Kairos Palestine/Global Kairos for Justice announces launch of a new study on Apartheid
A new theological study on apartheid in the Israeli-Palestinian context will be launched on Friday, July 1. The study, prepared by Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice members, is intended for Christians and other civil society organizations who want to learn more about the crime of apartheid and why Palestinians and a growing number of churches and human rights organizations are using the word to describe Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. The official launch of the dossier will be on Friday July 1st 2022 at 4:00 pm Palestine time (9:00 am EDT/6:00 am PDT).
The United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), both partners of Kairos Palestine through Global Ministries, have each offered clear public witness on Israeli apartheid policies and practices. The UCC adopted a resolution at its 2021 General Synod, a “Declaration for a Just Peace between Palestine and Israel,” that stated,
We affirm that all people living in Palestine and Israel are created in the image of God and that this bestows ultimate dignity and sacredness to all; Therefore, we reject any laws and legal procedures which are used by one race or religion or political entity to enshrine one people in a privileged legal position at the expense of another, including Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures.
And the Disciples leadership issued a pastoral letter, “Compelled to Witness,” in late February, 2022 that said, in part,
Israeli policies and practices that discriminate against Palestinians – Christians and Muslims alike – are consistent with the international legal definition of the crime of apartheid as defined in the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (ICSPCA, 1973) and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002).
Click here to register for the special webinar and launch of the apartheid dossier.