As war rages in the Middle East, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling on member churches to put pressure on Israel to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
A webinar, launched earlier this week, entitled, “From Condemnation to Consequences,” marked the beginning of the campaign. It portrays the escalating crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the legal obligations of the international community to hold Israel to account for its violations of international law.
Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, opened the webinar by noting that the WCC conceived the campaign before the current Iran/US/Israel conflict began. “Our campaign needs to remain focused on the commitments that the churches have made together, with all their partners, to see how we move from the statements and condemnation of the occupation and annexation of Palestine, and to try to translate this into concrete changes and transformation,” said Dr Mtata.
Dr Yudith Oppenheimer, executive director of Ir Amim, noted some rapidly unfolding developments in Jerusalem and its vicinity that have been largely overshadowed by the war in Gaza and now Iran. She identified settlement expansion in East Jerusalem, and an unprecedented rise in home demolitions and forced evictions, among grave violations of human rights and international law. “Together, these actions threaten not only the future of Jerusalem but the broader prospects of peace, justice, and security for both peoples,” she said.
Read the story on the WCC news page here. Find the webinar on YouTube here.