The topic of Palestine is on the agendas of many Christian organizations lately – and rightly so, if we take seriously Jesus’ mandate to care for “the least of these.” Take a moment to check out these recent stories.
If you are uncomfortable with Christian nationalism, you should know that support for Israel – and the destruction of Palestine – looms large in that ideology. Read:
Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country
“Ziklag appears to be the first coordinated effort to get wealthy donors to fund an overtly Christian nationalist agenda, according to historians, legal experts and other people familiar with the group.” (Read the full article here.)
A network of ultrawealthy Christian donors is spending nearly $12 million to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, aiming to tilt the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald Trump.
These previously unreported plans are the work of a group named Ziklag, a little-known charity whose donors have included some of the wealthiest conservative Christian families in the nation, including the billionaire Uihlein family, who made a fortune in office supplies, the Greens, who run Hobby Lobby, and the Wallers, who own the Jockey apparel corporation.
Recipients of Ziklag’s largesse include Alliance Defending Freedom, which is the Christian legal group that led the overturning of Roe v. Wade, plus the national pro-Trump group Turning Point USA and a constellation of right-of-center advocacy groups.
Ziklag was the brainchild of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur named Ken Eldred. It emerged from a previous organization founded by Eldred called United In Purpose, which aimed to get more Christians active in the civic arena, according to Bill Dallas, the group’s former director. United In Purpose generated attention in June 2016 when it organized a major meeting between then-candidate Trump and hundreds of evangelical leaders.
After Trump was elected in 2016, Eldred had an idea, according to Dallas. “He says, ‘I want all the wealthy Christian people to come together,’” Dallas recalled in an interview. Eldred told Dallas that he wanted to create a donor network like the one created by Charles and David Koch but for Christians. He found the passage in Chronicles that references David’s soldiers meeting in the city of Ziklag, and so they chose the name Ziklag.
NOTE: Ziklag subscribes to the Seven Mountain Mandate – a movement that claimed that Trump “will play a critical role in Armageddon as the United States stands alongside Israel in the battle against Islam.” Prominent adherents to the Seven Mountain Mandate includs Michele Bachmann, Lauren Boebert, Ted Cruz,Mike Johnson, Paula Wuite, and Andrew Wommack
What happens in the world courts is relevant to everyone – not just politicians. Human rights for the marginalized should be a priority for all of us. Read these two pieces:
WCC statement on the International Court of Justice ruling on the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land
On 19 July 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a landmark Advisory Opinion on Israel’s presence in the Palestinian land occupied since the 1967 war. The ICJ said that Israel’s rule in the territory is “unlawful,” and that Israel is obligated to bring its presence in that territory to an end “as rapidly as possible.” (Read the full statement here.)
The Advisory Opinion said also that “the transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Israel’s maintenance of their presence, is contrary to the sixth paragraph of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention” that speaks against the transfer of population to or from an occupied territory.
The Advisory Opinion is consistent with all United Nations Resolutions since the beginning of the conflict, including the 1947 Partition Plan (UN General Assembly Resolution 181); and Security Council Resolution 242 calling for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and “emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC), as a fellowship of churches, and predicating its stance on the teachings of the Gospel and on the principles of international law, has repeatedly called for an end to the occupation; for justice, peace, and equal human rights and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike; and for recognition of the Palestinian people’s right to self determination.
Unfortunately, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) was quick to reject the ICJ Advisory Opinion, and responded with a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian State.
Nevertheless, all States committed to the rule of law for the resolution of conflict and the promotion of peace and human rights, and all people of good will, should seize the opportunity presented by this Advisory Opinion by the UN’s highest legal tribunal to re-galvanize efforts for the resolution of this longstanding injustice and source of conflict.
The ICJ Advisory Opinion is a decisive moment for the choice between occupation and freedom, between oppression and justice, between despair and hope. Palestinians and Israelis deserve a better future, and a new path forward unobstructed by the occupation that has continued since 1967. We all long and pray for the end of this prolonged conflict and the establishment of just peace in this context.
