News Archive

Patriarchs & Heads of Churches in Jerusalem: Statement on Israeli Police Brutality

elaine — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:06:37 -0700

A Statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, concerning the Israeli police measures on Holy Saturday- May 2013

We, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, watched with sorrowful hearts the horrific scenes of the brutal treatment of our clergy, people, and pilgrims in the Old City of Jerusalem during [Orthodox calendar] Holy Saturday last week. A day of joy and celebration was turned to great sorrow and pain for some of our faithful because they were ill-treated by some Israeli policemen who were present around the gates of the Old City and passages that lead to the Holy Sepulcher.

We understand the necessity and the importance of the presence of security forces to ensure order and stability, and for organizing the celebration of the Holy Fire at the Church of the Resurrection. Yet, it is not acceptable that under pretext of security and order, our clergy and people are indiscriminately and brutally beaten, and prevented from entering their churches, monasteries and convents.

We urge the Israeli authorities especially the Ministry of Interior and the police department in Jerusalem, to seriously consider our complaints, to hold responsibility and to condemn all acts of violence against our faithful and the clergy who were ill-treated by the police. We deplore that every year, the police measures are becoming tougher, and we expect that these accidents will not be repeated and the police should be more sensitive and respectful if they seek to protect and serve.

We also denounce all those who are blaming the churches and holding them responsible for the Israeli measures during Holy Week celebrations. On the contrary, the heads of churches in Jerusalem condemn all of these measures and violations of Christians’ rights to worship in their churches and Holy Sites.Therefore, we condemn all measures of closing the Old City and urge the Israeli authorities to allow full access to the Holy sites during Holy Week of both Church Calendars.

The Heads of Churches of Jerusalem

+Patriarch Theophilos III, GreekOrthodox Patriarchate
+Patriarch Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarchate
+Patriarch Norhan Manougian, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate
+Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, Custos of the Holy Land
+Archbishop Anba Abraham, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem
+Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate
+Aba Fissiha Tsion, Locum Tenensof the Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate
+Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek-Melkite-Catholic Patriarchate
+Archbishop Moussa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate
+Bishop Suheil Dawani, E piscopa lChurch of Jerusalem and the Middle East
+Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
+Bishop Pierre Melki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
+Msgr. Joseph Antoine Kelekian, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=2085&pagetypeID=8&sitecode=HQ&pagen...

Sabeel DCMetro Spring Workshop, April 27

elaine — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:55:50 -0700

Saturday, April 27, 2013 ** 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Sabeel DC Metro**2nd Annual Spring Workshop**

“Palestinians in DC Speak to the Churches”

Wesley Theological Seminary, 4500 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington DC
in the Kresge Academic Center’s Refectory

Download Flier with Registration Form

A joint project of Sabeel DC Metro & the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, featuring eight ordinary/extraordinary Palestinian women and men, all residing here in the Washington DC area: * Tarek Abuata * Philip Farah * Hanan Idilbi * *Nadia Itraish * Paul Noursi * Mai Abdul Rahman * Grace Said * Ghassan Tarazi*
**REGISTER NOW (see form below), and join us to hear about:
** Palestinians from DC Sharing their Personal Stories
& their Passion for Doing Justice
** Building a Biblical Foundation for “Doing Justice”
(Micah 6:8) in Palestine & Israel
** Myths about the Conflict & Impediments to Peace
** Palestinians “Doing Justice” in Palestine & Israel:
Programs and Resources
More info: Paul Verduin phverduin@gmail.com (301-518-5551), Melinda Thompson (301-593-0994)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**REGISTRATION FORM** (Register as soon as possible, please! Deadline: April17)
Name ________________________________________ E-mail _______________________________
Address __________________________________________________ Phone _____________________
Church (optional) __________________________Registration: $30 per person ($10 full-time students)
Free on-site parking. Lunch included in registration fee. Scholarship assistance available upon request (see contact info.) Make check payable to “Justice for Palestine-Israel.” Mail your payment and this form promptly to: Melinda Thompson/Sabeel DC, 402 Hillsboro Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20902 *301-593-0994* For online version of this flier, consult our website: www.sabeeldc.org.

Jerusalem: In Your Heart and In Your Hands

elaine — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:29:02 -0700

Jerusalem: in your heart and in your hands

An appeal for Sabeel Jerusalem from Naim Ateek. If you did not receive this appeal by regular mail and would like one of the olivewood/flower cards, simply donate now online, or mail to FOSNA, PO Box 9186, Portland, OR 97207. We will mail you a card alongwith your donation receipt.

Click her to open pdf.

Jerusalem: in your heart and in your hands

DONATE NOW

Dear Friend of Sabeel in North America,

Greetings of peace from Jerusalem. I give thanks for your steadfast and faithful support, which helps us in faith to continue our daily work for peace with justice in the Holy Land. Your personal messages through letters and emails, your donations, and your visits provide assurances not to be underestimated. How we cherish each opportunity to welcome you into our community, praying together across the ocean through our Wave of Prayer, which Friends of Sabeel emails weekly. Together we work and dream of the coming days of peace. Please continue to support us and “Come always and stay with us”, as we say in Palestine.

Sadly, our reality is not a vision of light. Apartheid walls, settlements, checkpoints, roads for Palestinians, roads
for Israelis, bulldozers crushing houses and orchards, guns, tear gas, and tears. Jerusalem is now completely surrounded.

The Israeli government’s decision to approve the construction of thousands of new settler housing units in the E1 zone will virtually cut the West Bank in half by connecting the huge illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim with Jerusalem. So, just as Gaza is separated from the West Bank, we will now have a north West Bank and a south West Bank and no free access between them. Of course any settlement on occupied territory violates international law. This is the Jerusalem of today: a fortress, a citadel. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the people did not know or did not care about the things that make for peace. His vision of the Kingdom of God included a holy city of peace, not a divided land where violence, fear and hatred are the accepted norm.

