This report includes a discussion on land, the biblical covenant between God and the people of Israel, and justice.
“So, do we Presbyterians—collectively and/or individually – respect the claim of the Jewish people upon the land of Israel?” the report asks. “Do we Presbyterians ―appreciate that Israel [geographic Israel? Biblical Israel? political Israel?] was promised – and given – to Jews as the physical center of the covenant between them and God? Any answer to that question will be complicated and will most certainly prove controversial.”
The General Assembly in 2008 created the study group, with instructions that it report back to the 219th General Assembly this year and that it “prepare a comprehensive study, with recommendations, that is focused on Israel/Palestine within the complex context of the Middle East.”
The final part of the report – including 30 recommendations – will be released on March 10.
