AJC Welcomes Presbyterian Church Middle East Stance

NEW YORK, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomed the more nuanced stance on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict adopted by the Presbyterian Church (USA) at its 219th General Assembly in Minneapolis.

"Despite intense pressure, the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly rejected the calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel," said Emily Soloff, Associate Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations for AJC. "A measured and just approach to this complex conflict cannot allow exclusive blame to be placed on one side. The civility with which Presbyterians reached their decisions in the wake of passionate argument on different sides of each issue is impressive."

AJC and several other Jewish organizations had expressed deep concerns about the recent report issued by the Middle East Study Committee of the Presbyterian Church.

In a joint statement, the Jewish organizations stated:  

"In recognizing Israel's security needs while striving to remain faithful to the church's Palestinian Christian partners, the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has embraced a more thoughtful approach to Middle East peacemaking.

"As friends of Israel and supporters of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, we were deeply concerned about the Middle East Study Committee (MESC) Report and several proposed resolutions including endorsement of the Kairos Palestine document.

"However, modifications to the report and rejection of Overtures calling for the use of divestment and labeling Israeli policy as apartheid demonstrate a desire for broader understanding in the quest for peace.  The revised and adopted MESC Report unambiguously recognizes Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation within secure and internationally recognized borders - as well as Israel's need to stem the flow of weapons into Gaza.  The PCUSA only endorsed ostensibly positive parts of the Kairos Palestine document - written by a group of Palestinian Christians - and not other elements including a call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions.  The church called for the study of multiple authentic Israeli and Palestinian narratives and rationales under the guidance of a newly appointed monitoring committee.  It did not adopt as policy several theological and historical narratives that had been the cause for much concern.

"Serious concerns remain about some aspects of the MESC report and other actions including the unfortunate referral for further study of a well-considered paper on Presbyterian-Jewish relations.  That said, the General Assembly has modeled a more inclusive voice on the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  We fervently hope that the new Middle East monitoring committee will meet the GA's charge for authentic balance in the study of and teaching about the complexities of the Middle East. We will remain partners in this pursuit.  The parties to the conflict deserve nothing less."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee