Washington: Christian & Jewish organisations question US military support for Israel

olive branch - Wiki images

Religious organizations and their secular partners will gather at the United Methodist Building, in Washington, DC, on Thursday morning to affirm the call of 15 Christian leaders to investigate the legality of US unconditional military support of Israel.

Thousands of signatures have been gathered in support of this letter, addressed to Congress, seeking to make US military aid to Israel contingent upon its compliance with applicable US laws and policies.

Speakers will be: Mark Harrison, United Methodist General Board of Church and Society; Rev Phillip G Anderson, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; Rabbi Liz Bolton, Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council; Josh Ruebner, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation; Tom Getman, Kairos USA and Philip Farah, Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace.

Groups represented at the press conference, including Jewish Voice for Peace, Kairos USA, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, United Methodist Kairos Response, Friends of Sabeel North America, Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, The Palestine Israel Network of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, and others, will present over 30,000 signatures gathered in support of the 15 Christian leaders, clearly showing widespread support among US Christians for measures that would provide a degree of justice for Palestinians under occupation.

In a statement, the organisers say: "As the United Nations considers the Palestine Liberation Organization’s request for 'non-member state' status on Thursday, the organizations holding this press conference will urge US Christian groups to support the 15 leaders who have issued this courageous call for a US policy that will truly advance a solution that will bring self-determination for Palestinians and a secure peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. This affirmation, especially timely because of Israel’s recent bombardment of Gaza, comes as the 15 Christian leaders have been aggressively criticized by some Jewish advocacy organizations, some of which have shut down long-standing interfaith dialogues as a response."

The event will be live streamed (10am local time; 3pm in London) at: www.ustream.tv/channel/us-campaign-events