Global Initiatives for Peace and Reconciliation: Palestine
In 2017, the General Council received a call from the Palestinian Christian community to respond to the ongoing crisis in their homeland. In response, the assembly adopted Action 55, which affirmed that the integrity of Christian faith and practice is at stake in light of the injustice and suffering experienced in Palestine, as well as the cry of the Palestinian Christian community.
The resolution instructed the Secretariat to launch a program to:
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- Gather studies and resources that address the Palestinian people’s plight and explore ways to transform the conflict into a just and peaceful society, making them available to member churches.
- Engage in theological reflection and discernment using resources from member churches and the broader ecumenical movement to understand the theologies that have been used to justify the oppression of the Palestinian people. This reflection could lead to prophetic action.
- Encourage the Executive Committee to support initiatives focused on dialogue, civil peace services, mediation, conflict prevention, and transformation.
Answering this call, a mandate was established to collect resources and share them, with a particular emphasis on examining how theology has been used to justify the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people.
The resource, titled Focus: Palestine, is the outcome of that mandate. It is a comprehensive collection, consisting of three parts, an extensive appendix, and linked videos. All content is freely available for download, reproduction, and distribution for non-profit use with proper attribution.
“Hear the Palestinian church’s call. Listen to their stories and struggles; witness their hope and resilience. Then, ‘Go and Tell’—take action boldly. Our prayer is that this handbook will inspire you to be a voice for justice and truth. May it be a pilgrimage of the heart and, even more, a journey into solidarity.” — Co-authors Katherine Cunningham and Noushin Darya Framke.
