Meeting in Würzburg last month, the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) passed the resolution, “Humanitarian aid for people in the Middle East”. Coming after approximately 400 days of what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled is a plausible genocide in Gaza, the resolution underscores the church’s continued failure to address the urgent needs of a region marked by prolonged settler colonial occupation, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement.
The EKD’s call for compassion and humanitarian aid is commendable. But the resolution fails to address the root causes of what it describes as “the suffering of people in the Middle East.”
Conspicuously absent is any acknowledgment of the political and systemic injustices that fuel the suffering. By framing its engagement in humanitarian terms, the EKD avoids grappling with Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, its apartheid policies, the ongoing displacement of Palestinians, and the broader structural violence imbedded in the region’s history.
This omission is especially troubling given Germany’s historical culpability for the Holocaust. It reveals a pattern within the EKD: a theological and political framework that prioritizes Holocaust memory and Germany’s responsibility toward Jewish communities, while sidelining the equally important duty to address Israel’s violations of international law.
This one-sided commitment, presumably rooted in the need to atone for the past, often leads to uncritical support for Israeli policies and undermines the church’s ability to speak truthfully about the plight of Palestinians. This imbalance risks creating a form of selective justice, where the suffering of one group is acknowledged while the rights of another are ignored.
Humanitarian aid, while vital to alleviate immediate suffering, cannot be a substitute for a prophetic call to action: an urgent demand for justice, the dismantling of oppressive structures, and the pursuit of a just and lasting peace. Without this call, the EKD abandons its role as a moral and prophetic voice speaking out against injustice and advocating for the rights of the marginalized—thus reducing its role to that of a passive bystander, offering charity without addressing the structures that perpetuate suffering, and risking complicity in Israel’s genocidal program.
The EKD should consider the pronouncements of a growing number of genocide scholars and experts in international law who are using the word genocide to describe Israel’s actions. Amnesty International is the first globally recognized NGO, not likely the last, to issue a report naming Israel’s genocide. The Pope has called for an investigation. Leaders of two church denominations in the West have issued statements naming Israel’s genocide: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.
Even the German government is positioned to the left of the EKD, its Chancellor Olaf Scholz joining British and French leaders in calling for an immediate ceasefire and a renewal of talks. “We agree,” they said earlier this month, “that there can be no further delay.”
To fully embody its theological commitment to justice, human dignity and human rights, the EKD must express this urgency and expand its focus. In particular, the church must confront the complicity of Western governments, including its own, in sustaining these injustices through diplomatic support, political coverage, arms sales, or economic partnerships that enable the perpetuation of occupation and oppression.
Only by engaging with these deeper, structural issues will the EKD’s involvement in the region transcend mere charity and contribute meaningfully to the pursuit of peace and justice. In doing so, the church can honor its theological commitment to global justice—not through silence or avoidance, but through a courageous and honest commitment to advocate for the rights and dignity of all people, regardless of nationality or faith.
Some relevant news –
As Gaza war rages, Deutsche Welle insiders accuse outlet of pro-Israel bias…Journalists at the German media network say newsroom leaders instill fear and dehumanise Palestinian suffering….Senior newsroom figures at Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle are cultivating a culture of fear among journalists who are tasked with reporting on Israel’s war on Gaza, 13 staff members and freelancers currently working for the network – plus a former long-term correspondent – have told Al Jazeera….They accuse Deutsche Welle of pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian bias, allege that they have heard colleagues make Islamophobic and dehumanising remarks about Palestinians and protesters in the Berlin office with impunity, and have shared with Al Jazeera several internal documents – one of which lists “possible comebacks” for anchors to use during live interviews with “pro-Palestinian voices” who make “controversial statements”, such as accusing Israel of war crimes….“From a journalistic point of view, Deutsche Welle fills its mouth with grand concepts like freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience. And it’s clear that this is just being used as mouthwash,” said Gak, who is Argentinean and Jewish….While the style guide states that “we do not tolerate the use of racist language towards Palestinians which aim to disparage the Palestinian people”, several sources said staff openly used Islamophobic and anti-Arab slurs in the newsroom….
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/19/as-gaza-war-rages-deutsche-welle-insiders-accuse-outlet-of-pro-israel-bias
This is also known as ‘virtue signalling’
Unfortunately there is no link to the resolution, but it might very well constitute ‘moral erasure’ as a form of anti-Palestinian racism
The hypocrisy is totally SICKENING!!! This never ending ‘holier than thou’ arrogance. Religion…the root of many evils.
I thank Mondoweiss and Rifat Kassis for calling out the EKD for its inappropriate, unbefitting, off-base statement on the suffering of Palestinians. When any person or organization cannot acknowledge the evil being perpetrated against the Palestinians, it is incumbent on all of us to shout our disapproval over and over, as long as it takes until the evil is stopped. Thanks for alerting us to this one corner of our efforts to shine a light on the darkness.