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WCC calls for a new approach to conflict in Palestine and Israel

The World Council of Churches (WCC), in the aftermath of brutal violence where thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives, is calling for a new approach to resolve the conflict in the Holy Land.

13 October 2023

Statement: public statement

Statement: WCC calls for a new approach to the conflict in Palestine and Israel

13 October 2023

General Secretary

Man's hand seen shoveling olives into a plastic bucket.

With olive harvest about to begin, Palestinian farmers share a deep family tradition—and deep apprehension

With olive picking about to begin in earnest for Palestinian farmers, they are sharing joy in their deep tradition of the harvest—and deep apprehension about harassment and aggression that seems to have already set in.

05 October 2023

Title of the film, “Our Land of Olives and Vines”

Film screening underscores imminent loss for Palestinians in Al Makhrour

During a film screening at the World Council of Churches on 4 October, viewers got a deeper understanding of why Palestinians are about to lose one of the last green spaces left for them in the Bethlehem Governorate.

05 October 2023

Trend of violence against Palestinian communities means “we are living in constant fear”

A rising trend of violence in the West Bank led four Palestinian communities to leave their villages and move somewhere else, due to the residents living in constant fear and occupation-related coercive measures.

02 August 2023

Commission on International Affairs

Lecture - Speech

Demilitarized zone between the South and North Korea, Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC

70 Years of Ceasefire, Efforts and Challenges for Peace on the Korean Peninsula & East Asia

On 27 July 1953 – 70 years ago today – the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed in Panmunjom by senior representatives of the United Nations Command, and military leaders of North Korea (the Korean People's Army) and China (the Chinese People's Volunteer Army).

27 July 2023

Background document

Fact sheet: East Jerusalem Demolitions, April 2023

Between the period of the 13^th of September 1993 (when the Oslo Agreement was signed) and the 31^st of December 2022: Israel demolished 2787 structures in East Jerusalem including 213 donor-funded structures, and it displaced 5093 persons including 2582 children. These included homes; Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities; and agricultural structures.

24 April 2023

WCC Programmes

Fact sheet on demolitions in East Jerusalem a source for credible information

The World Council of Churches (WCC) released a fact sheet on demolitions in East Jerusalem that serves as a source of credible information for WCC member churches, ecumenical accompaniers, and the media.

24 April 2023

Woman praying in the church with hands raised

After violent demonstrations, Kenyan religious leaders welcome president and opposition talks

After persistently calling for dialogue to end violent anti-government protests, Kenyan religious leaders are welcoming President William Samoei Ruto and opposition leader Raila Amollo Odinga consultations, during which the two have agreed to tackle critical issues troubling the east African nation.

05 April 2023

In East Jerusalem, “people need to understand what happens when settlements are built”

For the 380,000 Palestinians that live in East Jerusalem, daily life is often marred by inequalities related to everything from housing, health services, childcare, and even garbage pickup. Even though Palestinians make up 39% of the city, there are many discrepancies in the services they receive.

14 March 2023

E1 land holds future promise for Palestinians—but will those dreams be shattered?

Dr Jad Issac tends to think in numbers. When it comes to the land in the West Bank on the outskirts of Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley—known simply as E1— Issac is weighing a stark figure: a loss of $2 billion a year for Palestinians versus the ability to net the same amount of revenue, pay off debts, and, in turn, help poorer countries. The astronomical figure amounts to lost tourism opportunities due to the lack of access to E1, Jordan Valley, and the Dead Sea—as per the Economic Cost of the Occupation Study done by the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem.

13 March 2023

Human rights report urgently calls for reducing violence and promoting accountability in West Papua

A new report offering an overview of the human rights situation in West Papua found little progress in decreasing human rights violations in 2022 and calls for reducing violence and promoting accountability in 2023.

16 February 2023

At checkpoints for Palestinians, “we must do something about this inhumane system of control”

Hanna Barag, an Israeli woman who has described herself as a “human rights diplomat” for the organization Machsom Watch, has spent decades observing what happens to Palestinians at checkpoints, and it’s—in a word—“de-humanizing,” she says.

09 February 2023

WCC deeply concerned about increased violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern about increased violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

28 January 2023

Lecture - Speech

WCC acting general secretary opening address on the occasion of 20 years anniversary of EAPPI

Jerusalem, 22 November 2022

22 November 2022

General Secretary

Armenian cross in the Chapel of the Ecumenical centre

WCC, CEC letter to OSCE chairman urges avoiding further escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

In a letter to H.E. Zbigniew Rau, OSCE chairman-in-office, and minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, jointly appeal for urgent action by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to promote a just and sustainable peace in the Caucasus, following renewed violence in the region in which more than 100 lives have already been lost.

15 September 2022

WCC releases minute on consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war

The World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly released a minute entitled “Consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war,” in which it reiterated its condemnation of the use of chemical weapons and cluster munitions, the targeting of civilians, hospitals and public infrastructure, and all other war crimes, beheadings, torture and other atrocities witnessed during the conflict.

08 September 2022