Jan. 10, 2017 — The Iona Community has a strong and long-standing commitment, through prayer, protest and the active engagement of many members, to seeking peace and justice in Israel/Palestine. We believe that a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians is only possible through ending the ‘settler colonial’ project of the state of Israel and the establishment throughout historic Palestine of equal rights, irrespective of religious and ethnic background and identity.

Sep. 7, 2016 — On Tuesday, September 6th Hunter Farrell, Director of Presbyterian World Mission, announced that he would be leaving his position for the purpose of discerning his next call to ministry. We can well imagine that this was a difficult, and prayerful decision and the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the PC(USA) wishes Hunter well as we lift up prayers for the next part of Hunter and Ruth’s journey in ministry.

Our network, however, cannot let him get away too easily…that is, without words of thanks and love, and without publicly proclaiming: 

Well done, good and faithful servant!

August 22, 2016 — The U.S. Congress and 22 states across the U.S. are considering, or have passed, laws that penalize or criminalize the use of economic measures to oppose Israeli policies towards Palestinians that many find unjust and discriminatory. The targets of these proposed laws are organizations and agencies that endorse, in full or in part, the Palestinian call for the use of boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS). Such actions are anti-democratic, suppress legitimate criticism, and restrict our freedom to determine our own investment and selective purchasing practices. We affirm and defend the right of churches and organizations to witness using economic measures in the specific case of Israel-Palestine.

August 10, 2016 — The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) endorses the platform of the Movement for Black Lives (MBL) in its entirety. We are in full solidarity with the MBL’s struggle.

The platform is a detailed call to action at the local, state, and federal levels for the broad scale liberation of Black people in America and around the world. Written by more than 50 organizations, including the Black Lives Matter Network and other Black anti-racist groups, the platform calls for an end to the undeclared but very real war on Black people, reparations in the form of investments in Black communities, economic justice, community control, political power and divestment from military expenditures.

A group of Presbyterians recently distributed a free, glossy, 80-page position paper entitled, Two States for Two Peoples. The paper advocates for a two-state solution as the best way to resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. In making its case, the paper offers an analysis of the history and contemporary politics of Israel/Palestine.

We are concerned that Two States presents a systematically distorted perspective on the situation and an equally flawed version of a two-state solution. The paper’s position is highly reflective of the stance of the current extremist Israeli government, employing a variety of “blame the victim” strategies to distract from the military occupation, settlements, and other rights abuses, which hinder even the possibility of a two-state solution.

June 25, 2016 - During its 222nd biennial General Assembly, which took place in Portland, Oregon this week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) continued its strong support for Palestinian rights with the passage of a series of overtures. An overture calling on real estate company RE/MAX to stop selling properties in Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land in violation of international law and official US policy passed without opposition. In addition, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the use of boycotts and other nonviolent measures in support of oppressed peoples throughout the world. These actions follow the historic vote of the General Assembly in 2014 to divest from companies that profit from and sustain Israel's nearly 50-year-old military occupation of Palestinian lands, as well as the endorsement of a boycott of goods made in settlements.