August 2026

The United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (UCCMPS) is organizing a UCC Delegation to Palestine in August 2026 and we are hoping that you'll consider joining us.

Our intention is to travel with at least 15, and as many as 30 leaders, and to meet Palestinian Christians face to face, hear their first-hand testimonies and wrestle with the implications of their call for solidarity, resistance and frienship in a moment of excrutiating violence and immense need. Working with our partners at Sabeel (the Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jersusalem), we are designing an experience that will deepen relationships, expand our capacity for "costly solidarity," and inspire individuals for the work ahead.

As we recruit for this 2026 delegation, we’re especially mindful of the connections between Palestinian eforts to dismantle Zionism and racism in their context and our efforts to dismantle white supremacy and Christian nationalism in the U.S. We believe this delegation is timely and critical for both communities, as we move forward united and courageous and inspired by the faith we share.

Our 9-day stay will include visits with Palestinian clergy and theologians, Kairos Palestine organizers, West Bank human rights defenders and more. We’ll visit villages besieged by settler violence and resisting through loving nonviolence, through indigenous wisdom and practice. We’ll meet Palestinian and Israeli activists committed to the Boycott Divestment Sanctions campaign, and imagining new forms of justice, accountability and peace together.

Are you interested? Will you join us on this delegation? Your participation will add so much to the experience we’ll have together…and will be a source of encouragement to our Palestinian friends and partners. As always, we are eager to talk and invite any questions you may have about the process, the experience and our purpose in going together.

Learn More

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
February E News 2026

Resource for Congregational Study: Faith in a Time of Genocide - February 2026

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:06:10 GMT

Resource for Congregational Study:

Faith in a Time of Genocide

Three Christian organizations have jointly release a new congregational study guide for the confessional document A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, the recently issued Kairos Palestine II statement from Palestinian Christian leaders. (Issued Nov. 2025).

Developed by The Palestine Justice Network (PJN) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR), and Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), the study guide is a free digital download.

This resource invites congregations into a sacred dialogue with the Kairos Palestine II document—a living confession born from the heart of Palestinian Christian suffering. To study it during Lent, that ancient season of preparation and renewal, is to walk the path of baptism once more: to rediscover what it means to pledge our faith in Christ and to boldly renounce the sin and evil alive in our world today.

Download the guide here:

https://thepjn.org/kp2studyguide

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
February E News 2026

Liturgical Resources for Lent - February 2026

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 23:55:00 GMT

Liturgical Resources for Lent

Artist: Adibe Abu-Said

The UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity Liturgical Resources Team is honored to offer a selection of 2026 worship resources designed to aid congregations in incorporating themes of Palestinian liberation, solidarity, and justice into their Lenten worship services.

Our 2026 collection includes prayers for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, as well as a Lenten communion liturgy that can be threaded throughout the season.

You can access all resources for free on our substack page . Feel free to use these resources as is, or to edit them for your own context and purposes, and if you do use our resources, we encourage you to let us know. We look forward to partnering with congregations in their journey to weave Palestinian liberation and solidarity into the vital fabric of their worship life. It's yet one more way for us to collectively keep all eyes on Palestine.

View Lent Resources:
https://uccmps.substack.com/p/liturgical-resources-for-lent

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
February E News 2026

Take Action: Demand an Arms Embargo

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 23:45:52 GMT

Take Action: Demand an Arms Embargo

The US continues to provide Israel with massive quantities of weaponry, including a new $6.67 billion in new arms sales approved by Pres. Trump and bypassing Congress, adding to an already staggering $31 billion by Oct. 2025.

The US must do all it can to end Israeli violence against Palestinians. Call on your Senators and Congressional representative to:

Prevent the Trump administration from delivering more major US weapons to Israel.

Oppose violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and authorize sanctions against those who do.

Urge Israel to allow Palestinians in Gaza – especially children – to travel with their families to seek urgent medical care in Jerusalem or elsewhere with guarantees of return.

It’s extremely important that Members of Congress hear from their constituents right now that they oppose giving more weapons to Israel! Write your Representative and ask them to cosponsor H.R.3565, the Block the Bombs Act.

If enacted into law, this bill would block the following weapons to Israel: BLU-109 bunker busting bombs, MK80 series bombs, GBU-39 small diameter bomb variants, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), SPICE gliding bomb assemblies, 120mm tank ammunition, and 155mm artillery ammunition, including white phosphorus munitions.

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
February E News 2026

UCC MPS February 2026 E-News

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 23:34:06 GMT

UCC MPS February E-News

It has recently been reported that among the thousands of missing Palestinians in Gaza, there are nearly 3000 people whose bodies were likely eviscerated by illegal weapons. According to an Al Jazeera investigation , Israeli forces used internationally prohibited bombs that could generate heat of up to 3,500 degrees Celsius (6,332 degrees Fahrenheit), capable of turning human bodies into ash in an instant. The investigation also revealed that many of those bombs were provided to Israel by the United States.

The true horrors of Gaza continue to be revealed, but we are at a crucial crossroads. If we want the full extent of Israeli crimes to be uncovered, there must be large-scale, international efforts to interrupt and sanction the work of Trump's so-called "board of peace," which met for the first time yesterday in Washington D.C.

There has been a clearly stated plan that will cover up Israel's crimes in Gaza and bury evidence. The plan, outlined by Jared Kushner in a speech he gave in Davos, would turn Gaza into a waterfront riviera, and would require that the rubble be bulldozed and covered up in order to make room for new real estate developments. Indeed, the process of bulldozing and flattening the rubble has already begun.

Can you imagine? The bodies of thousands of Palestinians that are still under the rubble could be buried forever, with no one ever knowing who they were, and survivors never knowing where their loved ones are buried. Luxery condos would be built over mass graves. The rich and powerful aim to build their Mediterranean playground on the back of Palestinian suffering.

It's unclear what mechanisms there are to resist the Trump administration's plans for "new Gaza," especially since it has the backing of a UN resolution . But it is clear that we cannot let this moment pass without at the very least bearing witness to the monstrous injustice that is being perpetrated. As always, this is not the time to turn away.

Recently, I received an email from my very conservative senator with a poll, asking his constituents if they support Israel. I was all too happy to let this senator, who is a stauch supporter of Israel, that I did not. To me, this is further evidence of cracks in the pillars of US support for Israel. We need to exploit those cracks, make them wider and wider until the pillars themselves collapse. If we can do that, maybe we can begin to force change. To be sure, there is a long way to go, and it may feel impossible right now, but as the popular proverb says, sometimes, the impossible will take a little while. Not to mention, our faith tells us that with God, even the impossible can become reality.

So, do not give up hope. As Palestinians will often tell us, they do not have the luxury of despair, therefore, to be in solidarity with them means we must hold onto hope as well. Keep fighting the good fight. Keep speaking out. Keep working for collective liberation. And keep all eyes on Palestine.

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC MPS Steering Committee Co-chair

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
February E News 2026

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - December 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 19:39:26 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening - December 2025

A yellow concrete block placed by the Israeli army is seen east of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, November 2, 2025. (Fathi Ibrahim/Flash90)

Read: The Road from Ceasefire to Peace (UCC MPS Statement)

Read: A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide (Kairos Palestine Statement)

Read: A New Form of Genocide: Gazans Feel Little Relief from Israeli Strangulation Since the Ceasefire (Mondoweiss)

Read: How Israel Organized and Arms Settler Militias to Terrorize Palestinians in the West Bank (Drop Site News)

Read: Along Israel's Expanding Yellow Line, the War in Gaza Never Ended (+972 Magazine)

Watch: Kairos Palestine: The Silent Genocide

Listen: How Palestinian History is Systematically Forgotten (The Chris Hedges Report)

Listen: Israel, Palestine, and Christian Zionism (American Unexceptionalism)

Listen: The Economy of Genocide (Let's Talk Palestine)

Donate to UCCMPS

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

Solidarity Tour to Palestine - December 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 19:26:24 GMT

Solidarity Tour to Palestine
December 2025

Members of the 2023 ICMEP Solidarity Tour

One of the most impactful solidarity actions we can take is to travel to Palestine. Our Palestinian siblings are eager to meet with international visitors to share their stories so that we can come home and educate our fellow Americans about the reality there.

There are many groups that sponsor solidarity tours to Palestine (many of them are listed on our website), but one that we highly recommend is the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace . Former UCC PIN member Rev. Dr. Michael Spath is the executive director, and will be leading a solidarity tour in June of 2026. He has led nearly 20 solidarity tours to Israel and Palestine. Here is just a sample of some of the people that delegation members will meet on the trip:

Issa Amro , 2025 Nobel Peace Prize nominee– Hebron

Breaking the Silence , Israeli veterans now turned peace activists

Sahar Francis , Addameer Prisoner Support – Ramallah

Jeff Halper , Two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee– Jerusalem

Munther Isaac , Theologian and Pastor– Ramallah

Daoud Nassar , Tent of Nations– Bethlehem

Zoughbi Zoughbi , 2011 World Vision “Peacemaker of Year"– Bethlehem

To learn more about the trip, or to sign up for the delegation, click the link below:
https://files.constantcontact.com/bc4b64af501/c46070fc-6cd9-43e7-8dd3-6e2433438b68.pdf?rdr=true

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

Webinar: A Jew and a Christian Walk into Palestine - December 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 19:22:50 GMT

Webinar:

A Jew and a Christian Walk into Palestine
December 2025

A unique online event hosted by the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

In May 2025, a journey to Palestine and Israel brought together people of different faiths and perspectives. What began as a trip turned into a friendship—and a shared commitment to understanding.

Join us for a powerful conversation with:

• Susan Birndorf – Clinical Psychologist, member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Indianapolis

• Rev. Sara Ofner Seals – Associate Pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church, advocate for Palestinian solidarity

• Michael Spath – Executive Director of ICMEP, veteran of 18 solidarity tours to the region

Together, they’ll share reflections on what they saw, heard, and felt—and what it means for activism and solidarity here at home.

When: Monday, December 15 at 1pm

Where: Online via Zoom

Webinar is free, but registration is required. Register at the link below.

Can’t make it live?

A recording will be shared on the ICMEP YouTube channel a few days later: youtube.com/@inCMEP/videos

Let’s listen, learn, and lean into conversations that build bridges.

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide - December 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 19:19:32 GMT

A Moment of Truth:

Faith in a Time of Genocide - December 2025

A new document from our partners at Kairos Palestine provides a renewed theological and spiritual reading of the Palestinian and global reality. It describes our present as a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the world. It affirms that this moment demands a new stance—one of faith, truth, and responsibility.

"We live now in a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the world. This moment demands from us a new stand, one unlike any before it. It is both a decisive moment and a moment of truth. Today, we renew our stand for truth and our commitment to fundamental religious, theological and moral principles. We look at our reality and take a renewed stand, responding to the voice of the Holy Spirit deep within us, listening to the call of faith in this time of genocide. We renew our message of faith, hope, and love — offering a faith-inspired vision for the time after genocide."

Read the full statement:
https://www.kairospalestine.ps/images/Final_Kairos_document_II_English.pdf

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

The Costly Solidarity Toolkit - December 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 19:13:55 GMT

The Costly Solidarity Toolkit - December 2025

Navigating the many aspects of solidarity work can be overwhelming, especially for the uninitiated. This is why UCC MPS members have taken the time to put together a toolkit for use by individuals, congregations, conferences, and other settings of the church.

As the authors of the toolkit write, we are at a time "when our church, our congregations, and we as people of faith must act. This toolkit is designed to provide resources to help us respond to the genocide and to work to dismantle Israel’s operating system of apartheid and occupation which support and promote the genocide."

Explore the costly solidarity toolkit and find ways to take action today!

Explore the Costly Solidarity Toolkit:

https://files.constantcontact.com/bc4b64af501/fc0ef6e4-0e99-4aaa-aac3-7f13fb91ab12.pdf?rdr=true

Costly Solidarity One Pager:
https://files.constantcontact.com/bc4b64af501/8676d7a1-3b41-4225-b44b-29eff99d13ee.pdf?rdr=true

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

Resources for Advent Available NOW - December 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 19:01:08 GMT

Resources for Advent Available NOW - December 2025

If you are looking for ways for your congregation to stand in solidarity with Palestine this Advent and Christmas season, members of the UCC MPS liturgical resources team have written a number of original prayers for the season that can be used as is or adapted to fit your needs. Check out our Substack to peruse this year's resources.

Visit our Substack

Other resources to check out:

Direct Action Advent Calendar (FOSNA)

Red Letter Christians Advent Devotional (featuring Palestinian Christian writers, pastors, and theologians)

Red Candle Campaign

Are you a writer? A poet? Are you interested in being part of the UCC MPS liturgical resources team? Reach out to us at info@uccmps.org for more information!

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

UCC MPS December E-News

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 17:54:05 GMT

UCC MPS December E-News

Photo credit: Saher Alghorra for The New York Times There is no ceasefire in Gaza.

On October 10, 2025, much of the world rejoiced as a ceasefire went into effect in Gaza. Finally, people thought, the relentless bombing would stop, and much needed humanitarian aid would flow into the Gaza strip, preventing thousands of people from starving to death.

Then, people moved on. The media covered other matters. People shifted their focus from starving Palestinian children to political matters closer to home. For many, it was a welcome reprieve.

Unfortunately, for Palestinians living in Gaza, there has been little relief. Iyad Amawi, humanitarian aid coordinator in central Gaza told Drop Site News that "this so-called peace plan is nothing but a pleasant title hiding a catastrophic reality.”

The reality in Gaza is that targeted strikes continue, despite the so-called ceasefire. Israel has killed nearly 400 Palestinians in Gaza since the so-called ceasefire began, bringing the total death toll to over 70,000. In addition, much needed humanitarian aid has not flooded the strip, rather, it enters in a trickle. In many places in the besieged territory, food is still hard to find, and fuel to cook it with is even more difficult to come by. The World Food Program reports that many Palestinians in Gaza are still only able to eat one meal a day, and in October alone, more than 9,000 Palestinian children had to be hospitalized for acute malnutrition.

As the cold and rainy winter season approaches, most Palestinians in Gaza don’t have proper shelter, and are living in make-shift tents which offer little protection from the elements. At the time of this writing, Gaza is being battered by a severe winter storm; 27,000 tents have been destroyed and one infant has frozen to death . Much needed essentials such as sturdier winter tents, fuel, construction materials, and even many medical supplies are still being blocked. “This is not peace,” Amawi says. “This is a quiet continuation of genocide—slow killing through hunger, disease, cold and suffocation.”

Now is not the time to take our eyes off Gaza. As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, we cannot ignore the intense human suffering happening in the very place where Jesus was born. As we prepare room in our hearts and homes for Christ to enter, we must also prepare the way for the Prince of Peace to be born again in the Holy Land.

This requires prayerful action. We need to let our government officials know that we demand a real ceasefire, where parties will be held accountable for violations. We need to let our government officials know that we are paying attention, and they can’t gaslight us into thinking that everything is fine. We must demand that any peace plan for the region include Palestinians in the negotiating process (Trump’s 20-point plan did not). We must demand not just a ceasefire, but an end to the nearly 20-year siege on Gaza that was in effect long before October 7, 2023, and an end to apartheid and occupation in the West Bank.

Anyone who claims to care about human rights, freedom, and dignity for all people, but does not demand all these things for Palestinians, is living by a dangerous double standard. It’s past time that we made such double standards unacceptable in the mainstream. It’s past time for Palestinians to be afforded to same rights, liberty, and dignity as everyone else. They are just as human as the rest of us. They bleed the same. They hunger the same. They freeze in the cold the same. They mourn their dead children just as much as we would. It’s past time we recognize their humanity and end this madness.

All eyes on Palestine. We cannot look away.

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC MPS Steering Committee Member

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS December E-News 2025

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - October 2025

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:52:28 GMT

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - October 2025

Displaced Palestinians returning to Gaza City on October 10, 2025.

(Screenshot of video by Abdel Qader Sabbah.)

Read: We May Have Survived Physically, But We Haven't Survived Mentally (Drop Site News)

Read: Israel Kills 5 Palestinians in Gaza and Announces it Will Not Abide by the Terms of Facilitating Humanitarian Aid (Drop Site News)

Read: A Brief History of Israel's Wars on Gaza, 2008-2023 (Palestine Nexus)

Read: A Million Calls an Hour: Israel Relying on Microsoft Cloud for Expansive Surveillance of Palestinians (The Guardian)

Watch: Genocide Starts in the Mind (The Beinart Notebook)

Listen: On the New 20-Point Plan (Occupied Thoughts)

Listen: Israel's Genocide in Gaza: Two Years Through a Doctor's Eyes (This is Palestine)

Listen: Being a Christian After the Desolation of Gaza (Across the Divide)

Journey to Bethlehem: Advent Resources to Help Us Lead into This Time A Supportive Space for Clergy - October 2025

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:45:54 GMT

Journey to Bethlehem:

Advent Resources to Help Us Lead into This Time

A Supportive Space for Clergy
October 2025

Christ in the Rubble, icon by Kelly Latimore

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm (Eastern) / 5:00 pm (Central) / 4:00 pm (Mountain) / 3:00 pm (Pacific)

Location: On Zoom - Link will be sent after registering and prior to the event.

This is an invitation for UCC clergy and lay folks (other denominations also welcome!) to be supported and connected as we seek to respond to the call of our Palestinian partners for solidarity. In addition to praying and sharing together, we will offer resources that can be used in collective or individual worship on our "Journey to Bethlehem" this Advent.

Hosted by the United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (formerly UCC Palestine Israel Network).

Copy of Take Action: Block the Bombs Act - October 2025

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:42:25 GMT

Take Action: Block the Bombs Act - October 2025

On June 5, Representatives Delia Ramirez, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, and Mark Pocan, along with 18 colleagues, publicly announced the introduction of a historic bill in Congress to end military aid to Israel. Since that day, over 40 democratic representatives have signed on as co-sponsors, with new co-sponsors being added almost every week.

There is growing momentum for this bill, which is why it’s extremely important that Members of Congress hear from their constituents right now that they oppose giving more weapons to Israel! Write your Representative and ask them to cosponsor H.R.3565, the Block the Bombs Act. If your representative is already signed on, contact them and thank them for their support.

Polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans want to stop the flow of deadly weapons to Israel. It's time for congress to listen to their constituents and take the necessary action to block the bombs.

Contact Your Representative:
Block the Bombs to Israel - Action Network

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
October E-News 2025

Take Action: No Azure for Apartheid - October 2025

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:39:25 GMT

Take Action: No Azure for Apartheid - October 2025

In September 2025, after intense pressure from its own employees, Microsoft cut off some services to a unit in Israel’s Defense Ministry after investigating allegations that it was using Microsoft cloud products for the mass surveillance of Palestinians.

According to The Guardian , the termination of services by Microsoft “is the first known case of a US technology company withdrawing services provided to the Israeli military since the beginning of its war on Gaza.” But that does not impact Microsoft’s deep “commercial relationship with the IDF, which is a longstanding client and will retain access to other services.”

This critical campaign achievement comes at a time of growing worldwide condemnation of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

In lockstep with Microsoft workers at No Azure for Apartheid, we will continue to pressure Microsoft to sever all ties with the Israeli military. That is the goal, and this is the time to push toward it.

Write a letter to Microsoft

Sign a Petition to Microsoft

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
October E-News 2025

UCC MPS October 2025 E-News

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 22:07:19 GMT

UCC MPS October 2025 E-News

Palestinians in Gaza celebrate the news of a ceasefire (CNN News)

First things first.

Scripture calls us to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. Therefore, we celebrate the current ceasefire alongside Palestinians in Gaza. We celebrate the relief this brings to the people of Gaza-- relief from constant bombing and shelling, relief from the constant sound of drones and fighter jets overhead, relief to hostages, political prisoners, and their families. We celebrate with the children of Gaza that they can finally sleep through the night without the fear of not waking up in the morning. It is necessary, right and good that we celebrate these things.

At the same time, we recognize that this is a fragile ceasefire that could fall apart at any moment. Indeed, Israel has already threatened to break the ceasefire by killing five Palestinians in the strip and delaying the deployment meaningful humanitarian aid to those who need it most.

Trump's 20-point plan, which has been written without any consultation with Palestinians, does nothing to bring justice or reparations to Palestinians. This makes the prospect of a just, long-term, lasting peace highly unlikely. Though the bombs may have stopped, the people of Gaza remain traumatized and haunted by the sites and sounds of death that have followed them for more than two years.

In the words of Gaza journalist, Huda Skaik , "I have mixed feelings of happiness and sadness because when the war ends, another struggle will begin—an internal war. Our wounds will reopen, and we will have time to grieve our beloved ones, to give sadness the time it needs. We may have survived physically, but we haven’t survived mentally. This genocide lives inside us. It swallowed our loved ones, our youth, our dreams. I think this genocide will stay living inside us forever in our minds."

As much as we are relieved at the current halt to the mass slaughter in Gaza, we must not take our eyes off of Palestine. We must keep the pressure on our own government and let them know that a ceasefire alone is not enough. We also need accountability for Israel's crimes and a commitment to reparations to Palestinians for decades of military occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

In this issue, we focus on things all of us can do to keep the pressure on our government and other corporate entities. Please take advantage of opportunities below to take action, and consider them just a starting point. Our continued action is needed now, more than ever. We must keep our eyes on Palestine.

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC MPS Steering Committee Member

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
October E-News 2025

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - September 2025

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:57:11 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening

Palestinians check the rubble of the al-Susi Tower in Gaza City following an Israeli military strike on September 6, 2025. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images)

Read: United Nations Commission Concludes Israel is Committing Genocide in Gaza (Zeteo)

Read: Israel says 'Gaza is Burning' as it Launches Huge Ground Assault (Reuters)

Read: How Israel's 'Disengagement' Planted the Seeds of Today's Genocide (972 Magazine)

Read: Israel is committing Genocide in Gaza, World's Leading Experts Say (BBC)

Listen: The Death of Holocaust Studies, with Raz Segal (The Chris Hedges Podcast)

Listen: Palestine State Recognition: Europe's Response to Genocide (Rethinking Palestine)

Listen: Tomorrow is Yesterday, with Robert Malley and Hussein Agha (Chris Hayes Podcast)

Take Action: Invitation for Accompaniment in Palestine - September 2025

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:54:42 GMT

Take Action:

Invitation for Accompaniment in Palestine

You are invited to participate in life at Tent of Nations: the Nassar family farm near Bethlehem in the West Bank. The family continues to live its mission: cultivating the land, creating community, and standing true to their commitment of refusing to be enemies. Your presence is sorely needed and will be an encouragement to the Nassars.

Spending time at the ToN is a unique opportunity to experience life on a Palestinian farm, enjoy the hospitality of the Nassar family, participate in caring for the land, and engage with people from all over the world who are committed to a just peace in the Holy Land.

For more information about how you can spend time on the farm you can contact FOTONNA (Friends of Tent of Nations North America) by emailing info@fotonna.org

Learn more:
Volunteer | Tent of Nations

Take Action: Block the Bombs Act - September 2025

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:51:24 GMT

Take Action: Block the Bombs Act - September 2025

Contact Your Representative:
Block the Bombs to Israel - Action Network

Save the Date: October 23 2025 Solidarity with Palestine, Strength in Community: A Supportive Space for UCC Clergy

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:49:12 GMT

Save the Date: October 23

Solidarity with Palestine, Strength in Community: A Supportive Space for UCC Clergy

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm (Eastern) / 5:00 pm (Central) / 4:00 pm (Mountain) / 3:00 pm (Pacific)

Location: On Zoom - Watch your email and our social media pages for the link to register, coming soon!

This is an invitation for UCC clergy (and adjacent folks - you do not have to be clergy or UCC) to be supported, connected, and resourced as we seek to respond to the call of our Palestinian partners for solidarity.

Hosted by the United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (formerly UCC Palestine Israel Network).

UCC MPS September 2025 E-News

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:47:06 GMT

UCC MPS September 2025 E-News

On August 18, 2025, Hamas accepted a 60-day ceasefire deal based on a framework drafted by Steve Witkoff and Netanyahu’s lead negotiator, Ron Dermer. Israel has yet to acknowledge Hamas' acceptance of the deal, and has instead continued their merciless bombing and starvation campaigns in Gaza. This critical piece of news has not made it into mainstream media in the United States, and in fact, the media and politicians continue to peddle lies that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire deal.

In addition, even as ceasefire negotiations continued in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, Israel attempted to assassinate the Hamas officials involved in those negotiations. How can Israel be serious about retrieving the hostages when they actively attempt to sabotage negotiations? As the mother of one of the hostages said , "it could be at this very moment that prime minister Netanyahu has essentially sentenced my son to death... why does the prime minister insist on blowing up every small chance for a deal?"

Meanwhile, in Gaza City, an evacuation order has been given for the nearly one million Palestinians remaining in the area. But where can they go? The evacuation order instructs Palestinians to the so-called "safe zone" of Al Mawasi, even though this area has also been bombed repeatedly. According to Gaza's government media office, the area has been targeted over 100 times and over 2000 Palestinians have been killed there. Residents of Gaza have no safe place to go. As one resident put it , "we are merely attempting to delay death a little longer."

The news out of Gaza continues to be catastrophic, which can dampen our spirit of resistance in the solidarity movement. Still, there are small victories every day. The Block the Bombs Act in congress continues to add more co-sponsors every week, and now has nearly 50 democratic representatives signed on. Recently, the International Society of Genocide Scholars , the largest professional organization of scholars studying genocide, have said that Israel is committing genocide. In Israel, a new cohort of young people are refusing to obey their draft orders . Boycott campaigns against Chevron and Palantir are gaining steam. And now, a UN inquiry into Israel's war has stated definitively that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. All of this should give us new fuel for our activism and advocacy.

If the people of Gaza can carry on, fighting for their survival amidst such barbaric policies of abject cruelty, then so must we. If the media is not willing or able to correct the narrative coming from the United States and Israel, then it falls to those of us who know the truth to use whatever platforms we have to change the narrative.

Do you have access to a pulpit? If so, have you preached about Gaza? Now is the time. Do you have a blog or online newsletter? Have your written about Gaza? Now is the time. Indeed, it is past time. The narrative has already changed dramatically in the last two years, but there is still so much more work yet to do, so many people we have yet to reach. Every one of us must do our part to address the most pressing moral issue of our. We must continue to shift the narrative, wherever we are, and however we can. Let's get to work!

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC MPS Steering Committee Member

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - August 2025

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:23:50 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening - August 2025

A Palestinian child receiving medical care at Nasser Medical Complex due to injuries sustained from the Israeli war on Gaza. (Photo: Doaa el-Baz/APA Images)

Read: In Gaza City, We Are Saying Goodbye (Al Jazeera )

Read: The Trump Administration's Halt on Medical Evacuations from Gaza is a Death Sentence for Palestinian Children (Mondoweiss)

Read: Little Amna Went to Get Water. An Israeli Drone Killed Her (Zeteo)

Watch: Gaza: Doctors Under Attack (Zeteo Documentary)

Listen: A Witness to War Crimes: GHF Whistleblower Calls Out Genocide for Profit, The Bad Faith podcast

Listen: This is Not a Drill (With Roger Waters), The Chris Hedges podcast

Listen: On Gaza and Humanity with Mosab Abu Toha, The Weekly Show with John Stewart

Take Action: Block the Bombs Act - August 2025

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:18:19 GMT

Take Action: Block the Bombs Act - August 2025

As Israel escalates its genocidal violence by killing and starving Palestinians, and by driving them from their homes, it’s time to Block the Bombs! On June 5, Representatives Delia Ramirez, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, and Mark Pocan, along with 18 colleagues, publicly announced the introduction of a historic bill in Congress to do just that.

It’s extremely important that Members of Congress hear from their constituents right now that they oppose giving more weapons to Israel! Write your Representative and ask them to cosponsor H.R.3565, the Block the Bombs Act.

Polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans want to stop the flow of these deadly weapons, and this is a historic bill–the first time ever that Congress has tried to proactively block weapons to Israel–which does just that.

Re gister here:
Block the Bombs to Israel - Action Network

11th Annual Palestine Advocacy days - August 2025

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:15:28 GMT

11th Annual Palestine Advocacy days - August 2025

This October will mark two years since Israel launched its ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza, relentlessly bombarding, starving, and isolating over two million Palestinians. This is not a distant crisis. It is a U.S.-funded, U.S.-enabled catastrophe. That’s why this year’s Palestine Advocacy Days are taking place from October 19-21 in Washington, D.C., with a clear focus on one message: Fighting U.S. Complicity.

Even as our own democracy hangs by a thread, with the rise of authoritarianism, political violence, and the erosion of civil rights, the U.S. refuses to course-correct. Instead, it doubles down: shielding Israel from international accountability, sending billions in weapons, and justifying war crimes in the name of a “shared democracy” that doesn’t really exist, all while the rest of the world moves towards demanding accountability and condemning Israel.

All Eyes on Palestine: General Synod Report - August 2025

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:06:53 GMT

All Eyes on Palestine: General Synod Report - August 2025

UCC MPS is pleased and encouraged that the United Church of Christ 35th General Synod overwhelmingly adopted the Declaration for an End to Genocide in Palestine . This landmark resolution marks a pivotal moment in the denomination's ongoing commitment to justice and peace in the Holy Land. It passed with a 90%+ majority, with 594 delegates voting in favor, 32 against, and 14 abstaining.

During deliberations, delegates affirmed the resolution's theological commitments, emphasizing that all people are made in the image of God and rejecting any justification of violence by faith. The resolution builds upon decades of UCC statements and resolutions, including the 2021 Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel , and reinforces the denomination's consistent stance for human rights and international law, while reaffirming its longstanding condemnation of anti-Semitism.

In addition to the passing of the emergency resolution, authored by Rev. Sabrina Jennings and submitted by the Southwest Conference, UCC MPS was busy at Synod talking to guests at our booth in the exhibit hall, facilitating a workshop, hosting vigils, and bearing witness during plenary sessions to ensure that Palestine remained at the forefront of people's minds.

Thank you to everyone who engaged with us at General Synod, we are heartened by the growing awareness and support for Palestine, and we look forward to connecting with many of you over the months to come!

UCCMPS August E-News

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:02:42 GMT

UCCMPS August 2025 E-News

It seems impossible to overstate the level of cruelty that our world is capable of. One need only look to the living nightmare that is life in Gaza right now. Palestinians there have entered into stage five famine, the damage of which is often irreversible. Israel has assassinated the last journalists in Gaza City just in time for their invasion, leaving no witnesses to whatever inhumane atrocities may unfold. The IDF will be free to kill and destroy with impunity, while the rest of the world is kept in the dark. Meanwhile, in our own government, administration officials tour settlements in the West Bank and deny injured children from Gaza the ability to enter the United States for life-saving surgeries and treatment.

Given the reality of such cruelty, it can be difficult to keep the momentum in our advocacy and solidarity work. It can often feel as if we are screaming into the void, and it can be easy to fall into despair. Every time I am tempted towards such feelings, however, I am forced to remember the words of one Palestinian activist who often says, "we don't have the luxury of despair."

Palestinians don't have the option of giving up. Their fight is for the very survival of their people, their culture, their land, their identity. To be in solidarity with them, therefore, is to understand that our frustration is a drop in the bucket compared to what they experience every day. It should not be a hardship for us to continue the work, as frustrating and slow as it may seem. Rather, it is a privilege to stand in solidarity with a people who have been so steadfast in their resolve for over 75 years.

And, as a matter of fact, as frustrating and slow as the work may seem, sentiment continues to shift, even if it feels sometimes and from some people like it's too little, too late. Personally, I find myself exasperated at the most recent spate of congress members and celebrities who have broken their silence on Gaza over the famine forced upon them by Israel. Where were these same people a year ago, when Palestinian children were being blown to bits, and when, as a matter of fact, people in Gaza were being starved even then?

Sometimes, I find it hard to be gracious towards these latecomers. Still, as difficult as it may be for our egos, we have to get over that. We have to welcome everyone to the table, regardless of their tardiness, because we need them. We need every voice. And truly, the voices are multiplying.

Consider the recent resolution from Bernie Sanders to block military aid to Israel. For the first time, a majority of democratic senators voted to block military aid. Or consider the number of co-sponsors currently signed on to the Block the Bombs act -- 33 democratic representatives, and the number is growing. Cities and towns across the country are passing resolutions to divest from Israel, and for the first time, a majority of Americans believe that there should be a Palestinian state. Worldwide, the tide is also turning. Norway's wealth fund, the largest of it's kind in the world, is divesting from Israeli firms.

All of this, and more, should be enough to inspire us to keep at it, to keep the pressure up, to keep fighting for justice. One person's voice may not make much of a difference, and many of us feel that quite acutely in our day to day advocacy, but collectively, along with millions of other voices around the world, we are making a difference. We must continue to push towards the tipping point. We don't know when that will be, but in the great movements for social change, we never have. It always feels hopeless until the moment when it is not. It's always impossible, a lost cause, until it isn't. We must keep pushing forward towards that moment.

In this newsletter there are several ways for you to take action, from contacting legislators, to building our solidarity with one another, to attending advocacy events, and more. Please take action in whatever way feels important, authentic, and possible for you, knowing that thousands of other voices are speaking alongside yours. You are not alone.

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC MPS Steering Committee Member

Breaking the Stories - July 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 20:11:04 GMT

Breaking the Stories

July 2025

Rajab Al-Rifi and his team training children at Gaza Port in western Gaza City, May 20, 2025. (Ahmed Ahmed)

This October will mark two years since Israel launched its ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza, relentlessly bombarding, starving, and isolating over two million Palestinians. This is not a distant crisis. It is a U.S.-funded, U.S.-enabled catastrophe. That’s why this year’s Palestine Advocacy Days are taking place from October 19-21 in Washington, D.C., with a clear focus on one message: Fighting U.S. Complicity.

Read: 'The Hunger Games:' Inside Israel's Aid Death Traps for Palestinians

Read: Israel Kills Nearly 600 Palestinians at Aid Centers: All You Need To Know

Read: World Council of Churches Denounces Israel's Apartheid and Occupation, Calls for Sanctions and Divestment

Read: 'Just Killed for Nothing': Israeli Troops Say They Were Ordered to Shoot Aid-Seeking Gaza Civilians

Listen: How Israel Uses Starvation as a Weapon in Gaza

Listen: Starvation and Profiteering in Gaza (with Francesca Albanese)

Help UCCMPS by Donating:
Central Atlantic Conference United Church of Christ

Action Alert: Block the Bombs - July 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 20:04:07 GMT

Action Alert: Block the Bombs

B lock The Bombs To Israel

July 2025 General Synod

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 19:59:54 GMT

July 2025 General Synod

This year, at General Synod, UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity is offering a workshop entitled, For Such a Time as This: Palestine, Solidarity, and Bearing Bold Witness Together.

This workshop will be a relational space to weave people together to pray, reflect, network, and commit to action to be in solidarity with our Palestinian partners in this time of ongoing struggle. It would call us to living into our UCC resolutions, offer a mix of pastoral care and connection, and invite people into engagement that could include: joining a UCC MPS Solidarity Circle, connecting with others in their area for shared action, participation in a justice campaign, education, and equipping people for bold public witness.

In addition to this workshop, UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity will be present at Synod in a number of other ways, including our booth in the exhibit hall where you can find lots of amazing resources, swag, and opportunities for action.

We hope you can join us at General Synod 35!

UCCMPS July E-News

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 19:56:03 GMT

UCCMPS July E-News

For many years, the UCC Palestine Israel Network has been a reliable source for news, educational resources, and community for members of the United Church of Christ who care deeply about achieving a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

In recent years, our work has taken on more of a focus on solidarity with our Palestinian partners, recognizing that the occupation is not a conflict between two equal sides, but an ongoing settler colonial project in which the Israeli state uses power, military might and diplomatic cover to dominate, intimidate and systematically oppress an indigenous people with no power, no army and no diplomatic support of consequence. Given the lopsidedness of the conflict, it became more and more clear that our name did not accurately reflect the focus of our work.

The notion of “solidarity” and a renewed commitment to moving with our Palestinian siblings and partners has led us to claim a new name and sharpen our resolve in this moment of mass starvation, unapologetic ethnic cleansing, occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (UCCMPS) felt called to make this change given the urgency of the moment as well as our hopes for the future. We are shifting from understanding ourselves as a network to a more dynamic invitation to join and contribute to a “movement” for more mobilization, deeper connection, and bolder action. We are also shifting to more deeply centering our Palestinian siblings, not to exclude our Jewish and Israeli partners , but to join with them in working for a world in which safety is defined not by might and violence, but by mutual dignity. As Jewish writer, Peter Beinart remind us: “We have to recognize that everyone’s safety is intertwined.”

Though we have a new name and a new logo, we continue with the same mission and vision: with Jesus’ commandment to love in our hearts and the Palestinians’ cry for hope calling us to action, we covenant to educate, equip, and mobilize the United Church of Christ in all its entities— local congregations, regional Conferences and national instrumentalities — for bold, prophetic witness and risk-taking advocacy toward the goal of a just and genuine peace in Palestine and Israel.

Feel free to take a look at our new and improved website , browse our resources, or even better, visit our booth and sign up for our workshop at the upcoming UCC General Synod (see info below). There's never been a more important time to engage in the work. Join us!

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - June 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:15:17 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening
June 2025

Palestinian residents fleeing toward the south following heavy Israeli attacks on Jabalia in northern Gaza, May 22, 2025. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images)

Read: From the UCC: A Joint Response and Prayer On the Aid Blockade in Gaza

Read: Rights Group Warns of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's Complicity in Israel's War Crimes

Read: Gaza Tribunal in Sarajevo Documents How Genocide has Eroded International Law

Read: Chris Hedges: The Last Days of Gaza

Read: Total Communications Blackout in Gaza as Israel Targets Infrastructure

Read: Israel Just Changed How Land Ownership Works in the West Bank. Here's What That Means.

Listen: What an American Doctor Saw in Gaza

Listen: Towards a New U.N. (with Craig Mokhiber)

General Synod Workshop: 'For Such a Time as This' - June 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 23:18:53 GMT

General Synod Workshop:

'For Such a Time as This'

Many of our clergy and lay leaders long to be in solidarity with the people of Palestine in a time of heightened violence, occupation, and devastation, but may feel isolated or uncertain how to engage these issues in their contexts or in the public sphere.

This year, at General Synod, UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity is offering a workshop aimed at addressing the above challenges. This workshop will be a relational space to weave people together to pray, reflect, network, and commit to action to be in solidarity with our Palestinian partners in this time of ongoing struggle. It would call us to living into our UCC resolutions, offer a mix of pastoral care and connection, and invite people into engagement that could include: joining a UCC MPS Solidarity Circle, connecting with others in their area for shared action, participation in a justice campaign, education, and equipping people for bold public witness.

We hope you can join us at General Synod 35!

Take Action: Support the 'Block the Bombs' Act - June 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 23:17:12 GMT

Take Action:

Support the 'Block the Bombs' Act

Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, the US has given more than $30 billion in taxpayer-funded weapons to Israel to enable its atrocities. The US is not only complicit in Israel’s killing of at least 54,000 Palestinians–our weapons make us partners in crime.

By introducing this bill, Members of Congress are proactively trying to block the Trump administration from delivering major US weapons to Israel–bombs, tank rounds, and artillery shells–which it has used in its mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza. If enacted into law, this bill would block the following weapons to Israel: BLU-109 bunker busting bombs, MK80 series bombs, GBU-39 small diameter bomb variants, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), SPICE gliding bomb assemblies, 120mm tank ammunition, and 155mm artillery ammunition, including white phosphorus munitions.

https://www.blockthebombs.org/

UCC PIN June E-NEWS

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 23:14:17 GMT

UCC PIN June E-NEWS

Gazans herded into cages to receive food aid

Photo credit: Middle East Eye

What will you say to your grandchildren when they ask, “What did you do, grandpa, during the genocide in Gaza?”

This is a question that UCC PIN Steering Committee member Don Christianson asks himself regularly. It's a question that many of us in the movement for Palestine ask ourselves. It is this question that inspired not just Don, but eight other members of the UCC PIN steering committee to join the Veterans for Peace Fast for Gaza campaign.

The Fast for Gaza began on Thursday, May 22, and will continue for 40 days, or until the two demands of the campaign are met. Those demands are 1) restoration of humanitarian aid into Gaza at the rate of at least 500 trucks a day under the supervision of the UN, and 2) suspend all military aid to Israel. Many of those who are fasting are committed to consuming only 250 calories a day-- an estimate of what the average person in Gaza is able to consume.

The urgency of this action cannot be overstated. Not only is the current aid delivery system completely inadequate, it's also deadly. Over 200 Palestinians have been killed trying to access aid since the Gaza Humanitarian Organization took over in May.

The GHF has only four distribution points (the UN, by comparison, had hundreds) which means that the people who need aid the most-- the injured, the sick, the elderly, the disabled, and children-- are least likely to get it because they are unable to travel the long distances required to get to the sites. Humanitarian aid agencies have also accused Israel of using GHF as a means for ethnic cleansing , forcing Palestinians in the north to travel south to get aid, after which they are prevented from returning to their homes.

Since Israel "lifted the siege" in May, several hundred trucks have made it into Gaza, but that is nowhere near the 500 trucks per day that are needed. Food is rotting and medicine is expiring in trucks sitting just across the border.

On top of all of this, the bombs continue to fall. The United States continues to supply the bombs that are now falling on an emaciated and sickly population. The official death toll is currently over 55,000, which is almost surely an undercount, and consists mostly of women and children. Gaza now has the distinction of the largest cohort of child amputees , not only in the world, but in modern history. Because of the lack of medical supplies, many of those amputations are being done with no anesthesia, even when performed on children.

Within the last week, the Gaza strip has experienced a complete collapse of digital infrastructure . Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq recently stated that "lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination, and critical information for civilians have all been cut. There is a full internet blackout, and mobile networks are barely functioning.” Given the blackout and the fact that all eyes are now fixed on Iran, who knows what kinds of atrocities are being committed in the dark.

All of this is why we fast. We fast to be in solidarity with the people of Gaza. We fast to raise awareness about the conditions there, and we fast to encourage those around us to take action. You can either join the fast yourself-- there's still two weeks to participate-- or you can call your members of congress on our behalf. Let them know you too demand more pressure on the Israeli government to end the starvation, bombing, and genocide.

What will you tell your grandchildren about what you did during this genocide?

Are you satisfied with your answer? If not, consider joining us in this effort, or explore the many options for taking action throughout this newsletter. Now is not the time to give up, now is the time to press on, to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, with our eyes, as always, fixed on Jesus.

https://www.fosna.org/2025gazafast

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening - May 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:47:48 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening

Palestinians wait in long queues to receive pots of food distributed by charitable organizations, Nuseirat refugee camp, Central Gaza, May 5, 2025 (Photo: Moiz Salhi/APA images)

Read: Israel Demolished Most of the Homes in Kirbet Khalet a-Dabe' in Masafer Yata

Read: Leaked Documents Expose Deep Ties Between Israeli Army and Microsoft

Read: Israel Has Already Lost the Gaza War. They Just Don't Know it Yet

Read: Hundreds Killed in Israel's Intensified Gaza Assault

Read: A Day in the Life Hunting for Food and Water During the Gaza Famine

Listen: Justice for Mahmoud Khalil: A Conversation with Dr. Nool Abdallah, Wife of Mr. Khalil (This is Palestine)

Listen: The Forgotten History of Jewish Anti-Zionism (Bad Faith)

Educate Yourself and Others: New Documentaries to Watch - May 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:44:57 GMT

Educate Yourself and Others:

New Documentaries to Watch

Many people are aware of the new Palestinian film No Other Land , which recently won the academy award for best documentary. The film has, understandably and rightly so, garnered much interest and attention, even as it has failed to find a distributer in the United States. Issa Amro, a Palestinian peace activist, has pointed to the success of the film as an indicator that the tide of public opinion is turning towards more popular support for Palestine.

Yet, No Other Land is only one of many documentaries to be released in recent weeks and months, and for those wanting to educate themselves and delve more deeply into Palestinian solidarity work, there are several other must-see films out there. These films can be difficult to access, so we've done the work for you to let you know which films to watch and how to find them. We hope you will take the time to watch one or more of the films below:

Who Killed Shireen?

In this investigative documentary, filmmakers identify for the first time the Israeli soldier who killed the famous Palestinian-American reporter in 2022 – a closely guarded secret up until now, as Israel had refused to divulge his name even to top American officials, according to our sources. Click here to watch (Paid subscribers to Zeteo can watch the full film. Free subscribers can watch an 8-minute preview).

Israel's Reel Extremism

An on-the-ground examination of Israel and its society after many months of war, seen initially through the prism of viral social media posts from Gaza - and exclusive interviews with the soldiers behind them. Click here to watch ((Paid subscribers to Zeteo can watch the full film. Free subscribers can watch the first 10 minutes).

The Settlers

The Settlers is a BBC documentary that explores the controversial issue of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. It examines the historical, political, and social dimensions of these settlements, featuring perspectives from settlers, Palestinians, and analysts. The film delves into the impact of settlements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges they pose to peace efforts. Click here to watch.

The Encampments

Offers an urgent, intimate portrait of America’s student movement, ignited at Columbia University as students protested their universities’ ties to the war on Gaza. Featuring detained activist Mahmoud Khalil, alongside professors, whistleblowers, and organizers, the film captures the deeper stakes of a historic moment that continues to reverberate across the globe. Currently playing in theaters. Click here to find a screening near you, or to organize a screening in your community.

"Come and See" Join a Solidarity Delegation

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:42:47 GMT

"Come and See"

Join a Solidarity Delegation

Members of UCC PIN on solidarity delegations to Palestine. From left: Jenny Veninga, David Grishaw-Jones, Sara Ofner-Seals, and Linda Noonan

"You bring us hope."

This was a common sentiment among the Palestinians we met on our various solidarity delegations. For the past year and a half, they have felt very alone, and even abandoned by the rest of the world. Some organizations that we met with said we were only the third or fourth group to visit since October 7, 2023.

For those with the means to do so, there has never been a more important time to visit our Palestinian siblings. They are pleading with us to "come and see" the reality for ourselves, and then to come back home to "go and tell."

Friends of Sabeel North America is one organization that offers regular solidarity tours and witness visits to Palestine. These trips provide participants with the unique opportunity to experience the reality of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. This includes, but is not limited to, visiting: the separation wall, illegal settlements, checkpoints, confiscated and demolished homes, and refugee camps. Participants will be able to learn firsthand about the loss of civil and property rights of Arab Israeli citizens, as well as see for themselves both the past and present violations of international and humanitarian law.

Participants will have the ability to worship, meet, and reflect with local individuals and families living in the Holy Land. This includes Palestinian Christians and Muslims, Jewish Israelis, and also internationals who partner with Sabeel to non-violently resist the illegal occupation.

Learn more:
https://www.fosna.org/come-see-visit-the-holy-land

Take Action Today - May 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:38:22 GMT

Take Action Today

Friends of Sabeel North America and Veterans for Peace are teaming up to coordinate a 40-day fast for Gaza. Starting on May 22, hundreds of peace activists and advocates across the county will begin their fast with two demands:

1) a resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, facilitated by the UN, and,

2) that the U.S. stop arming Israel now!

Those who wish to participate in the fast may participate in person from a centralized fasting location in NYC, or from their local context. Those choosing to fast are asked to commit to 250 calories a day, in line with the general caloric intake of Gazans under the ongoing Israeli military blockade. Actions and advocacy will occur throughout the 40 days, with options to escalate if demands are not met.

