“Staying quiet in this moment would be a stain upon our souls and would deepen our complicity,” says Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.
Meeting in its General Convention, the Episcopal Church adopted resolutions which condemn Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian people, call for the President and Congress to oppose punishing active support for nonviolent boycotts, and call for conditioning U.S. military assistance on human rights. In addition, they point to the escalating threats to Christians living in the Holy Land.
One year after Chicago Episcopalians knocked down a resolution condemning Israeli apartheid by a sizeable margin, its convention approved a similar resolution by 72 to 28 percent. The turnaround is a measure of the dramatic rise in American awareness of the Israeli system, and reflects the judgments of two leading human rights organizations earlier this year.
The Episcopal Church of Vermont stood up loudly against Israel’s U.S.-backed oppression of the Palestinians, Nov. 4, as its annual convention, condemning by an 89-25 majority what it said are the Jewish State’s apartheid policies. Similar resolutions will soon be considered by other Episcopal dicoeses.
The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has adopted a human rights investment screen related to Israel and Palestine and will sell its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Caterpillar, Inc., and the Israel Discount Bank.