We say that Jerusalem is “in your heart and in your hands”. It is in your heart because you understand the special place the holy city holds and in your hands because in many ways Americans hold the key to peace in this region for Palestinians and Israelis. Your government’s policies enable Israel’s policies with billions in funding and military hardware. With America’s strong bipartisan support for Israel, justice and peace are on the cross.

SABEEL is our “way” to resist injustice. SABEEL in Arabic means “the way” and refers to what Christians were called in first-century Palestine, “the people of the way”. We follow the way of Jesus and observe how he practiced nonviolent resistance to the Roman military occupation and the great injustices of his day. Thanks to you, your education and advocacy work in the U.S. and your generous financial support, we have come a long way in spreading the message of the Gospel—to resist in faith and hope for the transformation of the human community.

Your generous tax-deductible gift to Friends of Sabeel—North America will be set aside for the needs of SABEEL in Jerusalem. FOSNA provides a generous grant every year for our programs in Jerusalem and Nazareth—for our international witness trips, the Global Young Adult Festival this July 1 - 6 and SABEEL’s 9th International Conference being held November 19 – 25. Please find the details of these events on our home page: www.sabeel.org or at www.fosna.org. You make these important gatherings possible by providing the funding.

Our small gift to you is the enclosed olivewood and flower card from Jerusalem. Please remember Jerusalem in your prayers. We have provided the enclosed mail-in donation form and envelope for your gift, or you may donate online through Friends of Sabeel’s website: www.fosna.org.

With gratitude,

Naim Ateek
President and Director
SABEEL Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem

Desmond Tutu Wins Templeton Award

elaine — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:52:16 -0700

Desmond Tutu Wins 2013 Templeton Prize With $1.7 Million Award

Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town who rose to international fame as he helped lead the fight against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, was named the 2013 Templeton Prize winner Thursday.

The honor, which comes with a $1.7 million award, is given annually by the West Conshohocken, Penn.-based John Templeton Foundation. It has, in recent years, been awarded to academics who work at the nexus of religion and science.

Tutu is being awarded for his promotion of what the foundation calls "spiritual progress," including love, forgiveness and human liberation, especially after the fall of apartheid when he chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission addressed tensions between perpetrators of the apartheid state and reformers, and granted amnesty on both sides to hundreds of requests out of thousands that were submitted. It is considered key to the nation's democratic transition in the 1990s.

“When you are in a crowd and you stand out from the crowd it’s usually because you are being carried on the shoulders of others,” Tutu said in response to receiving the prize in a video on the Templeton website. "I want to acknowledge all the wonderful people who accepted me as their leader at home and so to accept this prize, as it were, in a representative capacity.”

Click here to continue reading.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/desmond-tutu-templeton-award_n_3007612.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Mennonites Act for Peace Through Investment

elaine — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:30:51 -0700

MCC U.S. board acts for peace through its investments
http://www.mcc.org/stories/news/mcc-us-board-acts-peace-through-its-investments

Cheryl Zehr Walker
March 26, 2013

AKRON, Pa. – The board of directors of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. unanimously decided that MCC U.S. will not knowingly invest in companies that benefit from products or services used to perpetrate acts of violence against Palestinians, Israelis and other people groups.

The action, taken at the board’s March 16 meeting in Akron, grew from a call from partners in Palestine and Israel, including churches there, and follows a discernment process with leaders of the denominations that sponsor MCC U.S.

MCC staff in the Middle East delivered the message from churches and other partners in a letter shared about a year ago. MCC has worked with partners in Palestine and Israel for more than 60 years and more than 40 years, respectively.

The board agreed that “all reasonable measures” are to be applied immediately to not support violence in the Palestine and Israel conflict, and also that staff should explore “similar actions in support of partners in other parts of the world.”

The action means that MCC U.S. will not invest direct holdings in companies on the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) “Israel/Palestine Investment Screen” list, will choose to invest in mutual funds that limit exposure to companies on the list and will join efforts to encourage the mutual funds that it holds to adopt similar screens. Staff also will aim to align MCC U.S.’ purchasing patterns with these investment principles.

MCC U.S. Executive Director J Ron Byler explained that while the list names only companies that support Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, perpetrating acts of violence against Israelis is already illegal for Europe- and U.S.-based companies. “We will take action if we become aware of offenders against Israel, but our government ensures we do no harm to Israel, while there is no such care for Palestinians. With our partners, we desire peace, justice and reconciliation for all.”

MCC U.S. investments traditionally have mirrored the organization’s core Christian values, using vehicles such as socially responsible funds.

Byler said another aspect of the action included participating with sponsoring denominations’ peacemaking and justice-seeking efforts as invited. He said opportunities for this exist now with sponsoring denomination Mennonite Church USA.

Mennonite Central Committee: Relief, development and peace in the name of Christ

Jewish Open Letter to National Religious Broadcasters Convention

elaine — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:32:26 -0800

A Jewish Open Letter to Participants in the 2013 National Religious Broadcasters Convention

From members and friends of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council

February 2013

A plea for multi-faith understanding and peace in Israel and Palestine.

Dear Christian Colleagues,

We represent a group of rabbis that believe deeply in a vision of peace in the Holy Land, as it is written, "the Lord will bless his people with peace." (Ps. 29:11)

We also believe that peace comes when we learn to listen to each other with respect and empathy, and show our empathy by protecting the safety of all children and families without regard to identity, religion or race. "Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the person of peace." (Ps. 37:37).

As rabbis, many of us have spent years in the Holy Land learning Hebrew and studying Judaism, visiting holy sites and spending time with family and friends. What makes us unusual is our experience visiting Christian and Muslim Palestinians as well as Jewish Israelis. We have chosen to do more and be more for the sake of peace.

As rabbis deeply committed to Jews and Judaism, we have seen many things that disturb us regarding Israel's policy toward Palestinians: Christian and Muslim Palestinian families forcibly removed from their homes, children arrested and beaten, brothers and husbands incarcerated without cause for undetermined periods without recourse to legal services.

Our hearts are broken.

