From the Episcopal Peace Fellowship: Palestine Israel Network

At General Convention, the Palestine/Israel Network of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship will be advocating for resolutions that recognize our Church’s complicity in the suffering of the Palestinian people during the brutal Occupation, and that take steps to remove Church investments contributing to the Occupation’s infrastructure. Many such resolutions will begin to be debated tomorrow, Friday, at the 7:30 am Open Hearings.

Below are the Palestine Israel resolutions that EPF is tracking. The Joint Open Hearing of Committees 7 and 18 on C038, BOO3, D018, D019, D028, D038, D039, D041, C017, and B017 is Friday, July 6 at 7:30 am in the Ballroom E of the JW Marriott.

B003 On the Status of Jerusalem: affirm Jerusalem as shared capital of State of Israel and future Palestinian State; support respect for civil rights & religious interests of Christians, Muslims & Jews, with free & secure access to holy sites.

B016 Adopt ELCA Action on Israel: join with Evangelical Lutheran Church of America by directing Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CCSR) to develop criteria for Israel/Palestine based on a human rights investment screen, together with past actions of General Convention and Executive Council; increase positive investment in Palestine; encourage CCSR to engage in shareholder advocacy re human rights in Israel & occupied territories.

C017 Safeguard the Rights of Palestinian Children: direct CCSR to identify companies that profit from or support Occupation, developing a No Buy List; direct Investment Committee to divest from listed companies and advise Pension Group on divestment.

C037: Due Process for Palestinian Children in Israeli Military Courts: State of Israel to guarantee basic due process rights & prohibit torture/ill-treatment of children in detention; practices must change: nighttime arrests, physical/verbal abuse, blindfolds/restraints, strip searches, solitary confinement, coerced confessions, separation from parents/legal advisers; require annual certification that U.S. funding is never expended on such detentions.

C038 Safeguard the Rights of Palestinian Children: seek assurances from Israeli and PA leaders that existing policies provide all rights & protections for children under 18, adhering to Article 37 of “United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

D018 Negotiating the Israeli Palestinian Conflict: recognize the right of Israelis & Palestinians to self-determination, full human & civil rights, with commitment to a negotiated settlement by both parties, in whatever agreed upon political form that may take.

D019 Ending Church Complicity in the Occupation: oppose Israel's Occupation of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, areas recognized by the U.N. as State of Palestine; Executive Council, working with CCSR, to develop a church investment screen based on human rights social criteria.

D027 Pursuing Justice in Gaza: reinstate full U.S. funding for UNRWA to the 5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and camps around Middle East; condemn use of live fire by IDF against unarmed civilians in Gaza and urge compliance with Leahy Amendment re U.S. military aid to Israel.

D028 Freedom of Speech and the Right to Boycott: reject legislation at federal & state levels that penalizes companies & organizations for participation in nonviolent boycotts on behalf of Palestinian human rights; affirm that anti-Boycott laws infringe on 1st Amendment rights of U.S. citizens.

D038 Civil Rights and Equality for All in Israel: condemn 50 discriminatory Israeli laws for Palestinians & ethnic minority citizens, restricting access to land, housing, education & political rights, with parallels to Jim Crow laws; Israel to embrace equal rights for all citizens, since democracy and a Jewish state are incompatible; suspend U.S. military aid to Israel until there is full compliance with Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

D039 Regarding Occupation and Apartheid: condemn Israeli laws/policies that have created a state of apartheid; condemn system of military justice in occupied territories; demand that Israel cease denial of travel to Palestinians & human rights activists; TEC to study the state of apartheid in relation to our Baptismal Covenant.

D041 Protecting Jerusalem: condemn the unilateral action of U.S. in moving its embassy to Jerusalem in violation of international law & consensus; affirm Jerusalem as a universal holy city with no group privilege and protected access to holy sites; request a Pastoral Letter on significance of status of Jerusalem.

D044 Tools for Effective Shareholder Engagement on Human Rights: affirm the criteria for evaluating church investment and expenditures, especially with respect to Palestine/Israel, to inform shareholder engagement and, when warranted, divestment: Salience, Significance, Responsiveness.



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