Disciples and UCC join in calling Pres. Biden and Congress to hold Israel accountable, end US military aid

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ are among ten US Christian churches and agencies calling for “urgent action … to end violence and to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing and flagrant violations of Palestinian rights.”

In a letter to President Biden and all members of Congress sent this week, the Christian churches and agencies made the case that “U.S. military funding to Israel in part sustains this violence, making the U.S. government complicit in ongoing abuses.” Making the case that current Israeli government “positions and actions … directly contradict U.S. peacemaking policy towards Israel and Palestine and undermine the frameworks that the US has stated are necessary for long term peace,” the letter also lifts up “decades of ignored Palestinian suffering.” Citing reports of well-respected agencies such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and B’Tselem, the letter names examples of such violations of Palestinian rights. Naming several respected human rights organizations, it goes on to assert that “Israeli actions on the ground have created a reality based on inequality and discrimination.”

The letter asserts that, “The U.S. bears at least partial responsibility for this reality because of its uncritical support – politically, diplomatically, and financially – for the Government of Israel and its failure to demand accountability.” It concludes by stating, “As Christian leaders in the United States, it is our moral responsibility to question the continuation of U.S. financial assistance to the government of Israel’s as rights violations worsen,” urging the Administration and Congress to take “urgent action … to end violence and to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing and
flagrant violations of Palestinian rights.”

Read the full letter below.