As you gather to affirm the role of broadcasting and journalism in promoting and preserving your faith communities, we urge you to:
• Learn about the lives of your extended Christian family in the Holy Land by actually visiting Christian communities in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, East Jerusalem, Nazareth and other Christian communities throughout Israel and the West Bank and Gaza.
• Open yourselves to the amazing work of Christians at the forefront of unarmed nonviolent struggle to obtain human rights and seek reconciliation that can be found through such organizations as Holy Land Trust, Wiam Center for Reconciliation, Siraj and Abraham's Path.
• Take an alternative trip to see Christian holy sites that are led by those who can be truthfully called indigenous Christians, that is, the Christian Palestinians who have safeguarded Christianity in the Holy Land for two thousand years.

In addition, our Muslim cousins have a lot to teach us as well about hospitality, steadfastness and hope. Palestinians are renown for their hospitality, which is rooted in Abrahamic culture and religion. In addition, Jewish groups like Rabbis for Human Rights, Break the Silence, and Boycott from Within are struggling to uphold human rights for everyone in the Holy Land.

Truth demands that we understand all sides, and we cannot do that from a distance. See for yourself.

Finally, we are rabbis that want to safeguard the last significant Jewish population in the Middle East outside the Holy Land, that is, the Jews of Iran. We believe that war with Iran will destabilize the region and will only bring more devastation and destruction to vulnerable Christian and Jewish communities throughout the Middle East. The vast majority of Muslims want to live in peace with their neighbors.

Let us seek and pursue peace by opening ourselves to God's truth: not by military might, and not by force of arms, but by my spirit alone, thus says the Lord. Promote peace and not dissension by encountering Palestinians and turning away from war with Iran. As it is written, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the true children of God."

Blessings,

From members and friends of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council:

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Rabbi Brant Rosen
Rabbi Brian Walt
Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom
Rabbi Rebecca Alpert
Rabbi Joseph Berman
Rabbi Zev-Hayyim Feyer
Rabbi David Mivasair
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
Rabbi Rebecca Lillian
Cantor Michael Davis
Rabbinic Student Jessica Rosenberg
Rabbinic Student Rain Zohav
Rabbi Rachel Barenblat
Rabbi Art Donsky
Rabbi Burt Jacobson
Rabbi Margaret Holub
Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi Borukh Goldberg
Rabbi Michael Feinberg
Rabbi Everett Gendler
Rabbi Leonard Beerman
Rabbi Haim Beliak
Rabbinic Student Ken Rosenstein
Rabbi Eyal Levinson
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Rabbi David J Cooper
Rabbinic student Chani Getter
Rabbi Mordecai Leibling
Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton
Rabbi Sarra Lev
Rabbinic Student Ari Lev Fornari
Rabbi David Dunn Bauer
Rabbi Alissa Wise
Rabbi Linda Holtzman

For more information, please contact:
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb,
Coordinator of Fellowship of Reconciliation Interfaith Peacewalks,
Cofounder of Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence,
Rabbinical Council of Jewish Voice for Peace
rabbilynn@earthlink.net 805-259-5030
______
NECEF
7565 Newman Blvd.
P.O. Box 3067
Station LaPierre
Lasalle (Montreal) QC H8N 3H2
www.necef.org

Seizing the Mandate: Boycotting Products from Illegal Settlements. UMKR Report

elaine — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:22:49 -0800

Seizing the Mandate

Boycotting Products Illegal Settlements

This reports was prepared by researchers with United Methodist Kairos Response (UMKR). 40-page PDF file.

Click to open.

Canaan Honors FOSNA with 2012 National Partner Award

elaine — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:01:09 -0800

Canaan Fair Trade USA
Honors our Interfaith Partners
and National Partner
Friends of Sabeel–North America

During 2012 these CFT Interfaith Partners choose FOSNA as their National CFT Partner and purchased our Palestinian Fair Trade
products for fundraising sales and church and community outreach:

FOSNA Albuquerque
West Hills Friends OR
FOSNA Colorado
Christ Episcopal Church VA
Bay Shore Community UCC CA
FOSNA National
St. John the Baptist Episcopal OR
St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal DC
Christ Church Cathedral MA
St. Lukeʼs Episcopal Church NJ
Covenant Presbyterian Church NC
Messiah Lutheran Church TX
FOSNA Detroit
Philly BDS

Their purchases totaled $17,261 and provided an invaluable market for our farm families. A percentage of their purchases is donated to
FOSNA by Canaan USA in gratitude.

Palestine and the Oscars

elaine — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:36:38 -0800

The Palestinian uprising was written on Hollywood's red carpet

While neither local documentary won an Oscar this year, the hoopla surrounding the films helped wake Israelis up to the ugly reality of the occupation.

By Barak Ravid
Ha'aretz -- Monday - February 25, 2013

There is nothing further from the reality in the West Bank than the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Although they are a 16-hour flight apart, the two worlds were briefly brought together on Sunday night. On Israeli television, reports about the protests in Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah were intermingled with predictions of Dror Moreh, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi's Oscar prospects.
Perhaps this night – filled with tear gas in one place and tuxedos and evening gowns in the other – actually articulated the reality of the occupation better than most. For those who were paying attention, the red carpet blared a warning of the outbreak of the third intifada.
The local documentaries nominated for Oscars, “The Gatekeepers” and “Five Broken Cameras,” reveal the makeup of the occupation from which the next violent conflagration will erupt. Like a punch in the gut or a slap in the face, they try shock Israelis out of the escapist stupor we have allowed ourselves to drift into. They pry open our tightly shut eyes, making it hard for us to remain blind to the fact that the Palestinians exist and that conscripting ultra-Orthodox men into the army and bringing down housing prices are not our most pressing national issues.

“The Gatekeepers” offers a glimpse inside the Shin Bet security service machine that over the course of 46 years has been tuned to perfection. But while it is providing absolute security to Israelis it is grinding the Palestinians into a powder.

“Five Broken Cameras” shows the despair and the anger churned up by the same well-oiled juggernaut. It captures the futile struggle of an ordinary Palestinian citizen who has been robbed of his land so we can sleep without fear.

