"World Council of Churches slams Israel" from Jerusalem Post

[jody]

World Council of Churches slams Israel

QUOTE
Israel bears the burden of responsibility for the present crisis in the Middle East, the World Council of Churches has announced, following a meeting of its Executive Committee in Geneva from May 16-19.

The Christian Left's leading ecumenical organization stated Israel's actions towards the Palestinians "cannot be justified morally, legally or even politically."

The failure "to comply with international law" had "pushed the situation on the ground to a point of no return," they concluded.

The WCC condemned the killing of innocent civilians by "both sides" in the conflict and called for the Palestinians to "maintain the existing one-party cease-fire toward Israel" and asked Israel to base its security on "the equitable negotiation of final borders" with its neighbors.
UNQUOTE

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Thank you for posting this

Interesting that moderate/liberal churches are finding their voice.

[Jim Sagle]

2. A voice of deceit and upside down morality.

[adriennui]

3. ahhh, more hypocrisy and double standards

yes, yes israel is the cause of every problem in the universe. starvation in darfur, aides in southern africa, bird flu in china, oppression of women in many islamic states.

goodness, israel has such a full plate of evil. if only we could snap our fingers and israel would disappear. poof!

[annabanana]

4. Israel is blameless.

Pure as the driven snow. A babe among wolves.

[Jim Sagle]

5. No one's really saying that. We're just saying, stop the hyperventilating.

Stop using an electron microscope on Israel while blindly ignoring hundreds of situations that are thousands of times worse. (This is not directed at you personally.)

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Tom Joad]

10. This is clearly an attack on all Christians.

It is a very sad day when i can see such things said openly against hundreds of millions of people, who are very diverse.
"Naim S. Mahlab" is clearly a person filled with hatred and bitterness.

[Tom Joad]

9. Please look at what the WCC said, and not what you imagine it says

Here is the full statement:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/executive-committee/geneva-may-2006/19-05-06-statement-on-the-conflict-in-israel-palestine.html

It did not say that Israel was responsible for all the evils in the world. The WCC has spoken about Dafur, and other human rights concerns. And, as literate people can see even from the excerpt, it speaks on all targeting of civilians, including Israeli civilians.

What it does see clearly, unlike many Americans, is that Israel is the occupying power, and is causing great harm to the Palestinians. The situation is getting worse.
And those that care about Palestinian and Israeli lives should take action.
From above link:

Insists that all High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention (including Israel, the U.S., States of the European Union, Russia, and the repository state, Switzerland) ensure the well-being of the occupied population. Urgent actions include ending the punitive measures imposed on the Palestinian people in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and its prohibition of collective punishment—including the tax, aid and travel restrictions imposed after their recent democratic elections—and requiring the occupying power to fulfil its responsibilities for the well-being of the population in all areas it controls, including the Gaza Strip.

Reminds the United Nations and its member states of UN responsibility to make Jerusalem an open and inclusive city for the two peoples and three religions, shared in terms of sovereignty and citizenship.

Encourages the government of Israel to base its security on peace with all its neighbours, including the equitable negotiation of final borders with those neighbours and excluding the unilateral imposition of borders on those neighbours.

Encourages the Palestinian Authority to include parties across the political spectrum in the processes of democracy and of non-violent conflict resolution, to protect the democratic rights of its people from external pressures as legitimate rights under international law, to maintain the existing one-party cease-fire toward Israel and extend it to cover all parties, and to demonstrate that all forms of violence and attacks across the 1967 borders between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories against innocent civilians on either side must stop.

Calls member churches and the WCC to share solidarity with people on both sides of the conflict as a witness for peace

[Coastie for Truth]

11. The was in the penultimate paragraphs of the JPost Article

The WCC's Executive Committee called upon its 340 member churches in over 100 countries representing approximately 550 million Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant Christians to "share solidarity with people on both sides of the conflict," and to "use legitimate forms of pressure to promote a just peace and to end unlawful activities by Israelis or Palestinians."

It also asked its members to "find constructive ways to address threats experienced among the Jewish people, including the nature, prevalence and impact of racism in local, national and international contexts."

In March 2005, the WCC urged its member churches give "serious consideration" to pulling investments out of Israel and endorsed the 2004 decision by the Presbyterian Church of the United States to seek "phased selective divestment" from Israel. "This action is commendable in both method and manner, uses criteria rooted in faith and calls members to do the things that make for peace," the WCC said.

The Presbyterian Church will revisit its 2004 divestment decision next month at its 217th General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama, in response to criticism that the divestment call was one-sided and ill-informed.

Appender's comments - separated from the article excerpts

• I note that the WCC asked its member churches to "find constructive ways to address threats experienced among the Jewish people, including the nature, prevalence and impact of racism in local, national and international contexts." This is to be commended.
  
