| |
United Nations International Meeting on the
Question of Palestine
March 8-9, 2005
United Nations Office at Geneva — Palais des Nations
Statement by the Rev. Bruce Gillette I begin with a note of appreciation for the invitation to participate in this
conference. The church that I serve, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (hereafter
cited as "PC(USA)"), has long been concerned about issues of peace
and justice, including the importance of international organizations like the
United Nations. Many supportive resolutions have been offered by our church;
in addition, a number of our church members have worked to promote international
community. The son of an American Presbyterian minister, Woodrow Wilson,
had a key role in the creation of the League of Nations. The son of another
American Presbyterian minister, John Foster Dulles, had an influential role in
the drafting of the charter of the United Nations. William P. Thompson,
who was a long-time Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian
Church in the USA, served as a prosecution lawyer in the war crimes trials after
World War II.
Current leaders of the PC(USA) have continued our church's engagement with
the United Nations on issues related to Israel, Palestine and the Middle East: Our
current Moderator, Rick Ufford-Chase, and one of his recent predecessors, the
Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel, have addressed assemblies similar to this; and the Rev.
Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the Stated Clerk of our General Assembly, and the Rev.
Dr. Marian McClure, Director of the Church's Worldwide Ministries Division, have
personally met with Mr. Kofi Anan, the UN Secretary General. We, like several
other U. S. Christian churches, have national offices that relate to the United
Nations on an ongoing basis. We
hope and pray the new U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, whose father
and grandfather were American Presbyterian ministers, will continue a long tradition
of American Presbyterians supporting the United Nations and its vital work for
global peace and justice.
The constitution of the PC(USA) states the church's teaching calling for people
of faith to work for justice and peace:
"Justice is the order God sets in human life for fair and honest dealing
and for giving rights to those who have no power to claim rights for themselves.
The biblical vision of doing justice calls for
- dealing honestly in personal and public business,
- exercising power for
the common good,
- supporting people who seek the dignity,
freedom, and respect that they have been denied,
- working for fair laws and just administration of the law,
- welcoming the stranger in the land,
- seeking to overcome the disparity between rich and poor,
- bearing witness against political oppression and exploitation,
- redressing wrongs against individuals, groups, and peoples in the church,
in this nation, and in the whole world.
There is no peace without justice. Wherever there is brokenness, violence,
and injustice the people of God are called to peacemaking"
b. in the world where nations place national security above all else, where
the zealotry of religion, race, or ideology explodes in violence, and where the
lust for getting and keeping economic or political power erupts in rioting or
war" (Book of Order, W-7.4002-7.4003).
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been involved in the Middle East for
nearly two centuries and this work is described on our denominational
Web site (the following paragraphs are adapted from this Web site). The
denomination's long-standing work in Israel and Palestine has spanned a range
of efforts: contributing to refugee relief and resettlement; combating hunger
and poverty; supporting ministries of local churches; sponsoring travel-study
seminars; promoting education, health and leadership development; vocational
training programs and self-development projects; programs supporting peace, justice
and human rights movements; engaging in constituency education; and mobilizing
to influence public policy. For
example, yesterday this UN meeting was reminded that March 8th is International
Women's Day. In 1835, American Presbyterians established the "a school
for girls in the Turkish Empire" in Beirut that is today the Lebanese
American University with more than 6,000 students
Since 1948 Presbyterian General Assemblies have repeatedly addressed the Middle
East and particularly Israel and Palestine (a summary
of General Assembly actions are available online). The Presbyterian
position has consistently been: to affirm the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign
state within secure, internationally recognized borders, and the right of the
Palestinians to self-determination, including the right to the establishment
of a neighboring independent, sovereign state, toward the end of establishing
a just and durable peace.
The ongoing violence in the region has been of grave concern to the church,
particularly as it has escalated to a historic degree during the past four years,
since the recent Intifada was sparked. Reiterating concern for the deaths of
civilians on all sides in this and other conflicts, the PC(USA) condemned again
terrorism at the 216th General Assembly in 2004 (this important resolution
on terrorism, along with a study guide, is available online).
