Dear Friends,

The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has issued a condemnation of the Israeli government’s decision “to accelerate expansion of settlement construction and financially sanction the Palestinian Authority as a response to the successful bid by its leadership to join UNESCO this week”. The IPMN has urged President Obama “to take a clear, public stand against this decision” pointing that the Israeli move is a threat and stumbling block to chances for peace negotiations in the “foreseeable future”.

IPMN observes that this action only demonstrates that Israel has no visible intent to abandon their settlement policies. They will “expand settlements when the Palestinians are at the negotiating table; and … will expand settlements when they are not at the table”.

The statement from IPMN points out that even high ranking Israeli military officials have recognized that the Palestinian Authority has initiated credible steps to lessen violence. The statement notes that “it is absurd to cut off funds to an official Palestinian entity that is helping to achieve non-violence inside the pressure cooker of Israeli apartheid”. The statement points out that when the prospect of a diplomatic process looms large “there is a tendency among settlement supporters within the [Israeli] government to try to speed things up."

The IPMN also explains that the declaration by the United States State Department to withhold 60million US dollars from UNESCO is counter productive considering the important humanitarian interventions that UNESCO performs in the developing world.

The Palestinians, IPMN notes, will be applying for membership in all 16 United Nations agencies in the coming months. It asks: “If these U.N. agencies vote to admit Palestine as UNESCO did so overwhelmingly, will the United States continue to withdraw its support in a time when its leadership in such areas is so greatly needed? Will the United States actually find itself in the position of sabotaging efforts towards global stability and well-being because of its indefensible, parochial view that Palestine can only seek terms of a just peace through the methods or channels the U.S. has approved?”

IPMN points to the problem of further isolation of Israel and the U.S. and the risks to peace, security and justice in the Middle East and globally. It calls upon all Christians, as well as interfaith bodies to address the US national leadership “to make our financial and military aid to Israel contingent upon an immediate halt to the building and expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

The World Council of Churches Central Committee approved a statement in September 2009 that described the settlement policy of the state of Israel in the territories “as an obstacle to the fulfilment of the promise for a viable Palestinian state and antithetical to the legitimate interests of the state of Israel”.

The Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the WCC has steadfastly opposed creation of new settlements and expansion of existing ones. In this spirit, PIEF encourages PIEF constituents to study the position taken by the IPMN and consider ways in which they can convey their own disapproval of Israel actions to government authorities in their own countries.

In solidarity,

Ranjan Solomon
Consultant
Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum

Click here for full text of IPMN press release

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