In “The Gatekeepers,” the legendary Shin Bet chief Avraham Shalom talks about how the Shin Bet sought out work for itself in the West Bank in the 1970s. He explains how, without anybody noticing, the organization became a mechanism that feeds itself by creating more and more terrorists, producing more and more assassinations and arrests.

Shalom's words echo in the recent death, 40 years later, of the Palestinian prisoner Arafat Jaradat in Megiddo Prison. Jaradat was not an arch-terrorist. He was led into Israel's interrogation cells by the circumstances of his life. When he was arrested last week, three months after his crime, he admitted to having thrown stones. True, stones kill. But is every stone-thrower a legitimate target for the Shin Bet? If he is a Palestinian, yes; if he is a "hilltop youth," not necessarily.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not watched either of the Oscar-nominated film. He undoubtedly believes Burnat is a terrorist, Davidi is an anarchist and Moreh is a leftist commissar who – together with the Shin Bet chiefs in his movie and the hostile media – only wants to topple the regime. The truth is Netanyahu is simply afraid. If he watches the films, he might see the reality of the occupation, and worse, he might even agree, heavens forefend, with some of what he sees.

Moreh, Burnat and Davidi left the awards ceremony empty handed. The members of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences loved their films but not enough to award them the cherished Oscar statuette. But the directors did leave the ceremony with one significant accomplishment. By means of five broken cameras and the six gatekeepers, they brought the bleeding conflict between us and the Palestinians back into Israeli discourse. These days, that is quite the prize.

Film & Speaker Series, FOSNA Utah

elaine — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:50:02 -0700

Film & Speaker Series (near Salt Lake City, Utah)

“Pathways to Peace” speaker series-- Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land has joined efforts with other Utah educational/activist organizations to host a series of speakers in support of bringing peace to the Middle East, peaceful alternatives to war and peaceful alternatives to U.S. militaristic foreign policy.

Film: “Love During Wartime” Tuesday Feb. 19, 7:00 PM Salt Lake Public Library, Main Auditorium, 210 E. 400 S
LOVE DURING WARTIME follows Osama and Jasmin, newlyweds trying to build a life together against what look like impossible odds: she’s Israeli, he’s Palestinian. This tender tale of a love infiltrated by politics follows a real-life Romeo and Juliet on their odyssey from the Middle East through an inhospitable Europe. As their hopes rise and fade with each bureaucratic hurdle, will their love survive? Not Rated | 92 min | 2010 | Sweden Official Selection – 2011 Tribeca Film Festival; 2011 Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaker Series-“Pathways to Peace”—
Speaker: Dr. Tariq Ramadan- a Muslim intellectual born and raised in Europe by parents who emigrated from Egypt. Ramadan promotes a progressive and democratic Islamic theology and culture partly through encouraging the development of a European Islam. Ramadan's views are a good antidote to the Islamophobia which has been widespread in Europe and North America during recent decades of U.S. war in the Middle East. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariq_Ramadan
Wednesday, March 20, 7:00 pm Salt Lake Public Library, Main Auditorium, 210 E. 400 S. “Will the Arab Spring Bring Peace to the Middle East?"
Thursday, March 21, 12:00 noon Gould Auditorium, Marriott Library, University of Utah. “The Needs of Ethics When Dealing With an Islamic Legal System”

Speaker: Dr.David Vine - Anthropology Professor at American University in D.C. Vine has become an expert on U.S. military bases around the world, publishing Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia (Princeton, 2009) and a widely noted July 2012 article The Lily-Pad Strategy: How the Pentagon Is Quietly Transforming Its Overseas Base Empire and Creating a Dangerous New Way of War http://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/vine.cfm
Thursday, March 28, 10:45 am Hinckley Institute of Politics, University of Utah "U.S. Military Strategy in the Obama Era: Global Presence and Local Resistance" (joined by U of U Economics Professor Ken Jameson)
Thursday, March 28, 7:00 pm Conference Room B, Salt Lake Public Library, 210 E. 400 S. "U.S. Military Bases around the World: Enabling Peace or War?"
Friday, March 29, 10:00 am South Campus of Salt Lake Community College. "U.S. Military Bases around the World: Enabling Peace or War?"

Speaker: Phyllis Bennis-activist and author, Phyllis Bennis, heads 'the new internationalism project' at the Institute for Policy Studies in D.C. She is a leader of both the U.S. Campaign to End Israeli Occupation and the United for Peace and Justice antiwar coalition. Bennis authored eight books including Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power (2006) and Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict (2009). http://www.ips-dc.org/staff/phyllis
Wednesday, April 3, 2:00 pm Ragan Theater, Utah Valley University "How to Bring a Just Peace to the Holy Land"
Wednesday April 3, 7:00 pm 4th Floor Meeting Room, Salt Lake Public Library, 210 E. 400 S. "Missiles, Drones and Kill Lists: A New Phase in Foreign Policy"
Thursday April 4, 10:00 am Grand Theater, South Campus, Salt Lake Community College "Missiles, Drones and Kill Lists: A New Phase in Foreign Policy"
Thursday, April 4, 1:00 pm Hinckley Institute, Room 253, Orsen Spenser Hall, University of Utah "How to Bring a Just Peace to the Holy Land"
Speaker: Jamila Raqib- Assistant to Gene Sharp and Executive Director at the Albert Einstein Institution, Raqib is especially knowledgeable about Afghanistan where she was born. http://www.democracyintheamericas.org/content/jamila-raqib, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/t-magazine/gene-sharp-theorist-of-powe..., http://vimeo.com/30069467, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Sharp,
Friday April 12, 2:00 pm Hinckley Institute, Room 253, Orsen Spenser Hall, University of Utah "Nonviolent Struggle: Past Use and Future Potential"
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm The Salt Haus, 735 South 400 West in Salt Lake City. Workshop on “Creative Activism”including screening of the film, "How to Start a Revolution."
All the Pathways to Peace events are free and open to the public.
“Pathways to Peace” sponsors are: Friends of Sabeel Utah/Utahns for a Just Peace In the Holy Land, the Salt Lake City Public Library, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Salt Lake Community College, Gandhi Alliance for Peace, Peaceful Uprising, Wasatch Coalition for Peace and Justice, the University of Utah's Middle East Center, Religious Studies Program, Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy, Utah Valley University's Peace and Justice Studies Program, and Westminster College. All the Pathways to Peace events are free and open to the public

UN Human Rights Council: Settlement Issue Could End Up in International Criminal Court

elaine — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:31:35 -0800

Unprecedented report calls for UN Member States “to assume their responsibilities in their relationship to a State breaching peremptory norms of international law.”

