Time to Act

Image credit: Ann Farr/ Pax Christie

The Iona Community joins the call for a just peace. 

Church leaders, congregations and charities unite to demand urgent action from UK Government to end illegal occupation of Palestine.

• More than a dozen cross-denominational organisations in England, Scotland and Wales launch Time to Act campaign to pressure UK Government.

• Supporters across the UK to lobby MPs calling for a just peace for all who call the Holy Land home.

• Theologian and writer Revd Dr Munther Isaac, Director of the Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice and Pastor of Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ramallah, is supporting the movement.

• Demands include suspending UK arms sales to Israel; banning trade and investment in illegal Israeli settlements; suspending UK–Israel Trade & Partnership Agreement until the illegal occupation is ended; imposing wide-ranging sanctions; calling for accountability for war crimes.

Faith leaders, churches, faith-based charities and other organisations have formed a UK-wide, cross-denominational coalition calling for an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine.

The campaign called Time to Act has been organised by the Just Peace Coalition of churches and charities, including All We Can; Amos Trust; CAFOD; Christian Aid; Christians for Palestine; Commitment for Life; EAPPI UK and Ireland; Embrace the Middle East; FaithJustice; Iona Community; Justice and Peace Scotland; Methodist Church; Pax Christi England & Wales; Quakers in Britain; Sabeel-Kairos UK; SCIAF; Undeb Yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg/ the Union of Welsh Independents; United Reformed Church; and Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru/Church in Wales.

They say the conflict in the Middle East and the rise in Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has decimated communities – Christian and Muslim alike – and destroyed the lives and life chances of millions.

Coalition spokesperson Rev John Plant explained the initiative was an opportunity to act in solidarity with churches in Palestine and ensure their voices are heard by those with the power to change things: “We are united in our belief that a just peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is possible. But until our leaders act, the violence, displacement, detention and fear will carry on. Communities will be decimated, whole families wiped out, along with the possibility of a Palestinian state.

“We are mobilising church communities across the UK to stand with our sisters and brothers and raise their voices in a united call for stronger action to work towards a sustainable and just peace for all those who call the Holy Land home. By adding your name, you are joining a growing movement of people committed to listening, learning, living differently, and taking action for justice, accountability, and peace.”

Church leaders around the UK are supporting the campaign.

Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “Time to Act provides us with the opportunity to come together as Christians and to advocate for a just peace in Israel and Palestine – a peace characterised by the active promotion of justice and the nurturing of equitable relationships within and between communities so that everyone can live life in all its fullness. I encourage all Christians to join this campaign and to seek this peace and to pursue it with all the urgency that it requires.”

The Revd Mark Slaney, Chair Scotland District & Shetland District and Designate Methodist Conference President, visited the West Bank this year. He said: “I have been in the West Bank with Palestinian Christians and heard their longing desire for a just peace. Time To Act offers church leaders and partners an opportunity to share and respond to this desire in active solidarity and in strong united prayer and protest.”

And the Most Revd Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales, Church in Wales said: “Time to Act is about courageous voices – Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and others – who continue to advocate for justice, reconciliation, and peace. These voices deserve our support, and they demand a response in action from the UK Government and Welsh Government alike. People of goodwill, faith communities, civil society organisations, and citizens everywhere must speak clearly and courageously: enough is enough. The pursuit of justice, peace, and human dignity for all should be our chief driving passion and force.”

Theologian and writer Revd Dr Munther Isaac, Director of the Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice and Pastor of Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ramallah, is supporting the movement and urging UK churches to sign up to a shared commitment for justice, peace, and human dignity.

He said: “We need churches in the UK to speak up because we are one body. When one member suffers, all suffer together. Solidarity is not optional; it is part of our calling as followers of Christ.

 

“There is also a particular responsibility. Given Britain’s historical role, both through its colonial legacy and its support for Zionism, and given the ways Christian theology has at times been used to justify injustice, churches in the UK have a special moral obligation to speak with clarity and courage.

“Moreover, the United Kingdom remains one of Israel’s closest allies. This gives churches in the UK opportunities and influence that we in Palestine often do not possess. Their voice matters.

“What is at stake is not only the future and very existence of Palestinian Christians and the wider Palestinian people, who are facing a brutal assault in Gaza and increasing violence and displacement in the West Bank. What is also at stake is the credibility of the Christian witness itself. In the face of such blatant violations of human rights before the eyes of the world, silence is not neutrality; it is a failure of discipleship.

“That is why we need the church in the UK to speak – with unity, moral clarity, and the courage to stand on the side of truth, justice, and human dignity.”

Coalition members and supporters are urging the UK Government to:

• Ban trade with and investment in illegal settlements and suspend the UK–Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement until Israel ends its illegal occupation and respects human rights.

• Suspend all arms sales to Israel until it complies with international law.

• Impose sanctions on Israeli ministers and political leaders who are inciting or are responsible for severe human rights violations against Palestinians.

• Co-operate with and support the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court to ensure accountability for all parties. Accountability includes prosecuting UK citizens who have committed war crimes abroad.

To find out more about how you and any church you might be part of can get involved, please go to Just Peace Coalition.