Central to violence against innocent civilians, to broad human rights violations
(see the church's online Human
Rights Update  with
its special section on Israel and Palestine), to the dwindling Christian presence,
to fear, humiliation, and anger for both peoples is the ongoing illegal occupation
of Palestinian territory. The PC(USA) has repeatedly called for an end to the
Occupation. The PC(USA)'s positions have been informed by and are sensitive to
the perspectives of Christians in the region as well as Christian-Jewish and
Christian-Muslim relations. They seek to be in concert with the voices of Israeli,
Palestinian, and international peacemakers. They try to advance international
law and UN resolutions. Consistent with its stand over the decades, the PC(USA)
took four actions related to Israel and Palestine at the 216th General Assembly
in 2004: a resolution confronting "Christian
Zionism," a resolution calling for the establishment of a Palestine Mission
Network, a resolution condemning the construction of a separation wall, and a
resolution initiating a "phased process of selective divestment." The
first two of these resolutions deal with internal and church partner concerns
about beliefs and establishing a network within the church for support, advocacy
and economic development for the Palestinian people. My focus for this
meeting will be on the later two resolutions concerning the separation wall and
phased, selective divestment.
The Resolution on
Calling for an End to the Construction of a Wall by the State of Israel was adopted by the PC(USA)'s 216th General Assembly (2004) with
comment: "Recognizing that God's love as evidenced in Jesus Christ
is for all God's children, and recognizing the human rights of all people to
God's resources including land and water and livelihood, the 216th General Assembly
(2004) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) requests the Stated Clerk make known
to the president of the United States, the members of Congress of the United
States, and the State of Israel, and the Palestinian National Authority its opposition
to the construction of a wall and other barriers by the State of Israel and further
to make known the desire of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that the United
States of America make no monetary contribution to the 1.3 billion dollar cost
of the construction of this wall, construction of which has already begun and
will continue for several years."
The comment from the PC(USA) General Assembly Council: "The General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has approved numerous resolutions
on Israel and Palestine, repeatedly affirming, clearly and unequivocally, Israel's
right to exist within permanent, recognized, and "secure" borders (for
example: 1969, 1974, 1977, 1983, 1989, etc.). It has deplored the cycle of escalating
violence-carried out by both Palestinians and Israelis-which is rooted in Israel's
continued occupation of Palestinian territories (cf. statements of successive
assemblies since 1967). Presbyterians have continued to be concerned about the
loss of so many innocent lives of Israelis and Palestinians (see "Resolution
on the Middle East," approved in 1997, and "Resolution
on Israel and Palestine: End the Occupation Now," approved in 2003).
"Because of its deep concern for peace in the area, and how the 'Separation
Barrier,' generally referred to as the 'Security Wall,' is impacting the lives
of people on both sides, the General Assembly Council expresses grave alarm at
the construction of this barrier. Further, given the long-standing, deeply rooted
spiritual and programmatic bonds existing between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
and its partner churches in the Holy Land, it is particularly concerned that
the life and ministry of the dwindling remnant of the Christian community will
be severely impeded* Palestinian church partners have expressed the view that
they might not object to the construction of a wall if it were built on Israeli
land. The current wall ghettoizes the Palestinians and forces them onto what
can only be called reservations."
At the PC(USA) General Assembly, Palestinian
Christians made clear to American
Presbyterians that they would welcome less words and more action. The Rev.
Dr. Mitri Raheb, the Palestinian pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas
Church in Bethlehem, told Presbyterian Church (USA)'s 216th General Assembly
(2004) commissioners, "To have statements is not enough. They might be good
for discussions within churches, but they're not much help to us on the ground." The
Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem urged words and actions in support of Palestinians
and Israelis working for peace and justice: "[Speaking out] is not anti-Semitic.
It's not anti-Jewish. It is anti-Israel-government policy."
In response to these appeals, PC(USA) 216th General Assembly (2004) approved
a resolution on July 2, 2004 that refers "to Mission Responsibility Through
Investment Committee (MRTI) with instructions to initiate a process of phased
selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel, in accordance
to General Assembly policy on social investing, and to make appropriate recommendations
to the General Assembly Council for action." One week after the Presbyterian
action, the International Court of Justice ruled on July 9 that Israel's security
barrier violates international law because it violates Palestinians' rights. While
we take some comfort in the Israeli government's February 20, 2005 decision to
modify the route of the wall, we still believe that the wall altogether will
neither be a just solution nor will contribute to peace.
