Speakers from alternating positions were allowed 90 seconds to express their viewpoint to the committee.
“I urge very strongly the assembly be engaged and involved and not to be reduced to observers to what is being done,” urged His Eminence Elias Chacour, Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church of Israel. “What I hear in these overtures is a parade of horribles, as if we seem to take some sort of evil pleasure on inflicting harm on other people just for the sake of it,” countered Nancy Appel, associate director of the Anti-Defamation League in San Francisco. “There are those who wish for you to think there are two peoples of equal strength fighting it out,” expressed Wendy Greenfield a member of Jewish Voice for Peace. “The difference in power between occupier and occupied is obvious.” Jim Roberts who heads the organization Committee to End Divestment Now told the committee that “we have lost sight of balance” in the church, having been over-invested in the Palestinian narrative for some time.
The issues of balance, concerns over violence perpetrated by both Israelis and Palestinians, and the role of the church in prophetic witness were topics of discussion as well as the admission that it is a complex situation and one which must be addressed carefully and thoughtfully. Fear was also expressed that in the name of neutrality the committee might be tempted to do or say nothing about the situation.
“Our actions do not provide a uniform witness,” said committee moderator Nancy Kahaian. What the committee did resoundingly provide was its intent to allow all voices to be heard and to be diligent in the process of considering the many resolutions before it. Strong urges for balance and a hesitation toward acting too quickly or definitively were accompanied by appeals for justice and compassionate action on behalf of those who are suffering. “Balance is not to me a bad word,” said Susan Andrews, moderator of the 215th General Assembly, in speaking to overture 11-28. “It doesn’t mean we are going to cut off the extremes and end up with a bland mishmash in the middle. We need to hear the nuances and come to some sort of understanding.”
The Committee on Peacemaking and International Issues has voted to recommend that the Assembly vote in the following manner on overtures related to Israel and Palestine:
11-01 On Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel, Approved
11-02 On Pursuing a Culture of a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, Failed
11-03 On Endorsing the “Amman Call” Regarding Arab-Israeli Peace, Approved
11-04 On Travel to Israel and Palestine, Approved
11-06 On the 218th General Assembly (2008) Being a Voice for
11-07 On Supporting Israel’s Right to Exist, But Calling for Temporary Suspension of Military Aid to the State of Israel, Failed
11-23 On Divestment from Caterpillar, Inc., and Motorola, Inc., for Profiting from the Israeli Military Occupation of Palestinian Territories, Approved
11-25 On Becoming Non-Partisan Advocates for Peace, Failed (11-06 voted as an answer to 11-25)
11-26 On Middle East Peacemaking, Approved (amended)
11-27 Report from MRTI of Corporate Engagements in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Failed
11-28 Prepare Study on Israel/Palestine within the context of the Middle East, Approved
11-03 On Endorsing the “Amman Call” Regarding Arab-Israeli Peace, approved
11-04 On Travel to Israel and Palestine, approved
11-06 On the 218th General Assembly (2008) Being a Voice for the Victims of
11-07 On Supporting Israel’s Right to Exist, But Calling for Temporary Suspension of Military Aid to the State of Israel, Failed
11-23 On Divestment from Caterpillar, Inc., and Motorola, Inc., for Profiting from the Israeli Military Occupation of Palestinian Territories, Approved
11-25 On Becoming Non-Partisan Advocates for Peace, Failed (11-06 voted as an answer to 11-25)
11-26 On Middle East Peacemaking, Approved (amended)
11-27 Report from MRTI of Corporate Engagements in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Failed
11-28 Prepare Study on Israel/Palestine within the context of the Middle East, Approved
