A Joint Statement on the Current Crisis in Lebanon and the Middle East

September 30, 2024

“He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” – Isaiah 2:4

This past week and a half have been devastating for our siblings in Lebanon, where thousands have been injured and hundreds killed, the result of coordinated Israeli attacks through personal communications devices and airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, Beirut, and elsewhere. These attacks have added to the anxiety, panic, and fear of an already-stressed population, and have resulted in deaths and destruction unknown in scope so far. We know that a new incursion or large-scale war on Lebanon would be ruinous. And we know the United States continues to be complicit in its support of Israel’s unchecked offensives, which now also include air raids on Yemen.

We pray for the injured and their families. We pray for peace and comfort for those who have been displaced and those who mourn, in a country that continues to grieve and heal from previous losses.

The Lebanese people have suffered. Schools are closed. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Tens of thousands are displaced, injured, or killed. Their land and communities are shattered by continued assaults, and their livelihoods destroyed, as the country experiences an ongoing economic crisis as well. Residents of northern Israel, too, are impacted by the exchange of missiles, their lives uprooted. The UN met on Sept. 20 in an emergency session, and a UN spokesperson said that Lebanon and the region are “on the brink of catastrophe.”

Last week’s attacks in Lebanon took place as the UN General Assembly met and voted to demand an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands within a year, following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion issued this July.

We pray for the people and our partners in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, Yemen, and in Israel who are responding to the crisis and for our mission personnel living in the region. Along with our prayers, we commit to support their efforts in attending to the emerging needs of the people as they care for the injured and bury the dead.

This war, now being fought on many fronts, must end. As people of faith with commitment to justice and peace, we call on world leaders to attend to the escalation of Israel’s aggression in the region. We join the voices in the global community calling for ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the operation in the West Bank, and for an immediate de-escalation of this intensifying crisis in Lebanon and Yemen. We condemn Israel’s provocative campaign of assassinations.

We support the UN resolution calling for Israel to comply with international law to “withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land, and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank.” 

Isaiah spoke of God’s judgment, a message that nations and people will be held accountable for our actions. We are called to do all we can to take actions to strive for the day when we will see a just world for all, the day when God’s peace – a peace with justice – may prevail. 

Join us in prayer: 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.

Join us with your gifts in supporting our partners as they respond to the needs of the people through the ongoing Disciples Week of Compassion and United Church of Christ Middle East Crisis Response appeals.

Join us in continued advocacy, including regular advocacy alerts such as our most recent the 3rd Thursday Alert.