Source: 972mag.com
http://972mag.com/un-human-rights-council-settlement-issue-could-end-up-...

The United Nations Human Rights Council has published its fact finding mission’s report on the settlements. The report concludes that Israeli settlements are constructed for the benefits of Jews only through a system of ethnic segregation and military law, and are in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territory by the occupying force.

Download the Report:
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/FFM/FFMSettlements.pdf

Tap into Justice: Boycott SodaStream

elaine — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:24:54 -0800

Launching an Interfaith Campaign

Friends of Sabeel--North America is proud to join with Christians, Jews, and Muslims nationwide to launch the first ever interfaith boycott of a product made in an Israeli settlement on occupied Palestinian territory. The launch coincides with Super Bowl festivities in order to publicize the interfaith boycott of SodaStream, made in the industrial sector of the illegal settlement of Ma'ale Adumin. The product is to be advertised in the fourth quarter of the game.

What can you do to help?

We urge you to sign the petition endorsing the boycott, found on the Boycott Sodastream website.

Join us and others across the country to host what the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is calling a "Fizzless for Freedom" Super Bowl party.

Sign up and invite friends to bring their computers or tablets and have fun with social media ideas that the U.S. Campaign will send during the game.

See the list of endorsers and join us in the first ever interfaith boycott of a product made on illegally confiscated land.

When our grandchildren ask us what we did to protest the immoral and illegal occupation, we can point to this as one of the ways that people of faith worked together to help bring an end to the suffering in the Holy Land.

Take the First Step: Social Media for Social Justice
A How-To by Andrea Whitmore

Twitter. It has 200 million users, and has been instrumental in movements and revolutions around the world. If you watch any of the PBS series The Abolitionists, you'll note that communicating about slavery was one of their most productive methods of raising awareness. We can use Twitter to do the same for our modern-day cause. Believe me, it is not something I ever thought I'd do, but since starting to do it, I've become more and more aware of how effective it can be.

Why do I want you to Tweet this weekend? To help with advocacy for the cause of human rights. More specifically, to be ready for any big effort, such as the upcoming boycott actions that the Interfaith Boycott Coalition, of which FOSNA is a part, is launching now.

For step-by-step instructions about setting up an account and for directions on what to do Superbowl Sunday: Read More

Buy Fair Trade Olive Oil, and more! Support farmers & Fosna

Lea — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:51:24 -0800

Friends of Sabeel– North America is partnering with Canaan Fair Trade to make high-quality Fair Trade Palestinian products available throughout North America. This program supports Palestinian farmers and will also benefit FOSNA, who receives 10% of sales made through this site. It’s a win-win situation!

Click the menu below to purchase Fair Trade products direct from Palestine! Your order will arrive in about a week.

What is Canaan Fair Trade?

Founded in 2004 and based in Jenin, Palestine, Canaan Fair Trade sells olive oil and other delicacies produced by over 1,700 small farmers and women micro-business producers organized in 50 democratic cooperatives and represented by the Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA).

Canaan Fair Trade creates opportunities for Palestinian farmers and communities, helps reestablish traditional sustainable farming in Palestine, and promotes cross-cultural, interfaith, and multi-ethnic connection of all participants in the process.

To learn more, please visit the Canaan Fair Trade USA website. You can also download the CFT brochure listed at the bottom of this page.

CTF Interfaith Program

Individuals and groups in faith communities or advocacy networks can use Canaan Fair Trade's products for fundraising for your own projects. Through CFT's Interfaith Program, you'll receive a 20% discount on products and support. Selling is a tangible and gratifying way to reach others and help bring hope to the Holy Land.

Your purchases can also help support FOSNA by designating FOSNA as your "National Partner."

For more about becoming an Interfaith Partner of Canaan Fair Trade USA, see their Interfaith Program.

To ask questions or register, please contact:

Jennifer Grosvenor
US Interfaith Coordinator
Canaan Fair Trade

jennifer@canaanfairtrade.com
Tel: (360) 907-4729

Download this colorful Canaan Fair-Trade flyer for more information.

SABEEL Christmas Message

elaine — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 09:55:27 -0800

A Child in a Manger: Liberation through Nonviolence

Sabeel Christmas Message 2012

“This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12

“For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior [liberator] of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1Tim. 4:10

This is not the first time that Christmas comes and our area of the Middle East is entangled in severe political and military turmoil. Sabeel’s Christmas letter, therefore, starts with our prayers and thoughts focused on the plight of our brothers and sisters in Palestine-Israel, especially the Gaza Strip, as well as in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and throughout our region.

Recently in Palestine-Israel, we have been trapped yet again in a war where the brunt of the violence is borne by the common people, especially the women and children. Indeed, since the creation of the state of Israel almost 65 years ago, peace has eluded us and our area has enjoyed only a modicum of stability and security. By and large, political leaders seem to believe that war is the great resolver of conflicts, yet our many wars have only exacerbated the conflict and brought us greater misery.

In reflecting on the Christmas story, what stands out to me this year are the words of the angel to the shepherds, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” The people of first century Palestine were looking for salvation and liberation from the oppressive yoke of the Roman Empire. They were looking for a military leader to overthrow their oppressors and lead them to victory. The angel, however, declared that their savior had come in the form of a helpless child. Today’s Palestinians are looking for salvation and liberation from the oppressive yoke of Israel. Tragically, and too often, it is through the clamor of the instruments of war and violence that we seek our liberation. Yet true and lasting liberation can only come through the power of nonviolence.

