Statement on a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel
“Inspired by the mystery of God’s love for all, the mystery of God’s divine presence in the history of all peoples and, in a particular way, in the history of our country, we proclaim our word based on our Christian faith and our sense of Palestinian belonging – a word of faith, hope and love.”
In 2009, a group of Palestinian Christians issued the Kairos Palestine Document, a call to faith, justice and an end to occupation in Palestine. In response to this original call, Leichhardt Uniting Church (LUC) commits to standing in solidarity with Palestinian people and working towards a just peace in Palestine. We commit to understanding more about historical and ongoing violence in Palestine, and how this land, people and place is interwoven in the stories that ground our faith. We affirm the Kairos document and commend it to the wider Church. We call upon the Church to listen and respond.
Responding to Kairos’ Call for Repentance in the wake of Israel’s most recent invasion of Gaza, we renew our efforts to disentangle from destructive colonial theologies and “just war” theories. We reject Zionist interpretations of scripture that legitimise the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the vilification and dehumanisation of Palestinians. We are humbled by the invitation of Palestinian Christians to “come alongside us” and we renew our solidarity with Palestinian nonviolent resistance.
We affirm the right to Palestinian self-determination and acknowledge the Palestinian struggle as an anti-colonial struggle. We recognise the role of the Christian church in colonisation across the world and acknowledge that we must do more to build relationships with and support the aspirations of First Nations people in these lands now known as Australia.
We affirm the rights of all people to live in peace, justice and dignity. We recommit ourselves to anti-racism including action on anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism, Antisemitism and Islamophobia. We acknowledge the role of the Christian Church in the persecution of Jewish and Muslim people historically and today. We commit to deepening our understanding of the role of the Church in this violence and taking action to address it.
We acknowledge that God became human in the form of a poor, Jewish man in Palestine, was displaced, lived under occupation, spoke truth to power, was incarcerated and killed by the state. Such a life calls us, as followers of Jesus, to resist the forces of empire, occupation, and to rise up in the spirit to love, do justice and commit ourselves to liberation.
What we can do:
LUC acknowledges the ongoing work needed to uphold and promote Palestinian self-determination and identity. We commit to acts of solidarity with Palestinian people and efforts to support a just peace. Leichhardt Uniting Church commits to:
Invite Palestinian perspectives into our church teachings, including inviting Palestinian people to talk to us as a church
Name and acknowledge the long history of strength shown by Palestinian people against colonial powers, and remind ourselves that this war did not start on 7th October 2023
Support local actions and demonstrations of solidarity as a church, including solidarity rallies and petitions organised by other networks
Examine how certain Christian theologies, representations and practices directly or indirectly support the expansion of Israel through forced removal of Palestinian people and commit to rejecting/subverting these
Hold ourselves to account as a church, as an institution, for the pain we too have caused historically in these spaces and continue to do so in our lack of action and our silence
Encourage and provide protection for those seeking safety from violence whilst also advocating for the Right of Return
Call on other Uniting Church councils, leaders and political leaders to read and share the Kairos Palestine document and consider adopting our commitments
We encourage our members (and others) to:
Attend local actions and demonstrations of solidarity, including solidarity rallies and petitions organised by other networks
Support Palestinian businesses, for example purchasing Palestinian grown olive oil
Support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement
Identify ways to challenge the Australian Government’s support of the Zionist agenda in the expanding occupation of Palestine, including halting the exportation of weapons or foreign military projects to operate out of Pine Gap
Written by members of Leichhardt Uniting Church
Endorsed by Leichhardt Uniting Church Council 12th December 2023