Presbyterians Chide Israel

Staff and officials of declining Mainline Protestantism have for at least four decades been often hostile to Israel.

So it was no surprise that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Office of Public Witness, World Mission, and the Israel Palestine Mission Network hosted a webinar last week titled “Israel/Palestine: US Complicity and Accountability.” The conversation explored the conflict between Israel and Palestine from a decidedly pro-Palestinian perspective and encouraged policy changes and advocacy that support the property rights for Palestinians.

Featured in the webinar was Sami Huraini, a political activist and co-founder of Youth of Sumud, an activist campaign in Israel/Palestine, and Diala Shamas, a staff attorney at the leftist Center for Constitutional Rights. Also featured was Cody O’Rourke, a member of the Good Shepherd Collective, an organization located in the West Bank that focuses on opposing Israeli “structural oppression.” Addressing the issue politically was Lara Friedman, President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, who has previously promoted anti-Israel initiatives. Each speaker presented based on their unique legal, governmental, or on-the-ground expertise. Catherine Gordon, the Associate for the PC(U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness hosted the conversation.

In typical fashion, the Presbyterian panelists exclusively faulted Israeli policies while ignoring widespread Palestinian refusal to accept Israel’s existence. They especially focused on the Israeli settlement movement in the West Bank. The Israeli government funds settlement groups to move into Palestinian territory and begin Israeli communities.

According to the panelists, there is increasing evidence that charitable donations from the United States are funding the Palestinian displacement spearheaded by Israeli nationals. The settlements have been termed “illegal” by the United Nations, as the panelists approvingly noted, and Human Rights Watch has condemned the settlements as “apartheid” and “war crimes.”

Panelist Cody O’Rourke highlighted organizations disrupting Palestinian communities, and called out charity funds backing these Israeli groups. “We wanted to organize a campaign that really targeted the funds of these settler organizations.” O’Rourke urged listeners to ask their state governments “approach their state attorney general, and ask them to investigate these charities, to ensure that these charities are fulfilling their charitable obligations, and that they’re not breaking the law by financing violence.”

Fellow panelist Diala Shamas explained the legal issues in the U.S. that contribute to what she termed Palestinian oppression, and how U.S.-based groups reputedly suppress non-violent resistance to human rights violations. She identified two assistance mechanisms the U.S. government provides the Israeli government; material and foreign assistance through government funding and private individuals, and assistance in “suppression of advocates and human rights defenders, tying the hands of those of us who seek to advocate for Palestinian rights.” She said, “It’s important to not allow these smear campaigns like the ones that the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) is actively engaging in, going after Palestinians and undermining them, to go unanswered.”

Shamas also blamed “overbroad counterterrorism laws” she said are manipulated by Israeli forces to squash dissent and denounce anti-BDS (laws against boycotting Israel) legislation. She said, “The U.S., through its inaction, allows the Israelis to effectively hijack our legal systems and our administrative systems, to silence these organizations.” She reiterated that silence by the U.S. government allows the systems in the United States to be used by “Israeli right-wing groups” to control the political dialogue and stifle support for Palestinian peoples.

Panelist Lara Friedman, the President for the Foundation for Middle East Peace, examined the issue politically rather than legally. She pointed to the push/pull movement of the “Overton Window,” which is the range of politically acceptable dialogue allowed in mainstream conversation. The Overton Window, she fretted, has shifted sharply to pushing back against pro-Palestinian conversation by pro-Palestinian Congressional representatives, amid neglect from the Biden Administration.

Friedman said the lack of consequences from the U.S. for allowing new settlements has encouraged Israeli forces to continue pushing Palestinians off land they have owned for decades. She pointed to anti-BDS legislation as a “metastasizing” of the issue, as states and federal legislators are forced to address this issue by grassroots anti-Palestinian initiatives. She said, “Anti-BDS legislation is first and foremost about preventing people from differentiating between Israel and the settlements.”

This Presbyterian conversation about Israel, like many Mainline Protestant conversations, was full of political polemics and lacking in deep theological reflection. Only voices hostile to Israel were platformed with no dissenters. It was assumed that Israel is the oppressor without examining the policies and attitudes of Palestinians. There was no reference to historic Christian understanding about the Jewish people’s connection to their historic homeland.

Christians should want justice and peace for both Israeli and Palestinians. No matter where the injustice, by whom injustice is committed, or against whom injustice is committed, Christians must remember we serve a Deuteronomy 10:18 God: “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” Our mandate must be the same.