Committed to Peace and Justice in the Middle East

“As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41-42). 

More than a year has passed since Israel declared war on Gaza, in response to the deaths of 1200 Israelis and more than 200 taken hostage. Since then, more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and nearly 100,000 injured, with almost all of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza having been displaced. The war has expanded, as well, including into Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the US has extended Israel diplomatic cover and at least $22.9 billion in military support, according to a recent study. In addition to weapons systems and military aid, the US has also recently promised to deploy troops to Israel.

US military arms and assistance is not limited to the past year, however. Historically, the US has provided more military assistance to Middle Eastern countries than any other region, and the area is one of the most militarized in the world, even as world leaders profess their wish for peace there.

US patterns of engagement in the region have been relatively consistent over the past several decades. Whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House, and whether one party or the other controls Congress, the US has approached the Middle East similarly. Even so, there have been shifts in the discourse over the years, particularly about Israel/Palestine, which remains at the heart of the matter.

The United Church of Christ, as a Just Peace Church and informed by the voices of our partners in the region, has addressed issues in the Middle East for decades through resolutions at General Synod, with a commitment to peace and justice in the region. Those positions include clear support for demilitarization of the Middle East broadly speaking, upholding international law and UN resolutions, supporting diplomacy over belligerency to resolve conflict, care and concern for the millions of refugees and forcibly displaced persons who have been victims of war, and respect for the dignity and rights of all people. On Israel/Palestine, the UCC has extensive General Synod engagement, which places a heavy emphasis on advocating a rights-based approach and ending the structural and daily oppression of the Palestinian people, which General Synod 33 pronounced as sin.

In the 2024 election season, the US role in the Middle East has already become a potentially decisive issue.  During this year’s primary election season, the Uncommitted Movement emerged to send a message opposing US support for war and genocide in the region.  The UCC has remained committed to peace with justice by:

• supporting the secure immediate release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees;
• calling for a permanent ceasefire, de-escalation and restraint by all parties;
• advocating against the United States providing additional military aid or assistance to Israel, consistent with US laws such as the Leahy Laws, the Foreign Assistance Act, and the Arms Export Control Act;
• insisting on sufficient and desperately needed humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter Gaza and distributed safely;
• urging the US to continue to provide full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA);
• pressing states to be held accountable to international law and conventions, including obligations under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and
• pressing to resolve root causes – such as ending occupation and Israeli apartheid, upholding Palestinian rights, including the right to self-determination and the rights of refugees, the status of Jerusalem, and applying international law –so that a long-term, durable, and lasting peace with justice can prevail.

As you consider your vote for different offices this fall, examine carefully how the candidates talk about US engagement in the Middle East, and if they are incumbent, how they have voted.  Are they consistent with values of rights and equality, inclusion and not discrimination or separation, and dignity and abundant life?  These are the things that make for peace with justice.

God of mercy and justice, we yearn for the day when prophecy is fulfilled and weapons of war become tools for planting and harvesting goodness, the day when war is set aside and forgotten. We long for the day when your peace prevails, when all your children will enjoy the richness and fullness of life. Today, we lament as that day is not yet here, and it seems a distant hope. We wait in hope. O God, grant us strength and courage in that task. (Adapted from “A [UCC and Disciples] Joint Statement on the Current Crisis in Lebanon and the Middle East,” Sept. 30, 2024)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Peter Makari is the Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe for Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ.