In a landmark announcement, the WCC’s Central Committee calls for targeted sanctions, divestment, and arms embargoes on Israel. Palestinian Christians are calling it "a turning point in the moral and theological witness of the global church.”
Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa earlier this week, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued a bold statement naming the reality of apartheid in Israel, demanding the end of Israel’s occupation and the lifting of the unlawful blockade of Gaza, and calling on states and churches “to impose consequences for violations of international law, including targeted sanctions, divestment, and arms embargoes.”
The statement acknowledges the WCC’s commitment to “inter-religious dialogue and cooperation”—a nod to its Jewish partners, many of whom can be expected to condemn the statement. “However,” the text reads, “the unbearable suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza, and the escalating violence and oppression in the West Bank and in Jerusalem compel the global fellowship of churches to speak with clarity, urgency, and commitment to the principles of justice under international law and ethics.”
Despite spirited dissent during the CC’s formulation of the statement, leaders of the WCC declared that Israel’s actions “flagrantly violate international humanitarian and human rights law as well as the most basic principles of morality.”
“The Government of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has entailed grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” the statement reads, “which may constitute genocide and/or other crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
“Simultaneously,” the statement continues, “the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem continue to experience intensified violence, illegal settlement expansion, and systemic human rights violations. These actions defy international legal norms, including the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, international human rights treaties, and numerous Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.”
Therefore, the statement insists, “Full support must be given to the International Criminal Court and UN mechanisms investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.” The Central Committee goes further to “commend the leadership of the South African government in seeking justice and accountability to international law through the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and [to] urge all states to comply with the ICJ’s rulings.” (more...)
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