2015 Action in Dioceses on Palestine Israel: Pennsylvania

We begin a series on resolutions passed at diocesan conventions in 2015 with the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Thanks to Cliff Cutler and Mary Allen for providing the information.

The Diocese of Pennsylvania at its November 7 Convention passed two resolutions in support of Palestinians. Resolution R-8 was put forward by the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ). Resolution R-9 was submitted by the Middle East Study Group (MESG). The texts of the resolutions are set out below.

Title: Accompanying our Episcopal Sisters and Brothers in the Holy Land (R-8)

Resolved: That the 232nd Convention of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, through its prayers and actions support the peoples of the Holy Land, especially the Living Stones of our faith, the thousands of Christians who have resided in these sacred lands from the time of the birth of Christ and live there still, among whom are our Palestinian sisters and brothers in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, by implementing the following points in the Resolution C018 passed by the 78th General Convention in June of 2015, which reads:
“ That the Convention affirm the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem in healing, education, and pastoral care;
Affirm the work of Christians engaged in relationship building, interfaith dialogue, non-violent training, and advocacy rights for the Palestinians; and
Urge Episcopalians to demonstrate our solidarity by making pilgrimage to Israel and the Occupied Territories and learning from our fellow Christians in the region.” And be it further

Resolved: That the 232nd Convention of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, implement resolution C018 of the 78th General Convention by

1. Encouraging parishes, deaneries and the Diocese to find ways to support the humanitarian work of the Diocese of Jerusalem through the raising of funds to be sent through American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
2. Urging parishes to study the issues facing the peoples of the Holy Land, particularly those of our Episcopal brothers and sisters.
3. Encouraging the Diocese, its youth ministries, and its parishes to consider pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
4. Participating in the Presiding Bishop’s Good Friday Offering, which provides financial support for Anglican ministries throughout the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

Explanation
“As Jesus descended from the Mount of Olives… and as he came near and saw the city[of Jerusalem,] he wept over it, saying ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! ‘ “ Luke 19: 37a, 41-42a

The population of our Christian brothers and sisters of the Holy Land (the “living stones” of our faith), has diminished from 9.5 % in 1922 to approximately 1% in 2015 and continues to decline. Of those remaining Christians, about 7000 are Palestinian Anglicans. While the Palestinian Christians who remain in Israel/Palestine as a group are well educated and have provided some of the strongest leadership in the quest for peace, the conditions under which they continue to live make it increasingly difficult to remain in the area.

If Christians disappear from the Holy Lands, who will be the hands and feet of Jesus? Who from the Anglican church will be the voices of reconciliation? Who will run the schools, hospitals and many ministries for women, children, and youth as well as the interfaith dialogues? Will the only Anglicans be the pilgrims visiting a land where there is no church family?

While we all work towards a just peace in the Holy Lands, the Christian presence needs to be stabilized. The Diocese of Jerusalem teaches, heals and employs hundreds in good paying jobs. In this critical time in the tinderbox of the world, families need to put food on the table tonight and children need to go to school tomorrow. We can do that.

We call upon their sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Pennsylvania to stand with them in their valiant effort to remain as living witnesses to the living Christ and his Resurrection by educating ourselves to the realities of their everyday lives; supporting the monumental amount of humanitarian aid they provide through educational services, health care and ministries for women, children and youth as well as interfaith dialogues with people of every faith in the Holy Land and by providing financial aid through the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

Resources for accompanying our Anglican sisters and brothers in the Holy Land:

The American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ,) founded in1987, acts as a partner with the Diocese of Jerusalem by helping to increase its capacity to teach and heal.  AFEDJ promotes and raises program and infrastructure funds for the humanitarian work of the Diocese of Jerusalem and its institutions so it may better serve the needs of all people in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Israel. AFEDJ is devoted to equity, respect and human dignity. 100% of funds sent through AFEDJ go directly to the designated programs, e.g. Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
TITLE: Pursuing Justice and Peace in the Holy Land Locally (R-9)

RESOLVED: that the 232nd Convention of the Diocese of Pennsylvania express its profound love and respect for all the peoples of the Holy Land, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. And be it further

RESOLVED: that this Convention express its deep concern about the worsening Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and in particular the almost 50-year occupation of Palestine by the State of Israel and the continuing human rights abuses, loss of lives, and trauma suffered by both the occupied and the occupier And be it further

RESOLVED: that this Convention express its joy and congratulations to the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry on his election as the next Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and join with the Rev. Naim Ateek, a Palestinian priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, in his prayer, “that through his leadership the sun of righteousness and justice will shine again on our Episcopal Church and the prophetic voice will again resound and our church will resurrect the prophetic and will once again, courageously, speak truth to power and the God of love, justice and peace will be glorified.” And be it further

RESOLVED: that this Convention
follow the 78th General Convention in reaffirming the vocation of the Church as an agent of reconciliation and restorative justice and in recognizing that such reconciliation must incorporate both political action and locally driven grassroots efforts;
urge members of this Diocese not to increase investments in U.S. companies that profit from the occupation;
engage with local activist groups that work toward a just and peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, seeking a secure, viable, universally recognized state or states serving both Israel and the Palestinian people;
urge its members to engage with ecumenical and interfaith partners in arranging visits to the Holy Land to experience the daily life of fellow Christians, Jews, and Muslims as well as the traditional holy sites.

