Consideration about the Middle East peace process reemerged at the 210th General Assembly (1998), focusing on the concern that in recent years, the peace process has seemed as if it were on hold, if not dead. Overture 98-8 states that the “peace process between Israel and the Palestine Authority has been severely set back since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, due to the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the internal struggle among Palestinians between those favoring violence and those favoring negotiations.” (PCUSA, 1998, p. 655-656) This overture calls upon the Israeli government to cooperate with the United Nations in investigating the living conditions and circumstances of Palestinians in the region, and calls upon the United States to monitor Israel’s fulfillment of the terms of the Oslo Accords in regard to continuing aid to Israel. The complete text of this resolution can be found in Minutes, PC(USA), 1998, pp. 655-656.
1998 Statement – PC(USA), pp. 655-656
The 210th General Assembly (1998) [of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)]:
- Call[s] on the United States government to make continued aid and military assistance to Israel contingent on its fulfilling the terms of the Oslo Accords, including
a. permanent termination of its efforts to expand the settlement;
b. expeditious turnover of territory to the Palestinian Authority;
c. negotiations on the status of Jerusalem under international guidelines. - Call[s] on Israel to allow and cooperate with United Nations inspection teams investigating the conditions and circumstances of Palestinians living both in Israel and in the occupied territories.
- Request[s] the General Assembly Council to organize an official visitation of a small, widely representative team from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to visit areas under the jurisdiction of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and neighboring countries . . . .
- Call[s] upon the Stated Clerk to communicate this overture to the president and secretary of state of the United States, members of Congress, the Israeli government, and the Palestinian Authority.