Ironically, Israel prefers to keep entrenching its occupation, expanding its illegal settlements, and devouring Palestinian land, rather than pursue a genuine peace with the Palestinians on the basis of UN Resolutions and International Law. Those of us who live in the present hopeless morass know that the government of Israel is not ready for such a peace. In fact, for those who have eyes to see, the recent UN bid clarifies the situation well. The overwhelming number of countries that voted yes for Palestine as an observer non-member state could no longer tolerate the intransigence of the government of Israel (138 voted for; 41 abstained; 9 voted against). This is unprecedented in the history of the Palestinian struggle. This may be a sign of the advent of peace for all the people of our region - peace that is not based on the arrogance of military power but on the power of justice through nonviolence.

Sadly, Israel is intoxicated by its military prowess, causing it to live in a state of denial concerning the movement of history. It is important to read the signs of the times. Martin Luther King once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The light of truth is beginning to shine, and it will dispel the darkness that has spread regarding Palestine.

In light of this, Sabeel will not lose hope but will renew its commitment to champion the achievement of a just peace through nonviolence. With the writer of the letter to Timothy, Sabeel says, “For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior [liberator] of all people, especially of those who believe.”

At this crucial time, let us - Palestinians, Israelis, and friends around the globe who believe in the power of justice and nonviolence - work together to end all violence and acts of war. Let us call for an empowered UN that can assume its historic responsibility, address the root causes of the conflict over Palestine, end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and implement UN resolutions, thus guaranteeing the human and political rights of the Palestinians. Only then will all the peoples of the land enjoy a shared life of peace and security in Palestine and Israel. The world must remember that the Palestinians, at this juncture in their history, yearn to fulfill their most fundamental human needs of justice, dignity, and liberty. This is a pursuit so basic that the hope and struggle for it will never die.

The angel said, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” Through nonviolence and solidarity among Palestinians, Israeli Jews, and friends around the world, and with the help of God, peace and security based on justice will be achieved.

May the hope and peace of Christmas remain with us throughout the coming New Year!

Naim Ateek
Director
7 December 2012

ELCA, Other Churches Call for Investigation of Military Aid to Israel

elaine — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:28:11 -0700

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Concerned about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and the commitment for a just peace, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and other U.S. Christian leaders are urging Congress to conduct an investigation into possible human rights and weapon violations by the government of Israel.

In an Oct. 5 letter to Congress, the religious leaders cited possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which respectively excludes assistance to any country that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limits the use of U.S. weapons to "internal security" or "legitimate self-defense."

The leaders also urged Congress "to undertake careful scrutiny to ensure that our aid is not supporting actions by the government of Israel that undermine prospects for peace. We urge Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel's compliance, and we request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance."

U.S. churches and religious organizations have been deeply involved in the pursuit of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. The religious leaders shared in their letter that they have witnessed the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions and of Palestinians as a result of Israeli actions.

"When as Lutherans we say that all the baptized will strive for justice and peace in all the earth, it means that we will be immersed in complex issues. While we do not all agree on the best way to establish justice and bring peace, we will be involved in lively, respectful, passionate conversations," said Hanson.

In their letter, the U.S. Christian leaders were clear in their recognition that Israel faces real security threats and that it has both "a right and a duty to protect both the state and its citizens," but the "measures that it uses to protect itself and its citizens, as in the case with any other nation, must conform to international humanitarian and human rights law."

The leaders further said it is unfortunate that "unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel has contributed to (the) deterioration, sustaining the conflict and undermining the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. This is made clear in the most recent 2011 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices covering Israel and the Occupied Territories, which details widespread Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian civilians, many of which involve the misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons."

Examples of human rights violence related to U.S. military support were included as an annex to the letter and, in addition to specific rights violations, the Christian leaders expressed their concern that Israel continues to expand its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, claiming territory "that under international law and U.S. policy should belong to a future Palestinian state."

"From Palestinian Lutherans, I hear discouragement about the lack of progress and questions about where the voice is of American Christians," said Hanson. "Our letter seeks to be a partial answer to such questions, that we are clear in our resolve to continue to work for a just and lasting solution for Israelis and Palestinians."

The U.S. Christian leaders wrote that it is "our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional U.S. financial assistance to the government of Israel. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued U.S. military assistance to Israel -- offered without conditions or accountability -- will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories."

They requested that Congress hold Israel accountable to these standards by "making the disbursement of U.S. military assistance to Israel contingent on the Israeli government's compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies. As Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II, it is especially critical for Israel to comply with the specific U.S. laws that regulate the use of U.S.-supplied weapons. We also encourage Congress to support inclusive, comprehensive and robust regional diplomacy to secure a just and lasting peace that will benefit Israelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region and the world."

Through an action, the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly expressed concern over continued U.S. military aid to Israel.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org
http://www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com

Quakers Sell Shares Over Israel Policy Concerns

elaine — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:42:06 -0700

By RACHEL ZOLL AP Religion Writer / October 3, 2012

http://www.boston.com/business/news/2012/10/03/quakers-sell-shares-over-israel-policy-concerns/GJReufxJYh0a5QE2YiIZVO/story.html

NEW YORK (AP) — A firm that manages assets for U.S. Quakers has sold its holdings in three companies after investors raised concerns about their dealings with Israel.

Friends Fiduciary Corp., a Philadelphia nonprofit, sold its shares in Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Veolia Environment after a review was requested by the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting. The Michigan Quaker group wanted to avoid investments in companies that provided products to the Israeli military.

Jeffery Perkins, the Friends Fiduciary executive director, said the nonprofit does not comment on its investment decisions. However, he confirmed the contents of a letter he wrote to Ann Arbor Friends last month stating the fund could not determine whether the products Caterpillar and Hewlett-Packard sold to Israel would be considered ‘‘weapons components’’ according to criteria Friends Fiduciary uses for responsible investing.

‘‘In the absence of that information, we chose to sell our holdings based on the peace testimony,’’ Perkins wrote, citing the core Quaker teaching against the use of weapons.

