Disciples, UCC, and United Church of Canada leaders letter to Pres. Biden: The Crisis in Gaza Must End Now

A woman walks through Shejaiya, a Gaza neighborhood which bore the brunt of some of the most intense Israeli air attacks during the 2014 war. Throughout Gaza, members of the ACT Alliance are supporting health care, vocational training, rehabilitation of housing and water systems, psycho-social care, and a variety of other humanitarian activities. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth

Disciples, UCC, and United Church of Canada leaders letter to Pres. Biden: The Crisis in Gaza Must End Now

by Middle East and Europe | published on Dec 19, 2023

The leadership of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the United Church of Christ, and the United Church of Canada have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to “show moral courage and conviction and call for an immediate ceasefire and work diligently for a just and lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.” The letter was delivered to the White House this Monday, December 18.

The Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Moderator of the United Church of Canada, were the signatories, representing the three churches that are in full communion with each other.

The letter draws attention to the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, names the actions of Hamas and the Israeli bombings of Gaza as war crimes, calls for Israel to be held accountable, and urges the US to “adhere to [its] obligations as set forth in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and to work toward the prevention of further loss of life in Gaza.

All three churches have partnerships in Israel/Palestine.

The full text of the letter is below:

FINAL_Joint letter to Pres Biden _Dec18_2023 UCC-UCCanada-DoC Download