  
• I note a history of divestment, e.g., "In March 2005, the WCC urged its member churches give "serious consideration" to pulling investments out of Israel and endorsed the 2004 decision by the Presbyterian Church of the United States to seek "phased selective divestment" from Israel. "This action is commendable in both method and manner, uses criteria rooted in faith and calls members to do the things that make for peace," the WCC said.". I have posted on divestment and boycotts in the past - and will just provide a link IMHO "divestments" and "boycotts" are a cover for the vilest racism (to use American slang "Jim Crow")
  
  
• It is further noted that "The Presbyterian Church will revisit its 2004 divestment decision next month at its 217th General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama, in response to criticism that the divestment call was one-sided and ill-informed." See my comment above. Boycotts and dvestment are always one sided, racist, and "Jim Crow".
  

If you want to put pressure on those companies

• Close your University Placement Office to them - like the Law Schools have done to the military.
  
• File shareholders' derivative suits - you won't get thrown out under FRCP 11.
  
• Solicit proxies of "Socially Responsible Investment" funds.

Those are my thoughts.

[pelsar]

12. ....The situation is getting worse.

yep...israel left gaza....and the Palestinians are now governing themselves while shooting missiles over the border into israel

situation getting worse?.....write to: hamas, gaza city, Gaza.

[Tom Joad]

16. Israel left Gaza, sort of.... and locked the prison door tight.

Without access to the West Bank. Denying Palestinians tax money that belongs to them.

There is reparation money owed to the people of Gaza for the years the Israeli military has destroyed their homes, businesses, livelyhood. Just in the last 5 years Israel has done billions of dollars of damage to Gaza.

[pelsar]

18. so tell me....

doesn't egypt exist in your version of the geography of the middle east?

what ever israel owes the people of gaza, the Palestinians and surrounding arab states owe israel 10x....continual attempts at its annihilation and constant terrorism with the subsequence billions spent to prevent that more than offset that.

but back to geography....course 101:

gaza borders on egypt...its an open border with nice road (asphalt) that links the two countries.....

but i see we are now redefining words, since facts only get in the way:
so are now prisons in gaza considered prisons even if there are open exits

(i guess its like "non violent includes throwing rocks at peoples heads...try that in a US city and keep claiming that its "non violent"...and see where you end up).

perhaps a "new dictionary" should be developed for the conflict....


i've noticed that a lot around here: any attempt to blame israel for Gaza's problems requires ignoring or disregarding the Egyptian/Palestinian border...but i understand, if you accept that simple fact, one cant claim israel is responsible for the gaza troubles..and that is forbidden

[Englander]

13. Bad boycott?

Good boycott!

--I would favor a boycott of "Big Oil"--
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=124&topic_id=112428#112870

[Coastie for Truth]

15. They "boycotted" me first (see link) - so I buy from Chavez.

Didn't make this up --- follow the link - and when I was in school I worked for Citgo - "parkin' cars and pumpin' gas."

And since you find my appends so elucidating, use the advanced search function in the - one of the best fora I have seen on the web. You will see I support the alternatives and the competition (hybrids, evs, continuously variable transmissions integrated through the automotive data bus to the engine, transit, nuke, solar and Jim Kunstler approaches to urban planning).

[Englander]

17. So, there are good boycotts, & bad boycotts? Gotcha.

Btw, how long did last years boycott of Birmingham last?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=124&topic_id=90061#90069

[Coastie for Truth]

19. We changed our vacation plans - and knocked the UK off the list.

L Hermitage, the Bolshoi, and the Kremlin Museum instead.

[Scurrilous]

14. Amnesty slams Israeli policy in Territories

In Report on state of world's human rights, organization claims Israel behind repeated human rights violations in Palestinian territories. State accused of unlawful killings of Palestinians, injustice at courts, and of imposing restrictions that yield poverty

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3254175,00.html

<snip>

"In its annual 2006 report, Amnesty International harshly criticizes Israel's policy towards the Palestinians in the territories, branding some of the army's operations 'unlawful' and stating soldiers have often used "excessive force" in dealings with civilians."

<snip>

"Israeli forces carried out unlawful attacks and routinely used excessive force against peaceful demonstrators protesting against the destruction of Palestinian agricultural land and the Israeli army's construction of the fence/wall," the report claimed.

According to Amnesty "Israeli soldiers and settlers responsible for unlawful killings and other abuses against Palestinians… generally had impunity."

The human rights organization further claimed that despite Israel's withdrawal from Gush Katif last summer, the country continued to build and expand illegal settlements, and the security fence itself.

"Military blockades and restrictions impose by Israel," the report stated, "continued to cause high unemployment and poverty among the Palestinian population."