EXPLANATION: The Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Palestinian portions of Jerusalem, which began following the 1967 war, is considered illegal by the international community and by our own government. Heedless of Geneva Conventions and United Nations resolutions, Israel has continued the Occupation in an increasingly severe manner, including an aggressive colonial policy of settling Israelis (now numbering 600,000) in restricted, privileged areas of Palestinian territory. Christian schools in Israel and East Jerusalem refused to open this September protesting the tight and unreasonable restrictions that the Ministry of Education is imposing against them. They are striking for the right of their students to study fully and equally as do their Jewish peers. Travel restrictions, the separation wall, random checkpoints, abusive treatment, demolition of Palestinian homes, denial of building permits, bulldozing of orchards and olive groves, Israeli-only highways in Palestinian areas, unfair distribution of limited water: constant oppression is life for Palestinians.
Despite these realities, the ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a constituent part of the Anglican Communion, has continued through its 27 congregations and more than 30 social service institutions. Especially remarkable is the service provided by its Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza which sustained severe structural damage during the 2014 war code named Operation Protective Edge. During Israel's devastating bombardment 2200 Palestinians mostly civilians, nearly 500 of them children, were killed. 72 Israelis were also killed in the fighting. The hospital’s ventilation system, generators, operating and emergency rooms were severely damaged but still it continued to serve the wounded, most of them Muslim. Its ministry and its repairs continue to this day.
Not investing further in companies deeply involved in the Occupation is a limited first step toward making peace with justice. Our Presbyterian, Methodist, and United Church of Christ colleagues have already taken similar action. This approach has been urged by civil society in Palestine, articulated in "Kairos: the Voice of the Palestinian Christians", as well as by an increasing number of Jewish groups and writers in this country and abroad, and our own Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
As Episcopalians we are committed by our baptismal covenant to 'strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.' It is imperative that we seek not to continue to profit by the denial of human rights to others. It is time for us to act.
Commentary/Analysis

In our own Diocese of Pennsylvania we tried to build on two resolutions from the Episcopal Church. Resolution R-8 denounced the silent transfer from the Holy land of Christians who in 1922 made up nearly 10% of the population. Today, they make up only 1%.

In line with national church resolution C018, resolution R-8 calls for the support of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. R-8 called for study, diocesan pilgrimages, and participation in the Presiding Bishop’s Good Friday Offering.

Resolution R-8 passed with no objection.

Resolution R-9 denounced the nearly 50-year occupation and the month-long strike by Christian schools protesting tight and unreasonable restrictions placed upon them by the Israeli Ministry of Education. It also pointed out the need for divestment from companies deeply involved in the occupation.

Resolution R-9 expressed profound love and respect for all the peoples of the Holy land, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. It urged members of the diocese not to increase investments in U.S. companies that profit from the occupation. Convention resolved to engage with local activist groups working for justice and peace. It called for visits to the Holy Land with ecumenical and interfaith partners.

This resolution passed by a vote of 160 to 128.

The issues raised against the resolutions were:
-The resolution to one responder seemed to prejudge in favor of a one state solution (with the assumption that that would be the end of Israel) although the resolution was clear that it was seeking a “state or states serving both Israel and the Palestinian people.”
-The resolution did not treat Israel and Palestine evenhandedly. This is called normalization. It negates the enormous power imbalance of the occupation.
-The resolution will be seen by our Jewish friends as anti-Semitic. This is the ecumenical deal. The deal says that “any critical discussion of Israeli policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians is to abandon (Christianity’s repentance for the holocaust) and return to anti-Semitism.”
-The resolution will be seen as unloving to our Jewish friends. This objection was made despite the first resolve expressing “profound love and respect for all the peoples of the Holy Land, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian.”
-The resolution restricting investment stands in the way of business and the free market. This is the normalization of business, that the occupation should not exist as far as it is concerned.
-Finally, the resolution calls for divestment. This will certainly hurt Palestinians. A better way would be that of positive investment called for by our Presiding Bishop.

Next up: Oregon