Click the link below for more information and/or to sign up for the fast.

T he Nakba is not just a historical event but an ongoing reality for Palestinians. This May marks 77 years of Israel’s continuous efforts to try to erase Palestinians from their homeland. As Israel continues its genocidal violence in Gaza and threatens to expel more than 2 million people with the blessing of the Trump administration, Israel’s ongoing Nakba against Palestinians has reached frightening new levels.

On May 14, Rep. Rashida Tlaib–the only Palestinian-American Member of Congress–introduced a historic resolution--H.Res.409--to commemorate the Nakba of 1948 and call for an end to US support for Israel’s ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people.

We need more Members of Congress than ever before to raise their voices against Israel’s ongoing Nakba.

Write your Representative and ask them to cosponsor this important resolution.

Join the fast:

https://www.fosna.org/2025gazafast

Wri te to Congress:
https://www.imeupolicyproject.org/nakba-2025

UCC PIN May E-NEWS

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:33:26 GMT

UCC PIN May E-NEWS

The rubble of a recently demolished home in Silwan, East Jerusalem

Photo credit: Sara Ofner-Seals

Within the last month, five members of the UCC PIN steering committee will have traveled to the occupied West Bank in Palestine on various solidarity delegations. Many pilgrims have traveled to the Holy Land over the years, often to visit places like the Sea of Galilee, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and the Mount of the Beatitudes-- beautiful, tranquil places that offer visitors something of a respite from a world that is on fire.

Within hours of these places, however, are walled off ghettos surrounded by checkpoints and settlements, where every day, people face extreme poverty, home demolitions, night raids, harassment from soldiers and settlers, arbitrary arrest and detention, and that's just in the West Bank. In Gaza, Palestinians continue to be bombarded by air strikes on a daily basis. These strikes kill dozens at a time, while the people who survive the bombs die slowly from starvation , untreated illness and injury.

This reality exposes that the 'peace' of places like the Sea of Galilee and the Mount of the Beatitudes is, at best, incomplete, and at worst, an intentional facade, meant to lure pilgrims and visitors into the false notion that all is well in the Holy Land. But all is not well. Not at all.

Those of us who had been to Palestine in the past, before October 7, 2023, noticed many stark differences. The once bustling Bethlehem felt like a ghost town, empty of the hundreds of pilgrims who once filled Manger Square. Because of the lack of tourism, many shops were boarded up, and the feeling of economic desperation amongst those that remained open was palpable. On the hillsides outside Bethlehem, Palestinian farmers are being systematically pushed off their lands by expanding illegal settlements, filled with Israeli settlers who have grown increasingly violent towards their Palestinian neighbors.

Home demolitions are occurring at an alarming rate , both in the countryside, in East Jerusalem, and other cities, as Israel attempts to drive Palestinians off their land. At one point, steering committee member Sara Ofner-Seals stood amidst the rubble of the demolished home of a Palestinian father who talked about how he was still required to pay taxes on the destroyed home, even after he was also billed for the demolition itself. "Everything feels hopeless right now," he said, "we are drowning in debt and indignity." Other Palestinians we met talked about the " Gazafication of the West Bank ," fearing that what has happened in Gaza will soon be happening to them. In some places, like the city of Jenin , this is already the case.

All of us who traveled to Palestine came away feeling an urgent sense of moral responsibility and a sense that our Christianity calls us into action. We cannot ignore what is happening to our siblings in Palestine, whether in Gaza or the West Bank. Member Dave Grishaw-Jones shares what Palestinian human rights activist Rifat Kassis told him, which is that as westerners whose government is complicit in the devastation and whose churches have mostly been silent on the matter, that our very Christianity is at stake . Grishaw-Jones writes, "a church that accommodates genocidal violence--without taking up the cross to suffer alongside the people and advocate boldly for them--has wandered off the gospel map."

All of this is why, in this newsletter, we are focused on actions you can take, including legislative actions, solidarity actions, ways to further educate yourself and others, and more. We hope you will join us as we raise our voices for justice and peace in Palestine. As member Jenny Veninga reflects, "witnessing to the truth is our call, for the truth will set us all free. Over and over again, we met with individuals and organizations whose work is telling the truth in the name of justice, peace, and dignity. From all we heard loud and clear that we are called to witness, to speak that truth to our church leaders, government, and the public, and to act. Doing so, as we witnessed on our trip, is urgent, and taking risks for “costly solidarity” is this moment’s work."

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC PIN Steering Committee Member

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:44:15 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening

Read: Israel's Latest Vision for Gaza has a Name: Concentration Camp, by Meron Rapoport

Read: 'Point-Blank Range': How Israel Executed 15 Medics and Rescue Workers in Gaza, by Diana Buttu

Read: The Last Chapter of the Genocide, by Chris Hedges

Read: The Boomerang Comes Back, by Noura Erakat

Read: You Don't Get Trump Without Gaza , by Ben Ehrenreich

Watch: Christ in the Rubble" - A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac

Listen: Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal

Listen: Analyzing and Shifting U.S. Policy Towards Israel and Palestine

UCC PIN Members to Travel to Palestine

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:41:57 GMT

UCC PIN Members to Travel to Palestine

In a letter from East Jerusalem this spring, Omar Haramy writes to the leaders of U.S. denominations: “I’m asking you to come over here. Soon. It has become that urgent.” With his Sabeel colleagues, Omar has dedicated his time and energy to just this: sharing the Palestinian experience of genocide with Christian leaders around the globe, showing us what he means, introducing us to his people’s pain. “The world is not listening,” he writes. “It’s marginalizing the activist Christians who have been coming for years. It’s ignoring delicately balanced expressions of concern. We need you, the leadership, to show us you care, and show the Christians who look to you for guidance that this has become a moral imperative on par with standing with African Americans at the start of the civil rights movement or Native Americans as they were beginning to be eliminated with impunity.”

In response, a delegation of around 15 Christian leaders from American denominations will travel to the West Bank in May. Among them will be the Revs. Linda Noonan and Dave Grishaw-Jones (Co-Chairs of the United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network). The intention is to listen closely and then to feel to burden of the stories and testimony we here. The delegation will meet with community organizers, religious leaders, nonviolent activists working tirelessly for an end to apartheid, and a beginning to something radically new. “I won’t deny that I’m angry at the seeming indifference of the church universal,” Omar Haramy writes. “It infuriates and frightens me. But I have to believe it’s largely out of ignorance, and not cowardice, that these atrocities are being tolerated by so many Christians.”

Two additional members of UCC PIN-- Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals and Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormack-- will also be traveling with delegations to the Holy Land this spring. "It's our intention to listen faithfully and bravely," says Grishaw-Jones, "to our partners, to their pain and anger, and to their urgent cries for consequential solidarity. It’s our hope to collaborate with other denominational activists in bringing back to this country plans for concrete action, costly discipleship and powerful organizing. That we might be faithful to the covenant of the kin-dom which we claim at the very heart of our tradition."

Contact your Senators

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:38:56 GMT

Contact your Senators

Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders forced the Senate to vote on legislation to block $8.8 billion in weapons sales to the Israeli government.

Only 15 Senators had the moral and political courage to stand up to Trump's illegal $8.8 billion weapons sales to the Israeli military.

Our work to end the U.S. government's complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide is a long haul fight - and one that exists in the ecosystem of all of our organizing tactics. But one thing that is absolutely critical is that we show our elected officials that when they vote to continue arming a genocide there is political punishment. And when they take a bold stance to stand against these weapons there is political reward.

Every Senator needs to hear from their constituents now - either to hear outrage or thanks for their stance. Will you take 30 seconds to act now?

O n March 8, DHS agents abducted Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident and student activist for Palestinian rights, from his New York apartment in front of his 8-month-pregnant wife. On March 25, masked DHS agents similarly grabbed Tufts student activist Rumeysa Ozturk from the sidewalk, pulling her into an unmarked car. Both Mahmoud and Rumeysa were brought to an ICE detention center in Louisiana without the knowledge of their lawyers or family.

These are the actions of a fascist government, and we must generate overwhelming public outrage and pressure to ensure the release of Mahmoud, Rumeysa, and every other student being wrongfully detained.

Call your elected officials right now and demand that they do everything in their power to secure these students' release and protect student activists and immigrants.

UCC PIN April E-NEWS

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:36:20 GMT

UCC PIN April E-NEWS

“Mary of Bethany”

Print by contemporary artist Yvette Rock

During the season of Lent, one of the stories we often hear is of the anointing at Bethany. In the gospel of Mark, we read about how a woman anoints Jesus' feet with expensive oil, provoking scathing criticism from some of disciples who note that they could have sold the oil and given the money to the poor. Jesus chastises those disciples and says, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? She has done what she could... what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.'
Jesus' words here are a reminder to us that even in the face of death-dealing empires of domination and control, we are not powerless. The woman with the alabaster jar may not have been able overthrow the Roman empire with her small act of compassion and solidarity, but she did what she could , and what she did was important. Her small gesture was an act of costly solidarity with someone who was about to endure tremendous suffering.

Since Israel broke the ceasefire last month, more than 1000 Palestinians have been murdered in Gaza, including more than a dozen humanitarian aid workers who were discovered in a mass grave, killed execution-style by the Israeli military . The total blockade on humanitarian aid continues, an act of collective punishment that has shut down all bakeries in Gaza and left other stores, markets, and soup kitchens without food or other essential supplies. Hospitals, already in a precarious state due to constant bombardment, are running out of essential supplies such as fuel and medicine, and have had to perform surgeries, including amputations, on children without anesthesia.

In the face of this tremendous suffering, we too are called to acts of costly solidarity. We too are called to do what we can, knowing that our acts of solidarity may not overthrow the current American empire of domination and deceit, and may not immediately lead to an end to a genocidal regime in Israel, but they nonetheless matter. They matter to our Palestinian siblings on the ground, reminding them that they are not alone. They matter to our comrades here in the United States and around the world, especially those who have paid dearly for their own advocacy. And of course, they matter to a God who weeps over so much destruction, death, terror, and hate.

There is much that we can do, but we don't have to do it all on our own. Each of us must do what we can to be of service. We may not receive accolades for our actions, and we may even face persecution because of them, but they will be remembered-- by us, our Palestinian siblings, and by God. Furthermore, each small act builds upon current the momentum of public opinion, which is moving in favor of Palestinian liberation. So please take action today by doing what you can. Give money to a relief organization, or take one or more of the recommended actions below. Attend a protest or a vigil. Continue to educate yourself and others. Do what you can, because what you do matters.

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC PIN Steering Committee Member

Breaking the Stories: Recommended Reading and Listening

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 21:31:23 GMT

Breaking the Stories:

Recommended Reading and Listening

Read: NGO Statement Opposing President Trump's Recent Statements Supporting Ethnic Cleanings of Palestinians in Gaza

Read: Gazans Dreamed of Returning to Rafah. The Reality is a Nightmare.

Read: Palestinians Returning to Toxic Wasteland in Northern Gaza

Read: Curfews, Demolitions, and Airstrikes: Israel Expands West Bank Offensive to Tulkarem, Jordan Valley

Read: U.S. Officials React to Trump's Plan to 'Take Over' Gaza

Watch: It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Finally Going Home!

Listen: The Intercept: Trump's Nightmare Plan for Gaza

From Our Palestinian Partners: A Betrayal of Justice: Karis Palestine Rejects Trump's Ethnic Cleansing Proposal - February 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 21:29:27 GMT

From Our Palestinian Partners:

A Betrayal of Justice:

Karis Palestine Rejects Trump's Ethnic Cleansing Proposal

As Kairos Palestine, we categorically condemn and reject President Trump's plans, which amount to the forced displacement and erasure of our entire nation. We considered this neo-settler colonial plan evil, and “a sin against God and humanity”, as stated in Kairos Palestine document. We hold the Government of the United States, and Christian Zionist lobbies accountable, for their role in ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, and the Christian native community. We call upon him, his government and allies, to respect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, uphold their right to self-determination, and cease all efforts to undermine their existence in their homeland. Any so-called peace initiative that disregards justice and human dignity is nothing but an extension of oppression. We also endorse the World Council of Churches call for “all people of faith and goodwill to stand against this egregious violation of human dignity and international law.”

Voices from the Holy Land: Online Film Salon - February 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 21:27:03 GMT

Voices from the Holy Land:

Online Film Salon

Join Voices from the Holy Land for their film salon presentation of Made Homeless in the Holy Land: Lawfare, Demolition, and Land Theft , on Sunday, February 16 at 3pm ET/12pm PT.

In an ongoing policy of ethnic cleansing , Israeli authorities uproot fruit trees, raze farmland, destroy rainwater reservoirs and irrigation systems, and demolish homes. Meanwhile increasingly emboldened Israeli settlers — protected by soldiers — taunt families and vandalize property. The ultimate goal is to force Palestinians off the land.

With the world’s attention diverted by the war on Gaza, displacement of West Bank Palestinians has increased dramatically in the past year. Our Salon will focus on Israel’s aggressive use of lawfare in its campaign of ethnic cleansing, the longstanding efforts of Palestinians to nonviolently resist, and the role of allies.

Watch the curated film for free at your convenience. | Join the Q&A discussion with:

Bruno Sorrentino: London-based filmmaker specializing in longitudinal documentaries

Eid Suleman Hathaleen: Artist & human rights activist from Umm al Khair, home demolished by IDF

Jeff Halper: Israeli-American anthropologist, author, lecturer, and political activist;founder of Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)

Mouin Rabbani (moderator): Co-Editor of Jadaliyya; researcher, analyst, and commentator

https://vimeo.com/1046058864?ct=t%28EMAIL_CAMPAIGN+January+2025_COPY_04%29&share=copy#t=0

New on Substack: Liturgical Resources for Lent - February 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 21:23:02 GMT

New on Substack:

Liturgical Resources for Lent

Though the current ceasefire has offered some relief from the terror of an active genocide, it is not time to take our attention away from our siblings in Palestine. Our partners on the ground are calling western churches to stay engaged, and to continue to raise awareness in our congregations.

To that end, our liturgical resources team has developed a series of confessional prayers to be used throughout the Lenten season. These can be used as is, or edited to suit the needs of your particular congregations. Use them every week, or as needed or desired. These prayers can be found on our Substack, and will also be released throughout the Lenten season as part of our weekly Pause for Palestine series.

https://uccmps.substack.com/s/liturgical-resources

United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network Rebrands as UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity - July 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:36:22 GMT

United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network Rebrands as UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity

Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, along with so many other Palestinians, has called the church to “costly solidarity,” urging us not to turn away in this time.

UCC PIN felt called to make this change given the urgency of the moment as well as our hopes for the future. We are shifting from understanding ourselves as a network to a more dynamic invitation to join and contribute to a “movement” for more mobilization, deeper connection, and bolder action. We are also shifting to more deeply centering our Palestinian siblings, not to exclude our Jewish and Israeli partners, but to join with them in working for a world in which safety is defined not by might and violence, but by mutual dignity. As Jewish writer, Peter Beinart remind us: “We have to recognize that everyone’s safety is intertwined.”

We will officially roll out our new name, United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity , next month. Look for our booth at General Synod where we will be showing off our new name and logo, as well as offering up-to-date resources. We are excited about this shift and look forward to sharing more in the weeks and months to come.

Recommended Recent Podcasts - January 2025

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:49:49 GMT

Recommended Recent Podcasts

The Chris Hedges Report: Zionists Kill Doctors in Gaza and Silence Them Here

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said, “The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides, at all times.” International law enshrines medical facilities as sanctuaries for those in direst need but as Dr. Rupa Marya tells host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Israel’s attacks on hospitals amidst the ongoing genocide represent a catastrophic violation of this principle. Listen here.

The Katie Halper Show: Israel Kidnaps Gaza Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya

Palestinian-American Dr Thaer Ahmad and Canadian Dr. Ben Thomson, both of whom have worked in Gaza, speak out against Israel's kidnapping and likely torture of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. Thaer talks about his conversation with Dr. Hussam and the kidnapping of his own uncle. Ben talks about being suspended over speaking out on Gaza and shares stories of other tortured doctors. Watch Here

Occupied Thoughts : Eyewitness to Israel's intentionally created Health Apocalypse in Gaza

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Dr. Tammy Abughnaim, an American physician who has been to Gaza twice since 10/7/23, serving as a humanitarian physician and has worked at Al-Aqsa Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex; and Dr. Yara Asi, assistant professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics, and visiting scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, where she is co-director of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights. Listen here.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

Breaking The Stories: January 2025 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:42:24 GMT

Breaking The Stories: January 2025

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail

and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

'Jabalia Camp' by Muftah Elsheref

‘Children are freezing to death in Gaza’

At a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir Al-Balah in the Central Gaza Strip on November 26, 2024 (Omar Ashtawy/AP Images)

On Thursday, December 26, Al-Fasih and his wife huddled together with their children in their tent in the Mawasi area of the Gaza Strip. It was one of the coldest and most frigid nights they had seen thus far this winter, with temperatures dropping down to 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit), and the tarps of their tent doing little to protect them from the cold air. With Sila snuggled close to her mother’s side, the family fell asleep. When they woke up, they woke up to a nightmare. Read more here.

'US House votes to advance bill to sanction ICC over Israel arrest warrants

In May, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant [Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters]

The United States House of Representatives has voted in favor of a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) in retaliation for its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s former Defence Minister  Yoav Gallant .

Legislators in the lower chamber of the US Congress passed the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” by an overwhelming margin, 243 to 140, on Thursday in a signal of strong support for Israel. Read more here.

'Pro-Palestine Action and Trump's Return'

End Aid to Israel demonstration in Washington on Nov. 4, 2023, during the Israeli assault on Gaza. (Consortium News)

As President Joe Biden green lights another  $8 billion  in weapons to Israel in his last days in office and Secretary Blinken gives a parting  New York Times   interview  in which he denies that a genocide is taking place in Gaza, many pro-Palestine activists are anxiously counting down the days until “Genocide Joe” and his crew exit the White House. But what will activists have to contend with under the Trump presidency?  Read more here.

Further Reading

From Gaza to California: The Flames that Connect Us All Here

US Pediatricians Ask Blinken to Intervene as Israel Extends Detention of Gaza Doctor Here

Lancet Study Finds Official Gaza Death Toll Likely a 41% Undercount Here

Genocide: The New Normal (by Chris Hedges) Here

Another Expert Report Finds Israel is Committing Genocide. The West Yawns. Here

'My Hands are Paralyzed from Torture': Gazans Reveal Horrors of Ofer Camp Here

'I lost my wife and my land': A deadly olive harvest season ends in the West Bank Here

Israelis Must Ask Themselves if They're Willing to Live in a Country That Lives on Blood (by Gideon Levy) Here.

Indicators of the BDS Movement's Global Impact Here

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

Watch the Oscar-Shortlisted Film "From Ground Zero"-- filmed in Gaza over the last year! In Theaters Now! - January 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:55:09 GMT

Watch the Oscar-Shortlisted Film "From Ground Zero"-- filmed in Gaza over the last year! In Theaters Now!

From Ground Zero , the first film ever from Gaza to be elected to the shortlist for the Oscar in the category that honors what used to be known as the Best Foreign Film of the Year, is unlike any movie you’ve ever seen — filmed during a mass slaughter of over 50,000 civilians, the vast majority of them children, women and the elderly. In a brisk and powerful one hour and fifty-two minutes, it weaves together 22 short films made by 22 courageous Palestinian filmmakers living and surviving in Gaza over this past year — all of it told in under 2 hours!

These are stories not being told anywhere. You do not see these stories on the evening news. Military leaders prohibit access so that journalists and filmmakers cannot bring us the truth. Even though you and I pay for this war and we are the providers of all these horrific weapons, we are not allowed to witness what Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have declared to be a genocide and an ethnic cleansing — war crimes committed every day in our name. Instead, we are the victims of a powerful propaganda campaign intended to dehumanize the 5 million human beings in all the Occupied Palestinian Territories who are forced to live imprisoned behind walls and barbed wire, forced into starvation, nearly every hospital and school in Gaza bombed to smithereens, half the country’s homes reduced to rubble. Read more from producer Michael Moore.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

Building Bridges of Solidarity: Local Congregations Join Innovative Detainee Support Program by the Rev. Thad Winkle, UCC PIN Steering Committee - January 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:42:19 GMT

Building Bridges of Solidarity:

Local Congregations Join Innovative

Detainee Support Program

by the Rev. Thad Winkle,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Two Southern California congregations, Live Oak UCC and Mount Hollywood UCC, are taking meaningful steps toward international solidarity through their participation in a groundbreaking pilot program launched by Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA). The "Friends of Palestinian Detainees" initiative connects North American faith communities with Palestinian detainees and their families, creating channels for support, understanding, and human connection. The program, which seeks to "personalize and humanize" the reality of thousands of Palestinians in detention, has found enthusiastic partners in these forward-thinking congregations. Their church councils recently approved participation, recognizing the profound potential for mutual growth and understanding through direct relationship-building with detainees and their families.

Each participating congregation will form a dedicated Project Team of at least three members who maintain regular contact with the detainee's family, learn about their legal case, and integrate their story into church prayers and Bible studies. The pilot program provides them with comprehensive support, including orientation, training, and access to a knowledge bank covering international human rights law and detention system impacts. Church leaders emphasize that the program offers an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Palestinian experiences through direct relationships. They anticipate that engaging with detainees' families will provide profound insights while allowing the congregations to grow through informed advocacy work. Congregations' further involvement includes regular prayer support and advocacy actions such as writing to relevant authorities and church leaders. For detainees, the program offers vital emotional and spiritual support from international faith communities, along with the opportunity to have their experiences heard and treated with dignity.

As pilot participants, Live Oak and Mount Hollywood congregations are helping shape a model that could be expanded to more faith communities across North America. Their commitment reflects a deeper understanding of faith-based solidarity and the power of human connection across borders. The program begins its substantive phase in the coming year, with both congregations prepared to adapt and evolve as they forge these important new relationships of support and understanding. We look forward to future updates on how this creative opportunity impacts participating congregations and our siblings in Palestine.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

Take Action: Join a Palestine Solidarity Delegation - January 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:10:23 GMT

Take Action:

Join a Palestine Solidarity Delegation

2023 ICMEP Solidarity Tour in Bethlehem, photo by Usama Nicola

If there is one thing our Palestinian partners need more than ever right now, it’s the presence of international visitors. They are begging for us to come. So, for those who are contemplating a visit to the West Bank, now is the time. The Indiana Center for Middle East Peace is currently recruiting travelers for their upcoming solidarity tour, which will be from May 4-16, 2025. Highlights of the tour will be meetings with some of the most prominent peace and justice activists and leaders in both Israel and Palestine, including Issa Amro, Jeff Halper, Daoud Nasser, Muther Isaac, Iyad Burnat, Gideon Levy, Nathan Thrall, and many, many others.

Travelers will also get an opportunity to visit some of the holiest and most important sites of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, including the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Qumran, and the Sea of Galilee, among others.

For a detailed trip itinerary, click here . For more information about safety precautions or to sign up for the delegation, please contact Dr. Michael Spath at lmichaelspath@gmail.com .

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

Take Action: Demand the Release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya - January 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:03:58 GMT

Take Action:

Demand the Release of

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya

From CodePink: The haunting images of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, walking through the rubble in his white coat before being kidnapped by Israeli forces have sent shockwaves around the world. Dr. Abu Safiya was the last doctor remaining in the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, which has since been burned down by Israeli forces, burning medical staff alive in the process. Israeli forces detained more than 350 people from the hospital, including medics and injured individuals.

We must call on the United States to finally do something: to use its influence and force Israel to immediately release Dr. Abu Safiya and ALL medical personnel in detention, to demand that Israel stop attacking hospitals and healthcare workers and demand that Israel allow the entry of necessary supplies and personnel to serve the sick, injured, and dying in Gaza. Most of all, we must tell Israel to stop the killing! Healthcare is not a crime. Deliberately attacking hospitals, medical staff, and patients is a crime and must be stopped.

Sign the CodePink petition here .

Take Action Through Doctors Against Genocide here.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

"How We Go On" by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee - January 2025

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:57:01 GMT

"How We Go On"

by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Devastation in southern CA and in Gaza (from Tehran Times)

As I write this, fires are still raging across southern California, and the climate change deniers that are about to take over the United States government scream at us, 'it's not climate change!' Meanwhile, after 15 months, Gaza continues to be on fire and under constant bombardment, and the genocide deniers throughout American government scream at us, 'it's not genocide!'

There are times when I lie awake at night and think about our world, and I feel myself becoming overwhelmed by deep sadness. It’s an acute sadness about the very real death, loss, grief, and destruction happening right now in Gaza, but it’s also a greater sense of sadness that this is the world we live in. It’s sadness that a shared understanding of the truth and the rule of international law are as flimsy as they are, and that seemingly all any of us can do is stand by and watch the desolation of our planet and the genocide of her people go down right in front of us, powerless to do little but scream our dissent into the void.

Other times, I lie awake at night and think about Gaza, and I wonder if I am crazy. If I’m crazy, that might explain why the rest of the world seems perfectly content to move on to the next outrage, the next political drama, the next media obsession, while in the meantime, babies are freezing to death in Gaza as IDF soldiers enjoy spa treatment nearby , and hospitals and health care workers are routinely attacked . If it’s just me, that’s almost a relief, because maybe it’s not as bad as it seems. But if I’m not crazy… if I’m not crazy, if I’m totally sane, then the world has lost its mind. Or its soul. Or both.

All of this got me to wondering, as we mark the end of 2024, and look ahead to 2025, how can we sustain ourselves in this struggle for peace, justice, and human rights in spite of the relentless gaslighting, denial, and silencing of Palestinian voices and their allies? How do we embrace the sumud of our Palestinian siblings in a world on fire, a world gone mad, a world that has lost its moral bearings?

Dr. Gabor Maté, a Jewish Canadian psychologist, holocaust survivor, and outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, appeared on a recent episode of the Christ Hedges podcast to talk about this very question, among other things. In the last ten minutes of the episode, Chris asks Dr. Maté what he would say to those who are feeling demoralized and defeated these days. “It’s been a hard year,” Hedges says, “for those who care about human rights, the rule of law, and the plight of the oppressed… what would you tell people is the most important thing to sustain our own mental health… our own equilibrium, and yet not be silenced?”

Dr. Maté gives three pieces of advice. First, he says, find community. Find others who care about the things you care about, because we can’t do this work alone. Second, he tells listeners to take care of themselves and to practice self-care, because this work is hard.

Finally, Dr, Maté references the words of Rabbi Tarpon— a first century rabbi who is famous for having said, “you are not obliged to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Maté also references the concept of Tikkun Olam (reparing the world), and explains that we are not meant to fix the whole broken world all on our own, but merely to find the shards of light where we can and gather them up.

Dr. Maté says that one could look at Jesus, the Buddha, or other similar figures, and easily come to the conclusion that they failed. “How is loving-kindness going?” Maté asks. “How is forgiving your enemy and turning the other cheek going?” One way of looking at these figures, he says, considering how the world looks now, would be to say that they were massive failures. Another way, however, of looking at these figures and their lives would be to see that they contributed massively to a human project that is a long-term project. “And in our own little ways,” he says, “we can do the same thing.”

How many of us find ourselves despairing because the little we are able to do seems to have no impact? How many of us are disheartened because we've spent the last 15 months relentlessly advocating for a ceasefire and an arms embargo, with very little to show for it? It may feel like we are failing, but the truth is, more people now than ever have had their eyes opened to the injustice that Palestinians face. More people now than ever have been awakened to American complicity in decades of oppression, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and now, genocide. More people now than ever are paying attention, and now that they have seen the truth, they cannot unsee it.

We cannot let our opponents, powerful though they may be, colonize our minds with despair . Rather, let the start of a new year be an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to the work, knowing that we are not obligated to fix the world all on our own, but neither are we free to desist from doing our part. Maybe it’s enough to contribute what I have to give, trusting that what I have to give combines with what you have to give, and that what we have to give combines with what other communities have to give, and that all together, it means something. We trust that all together, our efforts contribute somehow to a future with less suffering, and a future where there is a free Palestine. We believe this, not in a Pollyanna-ish way, but in a way that can only be described as what it means to hope.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter .

Breaking The Stories: December 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 01:55:34 GMT

Breaking The Stories: December 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

My wishes for a new year..,

Wishing you a new year of freedom,

peace, and love

Basel El-Maqosui, Gazan Artist

‘The ICC’s findings so far have only scratched the surface’

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Galant hold a joint press conference at the Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv. October 28, 2023. (Dana Kopel/Pool)

Last week, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court’s judges, in their Nov. 21 ruling, found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the pair were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza — namely, using starvation as a method of warfare, as well as “murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. Here

Biden and Starmer are destroying international law to protect Israel’s genocide

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with US President Joe Biden during the Nato 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on 11 July 2024 (Ludovic Marin/AFP)

For more than a year, those calling for an end to Israel’s slaughter of civilians in Gaza have been relentlessly vilified: as apologists for Hamas , as antisemites, even as supporters of a genocide against Israel and the wider Jewish people. These smears have been buttressed by western politicians and the media insisting that Israel is conducting a legitimate, “defensive” war with limited aims: supposedly to eradicate Hamas and free a few dozen remaining Israeli hostages. Here

Inside Project Esther, the right wing action plan to take down the Palestine movement

The People’s Red Line March against genocide in Gaza in front of the White house in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2024 (Photo: Aseel Kabariti)

The Heritage Foundation got a lot of publicity during this election cycle for its infamous Project 2025. But that’s not the only project they intend to carry out now that Donald Trump is returning to the White House.

Project Esther is a new proposal from Heritage that claims to lay out a plan to combat antisemitism in the United States. In fact, it aims to destroy the Palestine solidarity movement as a first step in a crusade to, ultimately, restrict activism against American policy of all sorts, foreign and domestic. Here

ICC Arrest Warrants

The ICC warrants: Palestinian skepticism and the glimpse of justice Here

War Crimes Have Never Stopped the U.S. Before Here

More Resources

“Unleashed”: Report Details How Israeli Soldiers Brutalize West Bank Palestinians in Hebron Here

The House Just Blessed Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook by Passing Nonprofit-Killer Bill Here

Intent: The Road to Genocide (Visualizing Palestine) Here

Vatican's Use of Palestinian Keffiyeh in Nativity Scene Sparks Controversy Here

The West Bank villages wiped off the map by Israeli settler violence Here

Former Israeli minister says army is carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ in north Gaza Here

UNRWA suspends aid delivery through main Gaza crossing after ‘looting’ goes unfettered under Israeli watch Here

Challenging Israeli ‘Hasbara’ and ‘Conventional Wisdom’ on Palestine: An Anti-Colonial Reframing Here

Ben & Jerry's accuses Unilever of silencing it over pro-Palestine stance Here

‘We must use every tool to resist’: Israeli teens jailed for refusing military service Here

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

"Come and See": Indiana Center for Middle East Peace (ICMEP) Solidarity Delegation, May 2025 by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 01:41:29 GMT

"Come and See": Indiana Center for Middle East Peace (ICMEP)

Solidarity Delegation, May 2025

by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

2023 ICMEP Solidarity Tour in Bethlehem, photo by Usama Nicola

One of the consistent rallying cries of our Palestinian partners is “come and see.” Likely, this is because they know that once a person visits Palestine, they will never be the same. Once you see the reality on the ground, you can’t unsee it. Once you know the truth, you will never look at the conflict the same way again.

This was true for me when I visited the West Bank in June of 2023 with the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace. Two weeks in the West Bank rocked my world and changed the way I thought about Israel and Palestine. No more could I entertain the notion of a “complicated conflict” between two peoples. The reality is, Palestinians live under an oppressive apartheid regime that inflicts humiliation, trauma, and unimaginable suffering daily. That’s not complicated. It’s simply wrong. There’s nothing like a visit to the West Bank to bring that truth home.

If there is one thing our Palestinian partners need more than ever right now, it’s the presence of international visitors. They are begging for us to come. So, for those who are contemplating a visit to the West Bank, let me just say, now is the time. The Indiana Center for Middle East Peace is currently recruiting travelers for their upcoming solidarity tour, which will be from May 4-16, 2025. Highlights of the tour will be meetings with some of the most prominent peace and justice activists and leaders in both Israel and Palestine, including Issa Amro, Jeff Halper, Daoud Nasser, Muther Isaac, Iyad Burnat, Gideon Levy, Nathan Thrall, and many, many others.

For a detailed trip itinerary, click here . For more information about safety information or to sign up for the delegation, please contact Dr. Michael Spath at lmichaelspath@gmail.com . I can’t recommend it highly enough. You will fall in love with the place, the people, the food, and the culture, and it will change your life for the better, forever.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

Join the UCCPIN Substack community - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 01:36:23 GMT

Join the UCCPIN Substack community

You can now follow UCC PIN on Substack , where we post Weekly Pause for Palestine prayers written by UCC Steering Commitee members as well as original Liturgical Resources.

We hope for UCCPIN's Substack to be a place of spiritual respite and contemplation, as well as a repository of resources for congregational leaders to use in worship planning.

See you in the comments section!

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message: "a Call to Awareness and Action" by the Rev. Venson Jordan, UCC PIN Steering Committee - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 01:32:33 GMT

Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message :

"a Call to Awareness and Action"

by the Rev. Venson Jordan,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Photo from Democracy Now, November 24, 2024

In his latest book, “The Message,” Ta-Nehisi Coats speaks with a level of humanity and clarity that the mainstream media works very hard to avoid.

The book is a compilation of four essays, structured not as a continuous narrative but as a series of reflections and insights that weave stories and ideas into a broader commentary on the state of racial and social justice in this nation.

And then he takes us to Palestine and Israel to witness the colonial habits of the western world that govern an apartheid reality cloaked in all the patriotic liberty and freedoms of a modern democracy.

To Ta-Nehisi Coats, the idea that a nation, almost literally built on the bones of enslaved people, would supply and support the destruction of the Palestinian population, is not consistent with the American values we say we hold for ourselves and our allies. He is provocative, and the personality of his writing style encourages us to keep looking, and ask for the information that the legacy media may not provide.

In my opinion, Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the most profound writers of our time. He shakes the tree of our humanity until all the best bits fall to the ground and lay clear for us to see. “The Message” is a significant contribution to contemporary discourse on race, history, and identity. It’s not just a book, but a call to awareness and action. Coates challenges the reader to look beyond the surface and face the realities of systemic inequality head-on. This work is essential for those interested in understanding the detrimental effects of oppressive colonial legacies, the depth of racial and social dynamics in America and the need for collective reflection and change.

In this season of giving, let the rocks of humanity be life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Note: On December 5, 2024, months after Coates published The Message, Amnesty international posted the following: “Amnesty International investigation concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

UCC PIN Awarded Neighbors in Need Grant to Enhance Communications by the Rev. Thad Winkle, UCC PIN Steering Committee - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:51:22 GMT

UCC PIN Awarded Neighbors in Need Grant to Enhance Communications

by the Rev. Thad Winkle,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

The United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network (UCC PIN) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the UCC Neighbors in Need Fund. The Neighbors in Need Fund provides seed funding for congregations and organizations addressing systemic injustice. UCC PIN's work aligns closely with the fund's focus by promoting and protecting the basic rights and dignity of Palestinians through education, advocacy, and mobilization within the UCC community. This grant will support UCC PIN's communications, enabling us to better serve clergy, congregations, and individuals seeking to engage theologically with critical justice concerns in Palestine.

Since October 2023, UCC PIN has experienced a significant surge in demand for our resources, with increased website traffic and newsletter subscriptions reflecting growing interest in our work. This grant comes at a crucial time, allowing us to strengthen our communications infrastructure and expand our capacity to serve the UCC community.

The funded project will focus on two key initiatives: developing a comprehensive communications strategy to enhance our digital presence and expanding our communications staff hours to better manage increased engagement. These improvements will help UCC PIN:

Disseminate information more effectively across the UCC
Provide enhanced support to clergy addressing controversial global justice issues
Bridge the gap between national church stances and grassroots implementation
Amplify Palestinian voices and perspectives within our denomination

This grant represents an important opportunity to strengthen UCC PIN's role as a crucial resource within the United Church of Christ and beyond. By enhancing our communications capacity, we'll be better equipped to help more clergy and congregations engage meaningfully with Palestinian rights issues through a faith lens. We are grateful to the Neighbors in Need Fund for this support, which will help us continue our mission to educate, equip, and mobilize the United Church of Christ for bold, prophetic witness and risk-taking advocacy toward the goal of a just and genuine peace in Palestine and Israel.

T his excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

Take Action: Divest for Palestinian Rights - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:48:49 GMT

Take Action:

Divest for Palestinian Rights

“Participating in boycotts, divestment, and sanctions [BDS] against Israeli occupation, colonization, and apartheid is not only a moral imperative and constitutional and human right, but also an international legal obligation.” So wrote Craig Mokhiber, former UN human rights official, this past summer, following the International Court of Justice’s authoritative ruling naming Israel’s occupation of the West Bank illegal.

Taking to heart this imperative and obligation, UCC PIN has launched a Divestment Team to ensure that our engagement in and support for BDS is as robust and rigorous as possible. The team has initiated on-going conversations with United Church Funds about its investment holdings and the human rights guidelines that inform its investment screens and divestment practices, specific to any companies and banks that support Israel’s occupation and apartheid.

Engaging in BDS is a strategy, more critical now than ever, to take action towards the national UCC’s and UCC PIN’s pledge to become apartheid-free. The American Friends Service Committee is an invaluable resource in this regard. For years UCC PIN has benefitted from, and our Divestment Team continues to draw on and commends to all, the research of AFSC.

Does your congregation, or your conference, or your seminary have investments? And if so, do you want to know whether investments include companies that support Israel’s occupation? We recommend to you the research tools created by Dov Baum and Noam Perry, staff at AFSC’s Action Center for Corporate Accountability:

AFSC list of companies that implicated in arming Israel’s #GazaGenocide.
AFSC Divesting for Palestinian Rights list of companies supporting Israel’s occupation
AFSC Investigate database of companies enabling the occupation.
WhoProfits database of corporations profiting from the ongoing Israeli occupation.

How, if you find holdings of companies that support Israel’s apartheid, might you take action to divest? Another resource that AFSC offers is weekly online divestment office hours. These offer the opportunity to confer in real time with Noam and Dov. To sign up for AFSC BDS office hours, go here

T his excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

Take Action: Advocate to Kill the "nonprofit killer" Bill - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:46:18 GMT

Take Action:

Advocate to Kill the "nonprofit killer" Bill

On November 21, by a vote of 219-184, the House of Representatives, passed HR 9495 , Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act , dubbed by many as a “nonprofit killer.” The legislation would allow for the Secretary of the Treasury to designate any nonprofit organization as terrorist supporting, without the need to provide any evidence at all and with the consequence of stripping the organization’s 501c3 status. An earlier vote that required a 60% threshold for passage failed. But the November 21 vote, only requiring a simple majority, succeeded with bipartisan support. (See article in Breaking the Stories .)

This is a very dangerous bill, with an intended chilling effect. Likely designed with Palestinian solidarity groups as primary targets, it can be used against immigrant rights, climate justice, racial justice organizations, and religious ones as well. According to Nonprofit Vote , “HR 9495 would amount to a death sentence for nearly any nonprofit that found itself in the law’s crossfires.”

The bill now sits with the Senate, although it is reportedly unclear whether the current Democratic-controlled Senate will take it up. If not, it will certainly be taken up by the incoming Republican-controlled Senate. We need not wait until then, however, to advocate.

Contact your senators now. For easy access to their DC office phones, go here . Let them know how opposed you are to this bill. If you are doubting the imperative and efficacy of your advocacy, use this fact as inspiration: the first vote on HR 9495 had the support of 52 Democrats; only 15 voted ‘aye’ the second time round. That’s 15 too many, but 37 changed their vote. Our advocacy matters. Be sure to take action on this now.

T his excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

"Having the Eyes to See the Signs" by the Rev. Allie Perry, UCC PIN Steering Committee - December 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:44:08 GMT

"Having the Eyes to See the Signs"

by the Rev. Allie Perry,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Photo by Andreas Solero/AFP

“Advent begins in the dark. It is not,” observes Episcopal priest and author Fleming Rutledge, “a season for the faint of heart.” This Advent I am feeling the darkness especially keenly, and perhaps you are too.

We have now witnessed fourteen months of Israel’s live-streamed genocide against Palestinians. Jesus continues to be born under the rubble, as Israel persists in perpetrating untold atrocities with impunity, in blatant defiance of international law and still with full-on U.S. funding and weapons. U.S. complicity runs deep. On November 20, the Biden administration once again vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza, the only country to do so.

With the incoming administration, we know the struggle for justice and for the human rights of all Palestinians will intensify and become even more fraught and challenging. This is true. And the temptation to give into hopelessness or to become weary and dispirited is real and also true. But – and this is a big ‘but’ – the sustained protests, organizing, and advocacy of Palestinian solidarity groups, university students, denominational PINs and so many more, over this past year, here in the U.S. and globally, is proof positive that we are not “the faint of heart.” We are not going away; we are relentless in our resistance.

“In a dark time,” wrote the poet Theodore Roethke, “the eye begins to see.” We see the interdependence of freedom struggles. As Nelson Mandela said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians." We see that our very humanity requires our respect for and defense of the humanity of Palestinians.

And in this season, let us also see, and attend to, the signs that the Palestinian freedom struggle is gaining traction. Here are some recent signs of note:

•19 US Democratic senators recently voted in support of all or part of Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block arm sales to Israel. The measure failed, but 19 is just shy of 20% of the body.

•The International Criminal Court has now issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (see articles in Breaking the Stories ), for their crimes against humanity.

•Amnesty International on Dec. 5 published their investigative report, 'You Feel Like You are Subhuman': Israel's Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza ,' concluding that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.

•Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Palestinian civil society’s Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement , reported at a recent Apartheid-Free Communities gathering that 52 countries are now supporting a military embargo of Israel. “The BDS movement,” he observed, “is finally reaching the ‘S’.”

•Artists from Bethlehem designed this year’s nativity display in the Vatican. The babe’s swaddling cloth? A Palestinian keffiyeh. (See article in Breaking the Stories ). On Dec. 7 when the keffiyeh-draped manger was unveiled, Pope Frances denounced the profiteering of the arms industry and then offered this prayer: “With tears in our eyes, let us raise our prayer for peace. Brothers and sisters, enough war, enough violence.”

The signs are there, even in the dark. This is good news. May we have the eyes to see and the wisdom to trust these signs. May we not faint or grow weary, but be of strong faith and take bold action. And should our spirits flag, may we heed the words of the British Pakistani novelist Nadeem Aslam, “Despair has to be earned. I personally have not done all I can to change things. I haven’t yet earned the right to despair.”

So may we all continue on, doing all we can to change things. May we muster the courage and the commitment we need to be steadfast in seeking justice and pursuing peace. May we find inspiration from the sumud of Palestinians in their freedom struggle and believe, as we should, that our collective effort is bending the arc towards the justice that all deserve and God desires for all.

“This is no time for a child to be born,” especially a child in Gaza. Yet, as Madeleine L’Engle reminds all in her Christmas 1973 poem , “Love still takes the risk of birth.” This Christmas, when we celebrate God’s love and light birthed into the world in the person of Jesus, Word made flesh, even in a babe born under the rubble, may we have the faith and heart to embrace as our own John’s proclamation that the “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” May it be so.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN December 2024 E-Newsletter .

Recommended Recent Podcasts - November 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:17:48 GMT

Recommended Recent Podcasts

What Now? With Trevor Noah - This wide-ranging conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates touches on the intersection of multiple justice struggles, including Palestine, Black liberation in America, and the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Here

Democracy Now from Wednesday, November 11/6/24 - This episode explores the recent election and the implications for Palestine and other social justice concerns. Here

Useful Idiots: A Palestinian Scholar Explains Why Kamala Harris Lost The Democrats, Munayyer explains, led four years of economic hardship for the working class and continued to double down on their support for a genocide in Gaza. “This was a change election. People wanted something different.” Here

This is Palestine: Israel’s Control of the Palestinian Economy : Since 1948, Israel has imposed policies and measures to control and hamper the Palestinian economy. In this episode of “This is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks to Ali Hamdallah, a prominent Palestinian economist and analyst. Buttu and Hamdallah discuss the various ways Israel intentionally targets and controls the Palestinian economy to obstruct Palestinian sovereignty. Here

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

Breaking The Stories: November 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:11:25 GMT

Breaking The Stories: November 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Rachel Weeping Icon

Israeli parliament passes law to deport relatives of ‘terrorists’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the opening of a Knesset session, on October 28, 2024. The deportation law was championed by members of his Likud party and its far-right allies [Debbie Hill/Pool via Reuters]

The Israeli parliament has given its final approval to controversial legislation that allows the government to deport the family members of so-called “terrorists,” including its own citizens, to the Gaza Strip and other locations. Here

After Trump’s victory, Palestinians cannot afford to wait until the next US election, by Samar Badawi

A sign congratulating Former President Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election in central Jerusalem, November 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Not long after the first results began rolling in, it became clear that Harris had alienated a significant proportion of what had been the Democrats’ base. Among Arab and Muslim Americans, her repeated refusal to break with the Biden administration’s unquestioning support of Israel pushed tens of thousands of voters toward Green Party candidate Jill Stein or even Donald Trump.

Israeli army says it is staying in north Gaza and won’t let residents return, by Qussam Muaddi

Displaced Palestinians ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate the Northern part of Gaza flee amid an Israeli military operation in Jabalia, October 25, 2024. (Photo: © Mahmoud Issa/Quds Net News Via Zuma Press Wire/APA images)

Tuesday, a spokesperson of the Israeli army, Yitzhak Cohen, said in a press briefing that the army has come close to the complete “evacuation” of the population of north Gaza. The army spokesperson said that Palestinian residents of the north will not be allowed to return to their homes. This declaration marks the first official Israeli admission of the intent to permanently expel Palestinians from north Gaza. Here

On Extreme Actions Taken By Israel

Israel taps staunch supporter of illegal settlements as ambassador to US Here

The Israeli army admitted it’s staying in north Gaza. Here’s the next phase of its plan, by Tareq S. Hajjaj Here

On the Election

The Politics of Despair by Chris Hedges Here

Democrats Ignored Gaza and Brought Down Their Party, by Peter Beinart Here

‘Yesssss!’: Israel reacts to Donald Trump’s return to power in the US election Here

Democrats who warned Harris launch their rebukes: ‘These guys didn't get it at all’: Here

Fatima Bhutto: Kamala Harris’s Support for Israel’s Genocide in Gaza Is a Betrayal of True Feminism Here

More Resources

The West buries a genocide – by making victims of Israel’s football thugs Here

The War on Terror Comes to Defund Left & Liberal Nonprofits Here

America & the War on Palestine: Palestinian Scholar Noura Erakat and Ta-Nehisi Coates at PalFest Here

Report of UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanesa Here

UAW members push their union to divest from Israeli genocide Here

Israel kills the journalists. Western media kills the truth of genocide Here

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

The Mother's Day Five: Enacting a World of Communion and Justice - November 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:39:40 GMT

The Mother's Day Five: Enacting a World of Communion and Justice

The Rev. Dave Grishaw-Jones testifying at the Mother's Day Five trial

“Despair is not an option; and genocide requires courage and resistance,” so testified UCC PIN steering committee member the Rev. Dave Grishaw-Jones during a two-hour trial in a New Hampshire district court October 29. Dave, pastor of the Community Church of Durham, was one of five defendants, the “Mother’s Day Five,” charged with criminal trespass for their nonviolent sit-in at the office of their member of Congress Rep. Chris Pappas last May. After numerous attempts, with no response, to communicate with Rep. Pappas about the U.S. government’s complicity in funding Israel’s genocide, the group felt called, indeed compelled, to intensify their efforts and to engage in civil disobedience, knowingly risking arrest. To read news coverage of their trial, go here .

