World Council of Churches Urges Israel to Dismantle its Illegal Settlements on Palestinian Lands

World Council of Churches urges Israel to dismantle settlements

Published today (updated) 04/09/2009 13:53

 Bethlehem – Ma’an –

The World Council of Churches (WCC) urged Israel to freeze and begin to dismantle illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

This call was made by Central Committee of the WCC, a federation it says represents 560 million Christians worldwide. The group claims “349 churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries” as members.

In a forcefull declaration on the issue, the WCC said that settlements beyond the Green Line are “almost universally rejected.”

WCC said settlements are “illegal, unjust, incompatible with peace and antithetical to the legitimate interests of the state of Israel.”

“Even as Israel’s own right to exist in security evokes sympathy and solidarity around the world, its policies of expansion and annexation generate dismay or hostility as they represent a direct indicator of the nature of the occupation,” the statement continued.

By WCC’s count, “There are some 200 settlements with more than 450,000 settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”

There is a clear distinction, the Central Committee argued, “between the legitimate interests of the state of Israel and its illegal settlements.”

The statement comes a week after the group’s outgoing general secretary called Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories “a sin against God.” The Rev. Samuel Kobia had urged the central committee to also make that declaration official, the Christian Post reported.

The Central Committee also noted that opposition to the annexation of occupied land has been “consistent position of World Council of Churches’ (WCC) assemblies, central committees and executive committees[.]”

The declaration also included condemnation of Israel’s demolition of Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem, which “untold suffering to the Palestinians”

Delving further into the physical presence of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the central committee criticized Israel’s West Bank separation wall in addition to “so-called ‘security zones,’ and the wide network of tunnels, by-pass roads and check points, deny Palestinians’ access to large parts of their land and water resources.”

These impediments, WCC said, “restrict their freedom of movement, diminish their basic human dignity and, in many cases, their right to life.”

Finally WCC called for action, reiterating a call for “an international boycott of goods produced in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and for member churches and faithful to join in non-violent acts of resistance to the destruction of Palestinian properties and to forced evictions of people from their homes and lands.”

“Churches must not be complicit in illegal activities on occupied territory,” the statement said.

Churches, WCC said, “have opportunities to take economic measures that are “equitable, transparent and non-violent” against these illegal activities and in support of peaceful solutions to the conflict.”