Presbyterians For Middle East Peace
Pastors and elders for responsible and effective Middle East peacemaking policies
Must See VideosVideos of the presentations from the Presbyterians for Middle East Peace breakfast meeting at the 2012 GA, Partnering for Middle East Peace, are now available for viewing. Addressing the IssuesWhy divestment should be rejected The True Agenda: the End of the Jewish State of Israel
The Sound of a Forest Growing
Palestinian-Israeli cooperation advances peace
Presbyterian Outook Debate: Investment versus Divestment
Sowing the Seeds of Peace
Investment versus Boycott: Important facts to consider
The facts on Caterpillar Tractor
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction: Lacking a Consensus
The "apartheid" charge against Israel is wrong, is unjust, and will not advance the cause of peace in the Middle East.
The Middle East “Road Map to Peace”calls for a two state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Two Essential Principles for Presbyterian peacemaking in the Middle East
The Kairos Palestine document is seriously flawed, and should be approached carefully.
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PFMEP General Assembly BreakfastPeacemaking or BDS
Which path will we take?
The short video below contains some of the key points made by our guest speakers at the PFMEP Peacemaking Breakfast during the 2014 Presbyterian general Assembly. To see all of the presentations click here
A Moment of TruthMisleading and Harmful: the "Palestinian Loss of Land" Maps and Ethnic Cleansing The “maps” shown above have been widely circulated by the BDS movement, and they are misleading and dishonest. They appear in the “Zionism Unsettled” study guide. They appear on the websites of the Israel Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) and the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship (PPF). They also appear in the supporting materials for the BDS overtures submitted to the 2014 Presbyterian General Assembly. The intent of the maps is clear: to falsely demonstrate an “ethnic cleansing” that did not occur, one perpetrated by the “colonizer” Jews upon “indigenous” Arabs (the incendiary words “colonizer”, “indigenous”, and “ethnic cleansing” are used repeatedly in BDS literature). 221st Presbyterian General Assembly
Some Unvarnished Truth: Reflections on the General Assembly Why Divestment should be rejected Divestment is not an isolated initiative. It is a major initiative of the international Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement. If Israel-targeted divestment is approved, BDS leaders will claim PC(USA) has joined its ranks. The BDS movement is not a peace movement. It is not a movement seeking to reform Israel’s policies. It is a movement seeking to undo the world’s 1948 decision to support the creation of the nation of Israel.
The Children of Sderot
In discussions of Israel-Palestine, we Presbyterians hear frequently the call to “end the occupation”. Too often left out of the discussion, however, is the fact that for the 1.7 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip (about 40% of the Palestinian population), the occupation did in fact end almost 10 years ago. Israel voluntarily withdrew all security forces from Gaza in 2005. All Jewish residents left at the same time, and not a single Jew resides in Gaza today. There is no occupation in Gaza, and there are no Jewish settlements.
Voices for Peace Ending the occupation and conflict is a goal, not a plan. The two-state solution, two states for two peoples, is a plan. Palestinians deserve freedom and self-determination, and Israelis deserve security. We asked two Israelis whose lives have been forever changed by senseless violence to tell us about their experience, the importance of reconciliation, and their hopes for the future. Click here to view videos they recorded for us last week. A Call for Christian Action"Zionism Unsettled" is a “congregational study guide” which was produced by the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church ((USA). We are deeply troubled by this document and the public perception that the PC(USA) supports and endorses its content. PFMEP has issued two statements on “Zionism Unsettled”: A call for Justice and Tolerance in Israel and Palestine and A Christian Response to “Zionism Unsettled”. We urge you to read Rev. Chris Leighton’s assessment of this document: An Open Letter to the Presbyterian Church. We also urge you to carefully read two additional statements from Presbyterians on “Zionism Unsettled”: Statement of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Work Group (EIWG) of Chicago Presbytery on Zionism Unsettled
A Statement on "Zionism Unsettled" from Katharine Henderson, president of Auburn Theological Seminary Dr. King on IsraelWhile the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is best recognized as a champion of the American civil rights movement, his wisdom and vision extended beyond the borders of the United States to all of humanity. Dr. King was an outspoken supporter of Israel’s right to exist, and the right of the Jewish people to a homeland. PFMEP Fact CheckMuch of the material presented on Israel/Palestine comes from advocates of either Palestinian or Israeli narratives. PFMEP Fact Check is a new web page dedicated to addressing the accuracy and completeness of facts presented, and assertions made by, various parties to the debate.
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Timeline and background on Presbyterian General Assembly positions on the Israeli/Palestinian ConfliThe Middle East has been an area of deep concern to General Assemblies ever since the 1948 PCUSA Assembly declared: ". . . We believe that a solution to the problem will be achieved only by a return to the principle of faithful devotion to the welfare, needs, and rights of both the Jewish and Arab peoples . . ." (PCUSA, 1948, p. 203).
News and Commentary
November 11, 2014
September 11, 2014
Presbyterian Outlook, April 10, 2013
Dennis Ross
New York Times
Christian Science Monitor
How to help the Palestinians
The Christian Century
Episcopal News Service
Jerusalem Post
Jerusalem Post
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Insights from our partners in peacemakingPresbyterians for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Relations (PCJCMR) responds to "Steadfast Hope: The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace" Read More |
Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem - October 6, 2013Join with fellow Christians across the globe as we take time on October 6, 2013 to pray for the peace of
Pray for peace in Psalm 122:6 |
Additional ResourcesFor more information on effective peacemaking in the Middle East, we provide several links to resources we think will be helpful |