“I think of our civil disobedience as confessional,’ said Dave, reflecting on the group’s witness, “Somebody, somewhere has to confess American complicity in genocide and apartheid. . . active complicity, driven by corporate greed and anti-Arab racism. I’m a part of that complicity-system. And I want to confess that, repent, turn from it. Our civil disobedience is not an act of heroism or individual merit; it’s a collaborative project of creative nonviolence, confession and solidarity. I confess. I move to stand in a different space, with those who suffer. And I work then to enact a world beyond genocide and war, a world of communion and justice.”

As we prepare for the peril that a second Trump administration threatens here at home, in Palestine, and globally, we already know, at a cellular level, that we will need to intensify our efforts to “enact a world beyond genocide and war, a world of communion and justice.” May resistance become our modus operandi, and insistence on nonviolent love and solidarity be our mantra. And may the persistent and faithful witness of those like the Mother’s Day Five provide inspiration.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

Webinar on Anti-Palestinian Racism: Recognize and Counter Thurs., Dec. 5, 2024, 4 pm PT, 7 pm ET

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:36:32 GMT

Webinar on Anti-Palestinian Racism: Recognize and Counter

Thurs., Dec. 5, 4 pm PT, 7 pm ET

Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME) has organized a upcoming webinar, Anti-Palestinian Racism: Recognize and Counter; UCC PIN is one of the several co-sponsors. Facilitated by staff and leaders of The Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism , the webinar will help participants identify aspects of anti-Palestinian racism and strategies to counter it.

The media coverage of the recent barrage of violence in Amsterdam exemplifies the imperative for just such a webinar. Headlines of mainstream media described the attacks only as expressions of antisemitism while ignoring or erasing the context of precipitating anti-Palestinian actions. (See "The West buries a genocide" article in Breaking the Stories. )

The webinar will be Thursday, December 5, at 4 pm PT/ 7 pm ET. To register, go here .

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

“Friends of Palestinian Detainees”: Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) Launches Pilot Program for Congregations - November 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:33:20 GMT

“Friends of Palestinian Detainees”: Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) Launches Pilot Program for Congregations

As of September 10, 2024, Israel was incarcerating over 10,100 Palestinian political prisoners, with 3,398 held in administrative detention, a benign sounding term for a perverse procedure that allows Israeli occupation forces to hold prisoners indefinitely with no charges or access to a trial. These figures from Addameer , the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, document a dramatic and alarming spike over the past year, even higher now than the figures reported in this April 2024 Addameer graphic.

While predominately men, those incarcerated also include women and children, some as young as 12 years old. Israel feels no compulsion to provide evidence for the arrests and detentions of Palestinians, and doesn’t. Meanwhile, there is increasing evidence and documentation of Israel’s escalating use of torture against Palestinians detainees.

FOSNA is launching their Friends of Palestinian Detainees pilot program in an effort to humanize and personalize the reality of the Palestinians detained and subjected to Israel’s cruel and tortuous punishment. The project seeks to recruit, as participants, a dozen North American faith communities. Each congregation will be matched with a Christian Palestinian detainee and their family members. The goal through these pairings is to build relationships of friendship, support, and solidarity that will be sustained over time.

Might your congregation feel called to join this initiative and befriend a Palestinian detainee? For more details about FOSNA’s pilot program and to apply digitally, go here .

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

Advent Resources for 2024: a reading, prayers, hymn text, and communion - November 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:23:56 GMT

Advent Resources for 2024: a reading, prayers, hymn text, and communion

Bethlehem continues to be a town under Israel’s increasingly oppressive occupation. As the liturgical cycle brings us to yet another season of Advent, the image, which Pastor Munther Isaac invoked last Advent, of Jesus born under the rubble sears our souls ever more deeply. Jesus is still under the rubble created by Israel’s airstrikes and bombings in Gaza and now Lebanon. He is wrapped not in swaddling cloths but shrouds. Meanwhile, the violence in the West Bank, perhaps less visible to much of the world, is none the less lethal. Bethlehem does not stilly lie.

UCC PIN’s Liturgical Resource Team has developed, for the Advent season, resources that speak to this current, unsettling, and unpeaceful reality. For one example, see below Micah Bucey’s “Reading - A Kind of Magnificat.” You will find that and the other Advent resources on UCC PIN’s substack here .

Reading - A Kind of Magnificat

by Micah Bucey

Our souls are meant to magnify divinity,

So why do we settle for staying so small?

We are meant to be saved by joint joy,

So why do we tear ourselves apart with apartheid?

We are chosen to uplift the next generations,

So why do we instead choose the weight of hate?

We are born to balance our strength with sanctuary,

So why do bombs overshadow our benevolence?

We are blessed to inherit abundant bubbles of vision,

So why do we scatter them amongst the mounting rubble?

We are able to root the future in both history and hope,

So why does dishonesty strangle our growth?

We are equipped to embody a love beyond the local,

So why do we build borders of inward-facing apathy?

We are pushed toward peace by every faithful fiber of our frames,

So may we listen for ourselves over the saddest sounds of ourselves and

Magnify a ceasefire on our souls.

Amen

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

"How Long, O Lord?": a Gathering for Prayer, Witness, and Support Wednesday, November 20, 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:42:05 GMT

"How Long, O Lord?": a Gathering for Prayer, Witness, and Support

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

The UCC PIN’s Clergy Resource and Training Team invites UCC clergy, seeking connection, support, and partners in the work to end genocide and war and to bring justice to all, to attend an online gathering Wednesday, November 20, at 6 pm ET, 3 pm PT.

UCC PIN offered a similar space for people to come together, once before. That was within days of October 7, 2023. It was a spontaneous invitation, so we expected maybe a dozen people to attend; over 70 signed on. The need then was intense and palpable.

It is all the more so now, after a year of Israel’s on-going and ever brazen genocide and in the aftermath of the U.S. elections. This gathering will include space for prayer, lament, and sharing of feelings, as well as opportunities for strategizing with and support for one another. Looking for such support and solidarity? Join this gathering, facilitated by members of UCC PIN’s Clergy Resource and Training Team.

For questions, contact the Rev. Dave Grishaw-Jones DavidGJ@CCDurham.org . To register, use the QR code below.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

Take Action Now! November 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:33:30 GMT

Take Action Now!

by Jordanian artist Osama Hajjaj

We are likely continuing to grieve the outcome of the U.S. election and that is important to do -- we need to grieve-- and then as Sara urges in her opening reflection, “we get back to what we were doing before. . . we fight. We resist.” To do that, we must avoid the temptation of sliding into despair. Despair, as some have observed, is “the spirituality of empire.” Empires succeed when people of conscience lose hope, concede their power, stop fighting, and give in. So let our responses be to work even harder and engage in the “radical action” that Natasha Lennard prescribes in a recent Intercept article . We are not, as she reminds us, “starting from scratch.”

Here are two current issues needing our immediate attention and action:

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) funding: The Biden Administration suspended all funding of UNRWA in January 2024 and then in March Congress followed suit passing a one-year ban on funds. Now the Israeli Knesset has banned UNRWA from operating within Israel. Take action by demanding Congress condemn Israel's ban on UNRWA and sponsor or support the UNRWA Funding Restoration Act . You can deliver this message (1) through FOSNA here ; and (2) through this month’s Global Ministries’ 3 ^rd Thursday alert coming out soon. Look for that.

The Joint Resolutions for Disapproval (JRD) on US Weapons to Israel : These resolutions, submitted by Senator Bernie Sanders, come up for a Senate vote, mandated this week between Nov. 12-15. Prompted by this schedule for the JRD vote, Peace Action Now has designated Nov. 10-24 National Days of Action , a time to tell Congress and the Administration, “Stop arming genocide.” You can deliver that message to Congress in multiple ways: (1) through Peace Action Now here ; (2) through our own Global Ministries alert here ; and (3) through the Friends Committee for National Legislation here .

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

One Week Later: a Reflection on the Election by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals UCC PIN Steering Committee - November 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:30:47 GMT

One Week Later: a Reflection on the Election

by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Graphic by Shevta Shaw

“Fight for justice, not just for Palestinians. For everyone.”

I can’t really tell you how many times I heard some version of this sentiment when I was in the West Bank. So often, when we would ask Palestinians what we should do and how we could take action, after telling us to talk to our political leaders, they would often add some version of this comment. “Fight for justice, not just for Palestinians, but for everyone.”

Today, just one week after the election, the words of my Palestinian comrades echo in my mind. Something our Palestinian friends seem to understand quite well is the intersectionality of all justice and liberation struggles (see Noah Trevor's conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates in this month’s podcast recommendations for more on this). And so our fight for justice can never just be for one people, one tribe, one nation. Our fight for justice is for all creation, and we do the work in whatever ways we can, from wherever we happen to be.

For some of us, this will simply mean that after a period of taking stock, grieving, and holding space for all who are hurting right now, we get right back to what we were doing before. Whether our particular fight was for a free Palestine, women’s rights, queer liberation, immigrant rights, combatting climate change, or fighting racism and white supremacy, the work is still there, waiting for us to pick it back up again with a renewed sense of commitment.

As one friend said to me, the work is the same, it’s just gotten harder. I know that is a disheartening thought. The work is the same, it’s just gotten harder. But maybe, just maybe, we can be stronger than we think. Maybe, just maybe, this little apocalypse will reveal hidden reserves of strength within us. Maybe, after a period of grief, we will emerge more courageous, more willing to sacrifice for what we know is right. And make no mistake, that’s what it will take to overcome this setback. It will take all of us making sacrifices of some kind.

For those of us who are committed to the fight for a free Palestine, it’s very clear that our work has just gotten much harder. The Israeli government is already taking steps towards even more aggressive policies in Gaza and the West Bank, assuming that they will receive little pushback from the incoming administration. You can read about some of these policies in the Breaking the Stories portion of this newsletter.

There is another phrase that I have heard many Palestinians say, which I think is also appropriate in this moment. “We do not have the luxury of despair.” Friends, the fight has come to us in earnest. This is a moment of truth for all of us who care about justice, human rights, and building a better world. We can grieve for a time, but we cannot allow ourselves to fall into despair. The people we care about— our black and brown friends, our immigrant and refugee friends, our queer friends— do not have that luxury and so neither do we.

And so today we grieve. But tomorrow… tomorrow we pick ourselves off, dust ourselves off, and we fight. We resist. We practice joy, because we cannot let them steal our joy, and to practice joy in the midst of troubling times is itself an act of resistance. We fight for our friends, we fight for ourselves, we fight for our country, we fight for a free Palestine, and we fight for a better world.

This excerpt is from the UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN November 2024 E-Newsletter .

“How Long, O Lord?” – UCC Clergy Stand in Solidarity for Justice in Palestine and the Middle East in a Virtual Gathering - November 20, 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 22:51:32 GMT

“How Long, O Lord?” – UCC Clergy Stand in Solidarity for Justice in Palestine and the Middle East in a Virtual Gathering

Join us on Wednesday, November 20th at 6 pm (Eastern) / 3 pm (Pacific)
Duration: 90 minutes on Zoom

In response to the ongoing and heartbreaking violence affecting Palestine and the broader Middle East, the United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network (UCCPIN) invites UCC clergy to come together in a powerful event of prayer, reflection, and solidarity. Hosted by the Clergy Resource and Training Team, this virtual gathering offers a sacred space to grieve, support each other, and strategize for peace and justice in the face of war, genocide, and deep-seated injustice.

What to Expect: The event will begin with a time of shared prayer and lament, allowing clergy to express and process collective grief and hope. Following this, participants can join breakout rooms for tailored discussions, including:

Congregational Action and Witness: For those seeking ideas and strategies to promote justice within their congregations.
Sharing Experiences: For clergy who wish to discuss feelings of fatigue, experiences of conflict, or challenges faced in local settings.
Support and Solidarity: For clergy looking for general support or alternative resources to strengthen their ministries.

Why Attend? In the aftermath of the U.S. election and amid intensifying violence in the Middle East, UCCPIN recognizes the urgent need for prophetic voices in ministry. This event is a call to unite and reinforce our commitment to justice and peace, supporting each other as we work toward these shared goals.

Registration Information:

Date: November 20, 6 pm (Eastern) / 3 pm (Pacific)
Platform: Zoom
Registration Link: To register, copy and paste this link directly into your browser
h ttps://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcumrqTwtEtZBUMeRLD-2WWNGETBNLG9Y#/registration

For questions, please contact Rev. Dave Grishaw-Jones at DavidGJ@CCDurham.org .

Join us in this vital time of prayer, reflection, and community support as we stand together for justice and peace in Palestine and beyond.

Recommended Recent Podcasts - October 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 19:06:46 GMT

Recommended Recent Podcasts

The Mondoweiss Podcast: Reflections From Our Gaza Correspondent: One Year Since the Genocide Here

The Beinart Notebook: Atoning for the Past Year Here

Democracy Now: Israeli Peace Activist Maoz Inon Lost His Parents on October 7. He’s Calling for an End to War & Occupation. Here

Here is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link:
UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

Breaking The Stories: October 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:57:37 GMT

Breaking The Stories: October 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

The Stones Cry Out witness in DC, September 23-25. photo from Facebook page of Michael Spath

We Charge Genocide: The Shofar Calls Us to Account on Rosh Hashanah
Every year at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, synagogues across the world sound the shofar, a ram’s horn that represents the signature moment of the holiday. Over the centuries, Jewish commentators have offered a variety of explanations for this ritual. Moses Maimonides famously called it a wake-up call to personal atonement; others view it as a call to action or a tribute to God’s power. This new year, however, I believe one reason stands out among all others. Today, we sound the shofar as a call to moral accountability. Here

After a year of terror in Gaza, our souls feel suspended in time
It is a terrible thing to witness the obliteration of your homeland. When I think about what we’ve lived through this past year, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind completely. It is a shock that I’m still unable to absorb. I try not to think at all, in the hope of maintaining my sanity until it ends. Here

Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again
It is Day 367 of genocide. I have grown accustomed to marking my days this way—in the horrifying knowledge that, today, the industrial-scale destruction of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continues, and with the infallible determination that, today, it must end. I first took up this practice on Day 6, when it emerged that the only nuclear power in the Middle East had dropped 6,000 bombs in less than a week on a besieged population consisting mostly of refugees. Here

Retrospectives

One Year of Genocide: Special Coverage Here

My Martyrs Live On Here

A Year Of Horror Here

Israel’s Year of Killing, Maiming, Starving and Terrorizing the People of Gaza Here

Focus on: A Year of Genocide in Gaza Here

Gaza’s Situation on October 6 - Reflection by FOSNA's Jonathan Kuttab Here

October 7: What Actually Happened That Day - Reflection by FOSNA's Jonathan Kuttab Here

October 8 and Beyond - Reflection by FOSNA's Jonathan Kuttab Here

Diana Buttu A Year of Living Among Genocide Apologists Here

How Israel killed hundreds of its own people on October 7 Here

Media Resources

Investigating War Crimes in Gaza: a New Documentary by Al Jazeera Investigations Here

Ta-Nehisi Coates and Why He Wrote about Palestine and Israel: Beinart Notebook Here

Watch Webinar: Christian Zionism and the Israel Lobby A Conversation with Ilan Pappe Here

‘No Propaganda on Earth Can Hide the Wound That is Palestine: Arundhati Roy’s PEN Pinter Prize Acceptance Speech, Video (minute 8:30-29:20) Here . Text of her speech Here

Other Resources

'Unspeakable Cruelty': Israeli Strikes on Gaza Hospital, Refugee Camps Kill Dozens Here

200+ Jewish-led Protesters Arrested at NY Stock Exchange Say ‘Stop Arming Israel’ Here

Law for Palestinian Intent Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link: UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

Keep Hope Alive: Olive Harvest Campaign Solidarity Week, October 21-25, 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:46:11 GMT

Keep Hope Alive: Olive Harvest Campaign

Solidarity Week, October 21-25

Keep Hope Alive , the annual Olive Tree Campaign of the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine, is an important avenue for congregations and individuals to engage in providing support for Global Ministries’ Palestinian partners, especially critical in this time of Israel’s unrelenting and escalating violence. This year’s week of solidarity and education, October 21-25, offers a variety of resources, programs, and advocacy opportunities, including a webinar, “Our Economic Leverage,” on the subject of boycotting companies that support Israel’s occupation and investing instead in solidarity with our Palestinian partners. To register for the webinar, at noon ET, Weds., Oct. 23, go here . To learn more about the schedule for the week, go to the Global Ministries’ website here .

Here is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link: UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

The Past and the Present Tell Us: Palestine’s Future has to be Different Sunday, October 20, 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:40:32 GMT

The Past and the Present Tell Us: Palestine’s Future has to be Different Sunday, October 20, 2024

UCC PIN is one of the two co-sponsors for Voices from the Holy Land’s next Salon, this coming Sunday, October 20, 3 pm ET/noon PT, on the topic “The Past and the Present Tell US: Palestine’s Future Has to be Different!” The “prompts” for the Salon’s panel are two documentary films from the early 1980s which, as the promotional material describes, “provide visual evidence of the colonization, apartheid, and military systems Israel uses to maintain domination.” The panel will discuss the through line of issues over these decades: dispossession, intergenerational trauma, right of return, resistance, in the context of the present moment, considering the requisites for a just future.

Panelists are: Aline Batarseh : executive director and co-editor, Visualizing Palestine; Salim Tamari : senior fellow, Institute for Policy Studies and former director, Institute of Jerusalem Studies; Sami Awad : co-director of Nonviolence International, founder of Holy Land Trust; and Mitchell Plitnick (moderator): president, ReThinking Foreign Policy and co-author, Except for Palestine. UCC PIN steering committee member the Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormack will briefly describe UCC PIN’s mission and work at the beginning of the Salon.

To register for the Salon, go here. Registrants will receive links for viewing the documentaries in advance of the Salon and a link for the Salon itself, on Sunday the 20th.

Here is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link: UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

Take Action: Urge your Senators to Co-Sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders' Joint Resolutions of Disapproval - October 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:36:54 GMT

Take Action:

Urge your Senators to Co-Sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders' Joint Resolutions of Disapproval

“When will our government stop funding this madness?” asked U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. “When?” Israel continues to perpetrate horrific war crimes. For one grizzly example: the IDF airstrike this week on the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, sending an inferno of flames through a tent encampment of displaced Palestinian families, incinerating some of them. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, still unrelenting and unapologetic, continues to supply Israel with weapons, offensive in every aspect of that word.

The “when” of Rep. Tlaib’s question demands, from all people of faith and conscience, a fierce and insistent outcry, “Now,” and persistent activism to that end. Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT), with Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR) and Sen. Peter Welch (VT) as co-sponsors, is leading the way, legislatively. He has introduced, into the Senate, Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JDR), calling for a suspension of offensive military weapons to Israel. The resolutions, six in number ( S.J.Res. 111 , S.J.Res. 112 , S.J.Res. 113 , S.J.Res. 114 , S.J.Res 115 , S.J.Res. 116 ), identify the specific offensive, and offending, weapons. To read more about the JRD and how the U.S. government’s sale and Israel’s use of these weapons violate U.S. laws, such as the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Acts, consult this fact sheet .

In a show of strong support for these Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, the United Church of Christ, Global Ministries, and UCC PIN, along with more than 80 other organizations, have signed on to a letter addressed to all U.S. Senators urging them to co-sponsor the JRD. But Senators need to hear from their constituents as well. Let them know you too disapprove of the U.S. government’s complicity in arming Israel’s genocide. Urge them to become co-sponsors of these Joint Resolutions of Disapproval.

Take action by sending them an email through (1) this week’s Global Ministries’ 3 ^rd Thursday Middle East Action Alert here ; (2) the Friends Committee on National Legislation here . Or telephone your senators' D.C. offices and deliver your message through their staff. You can find D.C. phone numbers here .

Here is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link: UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

"What More Must We Do to Stir Your Attention and Action?!!": Kairos Palestine October 7th Statement - October 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:33:08 GMT

"What More Must We Do to Stir Your Attention and Action?!!":

Kairos Palestine October 7th Statement

Marking the one-year anniversary of October 7 ^th , Kairos Palestine has issued “Still Another Cry from Palestinian Christians.” They “mourn the suffering and devastating loss of life of . . . siblings in Gaza and all . . . victim of war and violence.” They call for an end to the State of Israel’s killing, destruction, and escalation of violence, threatening now to “ignite a region-wide war.” They denounce “the West’s indifference to international law and the conventions of human rights,” selectively observing them only when they serve “the Empire’s hegemonic ends.” And they grieve “the lack of solidarity in so many quarters of the global church in the face of genocide declared as plausible by the International Court of Justice.”

Their cry is at once an indictment “What more must we do to stir your attention and action?!!” And, it is a fervent and profound expression of faith: “Still, afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and struck down, we continue to put our trust in Jesus of Nazareth . . . who embodied a spirit of radical love and prophetic justice.” And finally, it is a plea for action, “We need your assistance.”

To read the full statement and the action steps Kairos Palestine is urging from churches, political leaders, and global civil society in support of Palestinians’ determination to achieve their “freedom, . . human rights, and . . . right as a people to self determination,” go here .

Here is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link: UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

A Time to Repent, Speak Out, Act a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry, UCC PIN Steering Committee - October 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:28:25 GMT

A Time to Repent, Speak Out, Act

a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

This past March I had a conversation with my Congresswoman, Rosa DeLauro, in her DC office. She had just led a Congressional delegation to Israel and Palestine. On their return, she and her colleagues issued a statement asserting that Netanyahu had “demonstrated an utter disregard for Palestinian life.” With fervor she said to me that Netanyahu had to go. “Yes,” I said, “but the problem is much bigger than Netanyahu. Israel’s history of occupation goes back decades. We have to look at that.” “No, we have to go forward,” she fired back at me.

Of course, as we well know, there is no going forward in a healing, hopeful, healthy way without understanding and truthfully naming the harms and violations of the past. The one-year anniversary since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s sustained and escalating genocidal response has occasioned much retrospective analysis. This month’s Breaking the Stories offers a selection of such articles, including Palestinian perspectives. Looking backward also invites us, however, to go deeper than analysis. It invites, indeed requires, honest self-reflection, a process of profoundly personal repentance and atonement, a kind of examination of conscience.

The timing this year of Yom Kippur coming only a few days after October 7, informed the reflections of many, perhaps most, Jewish colleagues. Two in particular -- journalist and political analyst Peter Beinart and Rabbi Brian Walt, active with Rabbis for Ceasefire -- have shared their reflections publicly, offering what I find to be compelling examples of, and guidance for, the process of repentance.

Peter expresses his “tremendous sense of guilt” (see his “Atoning for the Past” in Recent Podcasts below) for not having reached out enough to Israeli Jewish friends after Oct. 7 and for not doing enough for the release of the hostages. He expresses another kind of “shame” for not having risked more personally in defense of the humanity of all and especially the humanity of Palestinians. It is a “grave sin,” he asserts, “to create a hierarchy,” to treat “Palestinians as lesser human beings.” Our basic humanity and freedom are not negotiable; they are “gifts from God.”

Brian evokes Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who during the Vietnam war prayed through his protesting, haunted as he was by images of children burning from napalm. This Yom Kippur, as Brian writes, “I see the horrifying photos of Israeli and Palestinian children, women and men, who have been killed over the past year. The images of the dead . . . haunt me and I feel called to pray through protest as Rabbi Heschel did.”

B rian goes on to confess his complicity “in Israel’s war as both a rabbi and an American.” For Brian repentance requires more than “praying for change.” It requires “bold action” to end injustice and, in the words of Heschel, “to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods.” It requires protest. (Go
here to read Brian's full reflection.)

The reality that Brian names for himself applies to all of us. “All Americans,” he writes, “are implicated in today’s atrocities. . . As Americans, we must face the truth of our complicity with this horror.” I feel that complicity as a heavy burden and responsibility; I know we all do. We are citizens of a country that has a shameful and painful history of being the “greatest purveyor of violence in the world,” as Martin Luther King, Jr. observed in his 1967 “Beyond Vietnam” speech at Riverside Church.

L ong before the current atrocities in Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon as well, with tens and tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens killed, with U.S.-made and supplied munitions, the U.S. government was responsible for the tens and tens of thousands of innocents killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in Vietnam, in Iraq and Afghanistan. War is never the answer, and yet our own government continues to choose, fund, and arm it. As U.S. citizens and as Christians, followers of the Prince of Peace, we must, as Brian writes, “face the truth of our complicity,” and engage in repentance.

While Christianity does not have an annual ritual for repentance like Judaism’s Yom Kippur, we do have All Souls/All Saints. This year might we, either in community or individually, observe All Souls/All Saints facing not just the truth but also the cost of our complicity and remembering those harmed? One resource for doing that is a sobering 59 minute Al Jazeera video of the names of those killed in Gaza, set to music and scrolling by age. Another resource is the poetry of Gazan writers; for one example, listen to Mosab Abu Toha recite his poem, “ A Hand is No Longer a Hand .” Also Christians for a Free Palestine is holding an online All Saints’ Solidarity Service, Nov. 1, at 8 pm ET. Register here to attend.

Let our practice of repentance be one of persistent prayer through protest. And may our every prayer become embodied through the kinds of actions that Brian urges in his reflection and those that Kairos Palestine calls for in their October 7 statement (see following article). One action to take right away? Contact your senators. Tell them to stop arming Israel and to co-sponsor Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, calling for the suspension of U.S. offensive weapons (for details see article below). Another action to take right away? Tell Congress here to support an arms embargo and support humanitarian access now.

N ow is the time to end U.S. complicity, and our own. Now is the time to repent, speak out, and act.

Here is a section of the UCCPIN October 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link: UCC PIN October 2024 E-News .

Recommended Recent Podcasts - September 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:39:03 GMT

Recommended Recent Podcasts

The Long Read - As a former IDF soldier and historian of genocide, I was deeply disturbed by my recent visit to Israel by Omer Barto Here

The Take- The Contrasts of the DNC Here

Dispatches- Turning Israel’s Murder Spree into Background Noise Here

Occupied Thoughts: U.S. Policy Through the Looking Glass Here

Breaking The Stories: September 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:34:58 GMT

Breaking The Stories: September 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Students at Columbia University protest for divestment during the encampment for Gaza, April 2024 (Photo: Hoda Sherif)

Schools set to crack down on Palestine protests
Students are returning to campus and little has changed in Gaza since the summer began. Israel continues its genocidal assault on the population and the United States government continues to support the effort with caveats or anything resembling a red line.

This week we saw a potential foreshadowing of what this semester is going to look like. At the University of Michigan cops mobilized to shut down a demonstration in support of Gaza. Multiple people were arrested. Here

Why Democrats refused to allow a Palestinian speaker at the DNC
The Democratic National Convention is over and, for the most part, Democrats are taking a victory lap. They wanted to display unity and enthusiasm for the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket on the convention floor. Both were accomplished, although some chicanery was necessary for the unity display.

To achieve the appearance of unity, discussion of policy in Chicago’s United Center, where the convention was held, was minimized. Gaza is not the only foreign policy issue in this election, of course, but it is by far the most prominent one, the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia notwithstanding. Yet it barely got a mention at the convention.

Only a few words were devoted to Gaza by Democratic speakers, most of them framing the issue primarily in terms of the Israeli hostages still being held there. Much of the hope that some in the Palestinian-American community might have held that Harris would be materially different than Biden on Gaza was dashed when the Democrats refused to allow a Palestinian-American speaker to address the convention. Here

Life for Jenin residents 'in paralysis' as Israeli operation enters second week
As the Israeli military operation in Jenin and its environs in the occupied West Bank enters its second week, the situation has only gotten bleaker for Palestinians in the area. The Jenin municipality said on Sunday that the Israeli army has bulldozed 70 percent of the city’s streets and water has been cut off from 80 percent of homes. Additionally, 20 kilometres of water and sewage networks, communication and electricity cables have been demolished. Out of the 33 Palestinians who have been killed since Israeli forces launched their largest invasion of the West Bank since the Second Intifada, 19 were in Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry says. Here

Press Release: Israeli army kills American International Solidarity Movement volunteer during demonstration in Beita, Nablus
During the weekly demonstration in Beita, Palestine, on the morning of September 6th, 2024, the Israeli army intentionally shot and killed an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) human rights activist named Ayşenur Eygi.

The demonstration, which primarily involved men and children praying, was met with force from the Israeli army stationed on a hill. Initially, the army fired a large amount of tear gas and then began using live ammunition. Ayşenur, who we consider a martyr in the struggle, was the 18th demonstrator to be killed in Beita since 2020. She was an American citizen of Turkish descent. Here

More Resources

DNC widened the split between liberals and progressives over whether to back Harris Here

Kamala Harris must protect Palestinians with an arms embargo  Here

Campaigning Against Genocide (w/ Dr. Jill Stein & Butch Ware) | The Chris Hedges Report Here

To the Israeli Soldier Who Murdered Aysenur Esgi Eygi by Mr. Fish – Chris Hedges Report Here

Ceasefire and Ending the Occupation

Sanctions Now! Palestinian Civil Society Demands Immediate International Compliance with the ICJ Findings on Israel’s Unlawful Occupation Here

When Churches are Silent

Apartheid-Free Interview with Munther Isaac Here

Rev. Munther Isaac at Riverside Church Here

Silencing the Gazification of the Occupied West Bank

Life for Jenin residents 'in paralysis' as Israeli operation enters second week Here

‘Days filled with terror’: Palestinians in Jenin recount harrowing 10-day Israeli army invasion Here

Israeli forces using ‘war-like’ tactics in occupied West Bank: UN Here

Silencing Dissent

Watch: Palestinian American Lawmaker Gives Speech the DNC Wouldn't Allow on Stage Here

Advocates demand justice after US protester killed in Israeli gunfire Here

“Campus Has Become Unrecognizable”: Columbia Prof. Franke Faces Firing After DN Interview on Gaza

Here

How U.S. College Administrators Are “Dreaming Up Ways to Squash Gaza Protests” Here

Silencing the Truth

‘Extraordinarily Dishonest’: The Truth About the Ceasefire Negotiations Here

Fmr. Israeli Hostage Negotiator Gershon Baskin Slams Netanyahu for Blocking Ceasefire Deal Here

Gaza War is an environmental Catastrophe Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN September 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Defense for Children International - Palestine Report: Targeting Childhood - September 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:25:00 GMT

Defense for Children International - Palestine Report: Targeting Childhood

A bullet hole in Al-Far'a refugee camp after the Israeli killing of 14-year-old Maher Abdullah Ahmad Jawabra on December 23, 2023

Photo: Wahaj Bani Moufleh/Activestills

Defense for Children International–Palestine has just this month released Targeting Childhood , a new report documenting, through a series of case studies, how since October 7, 2023 Israeli forces and settlers have been systematically and unrelentingly killing Palestinian children, in most cases using live ammunition. The report’s overview states that, “On average, Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian child in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, every two days since October 7, 2023" through July 31 of this year. This frequency represents an alarming escalation of what the report names as Israel’s “de facto policy of shooting to kill.” What does this escalation look like in percentages? According to the report, “20% of all of the Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank in more than two decades were killed in the last ten months.”

The report makes visible what mainstream media has, for the most part, continued to ignore or silence: Israel’s Gaza-ification of the West Bank, a process which Hagai El-Ad, former director of B’tselem, the Israeli human rights organization, named as such, in a New Yorker interview as early as November 2023. That process has intensified over the intervening months as Israel has launched its cynically named “Operation Summer Camps” and is using “lethal war-like tactics” in the West Bank, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency: drones, bombs, bulldozers. (See related stories in Breaking the Stories ). Reports like Targeting Childhood are critical resources for us to use as we refuse to be silent and continue our advocacy for Palestinian rights and lives.

This is a section of the UCCPIN September 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Looking Ahead Christian Zionism and the Israel Lobby: a Conversation with Ilan Pappé Saturday, October 5, 12 noon ET - September 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:20:27 GMT

Looking Ahead

Christian Zionism and the Israel Lobby: a Conversation with Ilan Pappé

Saturday, October 5, 12 noon ET

Ilan Pappé , one of Israeli’s New Historians and author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006), and numerous other books, is a persona non grata in Israel. He left Israel, after his endorsement of BDS in 2007, among other things, led to death threats, the threatened loss of his teaching position at the University of Haifa, and a subsequent condemnation by the Knesset. Now a professor of history at the University of Exeter in England, Pappé has just written a new book, Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic .

As he explains in the preface to his book, the “riddle” he wants to solve is: “Why does Israel invest vast amounts in two major lobbies, Christian and Jewish, on both sides of the Atlantic? Why does the Jewish state still crave recognition of its legitimacy in the West?”

The Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP) and Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) are hosting a conversation with Ilan Pappé, about his book, focusing especially on Christian Zionism and the Israel lobby, Saturday, October 5, at 12 pm ET.

UCC PIN is one of several organizations co-sponsoring this webinar. Dr. Awad Halabi, professor in the Departments of History and Religion at Wright State University, Dayton, OH and on the board of trustees of PCAP, will be facilitating the interview with Ilan Pappé. To register for this webinar, go here .

This is a section of the UCCPIN September 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

The Stones Cry Out: Palestine Solidarity Actions September 23-25 Washington DC - September 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:14:33 GMT

The Stones Cry Out: Palestine Solidarity Actions September 23-25

Washington DC

On-line conversations with a stunning line-up of Palestinian solidarity activists, offered as webinars through the summer months, have helped The Stones Cry Out build momentum for the upcoming three days of Palestinian solidarity actions, witness, and resistance in Washington, D.C., September 23-25. If you are able to participate in person, and haven’t yet registered, there is still time to sign up. Contact Doug Thorpe ( dthorpe@spu.edu ). The D.C. gathering will feature the prophetic words of several speakers including those listed in the flyer above.

Even if you cannot be there in person, you can participate through adding you name to a Declaration that will be delivered on the steps of the Capitol to some members of Congress and also to the executive branch of our government on Tuesday the 24 ^th . The title of the declaration makes its message explicit: "There is Another Way for Israel and Palestine: A Declaration of Faith and Urgency from Christian Clergy to the Government of the United States."

There is indeed another way. It is beyond time for the United States government to stop being complicit in funding Israel’s genocide. It is time instead to use our government’s considerable power, as the declaration states, “to pull Israel back from its descent into militarism and barbarism.” To read the full text of the Declaration and its demands and to add your name go here . The Declaration will be made available later in a booklet form for study in churches and communities.

The series of summer webinars provides a treasure trove of educational materials for individuals and congregations to us, including speakers such as Palestinian-American businessman and political analyst Sam Bahour; the Rev. David Wildman, Methodist representative to the UN; and Ali Abunimah, journalist, political analyst, and director of the Electronic Intifada , and many more. The full series of The Stones Cry Out webinars is archived on the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace's YouTube channel that you can access here .

This is a section of the UCCPIN September 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Standing up to Repression, Breaking the Silence, Speaking Truth to Power: Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry - September 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:47:45 GMT

Standing Up to Repression, Breaking the Silence, Speaking Truth to Power

a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

by Palestinian Artist Fayez Elhasani,

born in Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, 1958

Standing Up to Repression, Breaking the Silence, Speaking Truth to Power

a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Next month will mark a year since October 7. I, for one, and perhaps others, would never have predicted that Israel’s genocidal response to the horror and violence of the Hamas attack that day would have continued, not only unabated, but with an almost escalating fervor, metastasizing now with increasing intensity into the West Bank.

Ceasefire talks continue, but to no avail. The Biden-Harris administration claims to be working around the clock for a ceasefire agreement, but when it continues to fund Israel’s genocide, with yet another infusion recently of 20 billion for weapons, the U.S. government is not, cannot be, and has never been an honest broker. Meanwhile, Israel has turned the Hamas assaults of October 7, horrific as they were, into cover for expanding the footprint of its occupation since 1967, de facto annexing the West Bank; for solidifying its apartheid regime (extensively documented by human rights organizations); and for continuing its project of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, ongoing since 1948.

Recent statistics, according to OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, document the extent of Israel’s genocide: over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza killed, (a recent Lancet report argued that the Gaza death toll may exceed 186,000); close to 95,000 Palestinians injured; over 10,000 missing or still buried beneath the rubble; and 1.9 million, 90% of Gaza’s population, internally displaced. These figures do not include those Gazans facing starvation or the numbers of West Bank Palestinians killed, injured, displaced, and detained. Nor can these figures begin to convey the human suffering of a people who Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, heartlessly called ‘animals.’ Nor can these figures account for the incalculable familial, cultural, health, and environmental devastation inflicted on an entire population.

Given this heartbreaking reality and the responsibility we as United States citizens bear for our country’s complicity, how might we, in our congregations, mark this anniversary with honesty, truth-telling, and faithfulness? In anticipation of this need, our UCC PIN Liturgical Resource Team has been developing a communion liturgy and other prayers and offerings for World Communion Sunday, October 6. We will share these resources next week through our Constant Contact distribution list and also will post them in a newly created UCC PIN Liturgical Resources substack where they will be archived along with our weekly Pause for Palestine prayers.

While Israel continues to perpetrate genocide, the hopeful news is that the movement for Palestinian lives, human rights, and freedom is growing. It’s not going away. Globally and within the US, it is gaining traction, strength, numbers, and power, inspired by the persistence and resilience of Palestinians, in solidarity with their suffering and struggle, and consistent with the moral imperative for justice and human dignity.

C oncurrent with the movement’s growth, however, is a predictable reaction: silence truth-telling, repress and punish dissent, and in some cases, as with anti-BDS laws, criminalize it. Articles in this newsletter’s
Breaking the Stories are organized around various contexts and examples of being silent, of active silencing, of intimidation, and of repression: the majority of our congregations, as the Rev. Munther Isaac lamented in his recent US tour, still remaining quiet; the mainstream media with its selective and biased reporting; our college campuses with new policies constricting rights of assembly or punishing freedom of dissent. Efforts at silencing should come as no surprise nor should we be intimidated or deterred. There is always a cost for speaking truth to power, for power, as Frederick Douglas taught us, “concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”

The perceived need to intensify repression is its own indictment, evidence of the Palestinian solidarity and justice movement’s increasing power and moral urgency. The antidote to repression is to continue to stand up and speak out, to continue to advocate and be tireless, ever hopeful, in demanding justice and pursuing it. Now is precisely the time for us, in response, to intensify our activism

Here are three immediate actions to take:

Sign the Declaration of Faith and Urgency from Christian Clergy to the Government of the United States (Find link in the article below about The Stones Cry Out).

Support the parents of the Palestinian-American Aysenor Azgi Aygi in contacting your elected officials and demanding the US call for an independent investigation into the IDF’s fatal shooting of their daughter. (See articles in Breaking the Stories ). To date, the US government has refused to make that call.

Tell Congress to oppose the $20 billion transfer for Israel – no more bombs, no more tanks, no more weapons. You can send your message to your elected officials through Code Pink here or Peace Action here , or both.

This is a section of the UCCPIN September 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow
this link .

Recommended Recent Podcasts

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:35:28 GMT

Recommended Recent Podcasts

ICJ says Israel’s occupation is illegal — On this episode of the Mondoweiss podcast we are joined by Craig Mokhiber, an international human rights lawyer and activist, and a former senior United Nations human rights official to discuss the ICJ’s recent ruling. Here

Understanding Israel’s “System of Domination” — The process of Jewish expansion over Palestinian land has involved maintaining a "system of domination," says author Nathan Thrall on this week's Intercepted . Here

Settler Colonial Spillover in the West Bank – In this episode of Rethinking Palestine , Fathi Nimer, Al-Shabaka Palestine policy fellow, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the acceleration of Israeli settler colonialism in the West Bank amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Here

Will the ICJ’s ruling on Palestinian territories have an impact? The UN's top court rules Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful. The International Court of Justice says it must end as rapidly as possible. This episode of The Inside Story considers the impact of this non-binding ruling. Will it change anything on the ground? Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this
link .

Breaking The Stories: August 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:33:35 GMT

Breaking The Stories: August 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Summer at the beach, Gaza 2024

by Loren McGrail

The dawn left a taste of

blood on my scorched tongue.

Why does August bear so much death?

I have not died yet, but my

children scream at my seared

face. “Dad. Wake up. We

haven’t departed yet.”

Mohammed Moussa, Gaza Poets Society

Promising signs that Palestine advocacy is building political power in Washington
The defeat of Cori Bush in her primary election on Tuesday left a lot of advocates for Palestinian rights in the United States despairing. It’s an understandable feeling.

Cori Bush is a tireless activist, working against injustice, racism, economic oppression, against apartheid and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, and genocide in Gaza. In that last fight, she was successful enough to draw the ire of AIPAC. The pro-Israel lobbying group directly spent at least $11 million between its two affiliated PACs to defeat Bush.

That is a stunning amount of money to spend on an election where only a little over 125,000 people voted. AIPAC’s support made up most of the four-to-one spending advantage to Bush’s opponent, Wesley Bell. Coupled with Jamaal Bowman’s defeat earlier in his primary, this can be discouraging. Here

US weapon used in Gaza City school massacre that killed 100
Israel killed at least 100 Palestinians at a school being used as a shelter for displaced people in central Gaza City on Saturday, according to Gaza officials.

The attack came one day after Israeli tanks pushed back into Khan Younis, the largest city in Gaza’s south, forcing war-weary families to once again flee to the unknown.

Israel dropped leaflets on eastern Khan Younis ordering residents and displaced people sheltering there to “evacuate from an area that has already seen repeated waves of fighting,” Reuters reported. Here

EXCLUSIVE: Biden Administration Sending 6,500 Munitions to Israel, Despite Ongoing Killing Of Civilians in Gaza

The State Department has formally notified Congress of a direct sale of 6,500 joint direct action munitions (JDAM) to Israel — while calls for an arms embargo to the government accused of war crimes grow louder.

JDAMs are guidance kits used to convert non-targeted bombs into more precise “smart” munitions. The order comes after the shipment, valued at $262 million, was reportedly delayed in May, as it was pending under review. Zeteo has learned that the sale will now go through.

The original review came as the U.S. sought to prevent Israeli forces from pursuing a major ground invasion in Rafah — where Israeli forces have nevertheless bombed multiple targets and had a large ground presence for months.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), said it was “mind-boggling” for the administration to move forward with the sale. Here

The ICJ finds that BDS is not merely a right, but an obligation
Israel and its lobby have, for years now, been engaged in a frenzy of activity to further insulate Israel from accountability by using their influence in the West to effectively outlaw organized opposition to Israel. Foremost among these efforts has been the Israeli campaign to penalize calls to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel for its gross violations of human rights. As a result, countless laws and policies are now on the books across the U.S. and the broader West, trampling on core constitutional principles and internationally guaranteed human rights in defense of Israeli impunity. But an advisory opinion issued last month by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should help to turn that around. Here

Responses to the Internal Court of Justice ‘Advisory Opinion’

‘Impunity must end’: World reacts to ICJ ruling against Israeli occupation Here

US criticizes ICJ opinion on Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories Here

The World Court says Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is illegal: 4 steps NZ can take now

Here

In significant reversal, Church of England head says Israeli occupation must end following ICJ opinion

Here

More Resources

NYC Journalist Faces Hate Crime Charge for Allegedly Filming Gaza Protest Action; Police Raid Home Here

Israeli rape of detainees is the result of a society that sees Palestinians as ‘human animals’ Here

Kamala Harris Is Speaking. Is She Listening? Here

Turkey joins genocide case against Israel at the ICJ after months-long delay Here

Reports

Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as Network of Torture Camps by B’Tselem, Aug. 2024 Here

Thematic report - Detention in the context of the escalation of hostilities in Gaza (October 2023-June 2024) [EN/AR] Here

Palestinian children plagued by lice, scabies and rashes in Gaza’s overcrowded tent camp Here

State of the Occupation, Year 57: A Joint Situation Report Here

Media Resources

Silence is Complicity: A Palestinian Call to Action (Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) Here

Francesca Albanese: Why Israel ‘should be treated as a pariah state’ – Real Talk Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Take Action through Global Ministries' 3rd Thursday Action Alert: Urge U.S. officials to institute guardrails for U.S. arms transfers and sales

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:23:54 GMT

Take Action through Global Ministries' 3 ^rd Thursday Action Alert: Urge U.S. officials to institute guardrails for U.S. arms transfers and sales

Effectively ignoring the mandates of the ICJ’s advisory opinion not to “render aid or assistance in maintaining [Israel’s] illegal occupation,” the Biden-Harris Administration announced this week the approval of $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel, including F-15 fighter jets, missiles, and tank munitions.

As the 3 ^rd Thursday Action Alert asserts, “U.S. legislators must withhold U.S. aid to pressure Israel to adhere to international norms and law — and a genuine commitment to pursue peace as devotedly as Netanyahu is now pursuing war. Palestinians, Israelis, Americans, and the world depend on U.S. legislators showing meaningful leadership on guardrails for military arms transfer.” Let your elected officials know how you feel about this. To email them, go here .

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

The Stones Cry Out: Palestine Solidarity Actions September 23-25 Washington DC by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:18:51 GMT

The Stones Cry Out: Palestine Solidarity Actions September 23-25

Washington DC

by the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN Steering Committee

The Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals praying at a White House vigil during the March 2024 Stones Cry Out witness

This September a delegation of faith leaders and activists, convened by The Stones Cry Out, will be gathering in Washington, DC, to advocate for Palestinian rights, for justice, for an end to Israel’s occupation, and for the U.S. to stop its complicity with genocide. This gathering is a follow-up to an initial The Stones Cry Out delegation this past March when 50 people traveled to DC.

Half of that group had spent a week, guests of Palestinian Christians, in the West Bank and went directly to DC on their return where I and others joined them in lobbying legislators to do more to stop the devastation in Gaza and to advocate for justice for Palestinians in the West Bank. In addition to meeting with members of congress, we held a vigil outside the White House, heard from prominent activists and leaders like Miko Peled and Representative Jamaal Bowman, and ended our time with an interfaith service of lament and solidarity where we heard from, among others, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

The Stones Cry Out is organizing this second DC delegation recognizing that time is of the essence; our advocacy now is all the more urgent. The official death toll in Gaza is purportedly around 40,000, but most experts agree this is a vast undercount. When you add in the number of indirect deaths from disease and starvation, and the tens of thousands missing and presumed dead, the number of deaths in Gaza since October 7, 2023, soars to over 100,000, and that’s a conservative estimate.

Meanwhile, life in the West Bank has gotten even more dangerous for Palestinians. Israeli settlers are so terrorizing Palestinian villages that many residents are being forced to flee their homes. Since October 7, over 600 West Bank Palestinians have been killed and nearly 10,000 have been arrested and put into detention, with rarely any charges against them. Last month, the UN International Court of Justice ruled that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, in place since 1967, is illegal according to the Geneva Conventions.

All of this is why I will be traveling to DC in September, because if we do not speak up, I believe that even the stones would cry out for justice. Indeed, “the living stones,” as we call the Palestinians and Israelis working for a just peace in their land, cry out every single day. I stand in solidarity with them.