Jacques French describes
MRTI as
the PC(USA) committee that "encourages
corporations to be socially responsible, addressing issues such as environmental
problems, exploitation of workers and complete financial disclosure. This committee
was created in response to the Presbyterian belief that investment of church
funds is "an instrument of mission and includes theological, social and
economic considerations." (183rd General Assembly, 1971, GA Minutes, UPCUSA,
1971, pages 596-612.) MRTI has worked for more than 30 years at incorporating
the policies of the General Assembly into ethical investment decisions for the
Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Foundation. These policies, broadly speaking,
are the pursuit of peace, racial justice, economic and social justice, justice
for women and achievement of environmental responsibility. Because of MRTI and
similar organizations, investors have channeled more than 2 trillion dollars
into socially responsible mutual funds, pension and endowment funds for universities,
hospitals, and nonprofit organizations, and accounts of individual socially responsible
investors."
The church's non-violent use of economic tools for justice clearly works. Today
I got a letter from our denominational leaders stating that our church's boycott
of a popular fast-food chain in the United States, Taco Bell, is now over because
of the company's agreement to treat migrant workers more fairly
On November 6, 2004, the PC(USA)'s MRTI Committee adopted the following classification
system and process to identify multinational corporations in Israel and Palestine
and to implement the General Assembly policy of
phased selective divestment.
MRTI will compile a listing of multinational corporations operating in Israel
and Palestine based on the following criteria:
Classification
- Multinational corporations that provide products or services to or for
use by the Israeli police or military to support and maintain the occupation.
- Multinational corporations that provide products, services, or technology
of particular strategic importance to the support and maintenance of the occupation.
- Multinational corporations that have established facilities or operations
on occupied land.
- Multinational corporations that provide products or services,
including financial services, for the establishment, expansion or maintenance
of Israeli settlements.
- Multinational corporations that provide products and
services, including financial services, to Israeli or Palestinian organizations/
groups that support or facilitate violent acts against innocent civilians.
- Multinational corporations that provide products or services, including financial
services, that support or facilitate the construction of the Separation Barrier.
Progressive Engagement List
A list of multinational corporations identified for progressive engagement
by MRTI will be prepared using the classification system, measured against the
following factors:
- History and nature of involvement in Israel and Palestine.
- Magnitude and
strategic importance of involvement.
- Acts of corporate opposition to the occupation,
direct contributions to the victims of the occupation, support of a viable economy
for an independent Palestinian state, and non-discrimination against Israeli
Arabs or Palestinians in employment practices.
Process
- MRTI will correspond with the leadership
of those multinational corporations, expressing the concerns of the General Assembly
and pursuing a process to identify desirable changes in the company's role in
Israel and Palestine.
- MRTI will notify appropriate PC(USA) governing bodies,
soliciting their involvement in the process of engagement with corporate leaders.
- In the course of the dialog with multinational corporations, MRTI may request
the General Assembly Council to authorize the filing or co/filing of shareholder
resolutions with subject multinational corporations using appropriate channels
for the filing.
- MRTI, in cooperation with ecumenical partners, will monitor regularly
the progress made with subject multinational corporations.
- When MRTI is persuaded
that a particular multinational corporation, after extensive engagement, remains
uncooperative or has refused to be in dialog with the churches, MRTI may prepare
a recommendation to the General Assembly Council, asking the General Assembly
to place the multinational corporation on the divestment/proscription list and
urging the Foundation and the Board of Pensions to comply with the action of
the General Assembly.
The PC(USA) works ecumenically with many organizations, including the National
Council of Churches in the USA (NCCUSA) and the World Council of Churches (WCC). On
February 14-15, the Governing Board of NCCUSA received "Barriers
Do Not Bring Freedom," the statement of the NCCUSA's official delegation to the
Middle East (Jan. 21-Feb. 4), and commended it to the Council's 36 member churches
for their consideration. "Barriers Do Not Bring Freedom" states:
We understand that the Separation Barrier is being built as a deterrent
against attacks on Israel. However, we learned 85% of Israel's Separation Barrier
is being built on Palestinian land. Much of this is to include West Bank settlements
within the Barrier. Quite simply, these settlements should never have been built
and must be removed. Like any other nation, Israel has the right to build a Barrier;
however one people's barrier should not be built on the land of another people.
