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Stop demolitions, Bishops demand

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The demolition of Palestinian homes by the government of Israel is of special concern to United Methodist bishops. During their week-long May meeting, the Council of Bishops called on the US government to cut off all funding to the government of Israel till "all home demolitions cease."

Palestinian farmer Abu Houli showed United Methodist Bishop William Oden and other American church leaders the remains of his home, orchard and well house after the Israeli Army bulldozed parts of his family farm near Deir El Balah in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip. The delegation visited the Middle East in December last year to express its solidarity with churches there and to call for a peaceful solution to the crisis in the area. Photo by Mike DuBose, United Methodist News Service

The Council includes 50 active US bishops of the 8.4 million-member denomination and 17 from other countries. An additional 60 retired bishops also attended the meeting in Scottsdale, AZ.

Outgoing Council president Bishop William Oden of Dallas met families made homeless by Israeli demolitions during a December 2000 visit to the Middle East by US church leaders.

Here is the Council's resolution on the Middle East:

WHEREAS the General Conference of the United Methodist Church has addressed the issues in the Middle East and Israel regarding the Palestinian people in resolutions titled: "The Building of Settlements in the Occupied Territories," "Economic Support for Palestinians," "The Middle East and North Africa," "Justice for the Rev. Alex Awad," "Holy Land Tours," and "Our Muslim Neighbors,"

WHEREAS the Social Principles states in Paragraph 164 on Basic Freedoms and Human Rights: "We hold governments responsible for the protection of the rights of the people to free and fair elections and to the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, communications media, and petition for redress of grievances without fear of reprisal; to the right to privacy; and to the guarantee of the rights to adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care. The form and the leaders of all governments should be determined by exercise of the right to vote guaranteed to all adult citizens. We also strongly reject domestic surveillance and intimidation of political opponents by governments in power. ... The use of detention and imprisonment for the harassment and elimination of political opponents or other dissidents ... or torture of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian teaching and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians and churches wherever and whenever it occurs."

WHEREAS basic freedoms and human rights of Palestinian people continue to be violated,

WHEREAS the building of new and expansion of existing settlements continues in Palestine,

WHEREAS the United States government has and continues to provide funding for the Israeli government and that funding supports the establishment of settlements in Occupied Territories (Palestine), the building of roadways through the Occupied Territories which divide the Palestinian lands,

WHEREAS the Palestinian and Israeli forces continue violent acts of terrorism and destruction, often inflicted upon innocent men, women and children,

WE THEREFORE CALL UPON the United States government, through Congress, to use all measures possible, including the cutting off of all funding to the Israeli government, to insure that the following conditions are met:
  • All human rights violations cease.
  • Building of roads for the purpose of dividing the Palestinian lands through the West Bank and Gaza cease.
  • No more Jewish settlements are built in occupied territories.
  • All home demolitions cease.
FURTHERMORE, WE CALL UPON the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to bring an end to all hostilities,

FURTHERMORE, WE CALL UPON all United Methodists to become educated on the issues, pray for all people of the region, and provide financial support to the Palestinian people through contributions to the General Board of Global Ministries.

AND FURTHERMORE, WE CALL UPON all United Methodist communities and churches to invite religious leaders (Jewish, Christians, and Muslim) into conversations in order to foster deeper understanding of the issues.
General Board of Global Ministries
United Methodist Church
475 Riverside Drive - New York, New York 10115
1-800-UMC-GBGM