Ever persistent, those gathering in September (from the afternoon of September 23 through the evening of September 25) will participate in advocacy, meeting with Members of Congress and engage in public actions at the US Capital and elsewhere in DC. We will once again be hearing from prominent leaders in the movement, including Rev. Graylan Haglar, activist Miko Peled, Medea Benjamin from Code Pink , and Laila El-Haddad, author of Gaza Mom and Gaza Kitchen . There will be an opportunity to visit the Museum of the Palestinian People. An interfaith worship service will end our time together. Over a dozen organizations are sponsoring The Stones Cry Out witness, including Sabeel Liberation Theology Center, Friends of Sabeel North America, Kairos USA, and our own UCC Palestine-Israel Network.

Let your voice be heard. Please join this powerful gathering of faith leaders and activists. To participate, contact our lead organizer, Doug Thorpe, at dthorpe@spu.edu . Once you have indicated your interest in joining us, you will receive more information and a detailed schedule. We hope to see you there!

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Praying into the News: Pause for Palestine

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:13:42 GMT

Praying into the News: Pause for Palestine

Every day heartbreaking reports from Gaza and Palestine inundate us. We feel grief, we feel anger, but often have limited means of responding. As UCC clergy, we have found ourselves longing for ways to help us pray into the news of these days. To address this longing, the Liturgical Resource Team of UCC PIN has developed a brief, weekly prayer - “Pause for Palestine” - that connects the realities of this time, like Micah Bucey's prayer here, prompted by the the recent bombing of the Al-Tabin school as people there were beginning to pray.

UCC PIN recently launched this initiative and will be releasing these weekly prayers, written by different members of our Liturgical Resource Team, every Thursday on the UCC Palestine Israel Network Facebook and Instagram pages. Our hope is that others will find these prayers helpful and incorporate them into worship and use them for personal meditation.

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Blocking a Theology that Kills: a Report on the Interfaith Action for Palestine by the Rev. Linda Noonan, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:10:53 GMT

Blocking a Theology that Kills: a Report on the Interfaith Action for Palestine

by the Rev. Linda Noonan,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

An interfaith group of clergy and other pro-Palestinian protesters blocks buses filled with attendees for the Christians United for Israel summit in National Harbor, Md., July 30, 2024. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

The bus driver could have been pissed. About a dozen of us put our bodies in front of his tour bus as it pulled up to a busy intersection at the National Harbor in Maryland. Christian pastors and Jewish rabbis, we sat on the pavement in front of the rumbling bus – some of us “locked in” together in a physical and symbolic gesture of solidarity with our siblings in Palestine and one another – and prevented it from moving forward. The bus was full of CUFI (Christians United for Israel) members heading from their conference at the National Harbor to the Capitol to lobby their representatives for more money and more bombs to Israel, fueling the genocide in Gaza.

The bus blockade was designed to interrupt – if only briefly – CUFI’s deadly Christian Zionist theology rooted in white Christian nationalism, racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and ethnic cleansing. CUFI is the largest, most powerful pro-Israel organization in the United States. With over ten million members, there are more CUFI members in this country than there are Jews. Their goals are to move all Jews to Israel, ushering in the end times in which Jesus will return and save only Christians. They are fiercely aligned with far-right Christian nationalists, and have widespread support among U.S. politicians. CUFI is simultaneously pro-Israel and anti-Jewish. John Hagee, CUFI’s founder and president has said, “God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land.”

This was just one among many actions during the Interfaith Action for Palestine – the recent three-day (July28-30) multi-action, multi-state disruption of CUFI organized by Christians for a Free Palestine , Rabbis for Ceasefire, and other faith-based groups, and endorsed by UCC PIN. The actions included a singing “flash mob” which delayed the start of the CUFI conference, interfaith leaders, including UCC PIN steering committee member the Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormack, registering as CUFI participants and disrupting the conference from within, a banner drop, a series of kayaks on the national harbor with a large sign saying “CUFI Kills,” bird-dogging and meeting with representatives, the raising of voices in the Capitol, and a teach-in on Christian Zionism.

Our group of activists delayed the bus for an hour, praying and singing, surrounded by police. As a white American Christian pastor, I came to put my body on the line with other people of faith, offering an alternate narrative in which all human life is sacred, and a vision of the world in which solidarity, not bombs, is what keeps us all safe. I sat where I believe Jesus would sit.

That man driving that bus could have been furious. It’s no easy thing to place your body in front of a 24-ton, moving mass of steel, not knowing who is behind the wheel or how they will respond. But when you offer yourself in witness, you can’t know how you will be received. After the angry CUFI members stormed off the bus, our bus liaison checked back in with the driver. With hands clasped as he leaned out the window, the driver told her, “I am a Syrian American. Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring about Palestine.

I, for one, am willing to risk the consequences of an action like this if it means that one Syrian man driving a busload of people who just prayed for God to “rain down fire” on his own people feels less alone. I pray that bus driver knows that those people do not speak for Jesus. They certainly do not speak for me.

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Turning the Tide Toward Justice: the International Court of Justice July 19, 2024 Advisory Opinion a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:04:08 GMT

Turning the Tide Toward Justice:

the International Court of Justice

July 19, 2024 Advisory Opinion

a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

by UK artist Billy Ruffian

The July 19, 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), aka the World Court, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, has been hailed as “historic,” “a seismic event,” “a landmark ruling,” “ a significant milestone,” “a watershed moment.” It is “crystal clear” in its ruling that Israel’s occupation is illegal under international law and must be dismantled. Will the ICJ’s ruling create the kind of “great sea-change” that the poet Seamus Heaney describes in his poem, The Cure of Troy , when “justice can rise up/And hope and history rhyme?” That remains to be seen.

One sign, however, that the tides are shifting is a recently released statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby. In a reversal of his previous position, he wrote, “The Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice (19 July 2024) makes definitively clear that Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unlawful and needs to end as rapidly as possible.” (See article in the section of Breaking the Stories specific to the ICJ ruling).

UCC PIN celebrates and applauds the ICJ’s advisory opinion and has written a working paper, “Israel’s Occupation is Illegal: What we can do; what we must do,” detailing why we believe this ruling “marks a critical inflection moment for human rights and the rule of international law, for Palestinian solidarity work, and for the UCC’s and UCC PIN’s ongoing work for justice.” You can access UCC PIN’s working paper in its entirety on our website here .

In their recent statement, “A Prophetic Call for Justice and Peace in Palestine,” the UCC’s national executives – the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, the Rev. Shari Prestemon, and the Rev. Dr. Bentley DeBardelaben-Phillips – lift up the ICJ’s advisory opinion, calling for the United Nations General Assembly “to take clear and decisive action” in its support. This is one of several prophetic calls in their powerful and comprehensive statement. Some examples of other calls include: the call for an end to Israel’s genocide; the call for the release and return of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees; the call for U.S. policymakers to end the sale of weapons to Israel and withhold all military aid; the call for addressing root causes and dismantling Israel’s systems of apartheid; support for the call from the International Criminal Court prosecutor for warrants for the arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders responsible for crimes against humanity; and the call for “the necessary reparatory justice Palestinians are owed” by Israel. UCC PIN encourages clergy and congregations to engage in a close study, a kind of lectio divina , of “A Prophetic Call for Justice and Peace in Palestine” and to listen for how God is calling us all to action. Go here to read the full statement.

God is calling us all to action. About that we can be sure. We have a part to play in the rising up of justice, contributions to make to a sea-change. With their advisory opinion, the ICJ has given the world not just a strong legal framework, but the strongest of legal foundations. It provides an important and essential “tool in a toolkit to use for advocacy efforts by civil society,” as Wesam Ahmad of Al-Haq says in The Inside Story podcast (see link at the end of this newsletter). It is incumbent upon all those working for Palestinian rights, he goes on to say, “to make use of this decision and to turn it into tangible action.”

One very tangible action for us all to continue to push and pursue is boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS). Craig Mokhiber argues for this in his article, “The ICJ finds that BDS is not merely a right, but an obligation,” (see Breaking the Stories ). There he points out that the advisory opinion of the ICJ allows activists to “credibly assert that participating in boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israeli occupation, colonization, and apartheid is not only a moral imperative and constitutional and human right, but also an international legal obligation.”

In 2015 the UCC passed a General Synod resolution supporting BDS. In 2023, the national UCC took the pledge to be Apartheid-Free . Now is the time for us all to double-down even more in our advocacy, including our promotion of BDS, to stem the tide of Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and genocide, and to catch the wave as the tide turns instead toward justice and human dignity and flourishing, until the day when finally “hope and history rhyme.”

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

UCC PIN Working Paper on The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:27:11 GMT

UCC PIN Working Paper on The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion

The United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network (UCCPIN) has issued a working paper endorsing the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. The opinion, issued in 2024, found Israel's occupation and practices of apartheid illegal under international law.

UCCPIN’s paper reaffirms these findings and calls for greater international accountability. By supporting the ICJ's conclusions, UCCPIN highlights the need for a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on legal and humanitarian principles.

Here is the statement to read or to download

Breaking The Stories: July 2024. Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:40:45 GMT

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Majid Mogdad, Gazan Artist

'Complicit in the Genocide': First Muslim Biden Appointee Resigns Over Gaza
A political appointee at the U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday became the youngest—and first Muslim American—appointee of President Joe Biden's to resign as his administration continues to "fund and enable Israel's genocide of Palestinians."

"Marginalized communities in our country have long been denied the justice they deserve. I joined the Biden-Harris administration with the belief that my voice and diverse perspective would lend a hand in the pursuit of that justice," Special Assistant and Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Maryam Hassanein, said in a statement. Here

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Votes to Divest from Israeli Bonds
Monday, July 1, Salt Lake City, UT - The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to divest from Israeli bonds due to the country’s prolonged military occupation and genocidal war in Gaza. The resolution was approved by unanimous consent among the roughly 500 commissioners present for the biennial gathering. The measure reflects a growing trend among institutions seeking to divest from Israel.

The Commissioners’ Resolution , submitted for consideration last week by the Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell and the Rev. Anne Weirich, “prayerfully call[s] upon the Presbyterian Foundation and Board of Pensions to divest from governmental debt held by countries that are currently maintaining a prolonged military occupation and have been subject to United Nations resolutions related to their occupation.” Israel, Turkey, and Morocco all hold “prolonged military occupations,” and the bonds of each of these countries will be subject to this resolution. Here

Inside the Congressional Effort to Provide Palestinians with Refugee Status
Last month, on World Refugee Day, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA), Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Representative Greg Casar (TX) and Representative Debbie Dingell (MI) led almost 70 Democratic members of Congress on a bicameral letter calling on the Biden administration to grant refugee status to Palestinians fleeing Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. Here

Israel/Palestine: All Victims Have Right to Reparation for Abuses
All victims of gross human rights violations in Palestine and Israel are owed reparation, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch on June 26 submitted recommendations to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. The rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, had invited input to inform her October 2024 report to the United Nations General Assembly on the ongoing hostilities.

Here

On Genocide

"A Textbook Case of Genocide": Israeli Holocaust Scholar Raz Segal Decries Israel's Assault on Gaza Here

Stop the Palestinian Genocide Here

Database of Israeli Genocidal Incitement Here

Starmer Learnt the Price of Power was Support for Genocide Here

Israel’s progression from Apartheid to Genocide Here

Liberal Zionists answer the Gaza genocide by appealing for ‘nuance’ Here

Companies Profiting from the Gaza Genocide Here

More Resources

I Spoke To Palestinians Tortured By Israel. What They Endured Is Unimaginable Here

Communities of faith have a duty to fight for Palestinian freedom Here

Israel’s Descent Here

Meet the Followers of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the West Bank Here

The Collapse of Zionism Here

Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential Here

‘Operation al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 272: Israelis urge Netanyahu to accept U.S. ceasefire deal as Hamas gives its response Here

In The West Bank, a Rabbi Fights To Defend Palestinian Land Arik Ascherman speaks on the work of Torat Tzedek, which works to assist Palestinian shepherds in protecting their land from settlers in the West Bank. Here

Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters Here

Palestinian Resistance from the PLO to Hamas Here

Podcasts

New this month! Podcasts have emerged as an essential form of media when it comes to understanding what is happening on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank. That's why UCC PIN is introducing a new section to our monthly newsletter in which we recommend several podcast episodes that we consider to be essential listening. Check out the episodes below:

· Aylul: Surviving the Nuseirat Massacre As a One-Day-Old Newborn - On this episode of the podcast This is Palestine, we hear the heart wrenching story of baby Aylul, a baby born during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Here

· Maha Hussaini in Gaza: You Cannot Be Neutral in a Genocide - On this episode of PalCast , the award-winning Palestinian journalist joins us from Gaza to talk about her reporting, the situation on the ground, the need to have an active Palestinian voice and western media bias towards the Palestinians. Here

· The Night That Won't End in Gaza - This episode of The Intercept's podcast Intercepted features an in-depth interview with the filmmakers of the new Al Jazeera documentary, The Night Won't End: Biden's War on Gaza. This episode is a powerful companion piece after viewing the film. Here

· Palestinian Genocide Survivors in Egypt - On this episode of Rethinking Palestine , Ali, a humanitarian worker from Gaza now in Egypt, speaks on the experience of Palestinians from Gaza in Egypt as they maneuver the different legal, financial, and social hardships of their forced displacement. Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Powerful new films about Palestine: Where the Olive Trees Weep and The Night Won’t End

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:29:57 GMT

Powerful new films about Palestine: Where the Olive Trees Weep and The Night Won’t End

Two recent films are exposing new audiences to the injustice and oppression Palestinians face in the West Bank and Gaza

The first, Where Olive Trees Weep , was filmed in the West Bank in 2022. Featuring well-known figures like Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, Israeli journalist Amira Hass, and Jewish physician Gabor Mate, the film documents the brutality of the occupation as well as the ongoing trauma that Palestinians face on their path to healing. To watch the film online, and to access the many related talks featuring scholars, activists, and religious leaders, visit here .

The second film, The Night Won't End: Biden's War on Gaza, was filmed by Palestinian journalists in Gaza during the current genocide. Produced by Al Jazeera, the film follows three families as they try to stay alive during the constant barrage of bombings and ground offensives across the Gaza strip. One of the families profiled in the film is the family of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl who was killed by Israeli forces along with several other members of her family as they were seeking safety. Her last few hours of life are documented in the film, as she speaks on the phone to dispatchers at the Red Crescent, pleading with them to save her. The viewer then watches in horror as the ambulance sent to save Hind is bombed by the Israeli military, and she is left to bleed to death from her injuries. This is just one of the many undeniable war crimes documented in the film-- crimes that continue to be denied and ignored by the Biden Administration . To view this very important film, visit here .

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Upcoming Stones Cry Out Webinars: “Maintaining the Momentum, Mobilizing for Change”

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:23:31 GMT

Upcoming Stones Cry Out Webinars: “Maintaining the Momentum, Mobilizing for Change

The Stones Cry Out is continuing its summer series of "Virtual Delegation" webinars. Listed below are the upcoming webinars for July and August. The line-up of activists, organizers, and scholars who will be sharing their insights and strategies for justice-seeking and advocacy to end Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is impressive.

Stones Cry Out organizers -- Michael Spath, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace; Mark Braverman, Kairos USA; and Doug Thorpe, Episcopal Bishop’s Committee on Peace & Justice in the Holy Land, Diocese of Olympia -- have designed this intensive online series to equip, mobilize, and empower a broad spectrum of faith leaders and human rights activists, building momentum for an in-person gathering in Washington, D. C., September 23-25. Through direct action, Congressional visits, public proclamation, and worship, participants coming to D.C. will confront the Biden Administration and Congress, demanding an end to the U.S. government’s complicity in and financing of Israel’s genocide.

All the webinars have a 1 pm ET start. To see the full line up, into September, of webinar speakers and all their photos, go here .

Here is the line-up for July and August:

W ednesday, July 10
: Issa Amro , Hebron-based non-violent activist, co-founder of the grassroots group, Youth Against Settlements. Issa, who Nicholas Kristof describes as a follower of MLK, Jr. (see Breaking the Stories ), has been recognized and given awards by international organizations, including the United Nations, for his leadership of nonviolent, civil disobedience campaigns against Israeli apartheid and occupation. Register here .

Wednesday, July 17 : Neve Gordon , an Israeli professor of International Law and Human Rights at Queen Mary University in London and author of Israel’s Occupation , and coauthor of Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire . Join this webinar in real time on the 17 ^th here .

Wednesday, July 31 : Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb , Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, human rights activist; the Rev. Allison Tanner , Apartheid-Free Communities Initiative; the Rev. Ranwa Hammamy , Congregational Justice Organizer, Unitarian, Universalist Association. Register here .

Wednesday, August 14 : Huwaida Arraf , a Palestinian Christian human rights defender, civil rights lawyer and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led organization focused on assisting the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using non-violent protests. Register here .

Wednesday, August 21 : Josh Ruebner , Political analyst and activist, Institute for Middle East Understanding. Register here

UCC PIN is one of several organizations supporting this initiative, including Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, Christians for Ceasefire, Churches for Middle East Peace, Sabeel, FOSNA, and many others.

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Join AFSC's Weekly Action Hour

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:17:17 GMT

Join AFSC's Weekly Action Hour

Soon after October 7 ^th , the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) started hosting weekly Action Hour calls. These Friday calls (noon ET, 9 am PT) offer an antidote to the powerlessness, even at times hopelessness, that many of us have felt in the face of the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The calls help to create the empowering context of an “action-oriented community” (see article by AFSC staffer Zoe Jannuzi here ). Each week, the calls offer updates from AFSC staff in Gaza, analysis by an invited activist, a script for making Congressional calls right then and there, while on Zoom, and resources for activism.

“It has been a centering and powerful experience to be with people across the United States every week for almost 9 months now, sharing the difficult news from Palestine but also the ways we can channel that outrage and concern into concrete action,” observed Jennifer Bing, National Director for AFSC’s Palestine Activism Program and lead facilitator for the calls.

The Rev. Elice Higginbotham agrees. She is one of several UCC PIN steering committee members who regularly join AFSC’s Action Hour. “It is both an inspiration and a good discipline,” said Elice. “AFSC does a great job of building spiritual community without being sectarian. It's very motivating to see yourself on-screen, making your Congressional contacts along with dozens of fellow activists. I keep at it, week after week, even when I'm feeling discouraged. And the volume and quality of resources provided is phenomenal!”

Needing the inspiration and discipline of immersing in an “action-oriented community” each week? UCC PIN recommends AFSC’s Action Hour. Sign up for alerts about the weekly calls here .

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Interfaith Action for Palestine July 28-30: Challenging Christian Zionism, Mobilizing for Justice and a Free Palestine

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:13:50 GMT

Interfaith Action for Palestine July 28-30: Challenging Christian Zionism, Mobilizing for Justice and a Free Palestine

Over the three days of July 28-30, two gatherings, with dramatically different and contrasting agendas, will be converging in the Washington, DC area. One group, Interfaith Action for Palestine , convened and coordinated by an interfaith coalition of organizations, including Christians for a Free Palestine , Jewish Voice for Peace , and Mennonite Action , will be mobilizing to challenge, expose, counter, and disrupt the Annual Summit of the other group, Christians United For Israel (CUFI). Founded by the far-right televangelist pastor John Hagee, CUFI is the largest Zionist, pro-Israel organization in the U.S. with over 11 million members. It espouses Christian (overwhelmingly white) supremacy and promotes Christian nationalist policies. In contrast Interfaith Action for Palestine will be bringing Jesus’ message of nonviolent love and justice, calling for an immediate and permanent end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and freedom and human rights for Palestinians.

Jonathan Brenneman, an organizer with Christian for a Free Palestine, reports there will be a variety of actions for those who participate in person, including interfaith worship, banner drops, nonviolent direct actions, and lobbying. There will also be an online component for those who can’t attend in person.

UCC PIN is one of many organizations supporting Interfaith Action for Palestine; members of our steering committee will be participating. "As genocide against Palestinians continues to unfold," explained steering committee member Linda Noonan, "I feel the need to 'pray with my feet,' as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel did when he took to the streets with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others during the Southern Civil Rights Movement. I feel the need to put my body on the line as together we offer a Christian witness to counter the so-called 'Christians' United for Israel action in Washington, DC and to stand where I believe Jesus would stand now.”

To learn more, sign up for an informational call Thursday, July 11 at noon ET here . To register to participate, either in person or online, go here .

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Stop Accused War Criminal Netanyahu from Addressing Congress

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:07:56 GMT

Stop Accused War Criminal Netanyahu from Addressing Congress

Congressional leadership has stooped to new lows with their invitation for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on July 24. Their invitation followed, within a matter of several days, the announcement that the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court had applied for an arrest warrant naming Netanyahu. The charges? That Netanyahu and his minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, as well as leaders of Hamas, “bear responsibility for . . . war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

War crimes are apparently of no concern to Republican leadership. They issued their invitation to Netanyahu all the same, and Democratic leadership signed on, too. Netanyahu has overseen and continues to drive Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Yet the invitation still stands. Unconscionable and shameful. Were the chambers of Congress not already defiled enough on January 6, 2021?

There is yet time, though, for us to take action and it is important that we do so. The Rev. Alex Awad, from the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, has written an impassioned and cogently argued ‘Dear Members of Congress’ appeal for our elected officials to stop Netanyahu from addressing Congress. One way to take immediate action is to go to the FOSNA website and, with Rev. Awad’s letter as a guiding script, either send an email to members of your Congressional delegation here or call their office here , or better yet, do both.

After that, do still more. Use these organizations' links for the action alerts that they have created to register protest about Netanyahu’s visit: the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights ; Code Pink for Peace ; and the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee - ADC . Let your voice be heard again and again. If Netanyahu’s speech goes forward, ask your elected officials at the least to boycott it.

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Calling out Genocide; Refusing to Normalize it. A Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:04:27 GMT

Calling out Genocide; Refusing to Normalize it

a Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Artwork by Olly Costello

“#Humanity wake up!,” wrote Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in a recent post on X/Twitter. Triggering such urgency is her concern that Israel’s genocide in Gaza and oppression of Palestinians are being normalized. Mondoweiss reporter Philip Weiss voiced that same concern in his July 7 Weekly Briefing: Normalizing Genocide .

Western media is no longer paying sustained attention. Israel’s genocide on Gaza – the killings, the injuries, the forced famine, the displacements upon displacements, the wanton destruction of essential services -- is becoming ‘old news.’ Meanwhile, Israel’s ongoing land grabs, raids, unleashed settler violence, and brutal repression of Palestinians in the West Bank, including torture of Palestinian detainees, is rarely on the Western media’s radar, if at all. As Francesca Albanese points out, this “does not mean that genocide and oppression have stopped. It means they are being normalised.” Israel’s escalating military attacks in Gaza City compelled the closing, announced just yesterday , of the Al Ahli Arab Anglican Hospital, one of the UCC’s global partners. There is nothing normal about that.

It's been nine months since October 7 ^th . Who would have predicted, much less imagined, the duration of this horror, a genocide being carried out, not even in the dark, but in plain sight? And yet Israel’s genocide continues, in defiance of

international law and with full-on U.S. defense funding and weapons.

There is good reason for Francesca Albanese’s alarm and wake up call. It’s not only the media, but as people go about the daily rounds of their lives, they too become otherwise occupied and can stop paying close attention. It is said that the opposite of love is not hatred, but apathy, or to use Elie Wiesel’s term, “indifference.” I am confident that no one reading this newsletter is apathetic or indifferent. The risk for us is not apathy (although we often are encountering that and/or ignorance in others). The risk for us is more likely to be a kind of numbing.

Paying close attention to the horrors of Israel’s daily assault on and slaughter of Palestinians takes an emotional toll and can create a kind of secondary trauma. Feelings of grief or outrage or both together can become overwhelming, even paralyzing.

That’s when I, and I expect all of us, recognize the need to prioritize self-care and focus on balms to heal, or at least console, our heartbreak and soul ache.

It is crucial that we allow ourselves some respite, times of deep breathing, deep grieving, and deep sharing, especially in communities of resistance and solidarity and faith. The support of such communities -- the UCC PIN steering committee

is one for me – is a balm to the soul, offering an antidote to the risk of numbing, inspiration for organizing, courage for prophetic witness, and energy for persistent resistance.

A current way that UCC PIN is persisting in our resistance is through our adamancy about naming and calling out Israel’s genocide and our refusal to normalize it. To that end, we are

continuing to promote our statement, It's Past Time: Naming Israel's Genocide in Gaza , urging religious and political leaders to use the language of genocide. We are grateful to both the Apartheid-Free Congregations/Communities and the AFSC Action Hour for sharing our statement with their networks. We applaud the Unitarian Universalists for leading the way as a denomination in adopting the language of genocide at their recent General Assembly where 74.8% of the delegates passed Action of Immediate Witness: Solidarity with Palestine . You will find in this month’s Breaking the Stories a newly introduced section listing Podcasts and a section dedicated to articles and resources specific to genocide. Please draw on them as you join us in the work of naming Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

“There can be no true goodness nor true love without the utmost clear-sightedness,” observed Albert Camus. May we be clearsighted in recognizing, naming, calling out, and seeking to end Israel’s genocide.

This is a section of the UCCPIN July 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Breaking The Stories: June 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 14:47:34 GMT

Breaking The Stories: June 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Rafah Holocaust by Jordanian artist Hani Alqam

It is not ‘ethnic cleansing’, it is genocide

Over the past eight months, like many people around the world, I have been starting my day by checking the news from Gaza and the rest of Palestine. I rely on the reports from people on the ground in Gaza, mostly on social media, to get reliable information about what is happening.

At the same time, I follow the mainstream media, leaders, representatives of big international organisations and scholars to get different perspectives. Unfortunately, too often, I hear them using the term “ethnic cleansing” when referring to the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinians. Each time I hear this phrase, it reminds me of the war I survived in the 1990s in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here

Rudderless, incompetent and complicit

Little illustrates Washington’s diplomacy on Israel’s genocide in Gaza better than the temporary pier the US military constructed at great cost to bring aid to the territory’s 2.3 million people suffering an engineered famine that is nearing catastrophic levels. Announced in early March – and always a ludicrous idea when the US could have simply insisted that Israel keep land crossings open, saving the $320 million construction cost – the pier finally became operational on 17 May.

For its first five days, no aid that arrived there was distributed. Then high waves washed away some of the vessels meant to deliver aid, causing further disruption. Finally, the pier itself broke apart on 28 May, just 11 days after it was deemed operational. The entire structure will now be removed and taken to Ashdod port for repairs. Costly and incompetently executed, the pier was a direct result of a pronounced unwillingness in Washington to directly confront Israel over its gross restrictions on aid into Gaza. Here

To Continue the Gaza genocide, Israel and the US must destroy the laws of war

The world's two highest courts have made an implacable enemy of Israel in trying to uphold international law and end Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Separate announcements last week by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) should have forced Israel on to the back foot in Gaza.

A panel of judges at the ICJ – sometimes known as the World Court – demanded last Friday that Israel immediately stop its current offensive on Rafah , in southern Gaza.

Instead, Israel responded by intensifying its atrocities.

On Sunday, it bombed a supposedly "safe zone" crowded with refugee families forced to flee from the rest of Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel’s rampage for the last eight months.

Here

More Resources

“This Is a Crime”: Ken Roth on Israel’s Secret War Targeting the ICC to Derail War Crimes Charges Here

Israel says war on Gaza likely to last another seven months Here

REVERBERATIONS OF OCTOBER 7 Mobilization Against Genocide Undeterred by Peak Anti-Palestinian Repression by Palestine Legal Here

Netanyahu’s response to the ICC invokes another genocidal biblical reference Here

US State Department official resigns, says US report on Gaza inaccurate Here

Rights groups demand Biden halt Israel arms transfers after ICJ ruling Here

Why Are Progressive Legislators Opposing New York’s First Anti-Settlement Bill? Here

The Message of Israel’s torture chambers is directed at all of us, not just Palestinians Here

Rights groups file complaint against Booking.com for listing Israeli settlements Here

The Complicity of Israeli Academia Here

US lawmakers threatened ICC with 'The Hague Invasion Act', but what is it? Here

Can Palestinians imagine a future with Israelis after this war? Here

'Israel goes after UNRWA in al-Quds, orders it to vacate headquarters Here

Media Resources

Fire breaks out at Ramallah market amid Israeli raids

Here

Israeli Historian Ilan Pappe on Interrogation at U.S. Airport and "the Collapse of the Zionist Project" Here

Liturgical Resources

When discussing the war in Gaza, we must ask the question about genocide Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN June 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Stones Cry Out Virtual Delegation: “Maintaining the Momentum, Mobilizing for Change

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 14:19:14 GMT

Stones Cry Out Virtual Delegation: “Maintaining the Momentum, Mobilizing for Change

Throughout this summer, the Stones Cry Out will be offering a series of webinars as part of a Virtual Delegation, focused on equipping, mobilizing, and empowering a broad spectrum of faith leaders for advocacy. The capstone for and culmination of these summer webinars will be a September 23-27, Washington D.C. gathering of church leaders and human rights activists, there to speak out to the Biden Administration and Congress, through witness, worship, advocacy, and direct action. The goal? To change U.S. policy on Palestine and Israel.

Sam Bahour, a Ramallah-based Palestinian-American businessman and activist, is the presenter for the first webinar in the series, Wednesday, June 5, 1 pm ET. Register here .

Sam Bahour

The next of the June webinars will be Monday, June 17 at 1 pm ET with Omar Haramy, the Sabeel Palestinian Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem. Register here

Following that on Thursday, June 20, at 1 pm ET, the webinar will be with Rifat Kassis, Global Kairos for Justice, and the Rev. Munther Isaac, Christmas Lutheran Church, Bethlehem and Christ at the Checkpoint. Register here .

The last webinar in June will be at 1 pm ET on Wednesday the 26 ^th with Dr. Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian ER doctor who has worked extensively in Gaza. Register here .

This Stones Cry Out Virtual Delegation builds on, and is an extension of, the advocacy of the first Stones Cry Out delegation this past March (See story in UCC PIN’s March E-News). Prime movers in the Stones Cry Out planning are Michael Spath, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace; Mark Braverman, Kairos USA; and Doug Thorpe, Episcopal Bishop’s Committee on Peace & Justice in the Holy Land, Diocese of Olympia. UCC PIN is one of several organizations supporting this initiative, including Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, Christians for Ceasefire, Churches for Middle East Peace, Sabeel, FOSNA, and many others.

This is a section of the UCCPIN June 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

Stepping out for Justice: Ceasefire Pilgrimages and Walks

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 14:14:16 GMT

Stepping out for Justice: Ceasefire Pilgrimages and Walks

Walk for Gaza CT, Day 1, May 23, Beinecke Plaza, Yale University, New Haven, CT

This past Lent, Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage , a global network of autonomous Christian groups, inspired people around the world to walk the linear distance of the Gaza strip, about 25 miles, in a prayerful show of solidarity. Over 140 walks were held at that time, in 20 or more countries. The season of Lent was just the start. Since then, similar walks have continued to be organized, customized for specific locations, offering a powerful way to engage communities in stepping out, literally, and being visible as justice-seeking advocates.

Walk for Gaza CT offers one such example. Members from five southern Connecticut UCC congregations, joined other activists, in organizing a three-day walk, first in New Haven, next in Bridgeport, and then along the CT shoreline, May 23-25, that cumulatively covered 25 miles. The Walk included stops along the way, at two Congressional district offices, three hospitals, Yale University’s investment office, and also Beinecke Plaza, the site of the Yale student encampment. At each stop, there were speakers -- for example, students and doctors -- who described the wanton and systematic destruction and decimation of Gaza, in specific its medical and educational infrastructures.

The Walk’s final stop was at Hammonassett Beach State Park.

There many walkers flew kites in the spirit of the poem, If I Must Die , by Palestinian writer and activist Refaat Alareer, who this past December was targeted and killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike. Scheduled during the Memorial Day weekend, Walk for Gaza CT was a procession of lament, grieving the mind-numbing thousands of people who have died in the violence over these past eight months. It was also a call for action with demands for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an end to all U.S. military and financial aid to the Israeli government for the prosecution of its genocide against Palestine, and the safety and negotiated release of hostages on both sides. In addition, the Walk raised over $7,200 for UNRWA, far exceeding the Walk’s $5,000 goal.

People, of all ages, well over a hundred, participated, walking portions or all 25 miles of the distance. UCC folks who helped with the organizing and/or walked were from First Congregational Church, Guilford; First Church, Middletown; First Congregational Church, Madison; First Congregational Church, Old Lyme, and Shalom UCC, New Haven.

“It was powerful each day to be walking alongside such a diverse group of individuals, families and community activists including the Veterans for Peace. Most pedestrians and motorists raised their fists or beeped their horns in support of our peaceful nonviolent march,” observed the Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager, senior associate minister, Old Lyme. "On the last day, as we passed breathtaking views of Long Island Sound and pastoral scenes, it was painful to be imagining, in contrast, the devastation and suffering Palestinians in Gaza are enduring in real time. We can and must do much more and continue praying with our feet, as Rabbi Abraham Heschel famously said.”

Solidarity walks and pilgrimages are gaining momentum. Following its inaugural Lenten pilgrimage, Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage is now launching a phase two: Pilgrimage to Places of Power. To learn more about this second phase of the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, go here . If you scroll down on that landing page, you will find the logos of the many organizations, including UCC PIN, that have endorsed this initiative.

This is a section of the UCCPIN June 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

"It’s Past Time: Naming Israel’s Genocide in Gaza" UCC PIN Statement

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 14:11:20 GMT

"It’s Past Time: Naming Israel’s Genocide in Gaza"

UCC PIN Statement

By Krime

The United Church of Christ has always been on the front end of movements for peace and justice in the US and abroad. Specifically, regarding unjust war and the violation of human rights, we, as a denomination, have never been afraid to name atrocities wherever and whenever they occur. For one compelling example, in 2015, the General Synod of the UCC passed a resolution commemorating the 100 ^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which specifically named genocide as a crime that should be “prevented, halted, acknowledged and recognized .”

Inspired by and consistent with this history, the United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network recognizes and acknowledges Israel’s war on Gaza as genocide. This reality requires bold action. Therefore, we call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and prisoners, an end to the blockade of Gaza, and an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank. We further call for Palestinians to be granted the rights to self-determination and statehood, in compliance with international law.

We make this call alongside others in the United Church of Christ, including the newly formed group UCC for Ceasefire, who recently circulated a statement naming the crime of genocide which was signed by over 800 UCC members, including both clergy and lay people.

We make this call in solidarity with our Palestinian Muslim and Christian partners, who have been begging us to stand with them. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem said, “Genocide is clear. Truth is evident for all to see... If you are not appalled by what is happening, if you are not shaken to your core, there is something wrong with your humanity. And if we, as Christians, are not outraged by this genocide... we are compromising the credibility of our Gospel message. If you fail to call this a genocide, it is on you. It is a sin and a darkness you willingly embrace."

We make this call agreeing with our Jewish siblings who are speaking out against the war. Our friends at Jewish Voice for Peace have not been afraid to name genocide, calling the invasion of Rafah "the final stage of genocide." Raz Segal, an Israeli historian and himself a scholar of genocide, recently wrote an article in Jewish Currents calling Israel’s war in Gaza “a textbook case of genocide.”

We make this call knowing that it is consistent with international law. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide identifies acts that constitute genocide, many of which have been documented since October 7, 2023. To date, over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 80,000 have been injured. Defense for Children Palestine has noted that at least 1 million children need mental health care due to the trauma they continue to endure. Israel has destroyed nearly all infrastructure that supports life in Gaza—hospitals and schools have been bombed; food, water, and medical supplies are severely lacking, and humanitarian aid distribution is practically at a standstill; and approximately one-hundred thousand housing units have been destroyed, with thousands more severely damaged and uninhabitable. Famine is already present in parts of Gaza, and it is spreading every day, leading to what famine expert Alex de Waal called “a massacre in slow motion.” All of this has been done with genocidal intent, as minister of defense Yoav Galant demonstrated when he stated, “we are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly,” and "we will eliminate everything.”

In addition, and especially critically for us as US citizens, we make this call because our own government, the Biden Administration and Congress, are now complicit in genocide through providing Israel with diplomatic cover, financial support, and an on-going supply of deadly weapons.

It is past time for all our political and religious leaders to recognize and name the atrocity in Gaza for the genocide that it is. We therefore urge all in positions of authority and influence to answer this call immediately. Millions of lives, as well as our very humanity, are at stake.

This is a section of the UCCPIN June 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

UCC PIN Issues Urgent Call to Religious and Political Leaders

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 14:08:28 GMT

UCC PIN Issues Urgent Call to Religious and Political Leaders

Image from Jewish Voice for Peace Facebook page

With this issue of E-News, UCC PIN is releasing our statement, "It's Past Time: Naming Israel's Genocide in Gaza," through which we call for religious and political leaders, and all people of faith, to use the word ‘genocide,’ to describe Israel’s assault on Palestinians in Gaza. While the International Court of Justice has yet to issue their final ruling, they declared that, even as early as January, there was “plausible” evidence of Israeli genocide and, at that time, they issued binding provisional measures for Israel to cease their hostilities and violence. Since then, Israel has brashly defied that ICJ order, and subsequent ones, engaging in ongoing aerial bombardments, ground invasions, and obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian assistance, creating conditions of full-blown famine and forced starvation. The evidence of genocide is in plain sight, visible for all to see. It is even visible, as the JVP graphic above depicts, from space.

It is indeed past time to name Israel’s genocide. As Nidžara Ahmetašević writes in her article, “It’s not ‘ethnic cleansing’; it’s genocide,” (see Breaking the Stories ) “using proper terminology and calling things as they are” matters. Holocaust survivor and co-founder of Human Rights Watch Aryeh Neier is now using the terminology of genocide. In a recent interview , he went public about the reasons for his determination that Israel is carrying out a genocide. When we are seeing horrific images of killing, burning, starvation, as Aryeh Neier has seen and as we, and the world, are seeing daily, it is incumbent on us all – it is our moral and ethical responsibility – to call things as they are and to say, “this is genocide.”

With this statement, shared in its entirety below, the United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network publicly recognizes, acknowledges, and names Israel’s war on Gaza as genocide . We urge all members of the UCC – congregants, clergy, conference ministers, national staff – to use this terminology. And we encourage you to share this statement widely, from the pulpit, at conference annual meetings, and in newsletters. You can access PDF versions of the statement as a letter sized two-sided document here and as a bulletin-insert sized booklet here . You can also find these formats on our UCC PIN website . For some liturgical resources and reflections on genocide, see Ken Sehested's article included at the end of Breaking the Stories.

This is a section of the UCCPIN June 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link .

"It's Past Time: Naming Israel’s Genocide in Gaza"

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 19:25:08 GMT

"The United Church of Christ has always been on the front end of movements for peace and justice in the US and abroad. Specifically, regarding unjust war and the violation of human rights, we, as a denomination, have never been afraid to name atrocities wherever and whenever they occur. For one compelling example, in 2015, the General Synod of the UCC passed a resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which specifically named genocide as a crime that should be “prevented, halted, acknowledged and recognized.”Inspired by and consistent with this history, the United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network recognizes and acknowledges Israel’s war on Gaza as genocide. This reality requires bold action. Therefore, we call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and prisoners, an end to the blockade of Gaza, and an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank. We further call for Palestinians to be granted the rights to self-determination and statehood, in compliance with international law."

Read & share the full statement below.

You may access this resource in two different ways: either as a PDF document, or as a bulletin insert booklet.

Breaking The Stories: May 2024 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 10 May 2024 17:51:25 GMT

Breaking The Stories: May 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

“Unlawful and Catastrophic”: IDF Begins Forced Evacuation from Rafah

Israel's army on Monday ordered roughly 100,000 people living in eastern Rafah to evacuate ahead of an imminent military assault on the area, terrifying families who have been forcibly displaced to the southern Gaza city in recent months and intensifying warnings of a bloodbath .

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets over Rafah ordering some of its 1.4 million residents to move to a strip along Gaza's coast, a signal that a long-feared ground assault on the overcrowded city is set to begin in the face of vocal opposition from the international community and humanitarian organizations.

The U.S., Israel's top arms supplier, has said it would oppose a Rafah assault without a credible plan to evacuate civilians from the city. Humanitarian groups and analysts have said such a plan is impossible because there is no genuinely safe place for Gazans to go. Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked so-called "safe zones" and designated routes Palestinians have used to flee in compliance with past IDF orders. Here

Scoop: US put a hold on an ammunition shipment to Israel

The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios. Why it matters: It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military. The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.

President Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans how oppose his support of Israel. The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurance that U.S.-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March. Here

Manufacturing Famine: Israel is Committing the War Crime of Starvation in the Gaza Strip: Report from B’Tselem.

In this document, we review the current scale of the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip, its short and long term impacts, Israel’s conduct with respect to this issue and the legal implications of this conduct. We rely on the most recent figures and data available.

Based on various reports from international bodies about the situation in Gaza and on testimonies gathered by B'Tselem's field researchers, we unfortunately conclude that for months, Israel has been committing the crime of starvation under international law in the Gaza Strip. Here

More Resources

Tlaib Says 'No Coincidence' Israel Invaded Rafah After Congress Approved More Military Aid Here

Biden ‘Moving the Goal Post’ with Threat to Withhold Bombs from Israel Here

Ex-State Dept. Official on Paused U.S. Weapons Shipment: ‘Significant but Not Cause for Celebration’ Here

The Israel-US game plan for Gaza is staring us in the face Here

“Criminal Act”: Israel Bans Al Jazeera, Largest Int’l News Org. in Gaza, Ahead of Rafah Invasion Here

Locked-In Conflict: Israel’s Repressive Carceral System and the Criminalization of Palestinians was one of the Catalysts for October 7 by Dr. Mandy Turner for Security in Context (report) Here

Chris Hedges: Sermon for Gaza Here

Why Scapegoating UNRWA Must Stop Here

Profs Urge NYT to Probe False Oct. 7 Rape Story Here

What Does it Mean for the US to Condition Aid to Israel? Here

As a Palestinian American, I can’t vote for Joe Biden any more. And I am not alone Here

Refaat Alareer was special, so was his daughter Here

Campus Protests

Six Observations about Campus Protests by Peter Beinart Here

Jewish Organizing at Columbia’s Encampment Podcast by Jewish Currents Here

“200 days?” from Michael Spath, Director of Indiana Center for Middle East Peace Here

The Campus Protests Make Me Uncomfortable. And They Fill Me with Hope. Video talk Here

Revolt in the Universities - Read by Eunice Wong Here

Open Letter to University Presidents/Chancellors on Divestment Here

In Support of Students and Free Speech

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 10 May 2024 17:40:17 GMT

In Support of Students and Free Speech

Students around the country have been taking the lead, speaking out against Israel’s plausible genocide, standing up for a permanent ceasefire and justice for all, and calling their own schools to account. Some college and university administrations are leading by example, listening, negotiating, and entering into agreements. Here are some examples:

Brown University , Providence, RI; Evergreen College , Olympia, WA; Northwestern University , Evanston, IL; and Wesleyan University , Middletown, CT.

However, many others, indeed most, as if using the same playbook, have been heavy-handed, dismantling encampments and criminalizing protests. Looking for ways to support this student led peace and justice movement? In addition to visiting encampments local to you, here are three organizations with links through which you can send letters to many of the college and university administrators:

World Beyond War: Here

Code Pink: Here

MpowerChange: Here

Divesting for Palestinian Rights

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 10 May 2024 17:37:34 GMT

Divesting for Palestinian Rights

Comic by Eli Valley

The tsunami of protests on college and universities campuses around the country (see map with locations here ) is spotlighting the “D” in the Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) movement. Students are demanding their schools divest from companies, especially defense industries, profiting from Israel’s brutal and genocidal attack on Gaza. As if a mantra, their chant rises up, “Disclose, divest/ we will not stop/ we will not rest.” Administrations are not rushing to open their books; most are stonewalling, rushing instead to dismantle and shut down encampments, quick to call in campus security and local police.

But if administrators were more open, or when they become so, how might they proceed? Anticipating the need for research and guidance, and as a resource for students calling for divestment, the American Friends Service Committee, through their Action Center for Corporate Accountability, has created a Divesting for Palestinian Rights webpage here which includes information on (1) how to divest, (2) the divestment list, (3) methodology, and (4) how to scan one’s portfolio.

While developed for academic institutions, this webpage also offers a tool that will be helpful for religious groups. For many years now, the national UCC has had in place screens for defense industries and war profiteers, but not all conferences and congregations with investment portfolios do. The present moment invites an examination of conscience in regards to investments. What are we invested in? In addition to the divestment list of individual companies, profiting from the Israel's war on Gaza, that you can find here , this new AFSC webpage provides a link to a lengthy list of mutual funds that their Investigate Project has also screened here.

Challenging the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 10 May 2024 15:36:13 GMT

Challenging the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

Image from Palestine Legal website https://palestinelegal.org/distorted-definition

On May 1, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 320-91, passed H.R. 6090 , to use “a definition of antisemitism set forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for the enforcement of Federal antidiscrimination laws concerning education programs or activities, and for other purposes.” A majority of Republicans (187-21) and a majority of Democrats (133-70) supported the legislation. The vote tally is here . The bill has now been introduced into the Senate as S. 4127

In 2016, the IHRA adopted as its working definition: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” This definition is not new; the U.S. State Department has been using it since 2010, here .

How are this bill and the IHRA definition problematic? First,

HR 6090 explicitly extends the IHRA definition to the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws in educational institutions. Second, the bill eschews ‘the use of alternative definitions of antisemitism” claiming that they “may fail to identify one of the modern manifestations of antisemitism.” What might be examples of ‘modern manifestations’ of the definition? The IHRA website lists as their first example, “the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity.” Hence, the third problem: the definition blurs the distinction between antisemitism and anti-zionism, and can contribute to the conflation of the two. According to Human Rights Watch, the IHRA definition “has often been used to wrongly label criticism of Israel as antisemitic, and thus chill and sometimes suppress, non-violent protest, activism and speech critical of Israel and/or Zionism.”

This conflation creates one of the challenges to bearing prophetic witness which UCC PIN addresses in our Crisis in Gaza resource: the labeling as antisemitic of any and all criticism of the state of Israel and consequent efforts to silence or delegitimize such criticism. Such efforts are being played out right now, especially against protesters on college campus and also in Congressional committee hearings.

How can we respond to the increasing weaponization of antisemitism? We can start by challenging the use of the IHRA definition and urge our senators to oppose S. 4127. In Crisis in Gaza , UCC PIN recommends the definition that the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism promotes as a counter the IHRA definition. Their definition: “Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish).”

For a powerful description of how charges of antisemitism are being used/misused to distract from the genocide that Israel is perpetrating and for a listing of what is not antisemitic, listen to Senator Bernie Sander's May 1st Senate speech here .

Praying with their feet: Rabbis for Ceasefire Passover Action

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 10 May 2024 15:29:03 GMT

Praying with their feet: Rabbis for Ceasefire Passover Action

A delegation of rabbis (Rabbi Brian Walt on the right) from the United States and Israel march toward the Erez Crossing at the northern tip of the Gaza Strip on April 26, 2024. (Oren Ziv).

On Friday, April 26 during Passover, a group of eleven U.S.-based rabbis and three Israeli rabbis walked towards the Erez Crossing in their effort to take food into Gaza. In the phrase Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel coined during his participation in the 1965 Selma March, these rabbis were praying with their feet. They were enacting, literally embodying, the Passover commandment, writ large on one of their banners, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Explained Rabbi Brian Walt, “We were being called to pray with our feet and with our whole bodies.”

The decision to participate in the witness had been preceded for Brian by painful conversations about how to celebrate Passover this year. “How do we celebrate it with truthfulness, sincerity, and integrity?” he asked. “How does one say, ‘All who are hungry come and eat,’ when the Jewish state has launched a famine to wipe out Palestinians?”

