United Church of Christ and Israel: A Timeline

The General Synod of the United Church of Christ, an approximately 1 million member denomination formed from the 1957 merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches, recently voted to divest from companies conducting business in “Israel-occupied Palestinian territories” and boycott products made in those territories. This is only the latest of the church’s resolutions critical of Israeli policy and attempts to leverage change. The United Church of Christ supports a two-state solution for the region.

Here is a timeline of past anti-Israeli resolutions of the United Church of Christ over the last two decades:

In 1993, the 19^th General Synod affirmed that “unilateral action regarding the sovereignty of Jerusalem only perpetuates antagonisms and threatens the peace of the region.” The unilateral action in question would be the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the whole city of Jerusalem. Israel captured West Jerusalem in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

In 1997, the 21^st General Synod passed a resolution that called for:

 – Jerusalem to remain a plural and diverse city both religiously and politically and that no party has the right to change the status of Jerusalem unilaterally.

– the building of new Israeli settlements in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza to cease

–  Palestinians to be permitted to move freely between Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank, for jobs, housing, and all services of community and religious life

In 2001, the 23^rd General Synod condemned “the use of force by Israelis in perpetuating occupation of Palestinian lands.”

In 2005, the 25^th General Synod called

“upon the Covenanted Ministries,  Pension Boards, United Church Foundation, Conferences, local churches and members to use economic leverage, including, but not limited to: advocating the reallocation of US foreign aid so that the militarization of the Middle East is constrained; making positive contributions to groups and partners committed to the non-violent resolution of the conflict; challenging the practices of corporations that gain from the continuation of the conflict; and divesting from those companies that refuse to change their practices of gain from the perpetuation of violence, including the Occupation”

It also resolved

“that all settings of the United Church of Christ are urged to remain committed to inter-religious dialogue and to participation with Jewish, Christian and Muslim partners to work for peace in Israel-Palestine.” and that “the Twenty-fifth General Synod directs these aforementioned settings of the church to provide materials that may be used by all settings of the church to discern how economic leverage can be used to support the development of Palestine and Israel as two independent, secure, economically viable states.”

The 25^th General Synod also adopted a resolution titled “Tear Down the Wall” which condemned the Israeli building a wall through the West Bank and stated:

“the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ, mindful of all previous General Synod resolutions and all previous board resolutions and statements relating to the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically affirms the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

and

“calls upon the Israeli government to cease the project to construct the barrier, tear down the segments that have already been constructed, and make reparations to those who have lost homes, fields, property, and/or lives and health due to the barrier and its effects as security for both peoples can best be achieved through an end to the occupation and efforts to encourage access and contact, rather than restricting and denying it.”

and

“urges the U.S. government to persuade the Israeli government to abide by international law and agreements and withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.”

and

“calls upon the U.S. government to engage actively, fully and fairly in a peace process that will lead to the peaceful coexistence of two states: Israel and a future Palestine.”

In 2007, the 26th General Synod admitted that

“the possibility for a brighter future for Palestinians is diminished not only by actions of Israel but also by violent internal battles being waged between Palestinian political parties and militias.”

Despite that admission, it affirmed it’s 2005 call for Israel to tear down the walls it had erected in the West Bank.

In 2011, the 28th General Synod tabled a resolution  “In Support of Effective and Constructive Peacemaking Between Palestinians and Israelis Through Positive Investments in Palestine.”