We call for the removal of the Separation Barrier from Palestinian territory.
We ask the international community to invest in Palestinian projects and businesses.
We learned of the pressing need for aid to flow to Palestinian communities in
East Jerusalem, in addition to other occupied territories, We call on American
Christians to contact the President of the United States and their Members of
Congress to insist U.S. policy be balanced toward both Israel and Palestine.
Middle East churches have a vital role to play as bridge builders and peacemakers.
We pledge our solidarity with them as part of the One Body of Christ and we will
look for ways to lift up their presence and needs within our churches. We
affirm and endorse the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Program
which assists Palestinians and Israelis in their everyday lives and urge our
member communions to support and participate in this program. We urge people
of faith and others in the U.S. and from around the world to visit the Middle
East and better understand the situation for themselves. As people of faith,
we affirm life. When ancient olive trees are uprooted from the soil in which
they were planted, when access to water is denied, when children's futures are
threatened, this does not lead to life in this world as intended by God. Join
us in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and in seeking justice for all people
of the Middle East.
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in
Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) is
an initiative of the World Council of Churches under the Ecumenical Campaign
to End the Illegal Occupation of Palestine: Support a Just Peace in the Middle
East and described on the WCC Web site:
Its mission is to accompany
Palestinians and Israelis in their non-violent actions and concerted advocacy
efforts to end the occupation. Participants of the programme are monitoring and
reporting violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, supporting
acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestinians
and Israeli peace activists, offering protection through non-violent presence,
engaging in public policy advocacy and, in general, standing in solidarity with
the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. Based on its agreed
framework, the EAPPI is based on principles of International Humanitarian and
Human Rights Law, including resolutions of the UN Security Council, General Assembly
and Commission on Human Rights. It is a programme developed as a response to
Israel's violation of internationally accepted norms and principles of human
rights and the rule of law, in particular the IV Geneva Convention Relative to
the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949; the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights whose Article 1 requires that parties
to the Covenant protect the rights of all individuals subject to its jurisdiction,
that is individuals under its effective control. Ecumenical Accompaniers, who
serve a minimum of three months, work with local churches, Palestinian and Israeli
NGOs, as well as Palestinian communities in various capacities to try to reduce
the brutality of the Occupation and improve the daily lives of both peoples.
Accompaniers will continue to be placed in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jayyous, Jerusalem,
Nablus, Ramallah, Tulkarem, and Yanoun. Since the programme was launched in August
2002, 168 [now nearly 200] Ecumenical Accompaniers have participated from more
than 30 churches and ecumenical partners in 12 countries: Canada, Denmark, France,
Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the
United Kingdom, and the United States.
The non-violent work of EAPPI is not without risk; participants have been
attacked several times. The latest
news of February 16, 2005 was that "Members
of the Italian organization Operazione Colomba (Operation Dove) and the Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT) were attacked by Israeli settlers today near Hebron, with
one volunteer still in the hospital in Beer Sheva in serious condition with head
injuries. The most seriously injured of the volunteers is from Operazione
Colomba — a nonviolent peace corps of the Pope John XXIII Community. He was bloodied
during the beating and is said to have lost consciousness. He is suffering from
short-term memory loss and blurred vision.
On February 21, 2005 the WCC
Central Committee meeting in Geneva passed an
action that "encourages member churches to work for peace in new ways
and to give serious consideration to economic measures that are equitable, transparent
and non-violent; persuades member churches to keep in good contact with
sister churches embarking on such initiatives with a view to support and counsel
one another; urges the establishment of more and wider avenues of engagement
between Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities pursuing peace; reminds churches
with investment funds that they have an opportunity to use those funds responsibly
in support of peaceful solutions to conflict. Economic pressure, appropriately
and openly applied, is one such means of action."
The work for peace and justice in the Middle East will require more than words
and actions, it also needs prayers of all people of faith. I conclude this
report with the prayer attributed to St. Francis with which I led the PC(USA)
General Assembly in prayer at the beginning of the Peacemaking Committee's report. I
realize there are people present here from many different faiths and perspectives. When
offering this prayer, I seek not to impose my faith on others, but to express
the spirit in which our church works for peace and justice for all.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow
love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek so much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to
eternal life. Amen. |
|