When colleagues from Rabbis for Ceasefire , whose formation shortly after Oct. 7 Brian had been part of, proposed this direct action and invited Brian to join, he eagerly accepted the invitation. He had found his response to his query about celebrating Passover this year, “Go to Israel. Go unannounced. Connect with Israeli rabbis. Bring flour and rice. Get publicity, as a matter of spirit and conscience.” While the direct action would be largely symbolic, it was not only symbolic. The group had with them a truck filled with a half-ton of flour and rice.

Being with rabbinic colleagues of such courage was for Brian powerful and amazing. He described their action in this way: “We each took a bag of rice and walked down towards the Erez Crossing. Of course, we didn’t get there. Israeli police declared the area a ‘closed military zone,’ a tactic they and the IDF use all the time to prohibit demonstrations in support of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank. They blocked our way and arrested some members of our group.”

But the Israeli police could not block the rabbis’ praying nor silence their remarks, like these by Rabbi Brant Rosen: “This Passover, let this be our only pledge: if we fail to give the Palestinian people a place at the table, we will not have fulfilled the requirements of Passover. If we understand the Exodus story as a story of Jewish liberation alone, or – God forbid – a story of Jewish liberation at the expense of others, we will not have fulfilled the requirements of Passover. If we celebrate this festival by hardening our hearts to the genocidal violence Israel is inflicting on Gaza, we will not have fulfilled the requirements of Passover.”

Nor could the Israeli police silence the rabbis’ singing of Ayeka , a powerful, spiritual song by Aly Halpert, about the story of Cain killing Abel. “The words,” Brian explained, “are those that God says to Cain. ‘Ayeka? Where are you? Your brother’s blood screams out to me from the earth. What have you done.’ These are the urgent, moral questions that Passover calls all human beings everywhere to address, especially now. Where are we? What are we doing? How are we going to be fully present?”

The action did get publicity, lots of it, including an article in the New York Times. It was a courageous and consequential action: religious leaders taking their faith, in what Brian experienced as “a sacred pilgrimage” to a place of horrifying suffering, crying out for justice and permanent ceasefire, and demanding that all who hunger be fed. Brian acknowledged that the action was risky. “It felt like putting my body on the line. . . Sometimes we do things; we offer our life for something greater.”

Now is a time of moral imperative. May the example of these rabbis from Rabbis for Ceasefire seed and inspire the imaginations of all people of faith, all people of conscience, to discern ways to engage in creative, nonviolent resistance, as we respond, for ourselves, to these same questions: Where are we? What are we doing? How are we going to be fully present in the face of genocidal violence?

"The Tide is Turning": Now is the Time to Prioritize Action

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 10 May 2024 15:23:47 GMT

"The Tide is Turning": Now is the Time to Prioritize Action

by Malaysian artist Haris Rashid

The crisis in Gaza is coming to a head, with alarming speed, right now in this moment, with a convergence of fast-breaking developments:

●Israel is escalating attacks on Rafah, with full-scale bombing, seizing control over the past weekend of the Egyptian crossing and preventing delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid;

●The IDF issued evacuation orders to over 100,000 Palestinians in Eastern Rafah, forcing them to move with no safe place to go;

●For the first time, the Biden Administration has put a hold on a munition shipment to Israel;

●Hamas has accepted the recent Egyptian negotiated ceasefire proposal, while Israel is balking, refusing to “agree to end the war as part of a deal”;

●Israel just banned Al Jazeera in Israel, raiding their offices and seizing their equipment, further attempting to suppress freedom of the press;

●Here in the US, most of the encampments on college campuses are being shut down, protests suppressed, and some protesters criminalized;

●Meanwhile Congress has taken up bills to stifle First Amendment rights of free speech and to constrain support for Palestinian rights; these have passed in the Republican controlled House with strong Democratic support, and have now been introduced in the Senate.

Read more about these developments in Breaking the Stories and articles that follow.

The cumulative effect of these concurrent realities can be daunting. But this is not a time to grow weary or to be faint-hearted. Instead let us take heart from BDS co-founder and Columbia alumnus Omar Barghouti who ended a recent Facebook posting about the student protests with this encouraging prognostication: “The tide is turning and our people-power is rising. We are fast approaching Palestine’s South Africa moment.”

Now is the time to prioritize action, to intensify the pressure on all fronts, to pull out all the stops, to advocate in every way we can. With that in mind, UCC PIN is dedicating this lead column for our May E-News to actions we urge you to take. Don’t just do some of them; do all of them.

ACTIONS MENU

UCC Officers, Karen Georgia Thompson and Shari Prestemon , recently issued a powerful statement “amid ongoing unrest on college campuses.” Share and amplify it. Read it from the pulpit, distribute it to church members, include it in Conference newsletters.

UCC for Ceasefire , an interest group within the newly formed Christians for a Free Palestine , are circulating a statement calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and challenging the false ‘theologies’ of Christian Zionism and Christian nationalism. Their goal? To get a 1,000 signers from UCC folks across the country by Pentecost, May 19, after which the statement will be delivered to every member of Congress. Go here to add your name and then share it.

Through Global Ministries’ 3 ^rd Thursday Alert , urge the U.S. Senate to reject initiatives to curb free speech and to curb advocacy for Palestinian rights, specifically asking your senators to vote against S. 4127 and S. 4136 here .

“Now is the time to tip the scales,” says Jewish Voice for Peace . Use their tool to contact Congress, urge your senators and representative to stop arming Israel and to suspend funding.

Global Strike for Rafah has been called for Friday, May 10. To learn more about participating, go here .

Contribute to UNRWA , committed to staying in Rafah, with teams on the ground providing life-saving assistance. Here

Participate in action hours : Jewish Voice for Peace offers one every week day at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET. Register at this link for notices of the calls. Every Friday at 9 am PT/12 pm ET, the American Friends Service Committee hosts a ceasefire action hour. To register for that, go here .

Find hope in and take courage from “people-power rising ” across the country and globe. For one inspiring example, read the next story about the Passover action organized by Rabbis for Ceasefire.

Breaking the Stories, curated by the Rev. Loren McGrai

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:55:26 GMT

Breaking The Stories: April 2024

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

As Surgeons, We Have Never Seen Cruelty Like Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
On March 25 the two of us, an orthopedic surgeon and a trauma surgeon, traveled to the Gaza Strip to work at Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis. We were immediately overwhelmed by the overflown sewage and the distinct smell of gunpowder in the air. We made the short journey from the Rafah crossing to Khan Younis, where Gaza European Hospital stands as one of the last remaining semi-functional hospitals for the 2.5 million human beings—half of them children—in the Gaza Strip. As humanitarian surgeons we thought we had seen all manner of cruelty in the world, but neither one of us has ever experienced anything like what we found when we arrived in Gaza. Here

No, Senator Schumer, Netanyahu isn’t the problem
On March 14, 2024, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did something that surprised the U.S. political establishment: he criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. In a speech before the Senate floor, he went beyond hollow condemnation to a call for new elections in what can only be interpreted as an attempt to effectively oust the current Israeli ruling coalition. Here

New UN report outlines the ‘Anatomy of a Genocide’ in Gaza

Last week, the UN Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese issued a report titled “Anatomy of a Genocide,” concluding that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide has been met. Such reports are not usually titled, but the title itself depicts the nature of what Albanese describes in her immaculate 25-page report. It not only outlines a textbook case of genocide, with clearly and widely expressed intent by leaders backed up by clear genocidal actions — it also describes how Israel has used the language and principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL, the laws governing warfare) to conceal the act. Here

McDonald’s will buy all 225 restaurants from Israel franchise following pro-Palestinian boycott fallout
M cDonald’s signed a deal to purchase all 225 of the restaurants that comprise its Israel franchise, the American fast-food chain announced, following months of dramatically lower sales due to pro-Palestinian boycott action amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The restaurant outlets in Israel have been owned by local licensee Alonyal Ltd., which is owned by Israeli businessman Omri Padan, for more than 30 years.

“An agreement to sell Alonyal to McDonald’s Corporation has been signed,” the McDonald’s statement said Thursday. “Upon completion of the transaction, McDonald’s Corporation will own Alonyal Limited’s restaurants and operations, and employees will be retained on equivalent terms.” The company did not disclose the purchase amount.

McDonald’s reported its first revenue miss in nearly four years in February, hit by weak sales growth in its division that includes the Middle East. Here

More Resources

March 2024 Global Christian Leaders Call for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire Here

Destruction of UCC partners’ clinic, university in Gaza during Holy Week testifies to horrors of ongoing crisis Here

How World Central Kitchen serves Israel’s genocidal agenda Here

Democratic tensions over Israel threaten to boil over at Chicago convention Here

Lavender: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza Here

Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mr. Jamie McGoldrick Here

Joint World Bank, UN Report Assesses Damage to Gaza’s Infrastructure Here

War on Gaza: Israel likely tortured Palestinian to record rape confession, say rights groups Here

Biden thinks you’re stupid Here

Resurrection begins again in Gaza from Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza by Fr. Gabriel Ramanelli

Here

Palestinian American Dr. Walks Out of Biden Meeting, Hands Him Letter from 8-Year-Old Orphan in Gaza

Here

Israel's slaughter of aid workers is a tragedy. But it is also a story of western racism Here

Media Resources

Is regional war at stake as Israel weighs its response to Iran? Roundtable from Tehran, Tel Aviv, and D.C. Here

American journalist Abby Martin explains why Israel is targeting journalists in Gaza Here

“Incitement, Destruction, Willful Flouting of Int'l Law”: Israel’s Assault on Al Shifa Hospital ( Occupied Thoughts ) Here

This podcast and Palestine before October 7th Here

Chris Hedges Report: The Death of Amr read by Eunice Wong Here

Webinar: Challenging Christian Silence Regarding the Gaza Genocide Saturday, May 4, 12:30 pm ET

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:20:58 GMT

Webinar: Challenging Christian Silence Regarding the Gaza Genocide

Saturday, May 4, 12:30 pm ET

Palestinian Christians have been beseeching Christians globally to name the Gaza genocide for what it is and to join them in demanding, “No more of this.” But where is the outcry of Christian churches and leaders in response to the on-going genocide?

On Saturday, May 4 ^th at 12:30 pm ET the Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, and Shane Clairborne, evangelical Christian leader, author, and co-founder of Red-Letter Christians , will address this in a webinar entitled, “Challenging Christian Silence Regarding the Gaza Genocide.” The Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP) and Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), along with a broad coalition of Christian Voices for Palestine, have organized this webinar. UCC PIN is one of several co-sponsors.

Take Action: Boycott Chevron

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:14:41 GMT

Take Action: Boycott Chevron

If the action is in the reaction, as Saul Alinsky famously taught, the Palestine-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign for freedom, justice, and equality, clearly is being perceived as a powerful and daunting, even threatening, initiative for social change. The adverse reaction, over these close to 20 years since the campaign’s launch in 2005, has been fierce. Israeli leaders and supporters consistently described BDS as an “existential threat.” They condemn it for trying to “delegitimize” the state of Israel. Their reaction? A vigorous attempt to delegitimize the right to boycott.

That reaction has mobilized 37 states in the U.S., either by legislation or executive order, to criminalize any and all boycotts specific to Israel. The absurdity and hypocrisy of this measure -- to use what is in effect a boycott to squash a boycott – point to the efficacy of the BDS strategy. Just like earlier boycott movements, challenging apartheid in South Africa or Jim Crow laws in the U.S., the BDS movement actually is a threat. It seeks to upend injustice: in this instance, the state of Israel’s apartheid practices and their flaunting of international law.

The United Church of Christ has a long history of supporting boycott campaigns. Why? Because as a strategy of nonviolent resistance to injustice, boycotts are effective. They work. BDS is working. For one recent example, read in Breaking the Stories about the “pro-Palestine boycott fallout” that has led McDonalds to buy back over 200 restaurants from the Israeli franchise. For another example, after BDS launched their “No dough for occupation” campaign, General Mills sold their Pillsbury factory and pulled out of the West Bank.

N ow the American Friends Service Committee is calling our attention to and promoting a new BDS campaign:
boycotting Chevron . Why Chevron? Because, as the AFSC website explains, “Chevron runs natural gas extraction and pipelines off the shore of Palestine/Israel, making it a major partner in Israeli energy apartheid, the military blockade of Gaza, and the illegal exploitation of Palestinian land and resources.”

To learn more about how Chevron, a California-based U.S. corporation, is engaged in fueling Israeli apartheid, go here .

A first step for taking action? Don’t buy gas from Chevron. But then do more. Write Chevron’s CEO Mike Wirth to let him know why you are boycotting and demand that Chevron divest from its projects in Israel. To do that, go here .

Christians for a Free Palestine bring this message to DC: “Palestine will be free. We will not avert our eyes” by the Rev. Crystal McCormack-Silva UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 16:05:23 GMT

Christians for a Free Palestine bring this message to DC: “Palestine will be free. We will not avert our eyes”

by the Rev. Crystal McCormack-Silva

UCC PIN Steering Committee

The Rev. Crystal McCormack-Silva (on the right) praying in the Dirksen Senate Building cafeteria, photo from Christians for a Free Palestine website

On April 8-9, I joined a group of 50 other Christians in response to the call from Christians for a Free Palestine to gather in Washington D.C. for a faith-based protest of the U.S. administration's current policies, including its military funding of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its decision to discontinue funding UNRWA, a lifeline for Gaza. Our group spent our first day in prayer, lamenting to God the genocide in Gaza and the siege and occupation that have been the lived experience of Palestinians for decades. We gathered to prepare our hearts for direct action, as the organizers reminded us of the precedent set by our biblical tradition to respond to and disrupt injustice. We recalled the example of Jesus, who always stood with the oppressed and the marginalized, to ensure that our witness would be faithful to the teachings of Jesus and aligned with his actions.

The next day, Tuesday, April 9 ^th , before engaging in our strategically planned action, our group shared a liturgy of communion. Then we entered the Dirksen Senate building and sat at the tables of its cafeteria. We stood in unison, singing, "Palestine will be free. We will not avert our eyes. Palestine will be free." We blocked the entrances to the cafeteria lines and declared our support for Gaza and the whole of Palestine. We condemned the genocide and the human-made famine imposed on Gazans. We demanded our elected officials restore funding to UNWRA and put an end to the starvation of Gazans. We demanded an end to the dropping of bombs and denounced the elements of our tradition - the Christian Zionists - who champion this violence as sanctioned by God and holy scriptures.

Our group was arrested for refusing to remove ourselves from the cafeteria. Even under arrest, we continued to chant "Free Palestine" and to offer public prayers and songs in solidarity with Gaza and all of Palestine. While the call for this action was to Christians, our effort was interfaith. One of the amazing organizers was from Jewish Voice for Peace, and our action was blessed by the words of Rabbi Alissa Wise, who noted the solidarity of our work to condemn the words and actions of those from our respective traditions who champion this violence.

Our goals? To demand that our elected leaders shift course and end U.S. funding of the violence against Gazans. To call more attention to the devastation in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine. And to show our solidarity with God's children in Gaza and Palestine.

Our plea to the world and our fellow Christians everywhere is this: condemn the violence and declare loudly that we will not avert our eyes – not from the genocide, the occupation, or the apartheid system that continues to choke the rest of Palestine.

As Christians, we must keep fighting for a free Palestine. May there be justice so that there can be peace! In the name of Jesus, may it be so. Amen

Minnesota Conference Congregations join together in a Walk for Gaza

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 16:00:26 GMT

Minnesota Conference Congregations join together in a Walk for Gaza

On Saturday, March 23, members of Minnesota Conference UCC churches joined other faith communities and walked in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The route took participants along the banks of the Mississippi River. Some walked the full 24 miles in that one day, a distance chosen by design to be equivalent to the length of Gaza. Others walked shorter portions of the route. Walkers pictured in the photo above include members from six UCC congregation: Mayflower UCC, New Brighton UCC, Lyndale UCC, Plymouth Congregational, First Congregational UCC, and Macalester Plymouth United Church.

UCC Congregations in Action: Using Crisis in Gaza to spur action at Edgewood UCC in Michigan by Stephen Gasteyer, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:57:23 GMT

UCC Congregations in Action

Using Crisis in Gaza to spur action at

Edgewood UCC in Michigan

by Stephen Gasteyer,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

When the UCC Palestine Israel Network developed the PowerPoint “ Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action ,” we were hoping that this could be a resource to educate members of UCC congregations and their neighboring communities about genocide by Israel and the overarching historical and political context. We were also hoping that, beyond educating, this could lead to action to change the United States government policy of supporting Israel with military aid and diplomatic cover as they carry out a campaign that has, to date, led to more than 33,000 confirmed dead, almost half of those children, and created one of the world’s most alarming humanitarian crises.

As a member of the Edgewood UCC parish in East Lansing, Michigan, I sit on the Peace and Justice Task Force. We have been active on Palestine since before October 7 . We had already engaged in a series of educational presentations by activists, centered around the situation in Palestine and the need for action, specifically leading to letter writing in response to the AFSC No Way to Treat a Child Campaign and congregational support for the UCC 2021 Synod Resolution, Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel .

Our task force knew we needed to address this current crisis. When I mentioned the UCC PIN’s development of the PowerPoint presentation, the task force asked if I would be willing to present it to the congregation – and I happily agreed. I was able to speak not only as a member of UCCPIN, but as an academic at Michigan State University who has worked in Palestine since the 1990s and was a Fulbright Scholar 2015-2016 at Birzeit University. I used UCC PIN’s Crisis in Gaza PowerPoint, but provided my own narration, retitling it Crisis in Gaza: Situation, Context, and Calls to Action.

There were more than 80 people who attended the Wednesday night, March 6, 2024 presentation including not only members of Edgewood, but people from the community, including members of other churches (one Lutheran, one Episcopal, and the local Quaker meeting among others) and the emerging “Lansing for Palestine” coalition. The spinoff from the presentation has included sending a link to the narrated presentation to people interested in using it in mobilizing their own congregations. The talk was also recorded and is now on the local Peace Education Center Youtube Channel here .

At Edgewood, we used the talk and its success to add to our own activism. At the end of January, having made many calls to Michigan Senators Peters and Stabenow and Representative Elissa Slotkin for ceasefire and humanitarian aid to no avail, we had sent them each a letter “we are outraged, that you and the President have made us complicit in an Israeli oppression and genocide.” Our letters got 40-60 signatures.

On Palm Sunday, March 25, as a follow-up to my March 6 ^th talk and presentation of “Crisis in Gaza,” the Peace and Justice Task Force organized a “Pink Table Action” (named after the women’s pink hat demonstration following the 2016 Trump election).

The action involved a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken calling for 1) enforcing the “Leahy” and Humanitarian Corridor laws against sending arms to violators of human rights or impeding United States humanitarian aid; and 2) reinstating funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We included with the letters an Frequently-Asked-Questions explanation for each ask. Some 62 members of the UCC congregation signed the letter mailed on the Monday of Holy Week.

Obviously, there is more to do. But we have at least been able to use the resources of UCCPIN to galvanize action for peace and justice in Palestine.

Crisis in Gaza for Congregational Leaders

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:42:28 GMT

Crisis in Gaza for Congregational Leaders

UCC PIN created Crisis in Gaza as a resource with two purposes in mind: (1) to help clergy and congregations do a deeper dive into the history and context of the immediate crisis; and (2) to equip them to engage in “bold, prophetic witness. . . for a just and genuine peace in Palestine and Israel.” The resource is available in several formats, easily adaptable for multiple uses. We urge congregations to use it in whatever ways best suit your setting and then to let us know about your experience. You can access Crisis in Gaza , as a narrated Power point, a Youtube video, or a PDF of the slides, through our UCC PIN website here .

UCC PIN has started getting feedback about the ways some congregations have used Crisis of Gaza . For one congregation’s experience, read Stephen Gasteyer’s story below, about his congregation, Edgewood UCC in East Lansing, Michigan.

UCC PIN exists to “educate, equip, and mobilize.” To do that, we depend on feedback from UCC clergy, congregations, conference and national leaders. We are specifically eager to learn about your experience using Crisis in Gaza . To make that easy for you, we have created a Crisis in Gaza resource response form here . After using the resource, please complete the form to describe your experience and share your feedback. For questions or feedback on other topics, contact UCC PIN at info@uccpin. org.

"The Forces of Death cannot keep Jesus in the tomb," reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:36:44 GMT

"The Forces of Death cannot keep Jesus in the tomb,"

reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

As I write this, the spiral of violence in the Middle East is escalating and threatening to spread: Israel attacks the Iranian embassy compound in Syria, Iran fires drones and missiles into Israel, and Israel threatens a “significant response.” While recently President Biden had been criticizing Israel’s execution of its war on Gaza, he has again reasserted that United States support for Israel is “ironclad.” In the moment of this immediate crisis, President Biden is calling for diplomacy, but U.S. support for Israel continues to come in the form of weapons, instruments of death and destruction.

As citizens of the United States, we live in the belly of the beast, “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world,” as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said almost 60 years ago. That weighs heavily especially now, as we confront, confess, and grieve the heart wrenching reality of our government’s complicity in supplying massive quantities of arms to Israel for its genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza.

Some have expressed concern that the word ‘genocide’ is provocative. The International Court of Justice, however, has already decreed there is ‘plausible evidence’ of Israel’s genocide. Two U.S. surgeons, just returned from two weeks working at the European Hospital in Gaza, have not hesitated to use the word. It's right there in the title of their recent Common Dreams article (see Breaking the Stories ) “As surgeons, we have never seen cruelty like Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” They are equally as forthright in naming U.S culpability in this genocide. And Palestinian Christian partners, for two examples, the Rev. Munther Isaac and the Rev. Mitri Raheb, have no qualms about using the word genocide; they are insisting that Western Christian churches acknowledge and contend with this reality.

What is our response and, more to the point, what is our responsibility as Christians, given our own government’s culpability? The prophet Nathan offers guidance. He goes right to the seat of power and confronts David directly, holding him to account for the violence he engineered and perpetrated. Nathan minces no words: “You are the man.” Provocative? Yes, for sure. That’s the point. Prophets are called to provoke with their truth-telling, called, as John Lewis would say, to cause “good trouble.”

Christians for a Free Palestine, “an ecumenical, grassroots, nonviolent, and volunteer-led movement,” got into some “good trouble” this past week, engaging in confrontation. In the spirit of Jesus overturning tables in Jerusalem’s seat of power, dozens of Christian leaders came to Washington, D.C. and entered the Dirksen Senate Building cafeteria. Amidst the tables there, they called out U.S. complicity in Israel’s genocide and demanded food not bombs. See Crystal McCormack-Silva’s story below for a first-hand account.

The urgency of this moment requires that we confront our own government and say, “You are the one funding Israel’s genocide. No more of this. You are the one who must act to end this violence. You must choose life.” Now is the time for us to deliver this message, using every strategy we can muster: direct action, public witness, advocacy, civil disobedience. This is our responsibility as citizens but especially as Christians. It is incumbent on us to demand our government be faithful to its espoused values of life and liberty for all. This responsibility can seem daunting, perhaps even intimidating.

But as the Rev. Mitri Raheb reminded those gathered for the Christians for a Free Palestine witness, “The forces of death cannot keep Jesus in the tomb.” Mitri’s words were powerful for their content and poignant for the context. Days before, during Holy Week, Israeli air strikes destroyed the Gaza campus of the Dar al-Kalima University he founded and leads, the last of Gaza’s eleven universities to be turned into rubble. (See link to UCC News article in Breaking the Stories .)

“The forces of death cannot keep Jesus in the tomb.” That’s the promise and the truth of the resurrection, isn’t it? The forces of death will not win. Love is irrepressible. It can’t and won’t be contained. As we confront our own government, may the Easter acclamation propel us in our witness and sustain us in our work: Christ is risen. Love wins.

Israel West Bank Settlement Plans Amount To War Crimes, Says U.N. Human Rights Council

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:43:00 GMT

Israel West Bank Settlement Plans Amount To War Crimes, Says U.N. Human Rights Council

The U.N. human rights office says in a report published Friday that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amount to a war crime. New Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are growing at a record rate, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned. The Human Rights Council on Friday released a report saying that the expansion of settlements “amount to the transfer by Israel of its own civilian population into the territories that it occupies, which amounts to a war crime under international law. Here

History will record that Israel committed a holocaust

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:36:49 GMT

History will record that Israel committed a holocaust

Ali Hamad/APA images

It’s 8 pm in Gaza, Palestine right now, the end of my fourth day in Rafah and the first moment. I’ve had to sit in a quiet place to reflect. I’ve tried to take notes, photos, mental images, but this moment is too big for a notepad or my struggling memory. Nothing prepared me for what I would witness.

Before I made it across the Rafah-Egypt border, I read every bit of news coming out of Gaza or about Gaza. I did not look away from any video or image posted from the ground, no matter how gruesome, shocking, or traumatizing.

I kept in touch with friends who reported on their situations in the north, middle and south of Gaza – each area suffering in different ways. I stayed current on the latest statistics, the latest political, military and economic maneuverings of Israel, the US and the rest of the world. I thought I understood the situation on the ground. But I didn’t. Here

An open letter to VP Kamala Harris on the occasion of her ceasefire speech

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:33:43 GMT

An open letter to VP Kamala Harris on the occasion of her ceasefire speech

US Vice President Kamal Harris speaks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge

During an event to commemorate the 59 ^th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday

VP HARRIS: What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.

This is absolutely true. The people in northern Gaza have been almost entirely without food or water since January.

VP HARRIS: As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.

This is absolutely true. The Biden administration has been saying this for months. Some anonymous, murderous Entity has been killing these innocent Palestinians and ignoring the complaints of the most powerful country in the world.

Here

The Resistance of Art; the Art of Resistance

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:26:59 GMT

The Resistance of Art; the Art of Resistance

The Scream Echoes by Loren McGrail

“Resistance and change often begin in art,” wrote Ursula Le Guin, in her case thinking especially of the “art of words.” Art -- whether by word, image, sound -- has the power to create such change. How? Through revealing the truth of what is, fueling imagination for what can be, seeing into and through the dark, discerning the light, awakening the heart, reaching into the depth of, and cradling, our souls.

In times of violence, of suffering, of cruelty, human beings need the insights and imagination of artists. Think for a notable example of Vedran Smailovic, the cellist, who in 1992 sat in the ruined square of a downtown Sarajevo marketplace where 22 people had been killed while waiting for food. There for 22 days, Smailovic played Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor .

Think for a current example of the Gazan poet, writer and professor Refaat Alareer. After Israel killed Refaat in a targeted air strike on Dec. 7, 2023, his poem, “ If I Must Die ," virtually circled the globe, now translated into close to 60 languages, inspiring many to fly kites as a sign of hope and resistance.

In these days of unthinkable violence and live-streamed genocide, art offers a medium for expressing the inexpressible, for conveying suffering while at the same time transcending it, insisting on the preciousness of our full humanity. In response to the ‘flour massacre’ in Gaza, for example, Ramone Romero, the Mexican American Christian artist whose art work opens this newsletter, wrote the companion poem, “Flowers in the Road,” which begins, “I heard it at night/I hadn’t yet believed/Or begun to fathom/But God wept in me. . .” Read the complete poem here . For another example, see this video Dear Child I that Chris Hedges, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, has created, a prayer offering for a child in Gaza.

Some UCC PIN steering committee members are expressing themselves through art, and have been sharing their artwork. Venson Jordan has written the poem, “Remember When,” which you can read here. In her collage, “The Scream Echoes,” Loren McGrail expresses the horror of it all, but also, captures with the pink flowers of a cactus, a Palestinian image of resistance, the promise of hope in the midst. May we all be inspired and sustained by such images of hope.

There is a reason why empires through their matrix of control try to silence poets, visual artists, film makers, musicians, and songwriters, like Victor Jara, for example during the reign of the junta in Argentina. In the words of Diego Rivera, artists are the “soldiers of the revolution,” and as Paul Robeson said, “gatekeepers of the truth.

Churches for Middle East Peace Advocacy Summit

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:22:46 GMT

Churches for Middle East Peace Advocacy Summit

Churches for Middle East Peace a coalition of more than 30 national churches communions and organizations, including the United Church of Christ, will be marking 4 decades of pursuing peace at their annual Advocacy Summit held in Washington, DC, this years on April 9-11.

The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, founder and president of Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem, and author of several books including most recently Decolonizing Palestine: the Land, the People, the Bible , is one of the keynote speakers.

To learn about the other speakers, the schedule, and opportunities to advocate with legislators, go to the Global Ministries page here . You can also register for the summit there.

Solidarity Fast for Palestine March 18-22

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:17:05 GMT

Solidarity Fast for Palestine

March 18-22

All over the country, indeed the globe, people are rising up, speaking out in solidarity with Palestine, and organizing actions. One suc h initiative is a five-day Solidarity Fast for Palestine organized from March 18 to March 22, “to pray for the people of Palestine and to advocate to our governing officials for the cessation of violence in their land. “

Announcements about the fast explain that, "Through the practices of prayer, advocacy, and abstinence from food, it is our desire to confront our nation’s moral conscience by advocating for the cessation of American support for the Israeli government’s violations of human life and dignity in Palestine. With support from the Episcopal Peace Network, Pax Christi USA, Friends of Sabeel North America, and the Catholic Workers, we desire to bear witness to the atrocities being committed against the Palestinian people and repent of our complicity therein. It is also our desire to pray for all of humankind, oppressor and oppressed alike, so that we may be free from all of the chains of sin and suffering which presently bind us. In fasting, we desire to turn our hearts to the will of God by forfeiting the violence, apathy, and fear that prevents us from a love that liberates and redeems all.”

You can learn more here on the fast Facebook page or here on the fast Instagram page. If you are interested in participating as an individual, parish, or community, email: solidarityfastforpalestine@gmail.com for more information.

WEBINAR Bearing Witness: The UCC in Palestine and Washington, DC Thursday, March 21, 1 pm ET

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:13:11 GMT

WEBINAR

Bearing Witness: The UCC in Palestine and Washington, DC

Thursday, March 21, 1 pm ET

The Stones Cry Out Delegation with Daoud Nassar at the Tent of Nations

The United Church of Christ showed up and turned out for the Stones Cry Out Delegation. Four UCC’ers traveled on the delegation to Palestine, along with 19 other church leaders and activists representing, in total, twelve Christian denominations. Delegates met with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim peacemakers, human rights activists, and practitioners of non-violence in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Hebron. Then three more members of the UCC joined these four on their return to Washington, DC, there to advocate, bear witness, and provide legislators first-hand accounts of what delegates had heard and learned.

Interested in hearing their first-hand accounts? Plan to join the March 21 webinar, hosted by the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace and co-sponsored by UCC PIN. ICMEP’s executive director Dr. Michael Spath, leader of the Stones Cry Out Delegation, will moderate a conversation with four of the delegation’s UCC participants: the Rev. Diane Dulin (UCC-PIN, FOSNA), Sarah Klockowski (Ministry associate), Stephanie Gilstrom (Rachel Corrie Foundation), and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals (UCC-PIN).

Advocating on the Hill: The Stones Cry Out's Appeal to Congress

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 15:03:25 GMT

Advocating on the Hill: The Stones Cry Out's Appeal to Congress

UCC Domestic Policy Advocate Abigail Cipparone, Diane Dulan, Stephanie Gilstrom, and Allie Perry advocating on the Hill

On their return to Washington, DC, Stones Cry Out delegates, and those who joined them there, brought to legislators on the Hill urgent appeals for them to take these next steps:

1. That the United States support a resolution in the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate unconditional ceasefire;

2. That the United States stop the supply of weapons that Israel is using against the people of Gaza;

3. That the United States calls for the release and return of all Israeli hostages, and a release of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel without a public trial;

4. That the United States restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and insist on massive humanitarian aid and reconstruction so that all Gazans can return to their towns and villages;

5. That the administration re-evaluate its policy toward Israel, conditioning any aid to Israel on cessation of its military occupation of Palestinian lands and on steps to dismantle Israel's apartheid laws and structures.

The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation Feb. 26 - March 6, 2024

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 14:58:21 GMT

The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation

Feb. 26 - March 6, 2024

Reflections on the Delegation Experience

by the Rev. Diane Dulin

And some of the Pharisees in the multitudes said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Luke 19:39-40

The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation to the West Bank and Washington, D.C. consisted of 23 American Christians – faith leaders (both lay and ordained) representing 12 different denominations – who traveled to Palestine to hear the people there describe their reality and send us home with a direct and urgent message. Among our delegation were four UCC participants: our trip leader the Rev. Dr. Michael Spath of Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Stephanie Gilstrom of Olympia, Washington; Sarah Klokowski of Belmont, Massachusetts; and the Rev. Diane Dulin of Madison, Wisconsin.

Organized by the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace and sponsored by eight nationally recognized advocacy groups, our delegation met with religious and civil society leaders, Christians and Muslims and Jews, community leaders and everyday residents. We visited a refugee camp, a privately owned farm, churches, non-profit and advocacy NGOs, and public spaces such as the Apartheid Wall and Nelson Mandela Square in Ramallah. We passed through military checkpoints and traveled both Israeli-only highways and Palestinian roads of dirt and stones.

The message given to us by those we met is this: “The genocide in Gaza is unspeakably horrific. And the violence and strangulation of daily life in the West Bank is crippling. Tell this to your elected officials and public servants in Washington. Tell it to your church leaders. Tell it to your communities back home.”

From those we met, we heard words of fearfulness, anger, grief, and discouragement. Palestinians living in the West Bank feel invisible, abandoned, dehumanized. Over and over again, the people we encountered thanked us for coming. They told their stories trusting us to return home to speak the truth.

Continue to read the rest of Diane's article here . To read the full report issued by the Stones Cry Out delegation on their return, go here . To read the sermon that Michael Spath preached on his return, go here .

Introducing Two More New UCC PIN Steering Committee Members

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 14:52:09 GMT

Introducing Two More New UCC PIN Steering Committee Members

Positioned from top to bottom: The Rev. Micah Bucey (upper) and The Rev. Thad Winkle (lower).

The Rev. Micah Bucey (they/them) serves as Senior Minister at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, a congregation committed to curiously seeking the intersections between expansive spirituality, radical social justice, and uncensored creative expression. At Judson, Rev. Bucey developed and continues to oversee “Judson Arts,” which has commissioned, presented, produced, and promoted the creative output of hundreds of poets, actors, playwrights, composers, musicians, dancers, choreographers, painters, photographers, sculptors, and many others, upholding the belief that artists have the potential to serve as society’s modern-day prophets. Rev. Bucey also serves as the Artistic Director for “Judson Commons,” the secular justice and arts hub housed within Judson, and spearheads Judson’s commitment to solidarity work for and with Palestine.

The Rev. Thad Winkle (he/him) is an ordained clergy person in the United Church of Christ. He has worked in a variety of settings--churches, nonprofits, jails, a prison, and a state psychiatric hospital--seeking in each to learn from and empower the most marginalized people of his communities. Thad has degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he also received a certificate in Black Church Studies and an award for exceptional pastoral leadership. He was most recently the pastor of a UCC congregation in Milwaukee, WI until relocating to San Diego for his spouse’s radiology residency. He is currently the deputy director of a nonprofit doing watershed restoration and climate science education while also acting as a consultant and coach to other nonprofit organizations seeking to grow and become more effective. Thad’s wife, Dr. Aida Haddad, is the granddaughter of Aida Nassir, a Palestinian refugee forced to flee from her family’s homeland during the 1948 Nakba. Through Aida’s family, Thad has become more intimately connected to Palestine, its people, its history, and the ongoing struggle for a free Palestine.

Crisis in Gaza for Congregational Leaders

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 14:40:32 GMT

Crisis in Gaza for Congregational Leaders

UCC PIN is working to distribute "Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action" as widely as possible, urging conferences to promote it and local congregations to use it. The resource covers a lot, so lends itself to being shared, studied, and discussed in sections. You can download "Crisis in Gaza" as a power point in its entirety or by individual sections. It is also available as a Youtube video. To access this resources in any and all of these formats, go to our UCC PIN website here . UCC PIN is eager to hear about your experience using "Crisis in Gaza," so please contact us through info@uccpin.org to provide your feedback. Also please look for a soon-to-be scheduled PIN sponsored webinar on Crisis in Gaza for all who are using or interested in using the resources.

Persisting and Pestering for Justice reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 14:36:22 GMT

Persisting and Pestering for Justice

reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

It has been said that “the wheels of justice grind slowly”. Having just recently returned from Washington, DC where I joined the Stones Cry Out Delegation, I would argue that there the “wheels of justice” are jammed, especially in regard to justice for Palestinians. Here’s what I learned from the offices of some moderate/progressive Democrats. The word ‘ceasefire’ is now finally being uttered with calls not, however, for a permanent ceasefire, but only a temporary one of six weeks. Humanitarian aid has now become a focus of utmost urgency, as it should be. But if the Biden Administration were serious about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, rather than the theatrics of building a floating pontoon dock, they would immediately restore funding for UNRWA and just as immediately they would suspend U.S. military funding and weapons for Israel. Talk of the latter seems to be off the table, even though continued funding makes the U.S. fully complicit in ‘plausible’ genocide.

To provide the devastated, starving, wounded Gazan population food and aid, so desperately needed, with one hand, while continuing to fund Israel’s bombing raids and lethal assaults with the other is the height or, more accurately, the depth of hypocrisy. As the Stones Cry Out delegates reported (see stories that follow), again and again the Palestinians they met called out U.S. hypocrisy. The world sees this hypocrisy, and increasingly now, the U.S. citizenry does as well. Polls show that the majority in the U.S. support a sustained ceasefire and want to see an end to this war. As the Stones Cry Out delegates wrote in their report, “This is a U.S. war; the weapons are U.S. made. The money is U.S. money.” The U.S. government bears responsibility and has leverage to stop this carnage. It must do so.

But right now, our own government is tragically out of plumb, and also out of step with the grassroots. Protests are happening all around the country (and the globe) with people in the lead, calling for a ceasefire, not just temporary but permanent. Activists are clear-sighted and are going further, using the language of genocide, of apartheid, and in some cases, holocaust (see Susan Abulhawa’s article and Democracy Now interview in Breaking the Stories) to describe the horror Israel is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza and also, with less intensity, in the West Bank. As Omar Haramy, director of Sabeel, told the Stones Cry Out delegation, “This is a slow-moving death machine.” Max Blumenthal, commentator and author, of Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel , among other books, recently described Gaza as “the moral issue of our time.” He went on to state, “this is the Holocaust of our time, this is the Trail of Tears of our time, this is the Middle Passage of our time.”

I left Washington, DC troubled in my soul, seriously doubting that morality will prevail there in the halls of government where money speaks, and morality not so much. Continued grassroots mobilization, the dogged advocacy of peace activists, and the prophetic witness of people of faith are required to unjam the wheels of justice. Like the importuning widow in Luke’s Gospel story, we must be persistent, pestering, pestering, and pestering some more, crying out for justice and freedom for Palestinians and a durable peace for all.

For the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of Palestinian lives, and for the sake of our nation's soul, the church has to be bold in this Kairos time and address this moral issue of the day with this clarion call to our government: stop U.S. complicity in Israel's genocide of Palestinians; suspend U.S. military funding to Israel and the supply chain of weapons. We must shout from the roof tops: Palestinian lives matter; they deserve their dignity, human rights, and freedom. May we be courageous and unceasing in our witness – these times require nothing less -- until the day when, to paraphrase a quote of President Eisenhower, our government gets out of the way and lets the people, especially in Palestine, have justice, until the day when genuine peace prevails for Palestinians and Israelis both.

The Right To Boycott, a short film produced by the Freedom2Boycott NYS Coalition, is now available online! Click here to watch the film on YouTube.

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:40:19 GMT

The Right To Boycott, a short film produced by the Freedom2Boycott NYS Coalition, is now available online!

ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Right To Boycott, a short film produced by the Freedom2Boycott NYS

Coalition, is now available online! Click here to watch the film on YouTube.

In five minutes, the video sounds the alarm on laws intended to take away Americans’ First

Amendment right to boycott Israel. As masses throughout the US and around the world rally for a

permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli assault and siege, many are recognizing

boycotts and divestment as some of the most powerful tools available to bring about social

change. But in dozens of US states, legislators have been trying to stand in their way, passing

dangerous laws curtailing free speech.

Anti-boycott laws have already cost people their jobs and contracts. From Texas to Arkansas to

Arizona and beyond, citizens are fighting back. Learn more in The Right to Boycott.

Read what people are saying:

“This short and powerful film makes it clear that support for the right to boycott Israel is a fight for First

Amendment rights vital to all social justice movements, and worthy of their support.”

— Rashid Khalidi, Columbia University, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies

“A succinct but powerful explanation of why efforts to punish Americans who boycott Israel don’t only

endanger the rights of Palestinians, but the rights of Americans too.”

— Peter Beinart, editor-at- large of Jewish Currents

Absence of evidence: Israel’s case against UNRWA

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 18:46:04 GMT

Absence of evidence: Israel’s case against UNRWA

Many Palestinian families take refuge under harsh conditions at a school affiliated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) at the Daraj neighborhood as the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza on February 6, 2024.

(Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency)

As with much in the noisy clatter of Middle Eastern violence, the value attributed to numbers alters in the shade of ideology and self-interest. Massacres become acts of self-defence; acts of self-defence become unconscionable inflictions of murder. It also follows that an organisation of 30,000 employees, working in the field of humanitarianism, aid and salvation, can be plastered as terrorist sponsors for having 12 individuals in their service allegedly involved in a murderous assault on Israel on 7 October 2023. Despite the relative smallness of this figure, the entire organisation itself becomes a target.

What, then, of the evidence? The state of Israel was initially adamant that 12 such individuals in UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) had participated in the 7 October attacks by Hamas, sharing the details with several media outlets on 29 January. The accusations were made via a thin dossier amounting to no more than six pages. Little by way of evidence was supplied, though Israel was content to make further claims that almost ten per cent of the agency’s staff had ties to Hamas. As UN Crisis Group expert Daniel Forti writes : “Thus far, Israel has not provided evidence in writing to the UN to substantiate its allegations.”

Here

UN rapporteur: Israel appears to be violating ICJ orders

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 18:43:20 GMT

UN rapporteur: Israel appears to be violating ICJ orders

Injured Palestinians, including children are brought to Kuwait Hospital

for treatment following Israeli attacks on Rafah City in the south of Gaza

on February 12, 2024. (Belal Khaled – Anadolu Agency)

Israel appears to be violating the orders of the International Court of Justice in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, said yesterday.

Albanese said, in her statement to the British newspaper the Guardian , that “Israel appears to be in breach of the orders issued a fortnight ago by the International Court of Justice requiring it to take immediate steps to protect Palestinians’ rights and cease all activities that could constitute genocide.”

She said she disagreed with some lawyers and Israel regarding their interpretation of the ICJ’s orders, which they believe are not prohibited so long as Israel undertakes them without genocidal intent.

Albanese noted that the ICJ had mandated Israel to cease all activities that could constitute genocide. Here

What’s happening in Gaza’s Rafah as Israel threatens to attack?

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 18:41:46 GMT

What’s happening in Gaza’s Rafah as Israel threatens to attack?

A displaced Palestinian boy prepares a kite in Rafah on February 8, 2024 (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Rafah, a looming Israeli ground “operation," and the impact on more than a million trapped civilians are top headlines.

But what is Rafah and what are the details around this announced Israeli “operation”? Here

Pray for Justice with your Feet: Lenten Faith-based Pilgrimages

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:11:36 GMT

Pray for Justice with your Feet:

Lenten Faith-based Pilgrimages

Lent is a time for pilgrimage, a journey that includes confronting and rebuking, as Jesus did in the wilderness, the temptations of power, idolatry, and empire. Christian groups, in the U.S. and globally, are taking that journey to heart this Lent, through organized pilgrimages advocating for peace and immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Pilgrimage for Peace: Feb. 14-21

B y the time you read this, many faith leaders, activists, and artists will have already started their Pilgrimage for Peace walking, over the course of one week (Feb. 14-21), from Independence Hall, Philadelphia to the White House in Washington, D.C. Participants are embodying the spirit and practice of Frederick Douglas who said, “Praying for freedom never did me any good ‘til I started praying with my feet,” and of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who, after the Selma March, said, “I prayed with my feet.” Endorsed by several organizations including the National Council of Churches, the Pilgrimage for Peace has this message for President Biden: Call for an end to the war on Palestine, halt military funding to Israel, and channel funds desperately needed for humanitarian aid for Palestine. UCC PIN steering committee members Linda Noonan and Loren McGrail are joining portions of this pilgrimage. Learn about how you can support and participate
here . To view a video of the opening program for the Pilgrimage for Peace, go here . (The photos, above and below by Loren McGrail, are from the start of the pilgrimage.)

Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage:

a Via Dolorosa of Solidarity

The Philly to D.C. Pilgrimage for Peace is part of the larger global organizing, Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, a network of autonomous Christian groups in cities and communities around the globe who, in a prayerful show of solidarity with Palestinians, are walking the equivalent of the length of the Gaza strip during Lent. As Jarrod McKenna, one of the organizers and founding CEO of Common Grace explains, “The power of the pilgrimage is to allow the geography of the horror happening in Gaza to become real in our home cities."

To join a pilgrimage already being planned in other parts of the U.S. or to host one, go to the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage website here .

“Let’s get the funding restored” for the United Nations Relief & Works Agency

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:08:44 GMT

“Let’s get the funding restored” for the United Nations Relief & Works Agency

A truck carrying humanitarian aid from UNRWA arrives at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip (Khaled Desouki/AFP)

"Let's get the funding restored." This was the plea from Chris Gunness, former chief spokesman for UNRWA, in a recent Democracy Now interview (See link in Breaking the Stories ). He went on to say, “Let’s avoid a mass starvation. And to be clear, starvation is a massacre in slow motion.” The Biden administration precipitously suspended U.S. funding to UNRWA after Israel alleged on January 29 (not coincidentally, just three days after the ICJ ruling) that a handful of UNRWA’s total staff (13,000 in Gaza, over 30,000 in the region) had participated in Hamas’ October 7 ^th attack.

Israel has yet to produce, for its UNRWA donors, substantive evidence for its allegations. But President Biden rushed to judgment. He suspended U.S. funding for the humanitarian support and the infrastructure for education, relief and social services, and primary health that, since its inception in 1950, UNRWA has been providing the 5.9 million Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Biden's decision would be devastating at any time -- the U.S. is UNRWA’s biggest contributor, providing close to 30% of UNRWA’s contributions in 2023 – but given Israel’s horrifying and criminal genocidal assault on Gaza, the U.S. decision to withhold this lifeline of support, if sustained, will be a death sentence for thousands, a “massacre in slow motion.”

Demand that the Biden Administration reverse course and immediately resume UNRWA funding, and at the same time cut off military aid to Israel. Send an email to your senators and member of Congress through Global Ministries' 3rd Thursday alert here , through AFSC here , and through Fosna here . And make phone calls to their offices as well. Also contact President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken here . Make your voice heard in every way and as many times as you can.

The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation: Feb. 27-March 7

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:50:36 GMT

The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation: Feb. 27-March 7

Palestinian artist Ghadeer Hamoodah

Michael Spath, UCC PIN friend and executive director of the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, is helping along with others to organize this Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation, sponsored by several groups, including ICMEP and the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace. To learn more about The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation and its sponsors, go here .

The delegation has been designed with three parts; UCC PIN is organizing a UCC contingent to support the second part in D.C.

