The whole world was riveted on the May events in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and 1948 Israel. We are all relieved that a ceasefire has ended the eleven days of death and destruction. But our attention must not waiver. We must focus our attention now on the underlying sources of all this death and destruction. Only then can we prevent it from recurring and only then can we understand what we must do to ensure the safety and well-being of all people in Palestine/Israel.
Israeli colonization and the associated denial and abuse of Palestinian human rights are at the heart of the matter. The denial has been extensively documented by Palestinian-led organizations, including: the Palestine Liberation Organization Observer Mission to the United Nations; Al Haq, the Palestinian human rights organization based in the West Bank; Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel; Al Shabaka, the Palestinian policy network; the Palestinian Feminist Collective based in the US; and the Gaza Community Mental Health Program based in Gaza.
The charge of the crime of apartheid against Israel has been well established recently by the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem and the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch. A system of state-sanctioned apartheid, in which half of the people living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, of one ethnicity, are supported by their government while the other half of the people, of a different ethnicity, are oppressed, is a formula for unending conflict.
UUs are not powerless. We can draw on our principles to act as allies of Palestinians in the struggle for their human rights. Our principles call on us to respect the worth and dignity of all people; to seek justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; to support democracy; and to seek peace, liberty and justice for all. The proposed 8th UU principle, building beloved community by dismantling racism and other oppressions, calls us to support the work of collective liberation, including Palestinian liberation.
We deeply appreciate the UU leaders who are speaking out and call on for more UUs to do so. The words of a Jewish community leader, Liz Loeb, as quoted by UU Church of the Larger Fellowship CoMinistry Lead Aisha Hauser in her recent homily, “All of Us Need All of Us,” resonates with us: “There can be no home for us that means betraying our most sacred command to preserve all life as holy. And
there can be no home for us that comes from occupying the home of another. We know, we must know that what the state of Israel is doing in Palestine is a wrong beyond wrong.” We are also heartened by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s strong statement calling for an end to military aid to Israel until it complies with international law and stops its human rights violations against the Palestinians.
UUs realize it is vital to listen to the voices of the oppressed and follow their leadership when acting as allies. Palestinians have spoken out clearly in this regard. In 2005, 170 Palestinian civil organizations called on the international community to support their struggle by engaging in the non-violent use of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).
And UUs have responded. In 2016, the UUA supported the Palestinian struggle by divesting from Motorola Solutions, Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard, all companies whose products significantly support the Israeli occupation. Regarding the use of boycotts, many UUs have supported the call to boycott companies that support the occupation, such as Hewlett Packard and Pillsbury. The 2020 UUA General Assembly passed a business resolution supporting the cessation of investment in corporations complicit in human rights violations against various peoples, including the Palestinians.
Most recently, it has become possible for UUs to support the third component of the BDS campaign - sanctions. Sanctions are actions by governments such as restrictions on aid or trade. The United States now gives 3.8 billion dollars in military aid annually to Israel in even though military aid to countries that systematically violate human rights is prohibited by the Arms Export Control Act and other US
laws. Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota has therefore introduced a bill, H.R. 2590, the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, that would protect the human rights of Palestinians by preventing the use of US funds for the military detention of children, the seizure or destruction of Palestinian property, and the annexation of Palestinian land in violation of International law. The bill is endorsed by Movement for Black Lives, by immigrant rights groups, by peace groups, by faith groups and even by J Street, the liberal Zionist group that supports a two-state solution. UUs can support the bill by calling on their congressional representatives to become cosponsors.
UUs can act with many others and in many ways to bend the arc of the universe toward justice for the
cause of collective liberation and do our part to help bring peace and well-being to all the people in
Palestine/Israel.
Visit our website and social media accounts to stay informed about actions and updates.
ENDORSEMENTS
Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network