The fund dropped Veolia because of ‘‘environmental and social concerns,’’ Perkins wrote in the letter. Activists protesting Israeli policy in the territories say Veolia holds contracts to transfer trash from Jewish housing settlements in disputed areas. A North American spokesman for Veolia could not be reached for comment.
Caterpillar equipment gained notoriety in March 2003 when an armored bulldozer crushed an American activist, Rachel Corrie, in the southern Gaza Strip while she tried to prevent it from toppling a home. A subsequent military investigation ruled Corrie’s death an accident.

Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan said in a statement that the company does not equip tractors with armor or sell directly to the Israeli military. Instead, he explained that bulldozers such as the D9 tractor are first traded to the U.S. government and then resold to Israel, among other countries, which can then outfit the bulldozers for their own use.

‘‘As a values-based company, Caterpillar has deep respect and compassion for all persons affected by the political strife in the Middle East and supports a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,’’ Dugan said. ‘‘However, we believe it is appropriate for such a resolution to be reached via political and diplomatic channels.’’

Friends Fiduciary said it had reviewed Hewlett-Packard’s information technology consulting with the Israeli Navy. A Hewlett-Packard spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday.
Perkins did not release a dollar value for its investments in the three companies. Friends Fiduciary says it manages about $200 million for nearly 300 Quaker groups.

Quakers Divest from Veolia and Hewlett Packard

elaine — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:55:46 -0700

Quakers Divest from Veolia and Hewlett Packard!
by Anna Baltzer, National Organizer, U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=3279 [Go to the US Campaign website for more info and links]

The US Campaign is thrilled to announce that the Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) has become the first U.S. national fund to divest from Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Veolia Environment following concerns expressed by Palestinian rights advocates about the companies' involvement in the Israeli occupation. At last count, FFC held investments of more than $250,000 in HP and more than $140,000 in Veolia.

FFC handles investments for over 300 Quaker meetings, schools, organizations, trusts, and endowments around the U.S., with over $200 million in assets. According to the Executive Director of FFC, Hewlett Packard was dropped for providing information technology consulting services to the Israeli Navy, while Veolia Environment was removed due to "environmental and social concerns."

The decision followed advocacy from member group Palestine Israel Action Group of the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting (AAFM), which also successfully urged FFC to divest its $900,000 in Caterpillar shares in May. FFC has a "zero tolerance for weapons and weapons components" and said, "We are uncomfortable defending our position on this stock." Caterpillar produces and sells bulldozers to Israel that are weaponized and used to violate Palestinian rights and destroy Palestinian homes, schools, hospitals, olive groves, and lives.

The US Campaign commends AAFM and FFC, which made its recent decision, in line with FFC's principled commitment to investment in companies that "contribute positively to a peaceful, sustainable world."

Click here to show your support for FFC's principled decision to align its investments with its values.

Veolia Protest
Activists protest HP's involvement in the Israeli occupation

HP maintains a biometric ID system used in Israeli checkpoints for racial profiling; manages the Israeli Navy's IT infrastructure; and supplies the Israeli army with other equipment and services used to maintain its military occupation. Veolia is involved in a light rail linking illegal Israeli settlements with cities in Israel; it operates segregated bus lines through the occupied West Bank; and it operates a landfill and a waste water system that dumps Israeli waste on Palestinian land.

2012 will truly be remembered as a landmark year of victories in the global campaign to hold corporations accountable for profiting from Israel's violations of Palestinian human rights and international law:
Earlier this month, the dining services of Earlham College, another Quaker institution, stopped selling Sabra products in response to concerns from students and faculty about the company's links to the Israeli army. Other campuses have de-shelved Sabra recently. BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) Earlham, a member group of the US Campaign, continues its exciting campaign to convince the college to divest from Caterpillar, Motorola, and HP.

Shortly thereafter, the Student Union of the massive University of California (UC) system voted to protect students' rights to advocate BDS on campus and demanded that UC stop profiting from Israel's abuses of Palestinian rights. The motion passed by a vote of 12 to 0 (with 2 abstentions).

We Divest
And of course, Morgan Stanley Capital Investment decided this year to remove the company from its list of socially responsible companies, prompting financial giant TIAA-CREF to divest more than $72 million in Caterpillar shares previously held in TIAA-CREF's Social Choice Fund (though the company still holds Caterpillar shares in other funds). This was a major victory for the We Divest Campaign, the largest coalition-led U.S. divestment campaign in the country, which calls on TIAA-CREF to divest from companies involved in the Israeli occupation, including Veolia and HP.

These are just a few of the extraordinary victories this year in the movement to end U.S. institutional support for Israel's violations of Palestinian rights. Many more are surely on the way, as many campaigns forge ahead. This Thursday, September 27, 2012, the Minnesota Court of Appeals will hear arguments in an appeal brought by member group Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign against the Minnesota State Board of Investment.

Let's continue to show our support for corporate accountability by clicking here to thank FFC for divesting from Veolia and HP!

FOSNA Encourages Peace, Cooperation Between Faiths

Lea — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:04:33 -0700

By the Rev. Donald Wagner National Program Director, Friends of Sabeel-North America

Albuquerque Journal, Fri, Sep 21, 2012

The violent responses to the film “Innocence of Muslims” remind us that religious passions can be triggered by hate speech and provoke violent reactions. We have also seen offensive cartoons, inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions cause similar reactions. The threat to burn the Quran in Florida and the late Rev. Jerry Falwell’s claim that “Muhammad was a terrorist” are among the parallel incidents. It seems that hate speech and attacks on religions will continue, but how can we limit or stop their occurrence?

In recent weeks, Albuquerque has been a focus of interfaith bullying, a matter that has flown under the radar for too long. It’s time to bring these issues into the light in order to stop them and limit their potential damage to the community. The problems started in the spring of 2012 when Friends of Sabeel-North America announced it would hold a conference in Albuquerque on Sept. 28-29. FOSNA is the U.S. and Canadian support organization for Sabeel Jerusalem, the voice of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. FOSNA has conducted conferences in major cities across the United States during the past 10 years.

Sadly, the proposed Albuquerque conference was denounced by the Jewish Federation of Albuquerque and one local rabbi in particular who spread false rumors that Sabeel was an anti-Semitic movement that advocated the destruction of Israel. Church officials were asked not to endorse the conference, lest they offend Jewish sensibilities. Curiously, several on the Albuquerque FOSNA committee are Jewish.

