CMEP Advent Not Arms campaign

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) has developed a campaign called “Advent Not Arms” which is described as follows:

Advent is a time when, as Christians, we look forward to the birth of the Prince of Peace. This year we are again witnessing destruction and death caused by conflict in the Middle East. Since the attack on Israel on October 7th and Israel began its retaliation, the violence has spiraled out of control, affecting millions of people in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and Lebanon. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we call on those in power to work towards a peaceful end to the conflict, for all sides to lay down their weapons, for the remaining hostages to be returned safely home, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held without due process of law.

We share the vision for all Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security, with equal rights, and this will only happen when there is an end to the descending spiral of violence. One of the practical ways we in the US can contribute to this is through calling on the US government to suspend arms sales to Israel.

Since 7th October last year, at least 45,000 people have been killed and over 3 million displaced across Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and Lebanon. While all parties have been accused of committing war crimes, the US government is only sending weapons to the Israeli government.

By continuing to supply them with arms, the US Government is itself at risk of facilitating these crimes.

This advent, we reaffirm our belief in the sanctity of all life and demand an end to the violence and killing. We call on the US government to reject weapons as a solution, suspend all arms sales to Israel, work to protect human dignity and do all it can to push for a ceasefire.

Click here to visit the CMEP Advent Not Arms campaign website.