Part 1: A delegation of U.S. faith leaders will be leaving Feb. 27 to travel to Palestine for meetings arranged by Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice.

Part 2: Returning to the U.S. on March 4 ^th , the delegation will go directly to Washington, D.C, the seat of power, joined there by activists from near and far. The schedule of advocacy with elected officials, public witness and actions, and worship, is now in the planning stages, as well as logistics for housing.

UCC PIN is recruiting and urging a strong contingent of UCC folks to come to D.C. to participate in this second part of The Stones Cry Out . The Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, UCC PIN steering committee member, is the point person for our UCC organizing. Please contact Sara (smo@plymouthfw.org, 860-287-4196) for more information about the schedule and housing possibilities and to let her know you will be coming.

Part 3: Encouragement for those who can’t come to DC in person to organize in their own communities public demonstrations, phone calls to Congress, prayer or worship events, educational programs and the like on Weds. March 6.

Congregations & Conferences Speak Out: Calling for a Ceasefire

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:47:01 GMT

Congregations & Conferences Speak Out: Calling for a Ceasefire

As more and more U.S. municipalities are taking up ceasefire resolutions, so too are religious groups. On the same day, January 28, two Minnesota UCC congregations passed resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza: First Congregational UCC in Northfield and Macalester-Plymouth United Church in St. Paul. That same week, the Board of Directors of the Central Pacific Conference, living into their pledge, as a Conference, to be Apartheid-Free, sent a letter to elected officials and local press calling for a ceasefire. You can access their letter here .

Below, for an example that other congregations might want to adapt for their context, is the text of Macalester-Plymouth’s resolution.

Resolution Calling For an Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza

Passed on January 28, 2024

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

As each day in Gaza brings more tears, more grief, more death, the community of Macalester-Plymouth United Church in St. Paul, MN, at our Annual Meeting, January 28, 2024, cries “Enough! All the killing must stop!”

We join other communities of faith as well as Pope Francis, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, and 153 nations of the UN in calling upon President Biden to use his immense diplomatic power to save Palestinian and Israeli lives.

We call for a comprehensive, immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza that will enable prompt release and distribution of adequate food, water, medical supplies, fuel, sanitation, and communications, and for the immediate and peaceful release of all hostages and prisoners held by both sides.

This call for action will be sent to President Joe Biden; Congresswoman Betty Mc Collum; Senator Amy Klobuchar; Senator Tina Smith; the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ; Presbytery of the Twin Cities; the Palestine/Israel Network of the UCC (UCC PIN); and Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.

Reflections and Learnings

By the Rev. Don Christensen, member of Macalester-Plymouth and of the UCC PIN steering committee

Make the Circle as Wide as Possible. It is challenging to write a resolution with teeth that is respectful of the history and suffering of both Jews and Palestinians. Macalester-Plymouth’s resolution, like most, is imperfect in that respect. Yet it is critically important to me (and it is not easy!) to temper my passion for what I regard as “the truth” with humility and openness to the truth of others. We sought to take that stance with our resolution and to keep a wide circle.

During the same week that our congregation was considering our resolution, the Minneapolis City Council (4 Muslims on the Council, with a Jewish mayor) was debating their own ceasefire resolution which they subsequently passed. The mayor, however, vetoed it, saying, “I support a ceasefire in Gaza; I support a two-state solution. I do not support the current government of Israel; but I cannot accept the language of this resolution that calls for punishment and sanctions of Israel. I also am listening to my family and to my community.” While the Minneapolis City Council may yet override the mayor’s veto, it is not a resolution that was ‘widening the Circle.'

Was it worth it for our congregation to do this resolution? Absolutely! Bringing this resolution to our annual meeting helped to get people talking and engaged 150 of our members in wrestling with these issues. That process can be empowering for congregations. It reminds us that, with resolutions of witness, churches can have a role in shaping public policy. Through this resolution, our congregation is now able to amplify its message to our political leaders. So, as imperfect and clumsy as the process may be, I believe it is worth doing. And even more worth doing if we struggle to make the Circle of Truth as wide and inclusive as possible.

UCC PIN Releases Resource on Gaza for Congregational Leaders

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:41:48 GMT

UCC PIN Releases Resource on Gaza for Congregational Leaders

UCC PIN’s resource, “Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action,” is now completed and ready to be shared widely. We urge congregations to use it as a guide for study and for prophetic and persistent action. The need is urgent, as the crisis in Gaza becomes more dire each day.

UCC PIN hopes and prays that the content of “Crisis in Gaza” will serve to motivate and equip congregations to act and speak out. Presented in a user-friendly power point format and also available as a video, “Crisis in Gaza” is organized into five sections which follow an introduction by the Rev. John Thomas. The sections are:

(1) This is a catastrophe: the Nakba (Arabic for ‘catastrophe’) then in 1948, now, and in between;

(2) The voice of our Palestinian Christian Partners;

(3) The witness, resolutions, and work of the UCC;

(4) Challenges to bearing prophetic witness;

(5) Taking action immediately and over time: education, research, advocacy.

By design, the resource is flexible and lends itself to multi-session use. You can find a link to “Crisis in Gaza” on the UCC PIN website here . Because of its large size, to access and open it, you will have to download it through Google Drive in four steps: (1) click on the image of the Crisis in Gaza title page (2) on the next screen click on the blue download button, below the message "can't preview this file"; (3) on the next screen click on the "Download it anyway" button below the message, "Google Drive can't scan this file for viruses." It is safe to download; (4) once the file has completed its download, you can open it, click on the Slideshow tab, then on "from beginning," and activate the show and narration. We recommend you use this power point in the "protected view" mode.

We are eager for your feedback. Please use our UCC PIN email info@uccpin.org to share with us how you use the resource, your assessment of it, and the actions your congregation takes.

The Urgency of this Moment: Faith & Action reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 19:03:08 GMT

The Urgency of this Moment: Faith & Action

reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

Every morning now and for the past four months, I have woken up unsettled, with a sense of unease, of dread, of heartache, persisting like a low-grade fever, and understandably so. The horror of Israel’s unrelenting genocide -- the unconscionable, incalculable, consequent human suffering -- and of the complicity of our own country, also now in violation of international law, is unnerving and should be. God forbid that I, or any of us, cease being unnerved.

The statistics are staggering – over 28,000 Palestinians killed in 18 weeks, 70% of them women and children, one child every 10 minutes, thousands more still under the rubble. Almost as soon as I write these statistics, they are outdated. Such is the unprecedented speed and viciousness of Israel’s slaughter of innocents. And now Israel has threatened an all-out assault on Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians, fleeing south from their homes in every other area of Gaza, are crammed, with nowhere left to go, sheltering, if you can call it there, with few provisions, spreading disease, and the increasing threat of mass starvation.

On January 26 ^th the International Court of Justice ruled that there is “plausible evidence” Israel is committing genocide. The ICJ issued binding provisional orders for Israel to take all measures to stop the killing and avoid further harm (See links in Breaking the Stories for videos of ICJ testimony). But Israel is taking no such measures. Instead, it is shamelessly thumbing its nose at the ICJ, and continuing to perpetrate war crimes. Israel’s stated (albeit impossible) goal is to wipe out Hamas. But it is now clear that that goal is being used to provide perverse cover for another of Israel’s goals: to complete the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians started during the 1948 Nakba.

On February 13 ^th , Kairos Palestine issued A Call for Urgent International Intervention; Stop the Genocide in Rafah and the forcible displacement of Palestinians . “This is genocide and ethnic cleansing,” they write, “This is not the time for people of the civilized world to be silent!” The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. Now is the time for praying with our feet, for speaking out and public protest, for saying in no uncertain terms as Jesus did, “No more of this,” and for demanding that the Biden Administration stop funding Israel’s genocide. There are Israelis who now understand the urgency of this moment; they have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv calling on Israel to stop the genocide and to protect Rafah’s children.

As people of faith and conscience who understand the urgency for prophetic witness and action, there is much we can do and much we must do. UCC PIN has completed and is now releasing “Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action.” We offer it as a resource for equipping congregations to respond to the urgency of this moment. See the next article for more information about the resource and a link for accessing it. Other articles in this month’s E-News describe opportunities, some specific to this season of Lent, for engaging in protest and advocacy, corporately as UCC congregations, as well as individually as disciples of Jesus. Of special urgency is the appeal for the Biden Administration to restore desperately needed funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Now is the time for action, first and foremost to stop the brutality of this war, to advocate for the end of occupation, and to work for genuine justice and freedom. But taking action also helps us, creating solidarity and generating hope, a balm to our souls. God knows we need such hope.

The Epidemiological War on Gaza: Disease is poised to become an even deadlier second front in Israel’s assault on the besieged Strip.

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 10:10:06 GMT

The Epidemiological War on Gaza: Disease is poised to become an even deadlier second front in Israel’s assault on the besieged Strip.

Crowds of displaced Palestinians at a UNRWA-affiliated school in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on December 19th, 2023.

Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via AP

O n November 28 ^th , Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), warned that the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza was likely to become even worse. “Everybody everywhere [in Gaza] has dire health needs now because they’re starving, because they lack clean water, and [they’re] crowded together,” she said at a UN briefing in Geneva, before concluding with an ominous pronouncement: “Eventually, we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment.” Here

Israel is provoking the U.S. into a conflict with Iran — but the media ignores the danger

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 10:08:08 GMT

Israel is provoking the U.S. into a conflict with Iran — but the media ignores the danger

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv, Israel, 17 December 2023.

(Photo: © Menahem Kahana/Efe Via Zuma Press APA Images)

F or years, this site has warned that Israel, especially Benjamin Netanyahu, have tried to instigate the U.S. into a wider war in the Mideast, particularly with Iran. We’ve also regularly indicted the U.S. mainstream media for ignoring this danger. Today, the threat is greater than ever. And, true to form, the
New York Times , National Public Radio, and the others continue to cover it up, instead treating Netanyahu as the embattled but honest leader of an Israel that is only trying to defend itself. Here

South Africa invokes Genocide Convention at World Court

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 10:03:07 GMT

South Africa invokes Genocide Convention at World Court

Protesters call for an end to the genocide in Gaza during a demonstration in Paris, 17 December. (Anne PaqActiveStills)

South Africa invoked the Genocide Convention and initiated proceedings at the International Court of Justice on Friday in a significant step towards ending the relentless bloodshed in Gaza. The development comes as the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that nearly 200 more people had been killed in the past 24 hours. The confirmed death toll in the territory stands at more than 21,500 people – around one percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. Here

Resource Coming Soon: "Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action"

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:38:48 GMT

Resource Coming Soon: "Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action"

By Hibah Musthafa

In response to the urgency of this moment – the horrifying genocide in Gaza unfolding before our eyes, a veritable “slaughter of innocents,” and escalating violence in the West Bank and the region – UCC PIN is producing a resource, “Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action,” which will be ready for release by the end of January. UCC PIN’s goal is for this resource to support congregational leaders, seeking to understand the context for this current crisis, looking for materials and strategies to share with congregations, and wanting guidance for bearing witness and taking action.

Following an introduction to “Crisis in Gaza,” the resource will have five additional sections, broadly described as: (1) This is a catastrophe: the Nakba (Arabic for ‘catastrophe’) then in 1948, now, and in between; (2) The voice of our Palestinian Christian Partners and their cries for hope and for repentance; (3) The witness, resolutions, and work of the UCC; (4) Challenges to speaking out; (5) Taking action: education, research, advocacy.

Presented in a user-friendly powerpoint format (also possible to access with Google slides), the resource’s slides will include a combination of written text, graphics, videos, narration, as well as links to supplementary material for further study. We encourage clergy and congregational leaders to feel free to adopt the resource for single session use or multi-session use, such as a Lenten study for example.

Silence in such a time as this is not an option. Our fervent hope is that this resource will help us all to amplify our voices and our advocacy for justice, non-violence, and the human rights of all God’s beloved in Palestine and Israel.

"No More of This": Naming the Genocide, Advocating for Permanent Ceasefire and Justice Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:34:14 GMT

"No More of This": Naming the Genocide, Advocating for Permanent Ceasefire and Justice

Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

Jordanian artist Osama Hajjaj

Every day the numbers are going up, now over 23,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza in three months. The website Daily Brief documents, day by day, in excruciating detail, the numbers of those killed, those missing still under the rubble, those injured, and more. But these numbers only begin to tell the story. Every number is a person, and every person has a name, a personal history, and loving family members, in too many cases, also killed. They each had contributions they will now never make to the world. The human cost of Israel’s war on Gaza is devastating and soul-searing.

As the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, said in his

Christmas sermon , “If you are not appalled by what is happening; if you are not shaken to your core – there is something wrong with your humanity. If we, as Christians, are not outraged by this genocide, by the weaponization of the Bible to justify it, there is something wrong with our Christian witness, and we are compromising the credibility of the Gospel! If you fail to call this a genocide. It is on you. It is a sin and a darkness you willingly embrace.”

We are appalled, but the Biden Administration, and most of our federal, elected officials as well, are still not yet sufficiently appalled. President Biden has been intransigent, refusing to call for a ceasefire whether permanent, or even temporary, and instead pushing for increased military funding to Israel. In the UN the United States is being obstructionist, vetoing ceasefire resolutions in the Security Council and in the General Assembly was one of only ten nations, out of 186, to vote against a ceasefire resolution. “How many deaths will it take ‘til [they] know that too many people have died?” How many?

South Africa knows that the answer is more than enough, too many, already. They have been emphatic and unequivocal in calling Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide, providing extensive and detailed documentation in their December 28 Application Instituting Proceedings at the International Court of Justice.

Predictably, Israel has rejected the Application as lacking both a “factual and legal basis.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “There is nothing more atrocious and preposterous.” And just as predictably, the U.S. has followed Israel’s lead. National Security spoke person John Kirby described the Application as “meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.” The world, however, is not being dismissive and is paying close attention. Over 1,000 organizations, including UCC PIN, have signed a letter calling on other countries to support South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.

South Africa’s ICJ Application is a critical and hopeful development. Through it, Israel is being called to account as a signer of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide . Given the import of this filing, UCC PIN have included several articles about it in Breaking the Stories. One article by Robert Herbst, human rights lawyer, member of JVP Westchester, and friend of UCC PIN, breaks down South Africa’s carefully constructed arguments for and evidence of genocide. Of note is the compilation Herbst provides of shameless and unvarnished statements by Israeli officials establishing their genocidal intent.

As the ICJ’s hearing of and ruling on South Africa’s Application play out on the international stage, here on home it is all the more incumbent on us to hold our government accountable for its complicity. It too is a signer of the convention. And it is supplying many of the very munitions that are enabling the genocide to be carried out. Momentum amongst voters urging our government to call for a permanent ceasefire is strong and growing; 61% of voters want that.

Communities of faith are contributing to that momentum. May we amplify the call for a permanent ceasefire and be truthtellers about the reality of Israel’s genocide. As Munther asserted, our humanity and our Christian witness require our advocacy, now. May we be fierce and fervent in demanding an end to violence, saying as Jesus did, “No more of this.”

Looking for guidance for facilitating congregational activism? In response to the urgency of this moment and the imperative for our vocal and visible faith witness now, UCC PIN is producing as a resource, “Crisis in Gaza: Leading Congregations to Understanding and Action,” described more fully in the following article.

"Gaza Peace" by Palestinian artist Heba Zaqout, born in Gaza in 1984, killed October 13, 2023 in Israel's bombing of Gaza.

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:28:12 GMT

"Gaza Peace" by Palestinian artist Heba Zaqout, born in Gaza in 1984, killed October 13, 2023 in Israel's bombing of Gaza.

What Would a Lasting Peace Between Israel and Palestine Really Look Like?

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:05:48 GMT

What Would a Lasting Peace Between Israel and Palestine Really Look Like?

Hamas’s attack on Israel, and the ensuing Israeli response, has brought new energy to discussions of restarting a peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, which has been dormant for years. To understand how such a process might develop, the New Yorker's Isaac Chotiner spoke with Nathan Thrall, the former director of the International Crisis Group’s Arab-Israeli project, and an expert on the conflict, who lives in Jerusalem. He is also the author of the recent book “ A Day In The Life Of Abed Salama ,” which tells the story of the occupation through a Palestinian man’s search for his son after a fatal bus accident. Here

This Palestinian American professor (Sa’ed Atshan) leans on his Quaker faith during conflict

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:56:09 GMT

This Palestinian American professor (Sa’ed Atshan) leans on his Quaker faith during conflict

Sa'ed Atshan says his commitment to pacifism and Quakerism is a spiritual anchoring in his life. (Photo: Swarthmore College)

Sa'ed Atshan is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore College. He is also a Palestinian American with family still in the West Bank. He grew up going to a Quaker school in Ramallah and through that experience became a Quaker himself. And he is personally tethered to the news in a way I didn't expect.

Last weekend, three young men of Palestinian descent were shot in Vermont . I brought this up with Sa'ed because those students went to the same Quaker school in the West Bank. I wanted to just get his reaction to that sad coincidence but it turned out that Sa'ed knows two of the students well.

And that turned into a conversation about how to hold on to the pacifism and silent meditation espoused by Quakers when the world around you feels like it's on fire. Here

‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:51:04 GMT

This Palestinian American professor (Sa’ed Atshan) leans on his Quaker faith during conflict

Palestinians react to the devastation caused by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, November 11, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

The Israeli army’s expanded authorization for bombing non-military targets, the loosening of constraints regarding expected civilian casualties, and the use of an artificial intelligence system to generate more potential targets than ever before, appear to have contributed to the destructive nature of the initial stages of Israel’s current war on the Gaza Strip, an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call reveals. These factors, as described by current and former Israeli intelligence members, have likely played a role in producing what has been one of the deadliest military campaigns against Palestinians since the Nakba of 1948. Here

Breaking The Stories: December 2023 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:27:27 GMT

Breaking The Stories: December 2023

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

by Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour

Take Action: Flood President Biden with Postcards demanding a Ceasefire

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:09:03 GMT

Take Action: Flood President Biden

with Postcards demanding a Ceasefire

PCAP (Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace), FOSNA (Friends of Sabeel in North America) and Nonviolence International have designed a postcard for people to mail to President Biden urging him to demand that Israel and Hamas implement a ceasefire. Here is the design, front and back, with its message: Ceasefire Now, End the Violence!

PCAP has offered to mail postcards, at no charge, to all who would like to participate in this action. The goal is to inundate the White House. President Biden needs to hear from us. Interested in participating? Email Alex Awad from PCAP at alexbrendaawad@gmail.com . Send Alex your preferred mailing address and let him know how many postcards you would like. The minimum order for mailing is 7 cards; the maximum is 50.

If you would like to make a donation to PCAP to support this project and their work, you can do so online here or by mailing a check to: Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace PO Box 1333, Vienna, Virginia 22183.

Donate to the work of UCC PIN

Afro-Palestinians Do Exist by the Rev. Venson Jordan, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 12:48:41 GMT

Afro-Palestinians Do Exist

by the Rev. Venson Jordan, UCC PIN Steering Committee

In the holy land of Israel there are many communities of people that exist below the radar of traditional media coverage. Some of them have been in the region for Millenia, others for decades, but most of them are a blind spot for the eyes of the west. The Afro-Palestinians are one of those communities chronically overlooked and strategically underreported. People by the millions visit the old city of Jerusalem, and few know that the Afro-Palestinian even exist.

That’s not an accident. The Israeli Government works hard to suppress their presence. However, there is a large community of Afro-Palestinians still residing in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, close to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and they have been there for decades.

I first met the community almost twenty-five years ago. I was attending a sacred visitation tour of the old city of Jerusalem sponsored by the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, who reside in Dimona. The person leading the tour was a tall articulate Hebrew scholar, name Sar El-yakeem. To him, it was important that we meet the residents he called, “the Black community the Israeli government wants to erase.” He said, “CNN won’t do a special about these people!”. And so far, he’s been right.

When we reached a small community center, he introduced us to a man he called the Nelson Mandella of the Afro-Palestinians. That man was Ali Jiddah.

After all this time, I remember how Ali started the conversation. “Asalamu alaykum,” he said. “I want you to know, that I was young and angry when I went to prison. Now I am not so young, and the oppression of my people continues. Back in 1968, I planted grenades in a place on Strauss Street. When the bombs exploded, nine people were hurt, and fortunately no one died. My actions were wrong then. I came out of prison in 1985 committed to fight against our oppression with my voice and my pen.”

And he went on to speak for well over an hour, about the history of Palestine and the Afro- Palestinian, the struggle against apartheid, and the fight to be seen, and heard, and free. I remember being impressed by his sincerity, his contrition, and his ability to articulate the horrible conditions imposed on his community every day.

“Imagine that a system you pay taxes to maintain openly works against your very existence,” he said. “They want to wipe us out or make us leave. But we will not go.”

Earlier this year I had an opportunity to introduce a few new friends to Ali. He’s a much older man now, his good health no longer consistent. But his mind is as sharp as ever.

“The Israeli apartheid state has the full support of the American government,” he said, our small group straining to hear every word over the street noise around us. “My friends, we do not live here. We only exist here. The police reserve the right to stop and interrogate anyone walking through the community. It is common for children to be detained for hours, or sometimes days with no parental notification. For us, violent resistance does not work, and non-violent resistance does not work. No Palestinian is free. This is the modern incarnation of an apartheid state, and you must make them stop, because we cannot.”

The Truth About Gaza Isn’t Coming From the Empire’s Media by the Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormack, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 11:26:21 GMT

The Truth About Gaza Isn’t Coming From the Empire’s Media

by the Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormack,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

Crystal's article below appeared November 29, 2023 in Sojourners online magazine.

It is the norm for Western media outlets to silence and ignore the voices of Palestinians. Israel set up a blockade against Gaza beginning in 2007 in response to Hamas’ taking over the territory. By restricting the movement of goods and people in and out of the territory, Israel has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel has attempted to justify this blockade and the ensuing humanitarian crisis by characterizing Gazans specifically, and Palestinians in general, as “terrorists” — a characterization of Palestinians that is also prevalent in the United States. And as reported by Kathryn Post and Roxanne Stone for Religion News Services, negative U.S. media portrayals of Palestinians are reminding some Palestinians of the anti-Muslim and anti-Arab climate after 9/11.

In the days following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, U.S. media outlets and politicians quickly and rightly condemned these attacks. But Israel’s disproportionate response — the endless bombardment of Gaza and especially Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories — has received little condemnation or coverage . In fact, despite the massive Palestinian death toll and humanitarian organizations calling for a cease-fire, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has openly opposed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Where the U.S. media has failed in reporting on Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the humanitarian crisis facing those in the occupied territories, Palestinian-based journalists are offering a much-needed corrective. Christians should be especially interested in these perspectives as they center marginalized voices and reject the dominant narrative of the American empire.

Read the rest of Crystal's article here .

Peter Makari speaks at the United Nations' International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 11:15:11 GMT

Peter Makari speaks at the United Nations' International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

This year when the United Nations observed the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29 ^th , Global Ministries’ transitional executive Peter Makari was the one person from civil society invited to address the assembled gathering of ambassadors, delegates and guests. Peter described his invitation to offer remarks as “an affirmation of the work of churches and the faith community to support justice and peace for the Palestinians.” A 1977 General Assembly resolution 32/40B designated the date of November 29 for this now annual observance. Why November 29 ^th ? Because on that date in 1947, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, the “Partition Resolution,” thereby establishing in Palestine a ”Jewish State” and an “Arab State,” with Jerusalem, corpus separatum , to be administered under a special international regime.

That fateful decision launched the Nakba, 75 years of Palestinian suffering, and the through line to Israel’s current genocidal assault on Gaza and escalating military and settler violence in the West Bank,. As Peter said in his remarks, “These past several weeks have confirmed once again the willful blindness of the major world powers to the suffering of the Palestinian people, while at the same time providing ample evidence – as if any more is needed – of the absolute necessity, once and for all, to address the core issues at stake to affirm the rights of the Palestinian people to a life with dignity, to live free of occupation, to participate fully and equally in determining their future, and for those scattered as refugees to enjoy the rights accorded to them in international law and UN resolutions.”

You can watch the video of Peter’s powerful and prophetic remarks here . He is the final speaker, towards the end of the session, beginning just past 1 hour and 38 minutes. To read the full text of Peter's remarks, go here .

"Jesus, born under the rubble" Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 15:52:51 GMT

"Jesus, born under the rubble"

This Advent and Christmas the “little town” of Bethlehem is eerily and ominously still. As the Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, writes in this year’s Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2023 , “Christmas celebrations are cancelled this year in Bethlehem. There will be no tree lighting, no street parades, and no festivals. It is not possible to celebrate or rejoice when our families and people in Gaza are being massacred and ethnically cleansed. This is a time of mourning. This is a time of lament. The Empire has crushed our lives, homes, hopes, and dreams.”

In a time when “things are far from normal,” as the introduction to the Christmas Alert asserts, “even the so-called 'normal' of a people under a brutal occupation,” how does one worship with integrity? How does one honor the need for lament, naming clearly the current reality of genocide and ethnic cleansing, while also embracing the incarnation of God as a babe, born in solidarity with those suffering, those oppressed, as the good news it is? This season’s nativity scene at Christmas Lutheran Church offers a visual response.

As Rev. Isaac describes in an Al Jazeera interview , the keffiyah swaddled baby Jesus born under the rubble is a “message to the world that this is what Christmas looks like in Palestine . . . children being pulled from under the rubble, families being displaced with their homes destroyed.” That message is a reminder of the relevancy of the Christmas narrative in this time. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was also born under occupation, in an empire that brutalized and tortured. Within days of his birth, Mary and Joseph fled for their lives, now refugees forcibly displaced, when Herod, the ruler of his day, ordered a massacre of innocents. Our worship needs to recognize and name these common themes; they will preach.

This is a time to remember and remind others that Jesus was born into a world enthralled by violence, as ours continues to be today. Throughout his ministry, Jesus challenged and threatened empire’s harsh and oppressive ‘matrix of control’ with his unequivocal call for peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” To be sure, his message of nonviolence was unnerving to the powers-that-power, the merchants of death, then, as it is now. Their response? To ignore, ridicule, resist and/or vilify. But nonviolence is precisely the revolutionary message that we as people of faith are mandated to proclaim with our lives, in word and, more importantly, in deed.

Palestinian Christian leaders are emphatic about this mandate. As they wrote in their recent Call to Repentance , an open letter to Western church leaders and theologians, Palestinian Christians are “fully committed to the way of Jesus in creative nonviolent resistance, which uses ‘the logic of love and draw[s] on all energies to make peace.” Their plea to western Christians? “To come alongside us in this.”

We come alongside when we ground ourselves, with the roots of our faith sunk deep, in Jesus’ way of nonviolent love. We come alongside when we renounce and denounce violence and challenge warmongers. Today, that requires speaking the truth of nonviolent love to our own leaders, President Biden and almost all members of Congress, who still refuse to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and continue to provide obscene levels of military aid to Israel and to supply weapons for its genocidal violence. We come alongside when we stand in solidarity with the oppressed and advocate with relentless persistence for justice.

In this witness, may we find inspiration from these Palestinian children from the Ramallah Friends School. With new words put to the tune of The Little Drummer Boy, they sing on behalf of the children of Gaza : “We want love, life, and justice. We will create it with our own hands no matter what. We will build our country after destruction, home after home. We are determined.” May we be so determined.

Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

Advent Readings

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 02:11:43 GMT

Advent Readings

UCCPIN Published Advent Readings in 2022 which remain relevant and powerful today in Dec 2023.

Access the collection here .

Breaking The Stories: November 2023 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:59:02 GMT

Breaking The Stories: November 2023

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

Israel doctors urge the bombing of Gaza hospitals

About 90 Israeli doctors have signed a letter calling for the bombing of hospitals in Gaza. Only last week, dozens of prominent Israeli rabbis had already assured Israeli leaders that they have a right to bomb al-Shifa’ hospital in Gaza, and this week’s letter signed by “Doctors for the Rights of IDF Soldiers” urges the bombing of any and every hospital in Gaza.

The letter states, in no uncertain terms, that due to suspicion of “terrorist activity,” the hospitals are “a legitimate target for annihilation.” They claim that “ambulances that are evacuating patients to the south in order to be treated elsewhere are at their disposal.” It does not mention that these ambulances, too, are being bombed by Israel, or that the south is also being mercilessly pummeled. The doctors claim that “the residents of Gaza… are the ones who brought their annihilation upon themselves” — echoing the genocidal rhetoric of centrist Israeli politicians who have even claimed that “the children of Gaza have brought this upon themselves.” Here

Biden's legacy will be apartheid

Joe Biden signs the guest book at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, March 9th, 2010

Photo: Debbie Hill/AP Photo

On July 9 ^th , in a televised CNN interview , President Joe Biden uttered his most pointed remarks to date on the current Israeli government. Asked by host Fareed Zakaria whether he planned to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington for a coveted White House visit, Biden deflected by pointing out that he was about to host Israeli President Isaac Herzog. But Biden did speak directly about Netanyahu’s cabinet, which he called “one of the most extremist” he had ever seen—an unmistakable reference to far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. These members of the coalition were “part of the problem” in the occupied West Bank, believing Israel should establish settlements “anywhere” they want, Biden said, adding that his administration was “trying to tamp down what’s going on” in the region. Still, he expressed hope that Netanyahu would “continue to move toward moderation in changing the court”—a reference to the Israeli government’s anti-democratic judicial overhaul plan. One week after delivering this cautious rebuke, Biden invited Netanyahu to meet with him in the United States this fall. Here

“Ceasefire” shouldn’t be a controversial word
Locals and civil defense teams conduct search and rescue operations after an Israeli attack hit a family residence in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on November 7, 2023.

Ashraf Amra / Anadolu via Getty Images

We are living in a messed-up world where the word “ceasefire” has become highly divisive and controversial. Our elected leaders’ inability to get behind the notion that mass killing, mass displacement and mass starvation are violations of international law and that every human life is sacred is an appalling stain on our collective humanity.

While a recent poll by Data Progress shows that the vast majority of the United States public are in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza, our elected officials will not hear of it. The chilling complicity of our staunchly pro-Israel, pro-apartheid, pro-occupation and pro-war government – and of President Joe Biden, who appears unwilling to call for ceasefire and publicly criticize the genocidal policies of the Israeli military, even as staffers in his own State Department urge him to – is causing death, destruction and a humanitarian catastrophe of unimaginable scale. Here

More Resources

Patrick Lawrence: Deeper Into Depravity Here

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem gravely concerned over Israeli shelling targeting of civilian infrastructure in Gaza Here

In Grief And Under Pressure, A Growing Number Of American Jews Protest Israeli Military Action Here

Gaza reporter rips off press vest as Israel kills media colleague Here

“Beautiful Resistance” Creates Opportunities For Children in Aida Refugee Camp Here

Text Translation: the Israeli Plan for the Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza Here

Israel-Palestine war: Has Biden lost control of Netanyahu? Here

Israel detains Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi in West Bank raid Here

What the BBC fails to tell you about October 7th Here

Media Resources

Palestinian-American professor and author Nour Erakat delivers an incredibly powerful, educational and uplifting speech on Gaza during this current moment of collective despair. Here

The First Advent in Palestine Book Study Wednesday nights on Zoom, beginning November 29

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:56:57 GMT

The First Advent in Palestine Book Study

Wednesday nights on Zoom, beginning November 29

The town of Bethlehem does not “stilly . . .lie” certainly not today, not for the more than 50 years of Israel’s occupation, nor in the time of Jesus. Kelley Nikondeha’s book The First Advent in Palestine introduces readers of Matthew and Luke’s advent narratives to the Palestine of Jesus’ day, a context of resistance, abusive rulers, and an oppressive empire. The resonance with today’s reality of oppression and occupation makes this book study particularly timely and necessary.

Leaders for the study and conversation are the Rev. Loren McGrail, interim pastor, Holmdel Community United Church of Christ and former Global Ministries mission co-worker in Israel and Palestine, and the Rev. Gail Doering, transitional executive leader, Presbytery of Southern Kansas PCUSA.

The study will be on Zoom, for five successive Wednesday evenings, 7:30 – 9 pm, ET, beginning November 29.

To register, email Holmdel Community UCC at administrator@holmdelucc.org . Once registered, you will receive the Zoom link.

Conversations with Diana Buttu, Philip Farah, and the Rev. Graylan Hagler: November Webinars offered by the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:55:48 GMT

Conversations with Diana Buttu, Philip Farah, and the Rev. Graylan Hagler: November Webinars offered by the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

UCC PIN is co-sponsor for this upcoming ICMEP's three-part series of conversations. Here is the line-up:

A CONVERSATION WITH DIANA BUTTU

“On the Ground” from Ramallah

Wednesday, November 8, 3:00 pm ET

Diana Buttu is one of the foremost spokespersons for Palestinian rights in Palestine, Israel, and around the globe. She is a former legal advisor to the Palestinian Liberation Organization and fellow at the Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She teaches at Birzeit and Harvard universities and works with journalists at the Institute for Middle East Understanding.

A CONVERSATION WITH PHILIP FARAH

Israel’s Genocidal Assault on Gaza:

An American Palestinian Perspective

Wednesday, November 15 , 2:00 pm ET

Philip Farah is a Palestinian Christian born and raised in East Jerusalem, with family roots in Gaza. In the US since age 27, he has lived, studied, and worked in several countries in the Middle East. He is recently retired as an economist in Washington, DC. Philip is a founding member of the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace and the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace. He also recently served on the UCC PIN steering committee.

A CONVERSATION WITH REV. GRAYLAN HAGLER

Black Lives Matter, Palestinian Lives Matter

Wednesday, November 29, 2:00 pm ET

Graylan Hagler is a prophetic voice for the oppressed, from Black, Latinx, and other marginalized US communities experiencing racism in the U.S. to Palestinians living under Israel’s brutal apartheid system. He is founder and director of Faith Strategies LLC, which engages in political ministry. Graylan served as Senior Minister of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Washington, D.C., for 20 years. Presently, he is co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, Washington DC; co-chair, Black Homeownership Strike Task Force, and very active in the Palestine solidarity movement.

"We have remained silent": A reflection on conflict in Israel-Palestine by the Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:54:09 GMT

"We have remained silent": A reflection on conflict in Israel-Palestine

by the Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, UCC PIN Steering Committee

(The following opinion piece by Dave Grishaw-Jones was posted on the SeacoastOnline, Nov. 4th.)

"Around the world and across the political spectrum, decent people are vigorously debating who’s to blame for the horrific violence visited this month upon Palestinians in Gaza, and whether that violence is in any way justified by the equally horrific murder and kidnapping of Israelis on October 7. While Hamas bears obvious responsibility for the terror that day, and while the Israeli government bears its own responsibility for collectively punishing all of Gaza in the days since, I want to suggest that it is the inaction of American politicians, and the indifference of the American public, that allowed this grim cycle of violence and oppression to advance so sadly to this point.

To be clear, we have known, for decades, that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, and its systemic project of planting illegal settlements in the West Bank, and its collective punishment of and siege on Gaza—all of this amounts to a brazen violation of international law and human rights standards. On this there has been international consensus (bolstered by a series of United Nations resolutions) for 50 plus years. More recently, but not surprisingly, human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and B’Tselem (the latter of which is the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories) have all produced detailed analyses in which Israel’s occupation clearly meets international criteria as a system of apartheid. To be clear, apartheid is defined internationally as a crime against humanity that meets three conditions: 1) a system of separation or segregation for domination (based on race, creed, or ethnicity) that is 2) legally enforced and 3) entails the commission of human rights violations, or inhumane acts. That’s what we’re talking about. And that’s what this so-called war is seeking to make permanent and legitimate."

To read the rest of Dave's opinion piece, go here .

An Example of Bearing Witness: Every Number a Name

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:52:45 GMT

An Example of Bearing Witness: Every Number a Name

This past week in New Haven, CT, people gathered in vigil, over two dozen in front of the district office of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro on one day, and then two days later, again over two dozen people turned out to vigil in front of a local library where DeLauro was attending an event. The purpose? To bear public witness to the suffering and to humanize the loss by reading aloud the names of those who have died in the horrific violence in Gaza.

We read from two lists: one from Haartz here with the names of Israeli Jews and foreign nationals killed in the October 7 ^th assault and the second, a Mondoweiss posting here from the State of Palestine Ministry of Health of the Palestinians killed since October 7th. We knew the lists were incomplete. The Ministry of Health list, organized by family surname from oldest to youngest, recorded the deaths only through October 26 ^th . The Haartz list included 1,145 names of the widely reported accounts of 1,400. Even so, in the more than two hours of reading names during these two vigils, participants were able to get through a total of only about 148 of the names from the October 7 ^th list and only 898 of the 6,747 Palestinian names. Names were read, alternating in about a 1:6 ratio, to recognize the disproportion in numbers. After every cluster of names, a Tibetan singing bowl was rung.

Participants reflected a diversity of race, ethnicity, and religion, ranging in age from a 9o year old Jewish woman to an infant held tightly as her mother teared up, reading the names of Palestinian children. It was a time of coming together and supporting one another in our deep grieving and of issuing impassioned calls to stop the killing and to cease fire immediately. We turned to poets to help us express our “sighs too deep for words,” reading Zeina Azzam’s poem “ Write My Name ," as we began and ending with Rabbi Irwin Keller’s poem, " Taking Sides ."

Vigils such as this one in New Haven are being organized around the country. Logistically, they are easy to organize and to replicate. They matter, even if just two or three people show up. They provide a much needed way to bear witness to unconscionable and unfathomable suffering, to insist on humanizing and honoring by name those that have been killed, and to demand an immediate ceasefire.

Solidarity and Advocacy: UCC's Covenantal Relationships through Global Ministries

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:51:41 GMT

Solidarity and Advocacy: UCC's Covenantal Relationships through Global Ministries

Through Global Ministries, the United Church of Christ has covenantal relationships with over a dozen partners, Palestinian and Israeli both. The list includes organizations like the YWCA of Palestine, Kairos Palestine, the Israeli human rights organization B’tselem, Friends Meeting in Ramallah, and, through the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the twice recently bombed Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. To find the complete list, go to this Global Ministries webpage and scroll down. Click on the names of each of the organizations to learn more and appreciate the reach of UCC solidarity through these partnerships. In some cases, the partnerships are long-standing going back decades; with newer organizations like Kairos Palestine, launched when they issued their A Moment of Truth document in 2009, the partnerships are more recent. In this time of unleashed violence and brutal ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population, Peter Makari, Global Relations Minister, Middle East and Europe, is keeping in close contact with, and checking in on, our partners; more than ever these partnerships matter.

Meanwhile, the UCC nationally has been joining with other denominations, speaking out in one voice, through Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). The most recent joint statement denounces the Biden Administration's “complicity in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the collective punishment against millions of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The U.S. must demand,” the statement continues, “that the Government of Israel stop the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people to prevent more death, destruction, and displacement.”

In a statement issued just days earlier, CMEP "call[ed] for an immediate ceasefire, an end to all violence, and a rapid and substantial increase in the delivery of lifesaving aid to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of people in Gaza. CMEP call[ed] on Hamas to release all hostages and do no harm to those still remaining. CMEP also call[ed] on the international community and the United States to stop supporting further militarization and pursue every alternative means to protect all Israeli and Palestinian civilians.”

Being in solidarity with our Global Ministries partners, being faithful to those with whom we are in covenant, requires us to engage in advocacy. The CMEP statements are important articulations of advocacy, but alone, they are not enough, necessary but not sufficient. More is needed, and that more is for all of us, as individuals and as congregations, to be fierce advocates for justice. This is a Kairos time; the need is now for standing up, crying out, specifically demanding an immediate ceasefire. One efficient way to communicate with your elected officials is through the Global Ministries' Third Thursday Alert . Do that, but do more. Be in the streets, join JVP protests as an ally, hold vigils, organize a public reading of the names of those killed, engage in civil disobedience. We must act, now. This is quite simply a matter of life and death.

"Every Person a Human Being Fully Beloved" Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:50:02 GMT

"Every Person a Human Being Fully Beloved"

Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

Globally, hundreds of thousands of people, horrified and outraged by the violence unleashed on October 7 ^th and Israel’s genocidal assault in response, have taken to the streets, demanding an immediate ceasefire. In the U.S., many Jews have taken the lead, organizing mass protests at a variety of prominent venues -- the White House, the Cannon Building in DC, Grand Central Station, Philadelphia’s 30 ^th Street Station, the Statue of Liberty -- with a uniform message (and tee shirts): Not in our name. A poll conducted in mid-October documents that 66% of voters “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that the US should call for a ceasefire.

And yet, the Biden administration refuses to even utter the word much less push for the policy. As if with forked tongue, Biden is backing a so-called ‘humanitarian pause,’ while hypocritically feeding the war machine with yet more military funding, enabling Israel to perpetrate the very slaughter that constitutes a humanitarian disaster of epic, yes, genocidal proportions. This is, as one of the UN top human rights officials Craig Mokhiber has said, a “ textbook case of genocide .” After 30 years of service, he just resigned in protest.

And Congress? Where is Congress? They are parroting the exact same message. What has happened to their humanity? Where is their moral compass? To date, fewer than twenty Representatives have co-sponsored Rep. Cori Bush’s House Resolution 786 calling for a ceasefire, while Dick Durbin (IL) is the lone senator supporting a ceasefire. How many more deaths will it take?

Meanwhile, we know all too well and painfully that every day, every hour, without a ceasefire translates into more Palestinians, overwhelmingly women and children, killed, a slaughter of innocents. The number of deaths in Gaza since October 7 ^th is now over 10,000. Whole families, extended families, have been wiped out. The figure does not even include Palestinians in the West Bank who are being attacked daily, many killed by settlers and Israeli military, nor does it reflect the tens of thousands now injured.

In just a month's time, 10,000 plus killed, and counting. This is staggering, mind-numbing, heart-sickening, soul-searing. We know that these numbers don’t and can’t begin to tell the whole story. Every number is a name, every name a person, every person a human being fully beloved, a child of God, unique, precious, irreplaceable, each with their hopes and dreams and loving spirits, and the contributions they would have made to our world. For just one example, one of the numbers is the 39 year-old Palestinian artist and educator Heba Zagout , described as a “one in a million talent.”

Self portrait by Palestinian artist Heba Zagout

Heba and two of her four children were killed on October 13 when an Israeli air strike targeted the home where she was staying. Yes, every number is a name. Every name a person. Every person a human being fully beloved, a child of God. Every person.

Even as I write, the numbers are increasing, the slaughter unrelenting. According to a Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor report , “the destructive power of the explosives dropped on Gaza exceeds that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.” These deaths are not just tragic; they are criminal.

And where is the church? Our Palestinian Christian colleagues at Kairos Palestine in partnership with Kairos Southern Africa are asking that question in an open letter addressed to church leaders and Christians in the US, Europe, and the ecumenical family. Authors, Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah and the Rev. Frank Chikane, mince no words. They indict the Western churches for being “strangely indifferent to the murder of Palestinians.” They name our responsibility when our own government is complicit in supporting genocide and urge us to do all in our power to ensure the end of such governmental support. They call for “deep and immediate solidarity with all Palestinian people and in particular those in Gaza.”

UCC PIN is engaged to such “deep and immediate solidarity.” And, in partnership with Global Ministries, other denominational PIN’s, and the Apartheid-Free congregations initiative, we are working to promote and to equip all expressions of the UCC for activism. The stones are continuing to cry out.

At our most recent steering committee, we named these imperatives for this time: be faithful to our covenantal relationships , specifically in Palestine and Israel (see article that follows); stay deeply grounded in nonviolence , the “logic of love”; bear witness to the suffering of all ; and persist without ceasing in advocacy for an immediate ceasefire now, then next for an end to Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime, and always for justice and equality for all.

What Can We Do? What Must We do?

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:46:01 GMT

What Can We Do? What Must We do?

“A woman at a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip embraces the body of a Palestinian child killed in Israeli strikes, October 17, 2023.”

Mohammed Salem, Palestinian photographer, Photo via Reuters

That genocide is unfolding in plain view, with our own country fully complicit, is horrifying. There can be no bystanders. Our faith and our humanity require us to take action. The words of Jesus should, as Sabeel director, Omar Haramy, said in a recent call, “carry weight stronger than weapons.” In that same call, FOSNA executive director, Jonathan Kuttab insisted that “as Christians, now is the time to double down on the main Christian message: peace. He went on to say, “Violence will not bring liberation for Palestinians nor security for Israeli Jews. The last thing we need are weapons and the glorifying of war.” The very stones are crying out for our advocacy and support.

Advocacy

Let your voice be loud and emphatic. Speak out against the war crimes that our government is supporting and enabling. Grounded in our faith commitment to nonviolence, justice, and peace, deliver to the Biden Administration and our elected officials this message:

*Call for an immediate ceasefire – stop the carnage. Stop further militarization.

*End the siege of Gaza and provide immediate humanitarian aid.

*Call for the return of all prisoners: hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians captive in Israeli prisons.

Here are four methods for delivering the message (you can do them all):

Send an email through Global Ministries' recent Third Thursday Alert here

Use the “Call Me” function that the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights has set up here that will connect you by phone with the offices of your Congressional rep and senators.

Jewish Voice for Peace has action alerts you can access here which provide a menu of user-friendly ways to contact your elected officials and email.

And lastly, you can yourself directly call, write, or email your elected officials. To find their contact information, go here and put in your address.

In order of efficacy, be aware that phone calls are the best, then personal letters, and then emails. The advantage of a phone call (if you get through to a Congressional staffer) is you can begin to establish a relationship and also can hopefully garner some ‘intel’ in response to your appeal. Call multiple times, not perhaps in the same day, but on an on-going basis. Identify yourself as a person of faith and from a denomination that has longstanding Palestinian and Israeli mission partners (including the Al-Ahli Hospital) and that has declared itself apartheid-free.

Here is a specific ask for the your House Representatives:

Rep. Cori Bush has introduced House Resolution #786 " Calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine ." Shamefully, to date, only 17 representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. When calling your representative urge them to sign on.

Financial Support

There are now, thankfully, many organizations (UNRWA, AFSC, Doctors without Borders, and more) seeking funds for humanitarian aid. If you and your congregation are wanting to provide financial support, you can channel it directly, through Global Ministries, to two of our mission partners:

Al-Ahli Hospital American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem Here

Department of Service for Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches Here

The Things that Make for Peace by the Rev. Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister, Minnesota Conference UCC, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:43:31 GMT

The Things that Make for Peace

by the Rev. Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister, Minnesota Conference UCC, UCC PIN Steering Committee

“As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!’”

(Luke 19:41-2a, NRSVUE)

Since October 7, we have watched in horror as violence has been heaped upon violence in Israel and Gaza, killing and injuring thousands of Israelis and Palestinians. A brutal attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians in southern Israel led to Israel’s declaration of war, announcing it would “dismantle Gaza” and eradicate Hamas. Day by day, the death toll rises, unspeakable grief deepens on all sides, and an alarming humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza. Peace seems a very distant and unlikely prospect in what we often refer to as “the holy land.”

There is much to be said about the broader, historic socio-political realities in Israel and Palestine that have long laid the groundwork for tension and unrest: the occupation of Palestine and its inherent injustice, uncritical and extraordinary financial support of Israel’s military by the U.S., and generations of trauma and loss that accompany and profoundly impact both the Jewish and Palestinian people.

But today, in this space, I want to concentrate instead on how our Christian faith informs us in this moment and should shape our response.