When the New Mexico Conference of Churches got a request to be a co-sponsor of the conference, the federation stepped up its pressure and the conference board voted to reject the request. A local rabbi contacted the Episcopal cathedral that had agreed to host the conference. The same bullying tactics were applied and the offer to host was rescinded.

Some clergy have come under similar pressure, including Monsignor Richard Olona, a respected Roman Catholic priest with a long history of interfaith relations in Albuquerque. In Olona’s case, he was familiar with Sabeel’s theological and moral positions, including its commitment to nonviolence, justice and peace for Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Holy Land, and an end to Israel’s occupation.

Olona understood the importance of an open discussion of the issues in the Holy Land and was also concerned that with Palestinian Christians suffering extensively in Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied territories, the churches should be more aware of these issues. He was not bullied by the federation’s rhetoric and upheld the need for free speech and the conference going forward. He described for me the multiple phone calls he received.

FOSNA calls for a cessation of the bullying that only brings division and denigration of persons. We offer an open debate on these emotionally charged but vitally important issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We invite the people of Albuquerque to come and hear speakers that include Jewish Israelis, Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

We are grateful for the support of a growing list of Jews and rabbis who embrace such a learning environment. The Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinic Council issued a letter of support for the Albuquerque conference, stating: “As rabbis and people of faith, we stand in solidarity with the work of Sabeel. Canon Naim Ateek sees us as equal theological partners in the land we both love. We encourage the Jewish community to engage the Palestinian Christian faith community with an open heart and mind in order to encounter another version of faithfulness.”

We encourage the Albuquerque community to come and hear the speakers address these important issues and we encourage the faith communities of Albuquerque to work toward transcending bullying tactics which should not be allowed. Instead, let us work to transform difficult conversations and potentially divisive issues into vehicles that honor free speech.

Let’s stop the bullying now - everywhere.

Murfreesboro: FOSNA Letter to the Muslim Community

elaine — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:42:47 -0700

August 15, 2012

Dr. Ossama Bahloul
2605 Veals Road
Murfreesboro, TN 37127

Dr. Bahloul,

Congratulations and best wishes to you and the Muslim community on the opening of the mosque and community center in Murfreesboro. Your faithfulness and steadfast labors are an inspiration to all of us.

This past week national leaders of Friends of Sabeel-North America (FOSNA) met for a retreat in Portland, Oregon. You may know that
Sabeel is a Palestinian Christian peace and justice movement based in East Jerusalem. Sabeel was founded by Palestinian Christians who are struggling alongside their Muslim and Jewish sisters and brothers for justice and dignity while resisting the Occupation. It has become an international advocacy and educational movement with chapters around the world.

At the retreat we reaffirmed our commitment to be in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters.

We wish to join you in celebrating this joyous event and send you our sincere greetings and hopes for a world where all of us, including
Muslims, Christians and Jews, can live together in peace and justice.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do to advocate for your rights should the need arise. May God bless and protect you and your community in the coming months and years. In God's service, Friends of Sabeel--North America,

Ramadan Mubarak,

John Erickson Don Wagner
Chair, Board of Trustees FOSNA Program Director, FOSNA

Final Report of IPMN from 220th GA

elaine — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:30:59 -0700

Final IPMN Report from the 220th General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

www.theipmn.org

Moving Forward with Boycott
of all Israeli Products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories

At the close of the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the church’s Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) wishes to reflect on the results of the GA and to thank all of our friends, supporters, and the hundreds of church commissioners who took a stand for human rights and justice in the Holy Land last week by voting according to their consciences, and not according to their fears.

While the resolution calling for targeted divestment from three companies that profit from Israeli violations of international law and abuses of Palestinian human rights was not adopted by the plenary, it was approved overwhelmingly by the church’s Committee on Middle East Peacemaking Issues (Committee 15), and the minority report that replaced it won by a mere two out of 666 votes, with two commissioners abstaining. In truth, a full plenary discussion on divestment never took place, pre-empted by the minority report’s adoption.

On the other hand, the resolution calling for a boycott of just two products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories was expanded and strengthened by Committee 15 to cover all Israeli products made in the occupied territories, before being approved by an overwhelming majority (457-180, or 71%) of the plenary in what was a very divided Assembly. The boycott vote puts the Presbyterian Church (USA) squarely into the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005 and officially endorsed by the Palestinian Christian community in 2009 with the Kairos Palestine document. "Presbyterians have heard the call for economic solidarity from Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians,” said Rev. Jeff DeYoe, IPMN Advocacy Chair. “The IPMN looks forward to assisting the church in determining which products will be included in the boycott.”

Despite the fact that they failed to pass divestment, afterwards 57% of church commissioners voted in favor of a resolution directing the church’s Board of Pensions "to create a program for relief of conscience for plan members who are troubled by the choice to continue holding Board of Pensions assets in Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions, and Hewlett-Packard.” Although this motion was later overturned on a procedural technicality by the GA’s Stated Clerk, it clearly reflected a desire on the part of a majority of commissioners to provide an option for individual Presbyterians who have moral qualms about profiting from these three companies, whose products are used to inflict so much hardship and suffering on Palestinians.

“A few short years ago, any one of these things would have been considered a significant victory for divestment and boycott supporters,” said Rev. Katherine Cunningham, IPMN Vice-Moderator. “At every General Assembly since these issues were first introduced in 2004, the church has moved slowly but steadily towards the positions advocated by the IPMN. In 2010, following our official endorsement of a boycott of Ahava Dead Sea beauty products and dates from the Hadiklaim Co-op, we were attacked by critics for being ‘ahead of the church.’ Last week, the rest of the church caught up with the IPMN on boycotting settlement products, and moved much further in the direction of divestment than anybody could have expected just a few years ago. We believe it’s only a matter of time before the church catches up on divestment too, and we look forward to the next GA in Detroit in 2014, and to the day when both Israelis and Palestinians are able to live in peace and freedom.”