PC(USA) Deepens its support for Palestine: Report from 223rd General Assembly
June 21, 2018 — St. Louis, Missouri
The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), IPMN, is pleased to announce voting results at the denomination’s biennial General Assembly in St. Louis regarding human rights for Palestine.
This year at our 223rd General Assembly, several overtures regarding Palestine were passed in committee with such overwhelming margins that they went into plenary session in the consent agenda and were approved by voice vote “by consent” at the opening session on June 20th. Here are those measures, now approved as policy:
On Opposition to Congressional and State Anti-BDS Legislation - passed in committee 50/2
On Creating a Task Force to Examine NCCOP’s Call to Ecumenical Solidarity for Justice for Palestinians - passed in committee as amended 52/3
A Resolution on the Status of Jerusalem - passed in committee 52/0
Also, the Assembly disapproved by consent:
an overture that created a false equivalency and suggested that the welfare of children is equally threatened in Israel as in Palestine. Also disapproved was a Commissioners' Resolution brought to the assembly by 2 attending commissioners which was an attempt to censure and censor IPMN’s new book Why Palestine Matters, The Struggle To End Colonialism.
On Friday afternoon, the 223rd General Assembly will vote on the remaining Palestine-related overtures, which are listed under Committee 12:
Advocating for equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel
Encouraging Jewish-Christian dialogue to include the Israeli occupation of Palestine
Urging RE/MAX to stop facilitating sale of settlement property
Commissioners’ Resolution - On Reconciliation Ministries in Israel and Palestine
On this item, the Middle East Committee deleted the recommendation to “encourage all to avoid describing grassroots peacemaking efforts as ‘normalization of an unjust situation.’” IPMN regards normalization of the occupation through dialogue counterproductive.
On other issues, the Middle East Committee also approved unanimously an overture on the crisis in Syria, calling for and end to the killing in Syria and for the Church to be engaged in the alleviation of suffering there. Also unanimously passed was a resolution calling for opposition to disengagement from Iran and calling for reducing tensions with the country where Presbyterians first arrived as missionaries in the mid-19th century. Both measures were approved by the full assembly by consensus on June 20th.