Every human being is precious. The acts & language of war often demonize and de-humanize one side or the other. We hear the media and others refer to people in this conflict as “animals” or “barbarians”. But our sacred texts tell us that all are precious to God. Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims and Christians, all bear the image of God. We can and should condemn sinful acts of senseless, unspeakable violence that extinguish human life. But we should resist the temptation to characterize either Israelis or Palestinians as something less than human or without any inherent dignity or worth. None deserve to endure such death and suffering. All are promised the fullness of life. . .

To read the rest of Shari's article, go here to the Minnesota Conference website.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Expresses Sadness and Outrage at Bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:42:06 GMT

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Expresses Sadness and Outrage at Bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza

Al Ahli Arab Hospital has been ministering as a Christian witness in Gaza City since 1882. The institution was founded by the Church of England’s Church Mission Society and was later run as a medical mission by the Southern Baptist Conference from 1954 to 1982. It then returned to the Anglican Church.

Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service

In response to the horrifying bombing of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza on October 17, (a day which the Patriarchs and Heads of churches in Jerusalem had designated for prayer and fasting for peace and reconciliation and an end to the war), Churches for Middle East Peace (that includes the UCC) immediately issued a statement which said in part:

"We are shocked, outraged, and devastated by an air strike on the Anglican Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, leaving at least 500 dead and thousands more injured or unaccounted for. Our hearts are deeply grieved at hearing this news. We express our deepest condolences and ask that the Lord be with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, staff, and all people affected by the bombing of Al-Ahli Hospital. We join in lament and prayers that God will come alongside and comfort all people who are suffering, and support Archbishop Hosam Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, in his pastoral care and leadership.

This attack is a grave violation of international law, and it is an affront to our shared humanity. This attack is the second on Al-Ahli hospital in the past few days. These attacks on civilians, including children and the elderly, must stop. The indiscriminate bombing of places of refuge must stop. The dehumanization of vulnerable people must stop. The people of Gaza are suffering, and they have almost no options for much-needed medical treatment or surgeries, or for receiving pain and other medications."

CMEP statement went on to call for President Biden and the US Congress:

1. Publicly call for ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all sides.

2. Call on all parties to abide by the laws of war, including the Geneva Conventions and customary international law.

3. Prioritize steps to secure the immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians.

Read the full statement here .

An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:40:19 GMT

An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians

“Learn to do right; seek justice; defend the oppressed”

(Isa 1:17).

We, at the undersigned Palestinian Christian institutions and grassroots movements, grieve and lament the renewed cycle of violence in our land. As we were about to publish this open letter, some of us lost dear friends and family members in the atrocious Israeli bombardment of innocent civilians on October 19, 2023 , Christians included, who were taking refuge in the historical Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza. Words fail to express our shock and horror with regard to the on-going war in our land. We deeply mourn the death and suffering of all people because it is our firm conviction that all humans are made in God’s image. We are also profoundly troubled when the name of God is invoked to promote violence and religious national ideologies.

Further, we watch with horror the way many western Christians are offering unwavering support to Israel’s war against the people of Palestine. While we recognize the numerous voices that have spoken and continue to speak for the cause of truth and justice in our land, we write to challenge western theologians and church leaders who have voiced uncritical support for Israel and to call them to repent and change. Sadly, the actions and double standards of some Christian leaders have gravely hurt their Christian witness and have severely distorted their moral judgment with regards to the situation in our land.

Read the full statement here .

Introduction to UCC PIN October E-News Follow-up Edition

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:37:57 GMT

Introduction to UCC PIN October E-News Follow-up Edition

Genocide, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian crisis, massacres, war crimes, slaughter of innocents. . . words crack and hearts break under the weight of trying to capture the horror of escalating violence that we are witnessing in Gaza and through the West Bank. In truth, all these phrases are accurate descriptors. Right now Israeli troops are poised for a ground invasion. Meanwhile, the Biden administration and many other ‘Western’ countries, refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire, are fully complicit.

This is a fearful and heart wrenching time. This is a time for deep lament. This is a time for persistent outcries for justice. In regard to lament, UCC PIN will be posting resources, poems and prayers, on our website ( www.uccpin.org ). Look for these soon.

In regard to outcries for justice, UCC PIN is issuing this second E-News in October in an effort to stay current with rapid developments (see the articles in Breaking the Stories ) and as impassioned encouragement for us as people of faith to stay firmly grounded in the power of love and nonviolence as the only avenue toward justice and true peace and to speak prophetically from that grounding. We must denounce the killing of all civilians, Palestinian and Israeli, targetted and ensnared in the violence. We must call for an immediate ceasefire. And we must demand from our own government an end to trafficking in weapons and an end to the barbarism of militarization, state-sanctioned violence.

Now is a time for fierce and unrelenting advocacy, for the sake of justice and the saving of precious lives and the righting of the wrongs of apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism. This we can do; this we must do. And for our advocacy, may we find inspiration in our Palestinian Christian colleagues and partners (see their heart-piercing Call for Repentance below) who write, “We are steadfast in our hope, resilient in our witness, and continue to be committed to the Gospel of faith, hope, and love, in the face of tyranny and darkness.” May we too be steadfast.

Breaking the Stories October 2023 Follow-Up

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 01:34:44 GMT

Breaking The Stories: October 2023

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza

Photo by Ahmed Hasaballah/Getty Images

As Israeli forces continue to intensify their cataclysmic assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International has documented unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks, which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes.

The organization spoke to survivors and eyewitnesses, analyzed satellite imagery, and verified photos and videos to investigate air bombardments carried out by Israeli forces between 7 and 12 October, which caused horrific destruction, and in some cases wiped out entire families. Here the organization presents an in-depth analysis of its findings in five of these unlawful attacks. In each of these cases, Israeli attacks violated international humanitarian law, including by failing to take feasible precautions to spare civilians, or by carrying out indiscriminate attacks that failed to distinguish between civilians and military objectives, or by carrying out attacks that may have been directed against civilian objects. Here

The Case for a Ceasefire

Demonstrators with Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow at a rally demanding a ceasefire in Gaza on October 18, 2023 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

…We write as one Jewish American and one Palestinian American, both committed to ending the occupation and achieving equal rights between Israelis and Palestinians. We have each been disappointed by the reaction of many who identify as progressives in recent days. First and foremost, there is the leadership of the Democratic Party , which has offered unqualified support for the Israeli military response. Though we can’t say we are surprised by this, the abandonment of Palestinian civilians to their fate under the rubble strikes us as a profound betrayal by a party that had been moving, albeit very slowly, in the right direction . Here

Israeli think tank lays out a blueprint for the complete ethnic cleansing of Gaza

Photo taken on OCT. 22, 2023 shows destroyed buildings after Israeli airstrikes in the Southern Gaza Strip City of Khan Younis.

After this article was originally published, the Israeli outlet Calcalist reported on a separate plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza that is being circulated by the Israeli Intelligence Ministry headed by Gila Gamliel. The leaked document was reportedly created for an organization called “The Unit for Settlement – Gaza Strip” and was not meant for the public.

In the plan being proposed by the Intelligence Ministry, Palestinians in Gaza would be displaced from Gaza to the northern Egyptian Sinai peninsula. In the report, the ministry described different options for what comes after an invasion of Gaza and the option deemed as “liable to provide positive and long-lasting strategic results” was the transfer of Gaza residents to Sinai. The move entails three steps: the creation of tent cities southwest of the Gaza Strip; the construction of a humanitarian corridor to “assist the residents”; and finally, the building of cities in northern Sinai. In parallel, a “sterile zone”, several kilometers wide, would be established within Egypt, south of the Israeli border, “so that the evacuated residents would not be able to return.” Here

More Resources

Dispatches from the West Bank: In the West Bank, violence and dispossession intensify as the line between settler and soldier is fast disappearing. Here

Israel is caught lying again and again. And yet, we never learn by Jonathan Cook Here

Gaza is a test of human morality by Ahmad Amara Here

A response to Rev. William Barber on Palestinian resistance Here

Choose your point of view by Ahmed Moor Here

Israel-Palestine War: The Wheels are Coming off the care of US Middle East Policy Here

Seven steps to end the cycle of killing in Israel and Palestine by Mubarak Awad Here

'Totally Insufficient': Groups Say Trickle of Gaza Aid No Match for Ongoing 'Mass Atrocities' Here

Poems from the Palestinian Camps Here

Writing while expecting to die Here

Media Resources

“Crisis in Zionism, Opportunity for Palestine?” A lecture by Professor Ilan Pappé, Professor of History, Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies. Here

Watch: Palestinian Journalist Rips Western Media Narrative on Israel's Gaza Slaughter Here

Let Them Eat Cement Here

Breaking The Stories: October 2023

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:37:24 GMT

Breaking The Stories: October 2023
Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

Resources

Could the Attack on Israel Spell the End of Hamas? Interview with Nathan Thrall Here

5 things you need to know about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza Here

The blood of Gaza is on the West’s hands as much as Israel’s Here

Palestinians Speak the Language of Violence Israel Taught Them Here

Gaza’s shock attack has terrified Israelis. It should also unveil the context Here

Israel-Arab normalization has not eliminated the resistance Here

We’re facing unprecedented horror. Why is Biden adding fuel to the fire? Here

Gaza, Israel, history: Commentary on yet another savage war in a war weary land Here

Who is to blame by the Rev. Graylan Hagler Here

"We cannot cross until we carry each other" Jewish Currents Here

Media Resources

'Do we have the right to struggle for freedom?' interview with Mustafa Barghouti, Fareed Zakaria, CNN, October 8 Here

“Do You Hear the Bombing?”: Gazan Human Rights Lawyer Raji Sourani Describes Israeli Siege of Gaza City Here

Hamas Killed His Friend, But Knesset Member Cassif Says End the Occupation Now, All “Pay the Price”

Here

Historian Rashid Khalidi: Palestinians “Living Under Incredible Oppression, … It Had to Explode” Here

“A Day in the Life of Abed Salama”: How the Death of Abed’s 5-Year-Old Son Sheds Light on Life Under Israeli Apartheid Here

Blowback: How Israel Went from Helping Create Hamas to Bombing it Here

Don’t be complicit in genocide – Mohammad El Kurd Here

Take Action

Call for an End to the Violence in Israel and Gaza Here

Giving Voice to Grief and Outcries for Justice: A Gathering-in of Statements

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:35:33 GMT

Giving Voice to Grief and Outcries for Justice:
A Gathering-in of Statements

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Implores Restraint, De-escalation of Conflict, Humanitarian Access, and Addressing Core Issues of Conflict Here

The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem Unite in a Call for Peace and Justice Amidst Unfolding Violence Here

ICAHD Statement on Hamas Incursion and Israel’s Disproportionate Retaliation Here

Kairos Palestine Statement on the War on Gaza Here

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center Here

JVP Rabbinical Council: “We call for an immediate end to the violence” Here

"Seeking Understanding Amidst the Horror in Israel/Palestine," Rabbi Brant Rosen Here

UCC, Disciples and 25 other Christian Groups issue urgent call to Congress

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:34:22 GMT

UCC, Disciples and 25 other Christian Groups issue
urgent call to Congress

Dear Members of Congress,

We have watched in sadness the devastating loss of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories over the last several days. As Church-based denominations and organizations with deep ties to the Holy Land, we mourn with our Israeli and Palestinian siblings as they grieve the loss of loved ones and remain fearful of continued violence. Our commitment remains to a future in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace, with security and human rights protected for all.

Read the rest of the letter Here

“What Shall We Say?”: Reflections for Pastors on the Violence In Palestine and Israel by the Rev. John Thomas, UCC PIN Steering Committee

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:33:15 GMT

“What Shall We Say?”: Reflections for Pastors on the Violence In Palestine and Israel

by the Rev. John Thomas, UCC PIN Steering Committee

Members of United Church of Christ congregations, along with their neighbors, are shocked, deeply troubled, and profoundly demoralized by the level of violence unleashed over recent days in Palestine and Israel that has left thousands dead, many more wounded, and some held as hostages. As Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza continues, the suffering will inevitably intensify while the grieving over the loss of loved ones in Israel and Gaza becomes a long season of agonizing sorrow and fear. We are awash in commentary from the media, politicians, and partisans. Congregations expect, however, to hear from their pastors as well. What shall we say?

The situation is complex. But complexity is no excuse for silence. The situation is frequently framed as ancient, intractable religious rivalries and hatreds. But the conflict of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is primarily a political one based on political decisions made by political actors for political purposes. More often than not, religion has been the rationale used to justify political acts. And the situation invites despair. Yet our long-standing Palestinian partners, Christian and Muslim, as well as many Jewish Israelis and American Jews with whom we as a church are in relationship, consistently call us to hope as the durable foundation for courage in the struggle for justice and peace. So, what shall we say?

Read the full text of "What Shall We Say" here

"We will continue to believe in nonviolence": Introduction to PIN's October E-News by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:31:29 GMT

"We will continue to believe in nonviolence":
Introduction to PIN's October E-News by the Rev. Allie Perry

We are all reeling from the horrific cycle of violence spiraling wildly out of control in Israel and in Gaza and now in the whole of the occupied Palestinian territories. The loss of life, and civilians caught in the midst, both in Israel and Palestine, is beyond devastating; it is senseless, insane, and criminal. And yet it is continuing, getting worse each day, as violence predictably, inexorably, begets yet greater violence.

Our own government has taken sides, declaring its ironclad allegiance to Israel and sending yet more military weapons and support. And the mainstream media in this country is also, for the most part, siding with Israel, providing little to no context, rendering invisible or ignoring Israel’s 75 years of systemic violence. As Nicholas Kristof wrote in an Oct. 12 ^th NYT op-ed , "If your moral compass is attuned to the suffering of only one side, your compass is broken, and so is your humanity.”

The situation is volatile; it’s hard to stay current. Even as I write, the ‘fog of war’ is thickening, the violence is escalating in unthinkable and heart sickening ways. Israel has just told 1.1 million Palestinians, trapped in the world's largest open-air prison, to leave northern Gaza. This is ethnic cleansing unfolding in real time and in public view.

In an effort to provide our readers with ready access to statements from the UCC in conjunction with other Christian groups, from mission partners like Kairos Palestine, and also alternative news commentary, UCC PIN offers this compilation of articles. Of special note, to support those of you preaching this Sunday and struggling with what to say, please read John Thomas’ reflections “What Shall We Say.”

In this week’s online Sabeel worship (with close to 500 participating virtually), Sabeel’s founder, the Rev. Naim Ateek asserted, “We will continue to stand for wisdom, justice, and truth. We will continue to believe in nonviolence. . . . pray and work, work and pray . . for light over darkness, truth over falsehood, love over hatred and violence.”

In such a time as this, may we stay deeply rooted in the nonviolent love of Jesus, as we pray and work, work and pray for justice and authentic peace that respects and protects the dignity and sacredness of all God’s beloved.

In the words of Rose Marie Berger, from Sojourners: may this be our prayer too:

God of Justice,

give strength to those whose long work for a just peace

might seem fruitless now. Strengthen their resolve.

Do not let them feel alone. Show us how to support their work

and bolster their courage. Guide religious leaders to model

unity and reconciliation across lines of division.

Guide political leaders to listen with their hearts as they seek peace and pursue it.

Help all people choose the rigorous path of just peace and disavow violence.

See the full text of Rose Marie Berger's prayer here

Breaking The Stories: August 2023

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:34:29 GMT

Breaking The Stories: August 2023

Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

Another North American church names Israeli apartheid: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has declared that “many of the laws, policies and practices of the State of Israel meet the definition of apartheid as defined in international law”:

Gathered Saturday for their biennial General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada decided by an overwhelming voice vote to adopt a resolution naming Israeli apartheid.

There was only one delegate who spoke in opposition. The resolution, Compelled to Witness: Answering the Cry of Our Palestinian Siblings —citing reports from B’Tselem , Human Rights Watch , Amnesty International and a 2022 Pastoral Letter written by leaders of the denomination—affirms “that many of the laws, policies and practices of the State of Israel meet the definition of apartheid as defined in international law.” Here

Jewish-Israeli Christianophobia Emboldened by Racist and Fundamentalist Israeli Government :

The current Israeli government, the state’s most far-right, fundamentalist and openly racist ever, has emboldened Israeli Jewish fundamentalists’ racist attacks on Palestinians, whether Muslim or Christian, and on Palestinian homes, fields, work places, and places of worship. Islamophobia in Jewish-Israeli society , which is rampant and is further fanned by anti-Palestinian Jewish and Christian Zionist groups in the U.S. and Europe, demands urgent attention but is still relatively better covered in comparison with Israeli anti-Christian racism. This compilation of news items focuses on the latter, Jewish-Israeli anti-Christian racism, sampling some of the older and the newer attacks on Christian churches, priests, cemeteries across historic Palestine (the 1967 occupied territory and the pre-1967 areas). Here

Herzog’s Lullaby: The Biden administration indulges the Israeli President’s nostalgia act even as the promise of a true democracy slips away in Israel/Palestine:

In truth, Herzog’s speech was completely detached from the current reality of Israel, which is in the 56th year of its military occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, with Gaza in its 16th year under a crippling Israeli blockade. The government Herzog represents is steadily consolidating its permanent control over those territories, in blatant contravention of both international law and its own past promises to the United States. It’s a reality in which Palestinians are being steadily displaced and corralled into a set of disconnected reservations (resembling South African bantustans ) while facing an official Israeli government policy of collective punishment and ongoing violence by Klan-like, government-backed extremist settlers —all of it underwritten by nearly $4 billion annually from US taxpayers. Here

Other Resources

Israel’s justice minister gives away the real aim of the judicial coup’s first law: Here

Judea vs ‘Fantasy Israel: Ilan Pappe on the Collapse of Israeli Pillars and Opportunities for Palestine: Here

While Israelis were in the streets, Smotrich unveiled his annexation plans: Here

Haggai Matar & Gideon Levy: Israel’s Fight over Judicial Changes Ignores Occupation & Apartheid: Here

Israel’s judicial overhaul sparks military crisis as number of refusing reservists grows: Here

Leading liberal Zionist voices call for ending U.S. aid to Israel: Here

Anthropologists back Israel boycott in landslide vote: Here

It should be no surprise that religious nationalists are ascendant in a 'Jewish state": Here

In Israel and the U.S.,“apartheid” is the elephant in the room: Here

Take Action

The elephant in the room: Here

Taking the Pledge to be Apartheid-Free

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:23:19 GMT

Taking the Pledge to be Apartheid-Free

Since the Apartheid-Free campaign launched in early June, 146 groups – congregations, communities of conscience, and organizations – have taken the pledge to be apartheid-free. The list of signers thus far includes a broad swath of the religious spectrum: Baptist, Buddhist, Quaker, Jewish, Methodist, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Catholic, Muslim, Unitarian, Episcopalian, and United Church of Christ. Noticeably missing, not surprisingly, are Christian Zionist groups. To see the list of signers as of August 10 ^th , go here and scroll down.

To date, six UCC entities have taken the pledge: the national UCC, UCC PIN, the Central Pacific Conference UCC PIN, and three congregations: Ainsworth UCC, Portland, OR; Meriden Congregational Church, Meriden, NH, and Shalom UCC, New Haven, CT.

A priority for UCC PIN this year is to help grow the list of UCC congregations, and hopefully also conferences, that take the apartheid-free pledge. The apartheid-free campaign dovetails well with the action steps of the UCC’s 2021 General Synod resolution and provides a timely and concrete opportunity for congregations to bear witness to their commitment to the human rights and equality of all, inclusive of Palestinians.

For congregations wanting and ready to engage in a discernment process about taking the pledge, check out the Apartheid-Free website resource page here . UCC PIN is also at the ready with materials and strategies to support congregations as they study the pledge and, for those who take the pledge, as they live into it. Wanting support from UCC PIN or to be connected with congregations considering the step of pledging to be apartheid free? Contact us at info@uccpin.org .

UCC PIN's Inaugural Solidarity Circle: Generating Courage, Clarity, and Support by the Rev. David Grishaw-Jones

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:18:18 GMT

UCC PIN's Inaugural Solidarity Circle: Generating Courage, Clarity, and Support

by the Rev. David Grishaw-Jones

When General Synod 31 passed the Declaration for a Just Peace between Palestine and Israel in 2021, UCC PIN faced the challenge of educating congregations, their pastors and congregants, about the resolution and equipping them to act on the resolution’s mandates. But how were we to reach people ‘in the pews,’ given the variety of more obviously immediate issues that local settings already confront and are addressing? How were we to communicate the conviction of Christian Palestinians that “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…”?

How might we support UCC church leaders, including those who understand both the relevance and the urgency of the Palestinians’ cry for hope, but are hesitant to speak out, for any number of reasons? Perhaps a fear of being accused of antisemitism. Or perhaps feeling ill-equipped and wanting guidance and needing resources or strategies. Or simply not wanting to go it alone. This challenge led our PIN steering committee to design and launch our Solidarity Circle program.

As a UCC PIN steering committee member, I promoted the idea of solidarity circles, enthusiastic from the start. Even with first-hand experience of Palestine and Israel, I felt as a local pastor (the Community Church of Durham, New Hampshire) the need for support. So, when UCC PIN launched our inaugural Solidarity Circle last November, I signed on as a participant. There were eight of us, all UCC pastors and church leaders, who committed to spend six months in conversation and study around the ongoing struggle for justice, peace and an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The reverends Marla Schrader, Eric Fistler, and Susan Switzer facilitated each of our online sessions, drawing on their personal and professional experience of traveling and serving in Palestine and Israel. Using a plethora of resources including articles and videos, they curated compelling content for each session. We dove deeply into topics like the Nakba, the 2021 Resolution, Apartheid, the BDS Movement, Risks of Solidarity, Antisemitism and more. Each session included a liturgical context, shaped by prayer, scripture, and deep discernment, as well as by Palestinian art and music.

The sessions offered opportunities for us as participants to discuss and strategize about questions such as: How could our congregations break the silence around Palestinian cries for solidarity and hope? How could we respond to our own General Synod’s resolution with courage and faith? And how might we engage in conversation with those who challenge us and challenge the acceptability and wisdom of calling out Israel’s apartheid regime?

My experience in this inaugural Solidarity Circle confirmed my intuition—that UCC clergy and leaders, motivated to do the work and pursue a just peace in Palestine and Israel, will benefit from relationships of support and accountability. Over our time together, we grew to become our own support community, a community in covenant with God and one another, a community committed to solidarity with siblings in Palestine, Israel and around the world.

While it is true that local politics, concern for interfaith relationships, competing priorities, and already busy lives, can be a disincentive for engaging this issue, through participating in the Solidarity Circle I learned this: Together, in community, we can generate the courage, clarity and support necessary to respond faithfully to the Gospel and to the urgent cry for hope from our Palestinian partners.

Witnessing Glimmers of a Sea-Change: Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:16:15 GMT

Witnessing Glimmers of a Sea-Change:

Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

Might it be possible that we are witnessing glimmers of a sea-change for justice and equality for Palestinians? If not yet the rising up of what the Irish poet Seamus Heaney called “the longed-for tidal wave of justice,” at least a shift in the tide? One of Israel's 'New Historians’ Ilan Pappe implies as much. In a recent article, he asserts, “This is a rare moment in history that opens opportunities for those struggling for liberation and justice in Palestine.” (See article in Breaking the Stories )

The constant barrage of headlines, as Israel’s extremist, racist, ultra-religious, apartheid regime lurches towards authoritarianism, and state and settler violence against Palestinians continues unabated, can make openings hard to discern. It is possible to miss in this moment that there is ‘news of a difference.’ But there are signs. Mitchell Plitnick sees them. Here's an example he describes in his Mondoweiss article about “Leading liberal Zionist voices call for ending U.S. aid to Israel” (See in Breaking the Stories ): the “impenetrable wall” AIPAC has built around U.S. aid to Israel, “has finally begun to crack.”

Another recent and significant sign is release of “The Elephant in the Room,” a sign-on letter addressed to leaders of North American Jewry.” Initiated by two Israeli academics, Shira Klein, Professor of History at Chapman College, and Omer Bartov, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, the letter calls attention to “the direct link between Israel’s attack on the judiciary and its illegal occupation of millions of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

The letter names as the “elephant in the room” “Israel’s longstanding occupation that. . .has yielded a regime of apartheid.” Now, the letter asserts, is a “moment of urgency and also possibility for change.” It makes a four-part appeal to leaders of North American Jewry, including the demand from elected U.S. leaders that they restrict military aid from being used in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

As of August 15, over 1,600 people have signed the letter. The signatories are collectively identified as “academics and other public figures.” In an email exchange with Shira Klein, I confirmed that “public figures” is intended to be inclusive of clergy and religious leaders of all faiths and she urged me to share the letter “far and wide” with colleagues. To read the full text of “The Elephant in the Room,” and to sign on, scroll down to “Take Action” at the end of Breaking the Stories .

Meanwhile, as another sign of the tide changing, the language of apartheid continues to get traction with mainline denominations and is not an ‘elephant in the room.’ First, the UCC in 2021, the Presbyterians in 2022, and now this summer the Disciples of Christ, at their biennial national General Assembly, passed a resolution naming Israel an apartheid regime.

Peter Makari, Global Ministries’ Area Executive for Middle East and Europe, who spoke during the debate in favor of the Disciples’ resolution, has shared this reflection on the significance of its passage: “The overwhelming vote to adopt the ‘Compelled to Witness’ resolution at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), following that of the UCC two years ago, centers the voice of our Palestinian partners in naming the injustices that they experience. The stated policies of our two churches, the UCC and Disciples, are in alignment, and are being appreciated by partners in the Middle East region. The task remains to advocate for justice, and to bring that change about.”

Indeed, the task. . . our task . . . remains to advocate for justice and to bring that change about. Our advocacy is needed all the more because as of yet there are few cracks visible in the U.S. administration's 'ironclad' support for Israel. As the Elephant in the Room letter exhorts: “No more silence. The time to act is now.”New Paragraph

Breaking The Stories: July 2023

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:44:57 GMT

Breaking The Stories: July 2023

Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

The Jenin operation didn’t end. Phase Two has already begun:

As Israel’s 48-hour onslaught on the Jenin refugee camp last week entered its denouement, former Israeli Brigadier General Tamir Hayman discussed the operation’s objectives during an INSS podcast . He came away with two primary aims: the restoration of the Israeli army’s “operational freedom” — the ability of the army to enter any part of the West Bank unchallenged and unmolested by resistance — and, most notably, to facilitate the conditions for the return of the Palestinian Authority to the camp. Here

World Council of Churches fails Palestinians:

Friends of the World Council of Churches (WCC) who celebrated the WCC’s 2022 General Assembly’s overwhelming adoption of a report calling on the ecumenical organization’s leadership “to examine, discuss and discern the implications of the recent reports by B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International [naming Israel apartheid]” are understandably disappointed. Here

Palestinian children abused in Israeli detention: NGO

Palestinian minors arrested by Israeli forces face immense emotional and physical abuse, according to the rights group Save the Children, which has revealed the tragedy minors go through as detainees in a new report.

In the report published on Monday, the group said some of the former child detainees it spoke to reported violence of a sexual nature, while many others were beaten, handcuffed and blindfolded in small cages in detention centres and upon being moved between centres. Here

Jenin

Israel’s Jenin attack suggests history may be repeating. Biden is watching it happen. Here
Israel seeks revenge with Jenin invasion Here
On the Battle of Jenin and “The Battle of Algiers” Here
Could Israel carry out another Nakba Here
'No Red Lines,' US response to West Bank assault underlines Israel's free hand Here

More Resources

New Hampshire governor signs executive order targeting BDS movement Here
Republicans threaten Biden nominees over ‘antisemitic' boycott of Israel Here
State Dept dodges question on whether Palestinians have right to defend themselves, says situation ‘not comparable’ with Ukraine Here
Their blood cries out — Israeli-American’s memoir faces the Nakba Here
The Destruction of This Palestinian Community Was Green-Lighted by Israel’s Supreme Court Here

Media Resources

Is Israel Guilty Of Apartheid Against Palestinians? (YouTube video) Here

Take Action

Tell Congress: Stop funding Israel’s massacres of Palestinians Here
Action Request: Jenin/The Freedom Theatre Here

Spring Appeal Results

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:32:57 GMT

Spring Appeal Results: One-to-One Match Generates over $5,000

UCC PIN’s first-ever matching grant appeal inspired 23 individual donors to contribute $2,705 for PIN’s work and witness. Their generosity leveraged an additional $2,705 from the anonymous supporters who pledged up to $5,000 in matching funds. In total, the appeal, which officially ended with the start of General Synod, raised $5,410. That’s fabulous. Many thanks to all who contributed.

This appeal represents a step forward in UCC PIN’s fund development. Until now, our fundraising has relied exclusively on (1) the commitment of PIN Steering Committee members to make a significant annual financial contribution, and (2) a modest year-end appeal. As UCC PIN increases our work with initiatives like the Solidarity Circles and expands our outreach, seeking to engage congregations and conferences in the Apartheid-Free Congregations campaign, we understand we have to be more strategic and systematic about our fundraising. That understanding inspired and propelled our spring appeal.

Raising $5,000 in two months in order to leverage the full amount of the matching grant was, admittedly, very ambitious; we knew that. Thankfully, the remaining $2,295 from the $5,000 matching grant is still on the table. The anonymous supporters have graciously agreed to continue to match donations that come in over the next months up to that amount. So, while the appeal is over, the challenge is still on.

Israel’s current extremist government and its intensification of the on-going Nakba creates both an urgency and imperative. Thank you so much for donating to support PIN's vision, witness, and work.

UCC PIN's Presence at General Synod

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:28:34 GMT

UCC PIN's Presence at General Synod

As promised, UCC PIN showed up at General Synod with trays of baklava and bowls of hummus, arguably the tastiest food offerings in the Exhibit Hall. Our booth attracted a lot of traffic: some who had been to Palestine and Israel, others who wanted to learn more, some already familiar with UCC PIN, others just learning about our work, all concerned and grateful for our resources. We offered a ‘menu’ of information about UCC PIN and some of our priorities: advocating for Rep. Betty McCollum’s bill HR 3103 “Defending the Rights of Palestinian Children and Families,” guidance for having difficult conversation with Jewish colleagues and friends, and especially our showcasing and promoting the Apartheid-Free Congregations campaign.

PIN steering committee member Elice Higginbotham was a stalwart, staffing the booth from the Exhibit Hall’s opening until its close, with support during the first two days from fellow Pin steering committee member Allie Perry and also Dov Baum, director of the AFSC’s Economic Activism Program.

Dov flew in from Oakland, CA to be the lead presenter of a workshop on “Becoming an Apartheid-Free Congregation,” jointly sponsored by Global Ministries and UCC PIN. Peter Makari introduced the workshop describing its goals in this way, “We hope today’s workshop will empower you and your congregation or setting to learn more about the circumstances on the ground and to find meaningful ways to work for a peace with justice for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, and to participate in a new campaign – Apartheid-Free Communities.”

Dov began her presentation sharing some of her personal story. An Israeli Jew, Dov had her eyes opened when in her teens she read Cry the Beloved Country . How, she wondered, could white South Africans not have recognized their country’s apartheid? But then she realized that most Israeli Jews were similarly ignorant, in denial, didn’t care, or believed in the supremacy of Israel’s Jewish population. Nevertheless she complied with Israel's mandatory military service, assigned to work in intelligence.

Now Dov uses the research skills she learned then to expose the complicity of corporations that profit from Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime. Dov shared two helpful websites. The first, Investigate , is a divestment tool that documents companies “involved in specific human rights violations as part of the Israeli occupation.” The second, Daily Brief , on the Looking the Occupation in the Eye website, provides daily briefs documenting the ongoing violence, assaults, and killings inflicted by Israeli soldiers and Israeli settlers, and records instances of Palestinian attacks as well.

After describing the injustice and cruelty of Israel’s apartheid, Dov spoke of the imperative for action and then introduced workshop participants to the Apartheid-Free campaign and enumerated the variety of ways congregations can take action, starting with signing the campaign's pledge. Some examples of actions that congregations might take, in addition to study and preaching, include: connecting with Palestinian partners (through Global Ministries, for example), engaging in advocacy for the rights of Palestinian children, promoting BDS, and supporting the Not On Our Dime campaign that challenges the non-profit status of New York organizations funding Israeli settlements. To learn more about the pledge and how to become apartheid-free, go to the Apartheid-Free website here .

Around 25 people attended the workshop. During the Q&A, two participants shared that their respective congregations are already on the cusp of taking the pledge to become apartheid-free. UCC Pin will be resourcing and supporting other UCC congregations as they consider taking the pledge.

There was yet another way that UCC PIN showed up at Synod. At the final Speak Out on Tuesday morning, July 4th, Shari Prestemon, UCC PIN steering committee member and

Minnesota Conference Minister, was the first to take the microphone to call delegate's attention to Israel’s brutal assault on the Jenin refugee camp going on as she spoke, to decry the massacre, and to urge delegates to contact their Congressional representatives. Shari’s one minute plea begins at second 24 here .

Escalating Advocacy in Response to Israel's Escalating Violence: Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:21:57 GMT

Escalating Advocacy in Response to Israel's Escalating Violence: Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

While General Synod was in its closing two days, Israel spent those same days engaged in a brutal assault on the Jenin Refugee Camp in the West Bank, deploying drones and Apache attack helicopters from the air and on the ground military tanks and over 1,000 Israeli soldiers. The densely populated 'camp,' administered by the United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency (UNRWA), is home to more than 18,000 Palestinians, refugees from the Nakba (“catastrophe”) in 1948 and their descendants, squeezed into a ‘footprint,’ essentially a ghetto, of 0.43 kilometers. Israel’s attack, cynically dubbed ‘Operation Home and Garden,’ elicited condemnation globally, including from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (see story here ).

Within days, the national leadership of the UCC and the Disciples of Christ had issued a statement noting that Israel's troops had by then been withdrawn "for the time being," but deploring that its occupation “remains firmly in place” and its illegal settlement expansion continues with no accountability. In their statement, UCC and DOC leaders wrote, “We abhor this week’s assaults on Palestinian lives, communities, and rights. We are deeply concerned that this operation will result in an escalated risk of extended violence. We urge our own governments to use their leverage – and apply existing laws – to hold Israel accountable for such violations which amount to collective punishment of a people.”

The U.S. government, however, has given no indication of holding Israel accountable. To the contrary, on the first day of Israel’s invasion, a National Security Council spokesperson expressed US support for "Israel's security and right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups." Marwa Maziad, an expert on US-Arab-Israeli relations at the University of Maryland, observed, "The US clearly has no red lines when it comes to Israel's use of force."

Does Israel’s escalating violence against Palestinians and now this recent assault on the Jenin Refugee Camp, portend another Nakba? Political commentator and Jewish Current editor Peter Beinart thinks so. In a recent podcast, he argues that Israel is moving “closer to the possibility of mass expulsion of Palestinians in the West Bank.” Beinart observes that “Israel has in its political DNA this history of mass expulsion at its founding, and another mass expulsion . . . in 1967, and smaller scale expulsions kind of in-between.” Israel’s two-day assault on Jenin is an example of one such “smaller scale expulsion”; in response to the violence, the Palestinian Red Crescent evacuated around 3,000 residents. Beinart is likely right that we are witnessing “another Nakba.” Or perhaps more accurately, we are witnessing the Nakba that has never ended.

Meanwhile, our own US government not only draws no “red lines.” It continues to finance Israel with close to 4 billion dollars in no-strings-attached military aid and provides, as political cover, the argument that Israel has a right to defend itself. But what about the Palestinians? Don’t they, as an occupied people, have the right to defend themselves? International law is clear; yes, they do.

by British artist Dave Brown

How might we, keeping faith with our 2021 General Synod resolution, Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel , speak prophetic words denouncing the sin of Israel's on-going occupation? How can we escalate and intensify our advocacy, holding our government accountable to its own laws and insisting that it end its complicity with Israel’s violation of human rights.

Here are some concrete suggestions for immediate actions:

1. Global Ministries has turned our UCC and DOC national leaders’ statement into a bulletin insert. Use that with your congregations. You can access it here .

2. Contact your Congressional representative and senators. Urge them to condemn Israel's invasion of Jenin and to stop funding Israel’s massacres. Find links for contacting your legislators in the Actions section at the end of Breaking the Stories.

3. Go here to learn whether your Congressional Representative has signed on as a co-sponsor of HR 3103 Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israel Military Occupation. If not, call them to ask why not and then urge them to co-sponsor. Share with them the story (see Breaking the Stories ) about Save the Children's new report documenting the "immense emotional and physical abuse" to which the Israeli military subjects Palestinian children.

4. Urge your congregation to study and then take the pledge and become an apartheid-free congregation. Go to the Apartheid-Free website for resources for study, for taking the pledge, and for action.

5. Support and engage in the BDS Movement , all the more important as New Hampshire just became the 37th US state to effectively boycott boycotts, specifically prohibiting state contracts with companies that boycott Israel (see Breaking the Stories for full story).

Breaking The Stories: April 2023

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 19:05:22 GMT

Breaking The Stories: April 2023

Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

Violence erupts again at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque

GAZA/JERUSALEM, April 5 (Reuters) - Israeli police clashed with Palestinians at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque a second time on Wednesday, witnesses said, hours after the arrest and removal of more than 350 people in a police raid at the compound and despite a U.S. appeal to ease tensions.

The confrontations, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday, triggered a cross-border exchange of fire in Gaza and stoked fears of further violence. Here

Let’s Be Clear: Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Incited Violence at Al-Aqsa Mosque

The world watched in shock as the Israeli occupation forces broke into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, beating worshippers and forcing them out of the third holiest site in Islam during the holy month of Ramadan. Some 400 Palestinians were arrested, a hundred were injured, two of whom are in a critical condition, while the invading forces destroyed a small clinic attached to the mosque to prevent providing medical care to those in need. Ambulances and hundreds of Palestinians, who protested outside the gates of the mosque, were prevented from entering. Here

The History of Al-Aqsa

Located in the Old City of Jerusalem lies al-Aqsa Mosque, a world heritage site defined by some of the most magnificent architecture in history. It’s also one of the world’s most contested territories and has often been targeted by Israeli forces in raids and by extremist settler groups. So why is this site so significant to Palestinians and how has it become a symbol of their resistance? To learn about the the history of al-Aqsa Mosque, go Here

More Resources

Israeli police raid al-Aqsa Mosque; 37 people injured, Palestinians say Here

Jordan king says 'duty to deter Israeli escalation' in Jerusalem Here

Mount of Olives becomes latest target in fight for control of Jerusalem Here

Israel bombs Gaza after Lebanon rocket fire Here

As Israelis Protest Mounting Authoritarianism, Apartheid Regime Over Palestinians Goes Unchallenged Here

Israeli far-right think tank Kohelet is 'shaping US policy', experts say Here

Timeline: Shrinking Space in Israel-Palestine

Here

Trader Joe’s, stop selling Israeli matzo! Here

Putin's ICC indictment reveals a victim hierarchy in the global justice system Here

Biden’s disinvitation to Netanyahu followed PM’s accusation U.S. is funding demonstrations to ‘topple’ him Here

Media Resources

Palestinian Poet Mohammed El-Kurd on Israeli Apartheid, Growing Tension in Region & Raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque Here

Israelis Protest Netanyahu’s Attack on Democracy, but Ignore Rising Violence Targeting Palestinians (podcast) Here

It's Holy Week in Palestine. So, here's a video about Jesus the Palestinian: Jesus, Jerusalem, and Us by Amer Zahr Here

Take Action

Tell your Representatives to Support Human Rights in Israel/Palestine Here

Looking Ahead: The Nakba @75 The Ongoing Palestinian Catastrophe

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 19:01:18 GMT

Looking Ahead: The Nakba @75

The Ongoing Palestinian Catastrophe

The Indiana Center for Middle East Peace is offering a series of programs in May to mark the 75 ^th anniversary of the Nakba, highlighting in four interviews (one in person, three virtual) Israel’s ethnic cleansing and oppression of Palestinians then in 1948 and ongoing ever since. UCC PIN is a co-sponsor of this series.

Here are the online programs:

Thursday, May 4, 1 pm ET Sandra Tamari, Palestinian organizer and Executive director of Adalah Justice Project ( adalahjusticeproject.org ) Register Here

Saturday, May 13, 1 pm ET “The Continuing Nakba and the Responsibilities for Justice,” with Palestinian-American businessman Sam Bahour . Register Here

Thursday, May 18, 1 pm ET Phil Weiss, founder of the must-read daily web-based news source, Mondoweiss , covering American foreign policy in the Middle East from a "progressive Jewish perspective." Register Here

Edgewood UCC East Lansing Organizes Congregation for Congressional Action to Hold Israel Accountable

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 18:58:07 GMT

Edgewood UCC East Lansing Organizes Congregation for Congressional Action to Hold Israel Accountable

By Stephen Gasteyer, UCC PIN Steering Committee

For several years the Justice and Peace Team of Edgewood UCC in East Lansing, MI has prioritized action toward justice for Palestinians . This year, we wanted to mobilize our congregation to take action to address the US complicity in the ongoing violence and oppression perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians. We decided that we could use the after-church coffee hour to encourage our fellow parishioners to sign online letters to members of the U.S. House urging the curtailing of U.S. military aid to Israel to protest a rampant increase in violence in the West Bank.

In early March, UCC PIN's E-News included an action alert from Global Ministries to “Tell the Administration and Congress to hold Israel accountable and end unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel.” The call noted that “the oppression of Palestinians is at a crisis point.” On February 26, settlers had rampaged in Hawara causing one death, injuries of 120 and damage to Palestinian homes and possessions. This was only the latest in attacks associated with an escalation of violence – with 85 Palestinians killed in the first 10 weeks of 2023. The message called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel as long as the state continues to perpetrate escalations of violence. We created a pamphlet which not only noted that “73 House Democrats […] have written to President Biden to reverse more of Trump’s Israel policies and calls on him to declare the settlements illegal.” But that: “Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and other representatives from central Michigan did not sign the appeal.”

We then decided to see if we could get signatories during the coffee hour after a Sunday service. Our pastor, Liz Miller announced that we would be there, facilitating electronic signing of messages to House members and the President. Four of us, with our computers, set up on tables at the edge of the social hall. When people came up, we explained the action and enrolled people to send their message online on the spot. We also asked to include their names on a list to contact them about future mobilizations.

By the end of coffee hour, we had registered 19 members of the congregation and had given handouts with the URL and draft language to several others who preferred to sign and send the letter later at home on their own. We had lots of conversations with people who don’t attend our Justice and Peace Team meetings, but were more than willing to sign a statement for holding Israel to account!

UCC PIN takes the Apartheid-Free Pledge

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 18:55:23 GMT

UCC PIN takes the Apartheid-Free Pledge

The UCC PIN steering committee voted at our April meeting to take the pledge and become an Apartheid-Free organization. A year ago when our steering committee held 'listening sessions' with three of our Palestinian Christian partners, the plea we heard consistently was to ground our analysis of Israel in the reality of its being an apartheid state and to promote the language of apartheid in our congregations. Adopting the pledge is one way to keep faith with our partners' plea.

This newly launched Apartheid-Free initiative has been developed by a coalition of denominational PIN representatives, with congregations and other religious organizations or entities especially in mind. Similar to the UCC's Open and Affirming process, the Apartheid-Free initiative creates an opportunity for congregations to organize: first, to educate themselves, in this case, about the systemic injustices against Palestinians and the complicity of our government in funding Israel's occupation; and then, to take a stand for human rights, adopting for themselves, as an articulation of that stand, the Apartheid-Free pledge.

UCC PIN will be promoting this initiative, working to engage and resource UCC congregations and conferences across the nation in adopting the pledge as their own and supporting their solidarity work and advocacy. Go to the initiative's website to learn more and find resources about taking the pledge and living into what it means to be Apartheid-Free.

Apartheid-Free Pledge

We affirm our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people;

We oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression; and

We declare ourselves an Apartheid-Free _________ [community/ congregation/ organization] and to that end,

We pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.

Kairos Easter Alert 2023

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 18:53:44 GMT

Kairos Easter Alert 2023

From the forward of the 2023 Kairos Easter Alert: "This year’s Easter Alert invites us to take time each day to reflect on the suffering, the hope and the anticipation of our Palestinian sisters and brothers as they continue to experience a brutal occupation that is considered by human rights organizations and others as apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Our readings will explore the means through which the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime has created the coercive environment that forces Palestinians to leave their homes and communities. We will use as our resource, portions of a document that is being jointly prepared by Kairos Palestine and Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights ( www.badil.org ), to be released through a global webinar in May 2023 ." Here

Stepped Up Advocacy: a reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 18:51:35 GMT

Stepped Up Advocacy: a reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

This year’s Kairos Palestine Easter Alert (see link in article that follows) observes that the land of Palestine, the “cradle of Christianity,” has been called the “Fifth Gospel.” Its geography undergirds and is inseparable from the narratives about Jesus. Indeed, as we just experienced again, the Holy Week drama of Jesus’ arrest, torturous suffering, crucifixion, and burial is, for one example, site-specific: Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Golgotha, the Garden of Gethsemane. Palestine is a land with a people that, through the centuries, has endured its own suffering, its own crucifixions: “invasions, empires, colonization and military occupations.”

And the suffering continues, inflicted as a matter of policy by Israel’s apartheid government, in what was, and is still, a Nakba, ongoing since 1948. The fig leaf of Israel’s claims to be a democracy is gone. There are no equal rights for Palestinians whether inside Israel or in the occupied territories. There is only shrinking land, shrinking space (see article about this in Breaking the Stories ), more expulsions, and escalating violence. Instances of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians have increased by almost 200% from 2017-2022.

The presence now of Israeli settlers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezeval Smotrich for two examples, as ministers in Netayahu’s religious extremist cabinet is further fanning the flames of this violence. In an April 4 ^th interview with Israeli Channel 12, Ben-Gvir made this incendiary and provocative appeal: “Jews should storm the Temple Mount [al-Aqsa Mosque], because it is not only for Arabs; I call on Jews to storm the Temple Mount.” And to no one’s surprise, Israeli police did just that, conducting raids on the al-Aqsa compound during Ramadan, beating worshippers and arresting hundreds of them. For more details about these vicious attacks and the cycle of violence unleased, see news reports in Breaking the Stories .

These are volatile times. They portend more violence, yes, and that is cause for concern. But such shameless attacks on, and ongoing injustices against, Palestinians must animate our solidarity work with even greater intensity. The stones are crying out for us to step up our advocacy for justice, to escalate our defense of human rights, and to amplify nonviolent resistance.

What might that look like? What further steps might we take? For one example, our UCC PIN steering committee has taken the step of joining the Apartheid-Free Congregations initiative. We have pledged to become an Apartheid-Free organization (see article that follows). This is a step that all UCC congregations and entities can take. We urge you to engage your congregations in studying and adopting the pledge. For another example, read the story below about the Justice & Peace Team of Edgewood UCC engaging fellow parishioners in advocacy for holding Israel to account.

Seizing This Kairos Moment: a reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:35:35 GMT

Seizing This Kairos Moment: a reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

To keep abreast of the cascade of breaking stories about Palestine and Israel right now is a challenge. Almost every day there are reports of outbreaks of yet more violence. The current violence is only new, however, in its brazen and bare-knuckled intensity. So much so that B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights NGO, described the recent Israeli settler attack on the West Bank Palestinian village of Huwara as a pogrom. “This is exactly what Israeli control looks like,” B’Tselem said. “The settlers carry out the attack, the military secures it, the politicians back it.”

The surge in attacks is rooted in the on-going structural violence of Israel’s illegal and crushing occupation or, more accurately, acquisition of Palestine. And there is nothing new about that. Such attacks on Palestinian communities are fully consistent with the “intended end of the long game of Israel’s Zionist project,” observed Richard Falk, a former UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, in a recent webinar (see link in Breaking the Stories ).