Archbishop of Canterbury urges nations to respect ICJ opinion on Israeli occupation
In a statement welcoming the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Archbishop of Canterbury has urged governments around the world to reverse the “deeply damaging trend” of upholding international law “in a selective manner”. (Read more here.)
Archbishop Justin Welby says the State of Israel has been “denying the Palestinian people dignity, freedom and hope” – and that ending its occupation of Palestinian territory is “a legal and moral necessity”. The Church of England’s spiritual head has urged governments to respect the findings of the United Nations top Court that Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal, saying the law should not be upheld in a “selective manner”.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said in an advisory opinion last month that Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories is “unlawful” and should be brought to an end “as rapidly as possible”.
Justin Welby – who also heads the worldwide Anglican Communion – said in a statement the ICJ opinion had made it clear the Occupation is “unlawful” and must end.
“The Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice (19 July 2024) makes definitively clear that Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unlawful and needs to end as rapidly as possible,” he said.
“At a time when the world is marked by increasing violations of international law – and commitment to a rules-based system is in question – it is imperative that governments around the world reaffirm their unwavering commitment to all decisions by the International Court of Justice, irrespective of the situation. International law protects our shared humanity, and safeguards human dignity and flourishing,” he added.
“Apartheid” is alive and well and living in Israel. It was mentioned in the ICJ statement (above), and the allegation has been around for years – not as an antisemitic slur or insult, but as a documented fact. Read:
Church of England bishop calls Israel apartheid state, makes comparison to South Africa
Bishop Rachel Treweek said she stands with those comparing treatment of Palestinians to how black people were treated in South Africa. (Read more here.)
The Bishop of Gloucester has angered Jewish groups by publicly calling Israel an apartheid state.
Bishop Rachel Treweek, a member of the House of Lords, said she wanted to “boldly” stand with those comparing Israeli treatment of Palestinians to how black people were treated in South Africa.
Bishop Treweek is the first senior member of the Church of England to publicly call Israel an apartheid state.
NOTE: Multiple human rights organizations have documented and reported on Israeli apartheid, including: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem, and Yesh Din , the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic.
What if there were no more Christians in the Holy Land? In Gaza, they are being wiped out. Read:
West Bank pastor raises alarm over Israel’s ‘extermination’ of Christians in Gaza
The West Bank pastor, father Abdullah July, said the war on Gaza may mark the disappearance of Christians in the enclave. (Read the full article here.)
The pastor of the Greek Catholic church in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah has raised the alarm over the “extermination” of Christians in Gaza as a result of Israel’s ongoing war on the Strip.
In an interview with the Arabic news site Arabi21, father Abdullah July said that the number of Christians killed in the enclave since October has topped 50 people.
He added that Christians have been under immense pressure from Israeli forces to leave the enclave, highlighting that if attacks against the community continue, the Christian presence in the Strip will be reduced to “mere historical memories and churches will turn into museums”.
He also hit out at countries supporting Israel’s military actions and the failure to secure a ceasefire.
“Israeli aggression has exposed the racism and hypocrisy of the West, especially given their strong support for Israel and believe all their false narratives, turning a blind eye to their crimes and horrific massacres,” he said.
There are an estimated 800 to 1,000 Christians in Gaza, with the majority of them Greek Orthodox. Half of them are indigenous to Gaza and half are refugees or descendants of refugees from Jaffa, Jerusalem, Lydda, and Ramle.
Those who track the Palestine issue know that Christian Zionism is a massive part of the problem. Its support (both financial and otherwise) enables Israel to carry out its illegal settlements and ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinians. Read:
Interfaith protest confronts Christians United for Israel summit
CUFI, the flagship organization for conservative Christians’ broad-based support for Israel, claims more than 10 million members — a number which exceeds the number of Jews in the US. “The majority of support in the U.S. (for Israel) doesn’t come from the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Abby Stein, who came from Brooklyn to help lead some of the protests. “I think it’s very important to understand where that power comes from.” (Read the full article here.)
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