Israel’s far-right Zionist supremacist government, driven by those whom Thomas Friedman in a recent New York Times op-ed described as “messianic, religious zealots,” is pushing things to the brink. In a recent update, Sabeel Director Omar Haramy confirmed that “things are very bad . . . it’s clear we are in a third intifada.”

What is new is that this brink seems to be precipitating the beginning of a seismic shift. Globally, many Jewish leaders, including in the U.S., are now speaking out against Netanyahu’s government. Nearly 100 Democrats in Congress last week spoke up in a letter to President Biden deploring Netanyahu’s proposed judicial ‘reforms.'

Justice for Palestinians and their human and democratic rights are, however, still barely a footnote in these critiques of Israel. Nor have Palestinian rights been a focus of the massive demonstrations of Israeli citizens. This omission, while predictable, is shameful. Palestinian rights to equality and sovereignty are at the heart of the matter and need to be recognized, respected, and protected.

Now feels like a new Kairos moment, a time of unprecedented urgency but also of unprecedented opportunity. We are being called to see clearly and act decisively, as a matter of faith and of justice. We are being called to raise our voices as human rights advocates, to intensify pressure on Israel’s apartheid regime, and to insist on accountability from Israel as well as from our own government which aids and abets Israel’s human rights crimes with 3.8 billion dollars a year in military aid.

The United Church of Christ has seized this Kairos moment. On March 10th, along with nine other Christian denominations and organizations, the UCC sent a powerful and prophetic letter to President Biden and members of Congress criticizing the U.S. for “its uncritical support . . . for the Government of Israel and its failure to demand accountability,” and demanding urgent action. (Find link to the letter’s text in article below.)

This month’s Global Ministries 3 ^rd Thursday Alert (see article below) urges us to amplify the call for accountability. “[T]here is virtually no accountability for Israeli violations of Palestinian rights,” the Alert states. No accountability still for the murder of Rachel Corrie, 20 years ago, on March 16, 2003. No accountability for the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, slain by IDF soldiers last May. No accountability for the deaths of 83 Palestinians killed so far this year. No accountability for the Nakba in 1948 and on-going ever since. Israel has been allowed to act with impunity.

The 3rd Thursday Alert suggests language for a letter we can each write to our members of Congress. Through our letters and our voices, let us be vigorous in calling for accountability and justice. Let us be persistent in defending the human rights of Palestinians. Let us advocate for the dignity, humanity, and equality of all God's beloved. Let us seize this Kairos moment and magnify the seismic shift.

Introducing New UCC PIN Steering Committee Members

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:33:01 GMT

Meet Our New UCC PIN Steering Committee Members!

UCC PIN is delighted to welcome three new members to our steering committee, in addition to Tala Raheb who we introduced in last month's E-News. Newly elected to three year terms are the Rev. Don Christensen, the Rev. Dr. Edward Davis, and the Rev. Rhina Ramos.

A Prophetic Appeal to President Biden and Congress: Hold Israel accountable, end US military aid

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:19:51 GMT

A Prophetic Appeal to President Biden and Congress: Hold Israel accountable, end US military aid

The United Church of Christ has joined nine other Christian denominations and organizations in a March 10th letter sent to President Biden and members of Congress. Their appeal is urgent and emphatic: "the US must end its military support of Israel." Why? "Israeli actions on the ground have created a reality based on inequality and discrimination." Their letter cites the several human rights reports documenting that Israel's policies and practices "meet the international legal definition of the crime of apartheid." To read the full text of their letter, go here .

Register Now for Post-Easter Webinar

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:17:22 GMT

Register Now for Post-Easter Webinar

On Wednesday, April at 12 noon ET, in the week following Western celebrations of Easter, and during what is Holy Week for orthodox Christians, the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac will share his understandings of the journey to Easter -- Palm Sunday, Last Week, the Cross, Resurrection -- and Easter stories in a "Wednesdays for the World" webinar.

Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in

Bethlehem, academic dean at Bethlehem Bible College, and the director of the Christ at the Checkpoint conferences, Munther has written several books. His latest is The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope.

This webinar is jointly presented by Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network (UCC PIN). The Central Atlantic Conference Palestine Israel Network (CAC PIN) will be promoting and joining us for this webinar as well. To register, go here .

General Synod 34: UCC PIN will be there

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:15:36 GMT

General Synod 34: UCC PIN will be there!

UCC PIN will have a booth in the Exhibition Hall at General Synod in Indianapolis. Steering committee member the Rev. Elice Higginbotham will be the point person for the booth. Come find us, and if you will be available and would like to help out with staffing our PIN booth during Synod, please communicate your interest to Elice, at eliceh1@gmail.com .

Breaking The Stories: March 2023

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:13:06 GMT

Breaking The Stories: March 2023

curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail

UCC PIN Steering Committee

In Bulldozing Israeli Democracy, Benjamin Netanyahu Could Become the BDS Movement’s Greatest Ally

IN RECENT YEARS, the Israeli government has identified boycott, divestment, and sanctions of the Jewish state over its treatment of Palestinians as a top threat to the country. Today, right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be the BDS movement’s greatest ally.

In his bid to evade prosecution for influence peddling and bribery, Netanyahu has forged a political alliance with Israel’s extremist religious parties , allied with the remnants of the anti-Arab terror organization Kach, and now charged forward with plans to gut the Israeli Supreme Court. Ahead of Israel’s 2022 election — the fifth in four years — Netanyahu put forward a proposal to effectively strip the judiciary of its moderating influence on Israeli society while transferring power to the executive branch and what is now an extremist-controlled Parliament . Here .

A mass wave of Israeli army refusal could be a transformative moment

During the Second Intifada, as the Israeli army was killing thousands of Palestinians in its effort to suppress the uprising, I was part of a movement of Israeli youth and soldiers who refused to serve in the army. From the age of 18 to 20, I spent 21 months under arrest and in prison, alongside many others, in protest of the occupation and its brutal policies. It was one of the largest campaigns of conscientious objection seen in Israel — one that, until recently, seemed very unlikely to occur at such a scale again.

Over the past two weeks, however, and for the first time in two decades, a new movement of Israeli army refusers has emerged in opposition to the far-right government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, as it advances a slew of anti-democratic legislation. Here

American rabbis, wrestling with Israel’s behavior, weigh different approaches from the pulpit

Rabbi Sharon Brous began a sermon at her Los Angeles synagogue last month with a content warning. “I have to say some things today that I know will upset some of you,” she began.

That same morning, across the country in New York City, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl was confessing something to her congregants, too: The sermon they were about to hear “kept me up at night.” Here

More Resources:

Settlers celebrate Purim with more attacks on Palestinians Here

Chuck Schumer declares “fullest support” for Israel Here

Surviving a Pogrom: Palestinian in Huwara Decries Israeli Settler Attack as “Ethnic Cleansing” Here

Tuesday News Bulletin 3/07/2023 Here

Don’t Let Smotrich fundraise for Genocide Here

Register for Sunday's Online Film Salon

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 15:39:33 GMT

On Sunday March 19, join an online discussion about “The Law and The Prophets” at 3 pm ET. The

documentary explains the mechanisms that Israel deploys to control Palestinians. Register , watch

the film for free at your convenience, then join the Q&A, hosted by Voices From the Holy Land

Online Film Salon .

3rd Thursday Middle East Action Alert - February

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 13:46:31 GMT

February Third Thursday Action Alert from Global Ministries

During the first month and a half of 2023, Israeli forces killed 50 Palestinians, including 11 children and one woman, with January being the deadliest month for Palestinians in nearly a decade.

Call on the Biden administration to stop being an enabler of this oppressive and often deadly environment by substituting rhetorical admonitions with concrete responses, including reducing military assistance.

Sign up for Churches for Middle East Peace Action Alerts to be delivered to your inbox, and find a list of your elected officials: HERE

What do these times require of us?

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:03:10 GMT

What do these times require of us?

Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

These are perilous and volatile times in Palestine and Israel. State violence is escalating ever more. Since the start of 2023, Israeli settlers and soldiers attacking Palestinians have killed, on average, one Palestinian a day, not just with impunity, but with the imprimatur of Israel's current extremist government. Netanyahu and his ministers shamelessly have signaled their intent to annex the West Bank and effectively extend Israel from the river to the sea.

The 2018 Nation State Law enacted de jure what continues to be writ large de facto, proving that Israel ‘s claim to be a Jewish and democrat state is an oxymoron. But not only an oxymoron. The claim has been a cynical charade, a deceitful lie, providing cover for Israel’s ongoing Nakba. As a Palestinian member of the Knesset, quoted in a recent New York Times article, asserted, “Democracy cannot exist while you’re occupying other people.”

The deceit has been obvious to many, now undeniably so, since the release of the several recent human rights reports documenting that the government of Israel perpetrates the international crime of apartheid. Undeniable. But that has not stopped predictable backlash to the reports: charges of antisemitism, efforts to discredit and rebuke, vilification of truthtellers, and criminalization of nonviolent resistance to apartheid, such as BDS.

There is, however, nothing . . . nothing . . . democratic about apartheid; it is a racist, domination system, denying rights to a whole class of humanity, in this case Palestinians.

What for us, as people of faith and promoters of human rights for all God’s beloved, do these times require? Here are some of thoughts from and priorities for UCC PIN:

Become megaphones declaring Israel’s government an apartheid regime, and then go further. Engage your congregation in taking the pledge to become an apartheid free congregation, joining the newly launched Apartheid Free Communities Campaign. (See article below).

Engage in advocacy , holding our own US government to account, for being an “enabler” as Michel Moushabeck writes in his article “We Can’t Just Let Blinken Give Israeli Apartheid the US Stamp of Approval” (See Breaking the Stories ). U.S. military aid to Israel, almost 4 billion dollars a year, makes our own government complicit in Israel’s ‘matrix of control.’ In the words of the 2021 General Synod resolution, “advocate for the cessation of U.S. military aid to Israel until such time that Palestinian human rights, civil rights, and self-determination are fully realized and protected.”

As a matter of faith, be steadfast in pursuing nonviolence , “an active practice,” as Jonathan Kuttab, writing for Sabeel and FOSNA, describes, “of opposition to injustice and principled confrontation with the oppressors while aimed at a proper solution based on equality, dignity, and justice” (see “On Armed Struggle and Nonviolence” in Breaking the Stories ). Opportunities for nonviolent witness are many. Here are some examples: support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement ; challenge laws and executive orders, now in force in 35 US states, that criminalize BDS; learn about the Deadly Exchange campaign and investigate whether your local police force has received Israeli training.

A Report on UCC PIN’s Inaugural Solidarity Circle, Still in Progress

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:51:15 GMT

A Report on UCC PIN’s Inaugural Solidarity Circle, Still in Progress

By the Rev. Marla Schrader

U CC PIN’s inaugural Solidarity Circle launched this past November when 12 UCC activists - congregational leaders, both lay and ordained - hailing from 8 different states and 10 conferences, first gathered. Our group, which by design has become an affinity group, covenanted to meet monthly for a total of six 90-minute sessions to encourage and equip one another in the long-haul work of Palestine solidarity. We have had two sessions so far.

Together we are exploring ways to strengthen our individual and congregational solidarity and to build broad alliances that contribute to a growing movement for collective liberation.

To date our discussion queries have centered on: What does faith-based solidarity mean to you? What risks have you encountered when engaging in Palestine solidarity work? What push-back have you received from your congregation or community? What risks do our Palestinian partners take?

In addition to insightful discussions, we have shared in each session: liturgical and advocacy resources; Palestinian poetry and music; study about UCC historical presence and witness in the Middle East; and prayer.

In upcoming sessions, we plan to map out our personal circles of Palestine solidarity; identify the most effective talking points for difficult conversations; examine the Nakba and Palestinian diaspora experience; and learn new ways to publicly witness as apartheid-free congregations/communities.

Our goal is to empower and support one another in leading our congregations to act on the bold and prophetic calls of the Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel (General Synod 33). UCC PIN will be organizing additional Solidarity Circles to follow this inaugural one and recruiting participants. Interested? Please contact one of our facilitators: Marla Schrader here or Eric Fistler here .

Apartheid Free Communities Campaign

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:48:40 GMT

Apartheid Free Communities Campaign Goes Public;

Help it Go Viral.

T he consensus of human rights groups – in a cascade of reports, first by B'Tselem and then Human Rights Watch in 2021, followed by Amnesty International in 2022 – is indisputable: the government of Israel practices the crime of apartheid. While the conclusion of these reports has become the focus of fierce denial and vitriolic charges of antisemitism, the facts are clear, problematic only and precisely because, as Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, points out, they are unbiased.

In response, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has convened an interdenominational coalition of faith groups that through 2022 met to design and organize a campaign of Apartheid Free Communities. UCC PIN has been participating in this coalition, along with other denominational PINs such as the Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Unitarian-Universalists, Quakers, and Baptists.

The campaign has now been launched. Inspired by the anti-apartheid movement that toppled South Africa’s apartheid regime, this Apartheid Free Communities campaign is urging faith communities, organizations, and communities to adopt the pledge below and to become apartheid free. UCC PIN will be promoting this campaign, looking to engage UCC congregations across the nation in adopting the pledge as their own, to guide their solidarity work and advocacy.

Go to the campaign's website to learn more and find resources about taking the pledge and living into what it means to be apartheid free.

Apartheid Free Pledge

We affirm our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people;

We oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression; and

We declare ourselves an Apartheid-free _________ [community/ congregation/ organization] and to that end,

We pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s Apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.

The Law and the Prophets: Discussion

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:46:21 GMT

Voices from the Holy Land to discuss The Law and the Prophets: Sunday, March 19

Voices from the Holy Land has chosen The Law and the Prophets , directed by Joshua Vis, for their March Online Film Salon. This feature length documentary showcases justice activists, prophets of today – Daoud Nassar, Sahar Vardi, Sam Bahour, Jonathan Cook, Salwa Duaibas, and others – dedicated to exposing and resisting Israel’s apartheid practices and its on-going oppression of Palestinians.

Registrants will receive a link to be able to watch the film anytime during the week before the virtual Salon on Sunday, March 19 ^th , 3 pm ET. The panel for the Q&A discussion will include filmmaker Joshua Vis; Muhaned Al Qaisy, Olive Tree Campaign; and Chase Carter, Center for Jewish Nonviolence. UCC PIN is co-sponsoring this March Salon and steering committee member Crystal Silva McCormack will have a few minutes to speak about PIN's work. To view a trailer for the film and read about the participants, go here . To register, go here .

A Palestinian Christian Reflection on the Meaning of Easter: April 12

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:43:03 GMT

Wednesday with the World webinar: The Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac

U CC PIN will be partnering with Global Ministries in hosting a Wednesday with the World webinar Wednesday, April 12 at noon ET. The Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac will be the presenter, with Global Ministries Executive Dr. Peter Makari and PIN steering committee member the Rev. Barbara Daniel co-hosting the conversation. During what is Holy Week for orthodox Christians, Munther will share his understandings of the journey to Easter -- Palm Sunday, Last Week, the Cross, Resurrection -- and Easter stories.

Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, academic dean at Bethlehem Bible College, and the director of the Christ at the Checkpoint conferences, Munther has written several books; his latest is The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope. To register for this webinar, go here .

February Breaking the Stories: curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:39:41 GMT

Img: Palestinian artist, Zaid Ayasa

Memphis Police Chief trained with Israel Security Forces

The death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers last month once again ignited outrage over the violent, militarized nature of U.S. law en forcement and placed scrutiny on police departments’ bloated budgets .

Among the objections to policing that are being revived are criticisms of a controversial series of trainings and exchange programs for U.S. police in Israel. Scores of American law enforcement leaders have attended the programs, where they learned from Israeli police and security forces known for systemically abusing the human rights of Palestinians. Here

U.K. cleric disciplined by the Church of England on charges of antisemitism brought by the Board of Deputies of British Jews

On Monday, January 30, a Disciplinary Tribunal of the Church of England imposed upon the Rev. Dr. Stephen Sizer a 12-year ban on clergy activities following its December ruling that Sizer engaged in “conduct unbecoming the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders.” Sizer—who before his retirement served for twenty years as vicar of Christ Church in Virginia Water, Surrey—is barred from licensed ministry in the Church of England. He cannot conduct worship, officiate at weddings, or perform other duties associated with the work of a pastor. Here

In Historic Move, Barcelona Cuts Ties with Israeli Apartheid

Flanked on either side by a Palestinian and a Jew, and with a mural depicting Christian imagery as a backdrop. It is in this setting that Barcelona’s mayor, Ada Colau, made a historic announcement on Wednesday: the European metropolis would become the first to put all institutional relations with Israel on hold, including its twinning agreement with Tel Aviv. The reason behind the move? Israel’s practice of apartheid against Palestinians.

Credit for the decision should be shared, however. That’s because for over a year and a half now, an organization of activists under the name ‘Enough complicity with Israel’ has been publicly pushing forward the proposal, slowly but surely.

Here

More Resources

We Can’t Just Let Blinken Give Israeli Apartheid the US Stamp of Approval Here

Palestinian shooter was named after grandfather killed by Israeli settler Here

No democracy with conflict - opinion; Encountering peace: Israel has a long way to go before finding a democratic common ground. Here

US Jews must not side with Palestinians, ‘our mortal enemies’ — Israeli diplomat Here

The US’s empty commitment to a two-state solution Here

On Armed Struggle and Nonviolence Here

Media Resources

How the US is Planning to Build its Embassy on Stolen Land in Jerusalem: Webinar, Jan 31, 2023 Here

Just Vision Breaking News: We're thrilled to announce that our latest film, Boycott , will be available to stream online worldwide starting March 1. Stay tuned for the links to stream the film on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon and Vimeo on Demand. Learn more https://justvision.org/boycott

Take Action

To: Church of England - Support Revd. Dr. Stephen Sizer's against his unjust victimisation Here

Breaking The Stories: January 2023 curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 16:28:28 GMT

Breaking the Stories: January 2023

Itamar Ben Gvir is trying to make the Aqsa compound a ‘shared site’

Quite a lot of international attention has been given to the visit of Israel’s new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, to the al-Aqsa compound in occupied East Jerusalem, merely five days after he was sworn into government

Even the United Arab Emirates, Israel’s new Arab buddy in the Middle East under the “Abraham Accords,” furiously called for an emergency UNSC meeting. Here

New Democrats in Congress are enemies of Palestine cause

A new class of Democratic politicians was sworn into office on 3 January.

After the party fared much better than expected in the US midterm elections, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) was quick to celebrate its own victories. Pramila Jayapal, the CPC chair, proclaimed : “There’s no question this will be the most progressive Democratic Caucus in decades.” Many on the American left have chest thumped this impressive electoral victory.

Despite the fanfare, however, the incoming lawmakers are hardly progressive when it comes to the question of Palestine. Rather, they have accepted the pro-Israel consensus . That will not surprise anyone who has been following the so-called left on Capitol Hill.

It is a sad fact that “progressives” feel they must voice support for Israel and its state ideology Zionism. The “progressives” try to conceal how they are helping Israel’s apartheid system to endure by perpetuating the delusion of a two-state solution and expressing half-hearted concern for Palestinians. Here

The Biden administration’s dangerous move to deepen military ties with Israel

Two years ago, the outgoing U.S. administration of Donald Trump did some bureaucratic realigning of what countries fall under which military command groups. Israel, which had been part of the EUCOM (European Command) group was transferred to CENTCOM (Central Command), which encompasses the Middle East and some of South Asia.

It was the sort of boring detail that doesn’t generate headlines, and many who do hear about it yawn and move on quickly. But when it was announced on January 15, 2021, it was celebrated by pro-Israel groups in the United States and by Israeli officials.

At the time, I noted that this was part of capitalizing on the Abraham Accords and pushing forward with the idea of forming a “Mideast NATO.” I tweeted , “This bears close watching. The burgeoning #Israel – Arab States military alliance, built by the #Trump administration for a military confrontation with #Iran, is not something @JoeBiden is going to reverse. The question will be how he manages it and what he decides to use it for.” We’re starting to see what this Biden policy looks like.

The Biden administration has pressed forward with the military aspects of the Abraham Accords’ vision, letting it be known at the end of 2022 that Israel, as part of its new position in CENTCOM, had been elevated to “full military partner” in terms of strategizing and planning with the United States. Here

More Resources

Will the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem Be Built on Confiscated Palestinian Land? Here

Harvard’s decision to not offer fellowship to leading human rights activist brings uproar Here

Why the Godfather of Human Rights Is Not Welcome at Harvard Here

I once ran Human Rights Watch. Harvard blocked my fellowship over Israel Here

Designing the Future in Palestine:

Palestinian women and feminist organizations are reimagining what liberation can look like beyond national independence. Here

Israel, Apartheid, and the Churches: Part II Here

Antisemitic Zionists Aren’t a Contradiction in Terms Here

Additional boycott measures against Israel are required, including academic boycott Here

After UN vote on ICJ, Israel preps sanctions for Palestinian Authority Here

Media Resources

ELCJHL Women’s Ordination Short Documentary Here

Rep. Rashida Tlaib Speaks Out (C-Span) Here

Press Release: U.S. Palestinian Rights Group Confronts Challenge to Human Rights Advocacy in Federal Appeals Court Here

‘Tantura’ Review: Alon Schwarz’s Documentary Breaks Open Israel’s Founding Myths (To Mixed Results) Here

Farha' and the Claustrophobic State of Palestinian Cinema Here

Newsletter: Politics for the People by Ramzy Baroud Here

Action Alerts

2023 Action Alert: Time To End Israel’s Detention and Abuse of Palestinian Children! Here

3rd Thursday Alert: Tell the Administration and Congress Not to Disburse Military Aid to Israel Here

"New Year but Same Story Here and There": Reflection by the Rev. Loren McGrail

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 16:15:36 GMT

Img: Palestinian artist @Hala Al Wa’ree : Jerusalem / Dome of the Rock

" New Year but Same Story Here and There"

Reflection by the Rev. Loren McGra il

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.

3rd Thursday Middle East Action Alert

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 22:11:01 GMT

Third Thursday Action Alert from Global Ministries

A spate of killings in 2022 by Israeli forces in the occupied territories, notably of Palestinian children and youth , has led to a tragic level of death – more than 200 Palestinians killed this year so far. At the same time, more than 5 million Palestinian refugees have remained displaced from their homes and country, and dispossessed of their property, since the Nakba – catastrophe – in 1948, relying on international support through the UN. . Tell your Congressional representatives to support the needs of Palestinian refugees by supporting UNRWA; and to hold Israel’s military accountable to US foreign assistance laws regarding respect human rights.

Sign up for Churches for Middle East Peace Action Alerts to be delivered to your inbox, and find a list of your elected officials: HERE

Breaking The Stories: November 2022

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 18:09:16 GMT

Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail, UCC PIN Steering Committee

For Palestinians, Netanyahu’s victory is merely a changing of the prison guards:

Benjamin Netanyahu has made an impressive comeback after his ousting in 2021 amid corruption allegations. In this week’s election, his party, Likud, received more votes than any other party and his far-right allies came third, paving the way for a Likud-led coalition government. Although forming a coalition isn’t an easy game – indeed, Netanyahu has failed in the previous four elections to do so – this time he’s expected to form a comfortable majority bloc with ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties.

Yet despite this prospect, for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza the Israeli elections have not been at the forefront of political discussion, as they continue to resist and fight for their survival on ever-shrinking territory. For them, it’s simply a matter of changing the prison guards – because across the Israeli parties, support for the continued oppression of Palestinians and the colonisation of Palestine is a uniting feature. Here

Betty McCollum’s H.R. 2590 may finally hold Israel accountable:

…Betty McCollum’s bill is historic. It is the first bill introduced in Congress that would hold Israel accountable for violations of human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank. Conditions that would be established by the bill, which would require end-use restrictions, oversight, and track how Israel ultimately spends US foreign aid, would determine whether the Israeli government and its military used US funds to support the detention, interrogation, abuse, and ill treatment of Palestinian children; and, if confirmed, Israel would be held liable for the abuse and ill treatment of Palestinian children, while the US would be required to limit foreign military aid to Israel. Here

Will the midterms spell the end of US ‘red lines’ on Israel?

On Nov. 1, Israeli citizens voted in what looks set to be to be the most openly far-right government in the country’s history. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Americans will also head to the polls, with a slate of far-right candidates poised to win their races across the country. How are these two countries’ elections connected? How have American candidates and lobbying groups used Israel to sink their opponents’ campaigns? And will the different potential outcomes of Tuesday’s elections alter U.S. policy on Israel-Palestine? Here

More Resources

The Israel We Knew Is Gone Here
AIPAC spent over $4 million trying to stop Summer Lee but she’s headed to congress Here
USG overwhelmingly votes to pursue divestment from “Israeli apartheid” Here
The American Jewish war over Zionism can begin Here
Israel’s ascendant far right can’t be understood by analogy Here
The forgotten role of Palestinian citizens in Israel’s coalition wars Here
Face of Facism: Kahanist MK boasts of beating, pissing on Bedouin family Here
Israel's far-right kingmakers draw on U.S. funding — despite terror classifications Here
West Bank Dispatch: The trail of martyrs continues, but so does resistance Here

Books

The First Advent in Palestine, by Kelley Nikondeha, Broadleaf Books, Published Oct. 4, 2022. Reviewed by Noushin Darya Framke Here
Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, Edited by Jehad Abusalim, Jennifer Bing, and Mike Merryman-Lotze Here
Sitti’s Bird: A Gaza Story by Malak Mattar,a full-color picture book for children aged 4 to 7 years, Interlink Publishing, July 2022 Here

Media Resources

On the Nose: Victory for Netanyahu’s Far-Right Alliance Jewish Currents senior reporter Alex Kane spoke to editor-at-large Peter Beinart, contributing editor Joshua Leifer, and contributing writer Elisheva Goldberg about the rise of the Religious Zionism coalition, the commonalities between that coalition and the Israeli center-left, and how these elections might affect the US-Israel relationship. Here
“Free Speech Issue”: Meet the Arkansas Publisher & ACLU Lawyer Asking SCOTUS to Overturn Anti-BDS Law Here
Masks Off”: Responding to the Israeli Elections Here
Rising Israeli Settler Violence in the Occupied West Bank Here

Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace launches Christian Zionism article series

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 18:03:00 GMT

Dr. Philip Farah serves on UCC PIN’s steering committee in his capacity as a board member of Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP). Our organizations often work closely together. From Philip we have learned of a new PCAP initiative: a year-long series of articles on Christian Zionism.

In their announcement about the series, PCAP explains: “Christian Zionism has historically exercised and continues to exert a huge influence on Western policy towards Palestine/Israel. It preceded the modern Zionist movement and greatly contributed to providing legitimacy to Israel’s establishment. Today, it continues to contribute to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. PCAP is launching a series of articles exposing the links between Christian Zionism and the intensifying belligerence of the Israeli apartheid regime and its ghettoization and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This series of articles is not intended solely for providing information on Christian Zionism, but also for raising support for the Palestinians who are resisting Israeli Apartheid, as they call on the world to boycott, divest, and sanction Israeli Apartheid.” To learn more about this series, go here .

Advent Readings 2022: Compiled by the Rev. Loren McGrail

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 18:01:14 GMT

Photo: Ceramic of Mary's Magnificant, Wall outside the Church of the Visitation, photographed by Loren McGrail

“Advent is a time of not only waiting but of staying awake, preparing for journeys, living into proclamations, and singing songs of God’s great reversal.” With these words the Rev. Loren McGrail invites us into the collection of reading, poems, prayers, and images she has compiled, on behalf of UCC PIN, as a ritual for our reflection during the four weeks of Advent. Possible uses for this collection are several: personal meditation, advent wreath candle lighting at home or in the sanctuary in the context of worship, or as an opening for Advent Bible studies.

To access and download Advent Readings 2022, go here .

UCC Online Book Discussion

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:59:18 GMT

UCC PIN Hosts Online Book Discussion of Kelley Nikondeha’s First Advent in Palestine: December 9th, noon – 1:30 pm ET

In her recently published book First Advent in Palestine , writer and liberation theologian Kelley Nikondeha invites us to an understanding of Advent that goes deeper than, as she says, “strands of twinkling lights and the anticipation of seasonal pleasures.” The Rev. Loren McGrail and the Rev. Elice Higginbotham, both UCC Pin steering committee members, joined by the Rev. Gail Doering, will co-facilitate this online interactive discussion of the journey Nikondeha takes readers on. It is, as the Rev. Mitri Raheb observes, "a journey through the tiers of multiple oppressions in Palestine from the first advent under the Roman empire to the current oppression of the indigenous Palestinians under Israeli occupation, highlighting advent as a subversion of imperial power.” The first advent in Palestine, Nikondeha asserts, gives us the "tools" of "hospitality, solidarity, and nonviolence -- ready for the hopeful to use as we subvert the empires God will one day bring to an end."

To register and get the Zoom link for this online meeting, email: Pastorloren3@gmail.com .

In advance of the December 9 ^th discussion, participants are urged to read Nikondeha’s book and/or her Christian Century article “ Mary, Joseph, and a tea vendor named Sami .” See also the link to Noushin Framke’s review of the book in Breaking the Stories.

The Practice of Advent

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:43:58 GMT

Image: Our Lady Who Brings Down Walls, Icon on Apartheid Wall, Bethlehem

The 2021 General Synod Declaration detailed several actions of witness and advocacy for its implementation. One is specifically inward facing: a kind of liturgical audit. Do our biblical interpretations conflate the ancient Israelites with the modern state of Israel? Are we decontextualizing Gospels, reading the stories 'on the flat,' ignoring the Roman imperial context of Jesus’ ministry? Are we silent about the parallels between the occupation of his day and of today?

As one response to the Declaration’s call for critical examination of “our use and interpretations of Scripture as well as liturgies and hymns,” UCC PIN is offering two resources specific to, and in preparation for, Advent, both of which recognize Palestine's context of empire, then and now.

"In a dark time, the eye begins to see," reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:41:44 GMT

Image: Untitled by Sliman Mansour

In preparation for Advent 2022, UCC PIN offers two resources, described in articles that follow, both of which invite us to enter this Advent season through Palestinian eyes: Advent Readings compiled by former Global Ministries mission personnel, the Rev. Loren McGrail, and a Book Club discussion of First Advent in Palestine . Advent this year follows elections in Israel and the United States, in a time when the land all call holy continues to suffer under Israel’s brutal military occupation, with apartheid effectively enshrined in law. In these hard times and with these Advent resources, UCC PIN invites all to join in faithful wrestling toward "hard-born hope in the God of peace."

In regard to the recent Israeli election, the result was certainly no surprise for Palestinians, nor should it have been to anyone paying attention. It was “a natural consequence of the Zionist enterprise,” observed Jeff Halper in his election report “indeed, the very culmination to which Israelis have aspired since 1948 (and well before).” The unholy alliance between Netanyahu and extremist Ben-Gvir with his fascistic Religious Zionism party represents a continuation of the entrenched practice of Israel’s on-going Nakba. If there is a change, it is “simply a matter of changing the prison guards,” asserts Yara Hawari (see lead article in Breaking the Stories ).

But this just means more of the same: the same oppression of Palestinians and their human rights, the same occupation and annexation of Palestinian land; the same demolition of Palestinian homes.

But it also means, and what we can now expect, according to Dr. Raef Zreik, a Palestinian political philosopher based at Jerusalem’s Van Leer Institute, is an “accelerating process,’ taking Israel’s apartheid to “new levels,” of state violence attacking and murdering Palestinians in the West Bank and inside Israel with impunity. We can expect increasing attacks on Israeli Palestinians’ political rights, and more. “The ugliness of Israel is inescapable. The guns everywhere. The hatred of Palestinians. The complete acceptance of apartheid,” writes Philip Weiss in “The American Jewish War Over Zionism Can Begin,” (See Breaking the Stories ).

These are grim times. Already in 2022, close to 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces (141 in the West Bank and Jerusalem, 52 in Gaza, and 4 Palestinians with Israeli citizenship). Imagine what these numbers will likely become with an accelerating process.

“In a dark time, the eye begins to see,” wrote poet Theodore Roethke. One thing that this time illuminates, in regard to Israel, is the choice, now writ larger than ever, between human rights and the discriminatory ideology of Zionism – Jewish supremacy in a Jewish land (brazenly codified in the 2018 Nation State Law). Supporters of Israel will have to confront this choice. Which side are they on?

Thomas Friedman acknowledged as much when he wrote in a recent NYT op-ed (See Breaking the Stories ), “. . . a fundamental question will roil synagogues in America and across the globe: ‘Do I support this Israel or not support it?’” That question needs to “roil” our elected officials as well: those who continue to approve billions of dollars in military aid to Israel; those who support anti-BDS legislation, jettisoning free speech rights for Israel exceptionalism.

Human rights and democracy or an apartheid, increasingly nationalistic/fascistic state? The choice is clear. Which side?

While disturbing, this time also offers openings for the on-going work of UCC PIN, other denominational PIN’s, and all Palestinian solidarity organizations. As our Jewish colleagues and friends wrestle with the contradictions between their ethical commitment to human rights and equality and the reality of Israel’s apartheid state, how might we engage in conversation with them? How will we challenge and debunk the IHRA definition that conflates criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism, while we assure Jewish colleagues of our support for Judaism?

In regard to our elected officials, now is the time for us to push hard, insisting they support Betty McCollum’s bill HR2590 (See Breaking the Stories article) which will hold Israel accountable for its egregious, criminal abuse of Palestinian children. Now is the time to challenge those who support sending billions of dollars of military aid to, what Tom Friedman calls, “such a religious-extremist-inspired government.”

“In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” May we see and seize in this time the opportunities and imperatives for further justice-seeking and advocacy.

"The Logic of Love": a Christmas Appeal for the work of UCC PIN

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:30:56 GMT

A UCC PIN Year End Reflection

In their Christmas Alert 2022 Kairos Palestine describes the reality Palestinians face as “becoming ever grimmer.” The challenges are daunting. “Still,” they write, “our faith sustains us, our hope is strong, and our love is deep.” Their appeal to the global community of faith? “This season, more than ever we covet your prayers, your advocacy and actions.”

The content of this year’s Alert is “A Declaration to the World,” the statement issued at the close of Kairos Palestine’s annual International Conference held in Beit Sahour last month. UCC PIN friends, Michael Spath, executive director of the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace (ICMEP), and Mark Braverman, Palestine Portal, were in attendance among 180 participants from Palestine and around the world.

The Declaration reasserts Kairos Palestine’s embrace of the “universal calling that came out of the land for the people of the land and the entire world: deepening our understanding, and expanding our practice, of creative resistance grounded in the radical logic of Christ’s love – an agape that defies human logic . .” You can access and read the full Alert here.

The “logic of love.” What could be a more succinct phrase to capture the essence of the incarnation, the imperative for justice-seeking, the heart of faith, and the motivation for UCC PIN’s witness and solidarity work inspired by our Palestinian partners?

With this year-end E-News, UCC PIN takes a moment to reflect on our labors of love, if you will, looking back at 2022 and then looking ahead. This past year UCC PIN’s solidarity work has been laser-focused on implementation of the 2021 General Synod resolution Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel which named Israel as an apartheid regime and its occupation as a sin. Our challenge? To turn the resolution’s prophetic words into acts of justice and to expand Palestinian solidarity work at all levels of the UCC.

Looking Back

Our efforts in 2022 have been various:

●In conjunction with Michael Spath and the ICMEP, UCC PIN organized and offered webinars on: Mainline Christian Zionism , A Human Rights Framework for a Political Solution , and The Weaponization of Antisemitism .

●Committed to being guided by and accountable to Palestinian partners, we held listening sessions with: Omar Haramy, Administrator, the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem; Rifat Kassis, General Coordinator for Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice; and Bernard Sabella, director of the Department of Service for Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches.

●To address the challenge of grounding General Synod resolutions in the grassroots of local congregations, UCC PIN has developed a program of Solidarity Circles for local church leaders and this fall launched our first Circle, with the reverends Eric Fistler and Marla Schrader facilitating, supported by the Rev. Susan Switzer.

●Through our monthly E-News we have shared and promoted webinars, films, educational and liturgical resources, and earlier this month UCC PIN hosted an online book discussion of Kelley Nikondeha’s The First Advent in Palestine .

●We collaborate with other denominational PINS through, for example, participating in monthly calls, one coordinated by Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) and another on the No Way to Treat a Child Campaign , coordinated by Defense of Children International-Palestine.

Looking Ahead

UCC PIN will be continuing all of this work into 2023. But additionally, in January UCC PIN will be rolling out a redesign of our UCCPIN.org website, with thanks to Kelly Cox, our Social Media Consultant. Based on the experience of and learnings from our first Solidarity Circle, we will be organizing and facilitating additional Circles for congregational leaders. Given that this is a General Synod year, UCC PIN plans to be a presence in Indianapolis, hosting an exhibition booth and offering programs there. And as always, we will be listening to the Cry for Hope of our Palestinian partners and inspired and guided by their sumud , their steadfast faith and perseverance.

Please Support the Work of UCC PIN

The most important ingredient for UCC PIN’s work is love, and the passion for justice-seeking and the commitment to solidarity that are expressions of that love. But our work also requires funds, and additionally so, as we enter a General Synod year. UCC PIN is entirely self-supporting. Our funding comes entirely from members of the steering committee, some congregations, and supporters like yourself.

Please consider making a generous year-end financial contribution to support PIN’s mission. To do so, click on the button below. With deep gratitude to you all for your passion for justice and peace for all Palestinians and Israelis, for your solidarity, and for your support of UCC PIN’s mission.

Breaking The Stories: October 2022

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 19:49:39 GMT

Breaking The Stories: October 2022

Curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail,

UCC PIN Steering Committee

The U.S. should end Israel funding by implementing the Leahy Law and H.R. 2590

…As Americans, we give Israel $3.8 billion worth of unconditional military aid every year, yet we do not enforce accountability mechanisms already in place, including those set forth in the Leahy Law . The Leahy Law states that we will not provide funding “… to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.”

The second statutory provision to the Law, under the Department of Defense, states that the Secretary of Defense has the responsibility to “…ensure that prior to a decision to provide any training, equipment, or other assistance to a unit of a foreign security force full consideration is given to any credible information available to the Department of State relating to human rights violations by such unit.” The Law is in place, and it is our responsibility to ensure that it is enforced, as the United States has done in other countries. Israel cannot continue to be the exception.

Not all hope is lost, though, in pushing for accountability and justice and ending human rights abuses, including the state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings of children in Palestine. Congresswoman Betty McCollum introduced H.R. 2590 , or the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, in 2021.

Here

Rashida Tlaib’s historic face-off with Israel lobby over ‘apartheid’

Rashida Tlaib’s comment that “you cannot claim to hold progressive values yet back Israel’s apartheid government” is turning into a defining moment in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Leading Jewish groups have attacked Tlaib for supposedly calling for Israel’s destruction. Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL has said that she is an antisemite. And the rightwing lobby group the Democratic Majority for Israel has helped rally a large number of Democratic House members to condemn her comments, with Rep. Ritchie Torres leading the parade, and and Debbie Wasserman Schultz in tow. Here

Palestine: Brutal settler attacks on Huwwara find allies in Israeli soldiers

Abdullah Odeh was sitting in his office in the local amusement park he owns in the northern occupied West Bank town of Huwwara when the Israeli attack began. "It was around 2.20pm when we heard the alarms go off on the cars parked outside," Odeh, 50, told Middle East Eye. "When we went outside, we saw a huge group of masked settlers descending upon us from the hilltop."They started throwing huge rocks down towards us all of a sudden, breaking the windows of the cars outside the park. It was like it was raining down rocks.

Here

More Resources:

Media Resources:

The recording of Dr. Mark Braverman's interview about his latest article in Theology Today, "Theology in the Shadow of the Holocaust: Revisiting Bonhoeffer and the Jews," on the ICMEP YouTube channel is Here . And Here is a link to Mark's article.

Why Palestine Matters

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:13:54 GMT

Why Palestine Matters

Reflection by the Rev. Allie Perry

“Why focus on Palestine? There are human rights violations all over the globe. And besides, there are so many pressing issues right here at home.” God knows, there are many pressing issues. So, it is easy to understand, with everything else that is crying out for our advocacy, the question, “Why focus on Palestine?” I hear the question a lot, sometimes as a challenge, but more often as a genuine inquiry.

Why does Palestine matter? Towards the end of a recent webinar, “Theology in the Shadow of the Holocaust: Revisiting Bonhoeffer and the Jews” (see link to the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace recording in Breaking the Stories below), Mark Braverman spoke to this question of why Palestine matters. “It matters,” he said, “of course for the sake of the Palestinians, and for the sake of the Jews in Israel who are, in their own. . . spiritual and psychological way, victims of the prisoners of this horrible system. . . But Palestine is a threshold, an entry point, to the critical, the radically critical, issues that are facing the world today.”

Mark’s designation of Palestine as a ‘threshold,’ an ‘entry point,’ caught my attention, and rings true. Hearing and responding to the cries for justice and the " cry for hope ” of Palestinians connects us in a profound way to human rights issues everywhere. There is no hermetic seal for Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people; the boundaries for injustice are porous. Human rights violations won’t be contained there, especially if they are ignored, denied, tolerated, defended, or excused.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. warned, “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” One example of such a threat is the rapid, and mostly under the radar, spread of anti-boycott of Israel laws here in the U.S. To date, 34 states have passed some form of legislation that prohibits state agencies from contracting with individuals and businesses that promote or engage in boycotts of the state of Israel. Those state contracts include pledges that persons or businesses receiving state funding are required to sign.

The powerful 2021 documentary Boycott examines the spread, across the U.S., of these laws. It follows three courageous individuals who refused to cooperate and did not sign the pledge. They spoke out against this suppression of expression. Each one challenged the threat the anti-boycott bills pose to First Amendment rights and sued their respective states.

In discussing Boycott , panelists in a recent Voices from the Holy Land webinar described these anti-boycott bills as "gateway" legislation. They warned that the legal language specific to boycotts of Israel provides a template, easily adaptable, to silence dissent on a host of issues; for example, to punish divestment from fossil fuels or to criminalize boycott of the gun industry. This is not a hypothetical or future threat. In 2021 Texas passed a law making oil divestment illegal.

Whether as gateway, threshold, or entry point to radically critical issues, Palestine matters. The UCC knows and has demonstrated this through our on-going prophetic advocacy for justice and human rights in Palestine and Israel. Examples abound: the 2015 General Synod resolution supporting targeted boycotts of companies doing business in occupied Palestine, an action consistent with the UCC's history of supporting boycotts as a tool for economic leverage; more recently the 2021 General Synod Declaration ; our longstanding work with and support for Global Ministries’ Palestinian partners; and the advocacy of UCC PIN.

At the end of his webinar, Mark Braverman called on churches to be “the conscience of the world and bring it to its sense.” He reminded us that the churches have done this before and can do it again. May it be so.

Anticipating Advent: Liturgical Resources

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:13:54 GMT

Anticipating Advent: Liturgical Resources

Loren McGail

The seasons of Advent and Christmas are saturated with sentimental images: sweet baby Jesus, Mary meek and mild, the town of Bethlehem lying still and unperturbed. Familiar hymns, like Phillip Brooks’ “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” beloved by many, have created and continue to reinforce these images, while belying the brutal colonial context into which Jesus was born and the resistance that the injustices perpetrated by imperial rule provoked and required.

Under Israel’s apartheid rule, the current reality in the streets of Bethlehem, in Jenin, and throughout the West Bank is similarly brutal. This year, for example, the Israeli army has been engaged in “Operation Break the Wave,” a massive military campaign in the West Bank. The intent? To quash Palestinian resistance to Israel's oppression. Since the beginning of October alone, Israeli forces have killed at least 10 Palestinians.

The injustices -- dispossession, racism, military domination, denial of human rights and dignity – rampant in present day Palestine, are of course here in our own country, and were there in Jesus’ day as well. The flight into Egypt was a direct response to state sanctioned, life-threatening violence. Such injustice is the ‘through line,’ the connecting thread over time of realities, for which Mary’s Magnificat and the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love are faith’s radical and requisite response.

In anticipation of Advent, UCC PIN will be offering some liturgical resources. Our first offering is the prayer below by Loren McGrail, for Advent I, incorporating themes from the Matthew 24:36-44 Gospel lesson for that Sunday.

Coming soon: an Advent ritual, for each of the four Sundays, that can be used for congregational worship and at home.

Prayer for Advent One, 2022

Come Human One, advent our lives.

Come like a thief in the night and disturb

our sleep, our comfortable realities that say

you can have peace without justice,

that say taking someone else’s land or life is not our concern,

that says it is okay to violate human rights,

to break international laws.

Break into our lives, Son of Man,

challenge our certainties,

make us vulnerable to the urgency of your Call

for a new Jerusalem, a Beloved Community here and now

in this place where the streets still run with the blood of the martyrs,

in this place all call holy, all call home.

Help us, unexpected One, to become insomniacs

to keep awake, alert, and watchful

for the ways that your coming can be thwarted, obscured, or denied

by theologies that privilege certain groups as Chosen,

by peace processes that deny the right of return,

that don’t demand the freezing of settlement building,

or walls that separate and divide.

Christ the thief, come take away our fears and insecurities.

Prepare our hearts, our minds, our spirits

for your indwelling presence,

your incarnation as a baby, a refugee,

our brother, our redeemer.

May we become uneasy and alive,

unafraid and able to hear angels announcing or singing.

May we become your advent lights

of hope, peace, faith, and love.

Gifts of Solidarity

info@uccpin.org (Nadim Hazboun) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:13:54 GMT

Gifts of Solidarity

The all-too-soon approaching Christmas season creates an opportunity for us to be intentional in our gift-giving, to spend money -- if we are buying gifts -- aligned with our justice work and our solidarity commitments. Opportunities abound to support Palestinian artisans and fair trade initiatives.

In a listening conversation that UCC PIN had last spring, Omar Haramy, Administrator, Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem, urged us to celebrate Palestinian culture. He cautioned us against regarding Palestinians simply as victims, and encouraged us instead to appreciate Palestinians as siblings in Christ who have much to offer us, spiritually, culturally, relationally, and artistically.

Here are sites for gifts that will help to spread that appreciation and be an expression of solidarity.

Canaan Fair Trade works with over 2,000 artisan family farms spanned across 52 different villages. They are engaged year-round with these communities, committed to long term partnerships with fair trade principles that ensure transparency, full direct payment, fair prices and purchase guarantee.

Zatoun is a non-profit volunteer organization registered in Canada to import and sell symbolic products from or about Palestine to create awareness for a just peace for Palestine-Israel.

Handmade Palestine is truly a labor of love to bring you the best of Palestinian handcrafts. They proudly showcase the work of 30 artisans, cooperatives, designers in Palestine as well as our own original designs.

Paltisana , an initiative of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, aims to revive the local community’s sense of beauty, strengthen Palestinian cultural identity, and cultivate local artistic talent.

Global Ministries Advocacy tools: Break Down the Wall replica, three wise women dolls, olive wood flight into Egypt, and more.

Women in Hebron is a Palestinian nonprofit fair trade cooperative under the Idna Cooperative Association for Embroidery and Handicrafts. Idna is a mid-sized Palestinian city of around 25,000 people, located to the southwest of Hebron in the West Bank.

The Palestine Museum , preserving Palestinian history and culture, telling the Palestinian story through the arts.

Shop Palestine is a project of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization working for the rights and well-being of children in the Middle East.

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