PCAP’s Blog
Urge Church Leaders to Speak Out against the Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians
Philip Farah - March 2025
Despite repeated pleas from Palestinian Christians for church leaders to stand boldly and publicly with the Palestinian people and in opposition to Israel’s genocidal war, the leaders of most U.S. Christian denominations have failed to do so. Of course, Christian Zionists, like Pastor John Hagee, stood solidly behind Israel during its 15-month killing spree. But some mainline Christian leaders also made more subtle statements that indicated bias in favor of the Israeli narrative.
At best, the majority of the church establishment in the U.S. did not go much farther than expressing sympathy for the Palestinian victims on humanitarian grounds and calling for a ceasefire. Few had the courage to condemn Israel’s terror against the Palestinian using terms like “genocide” and “ethnic cleaning” and call on the Biden Administration to stop the weapons shipments enabling the slaughter.
Notable exceptions, for which Palestinian Christians are eternally grateful, have included the prophetic statement by the African Methodist Episcopal Church leadership which “called on the United States government to cut funding for Israel,” which it accused of committing "mass genocide" in Gaza. [See AME Church accuses Israel of 'mass genocide' in Gaza | Church & Ministries.] Similarly, the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ condemned Israel’s genocidal war and called on the U.S. government to stop arms shipments to it. [See A pastoral letter for peace and justice from leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) - Global Ministries and A Prophetic Call for Justice and Peace in Palestine - United Church of Christ.]
In contrast, some mainline protestant leaders actually showed bias against the Palestinians while the genocidal onslaught against them was raging. The case of the Episcopal Church is particularly illustrative. While there was a groundswell of outrage among Episcopalians against Israeli atrocities, as evidenced by many excellent proposed resolutions put before the Episcopal General Convention of 2024, the House of Bishops defeated a proposed resolution to express “solidarity with Palestinians as indigenous people.” More recently, Diocese of Washington Bishop Mariann Budde, received accolades for her great courage in calling for compassion for refugees during the Trump inauguration at the National Cathedral. Yet Bishop Budde basically accepted the Israeli narrative regarding the events of October 7th, reserving the harshest language to condemn “Hamas terrorists.”
In her statements on Gaza, Bishop Budde acknowledged that “hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Palestinians are on the brink of starvation [and that] entire families have been destroyed. She said that, “like many Christian leaders, I have remained largely silent on the war between Israel and Hamas.” But she really did not persist in her alleged silence, quickly adding that the Palestinian perpetrators who “brutally attacked [Israel] on October 7… must be held accountable for the atrocities they committed.” Nowhere did Bishop Budde mention who was responsible for the “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Palestinians [who] are on the brink of starvation,” nor that those who are responsible ought to be held accountable for their genocidal crimes.
How much more proof do church leaders need that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians, when overwhelming evidence has been gathered and reported by the most respected international organizations, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, especially when the evidence is fully backed by the public pronouncements of top Israeli leaders. There is also the alleged excuse that church leaders do not wish to offend Jews. This excuse rings hollow given that over 350 rabbis have acted with integrity and courage in a NYT full page ad denouncing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians [See ‘No to ethnic cleansing’: over 350 rabbis sign US ad assailing Trump’s Gaza plan | Trump administration | The Guardian.]
Perhaps the blatantly racist and crue language of the leaflets dropped en masse over Gaza can provide further proof-- as if more is needed-- of Israel’s genocidal disregard for the lives of Palestinians.
Church leaders can no longer be silent. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.”
Left: Text of Leaflet dropped by Israel on Gaza:
“The world map will not change if all the people of Gaza cease to exist. No one will feel for you, and no one will ask about you. You have been left alone to face your inevitable fate. Iran cannot even protect itself, let alone protect you, and you have seen with your own eyes what has happened. Neither America nor Europe care about Gaza in any way. Even your Arab countries, which are now our allies, provide us with money and weapons while sending you only shrouds.”
Christian Leaders in Jerusalem and Jewish Leaders in US Condemn Trump’s Plan to Remove Palestinians from Gaza
Muna Kaldawi - February 2025
Two recent statements from heads of churches in Jerusalem and hundreds of rabbis in the US have strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to have the US take over Gaza and force the Palestinian people in Gaza to go to other countries.
A joint Statement strongly denouncing Trump’s proposal for Gaza was issued by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem–signed by leaders of the Greek, Armenian, Coptic, Syrian, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in addition to Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and other leaders on February 14. It decries the immense suffering of Gaza’s people and firmly rejects the idea of forcibly relocating Palestinians in Gaza to other countries. Noting that they are the “...custodians of the Christian faith and conscience in this sacred land,” the leaders wrote, “We raise our voices in sorrow and steadfast resolve in the face of the ongoing suffering in Gaza.” Their criticism was echoed by many in the US and world leaders, including human rights experts at the United Nations, who have noted that forcible transfer is a grave war crime.
Also, on February 13th, a full page ad in the New York Times signed by more than 350 American rabbis and other prominent Jewish public figures stated that, “Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing.” One signatory of the ad, Rabbi Yosef Berman of New Synagogue Project in Washington, D.C., told the publication Common Dreams (Feb. 13) that "Jewish teaching is clear: Trump is not God and cannot take away Palestinians inherent dignity or steal their land for a real estate deal. Trump's desire to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza is morally abhorrent. Jewish leaders reject Trump's attempts to wring profit from displacement and suffering and must act to stop this heinous crime."
PCAP Board members join and amplify these voices and others in strongly denouncing President Trump’s plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza and call for a substantive increase in the flow of humanitarian aid.
Reflections on PCAP’s seminar with Ilan Pappe
Awad Halabi - November 2024
The interview with Ilan Pappé explored his new book, Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic. His book examines the history and development of the Zionist lobby in United Kingdom and the United States over the last two centuries. The discussion began with Dr. Pappé explaining the origins of Zionism in Christian Zionism, as early Christian leaders in the nineteenth century promoted the ideas of Millenarianism and dispensationalism as central to bringing about the Second Coming of Christ. Christian Zionists believed both these largely new ideologies could signal the End Times, when it is believed Jews will either convert to Christianity or be condemned during the Final Judgement. Later in the nineteenth century, Pappé explained how European Jews responded to increasing anti-Semitism by advocating for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. They quickly recognized the advantage of working with Christian Zionists, despite the anti-Semitic claims that Jews could not enter Heaven if they didn’t accept Christ as their Savior.
It is in this context that the pro-Zionist Lobby was born. “The Lobby” grew from a theological belief among mostly Evangelical and Protestant Christians in the UK and America to evolving into a political movement to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. Pappé identified the Earl of Shaftsbury, president of the Bible Society in England in the 1860s, as “one of the first lobbyists for Zionism”, as he transformed Christian Zionism from “millenarian eschatology to millenarian activist”. Pappé also highlighted how England’s Lord Balfour’s Christian Zionist beliefs, as well as his intention to strengthen British imperialism, led to issuing the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
After the Nakba and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, a pro-Israel lobby emerged in both the US and the UK. Pappé explained how the newly formed pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC (the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee), immediately established close connections with Christian Zionists. AIPAC established a template of how to pressure politicians to support Israel, such as lodging accusations of anti-Semitism or funding their opponents in elections for those who failed to express full support to Israel. AIPAC continues to employ both these tactics. As Pappé noted, President Biden entered the Senate the same year that the pro-Israel lobby targeted Senator Fulbright for his criticism of Israel, ultimately ending his career. Pappé regards AIPAC’s role in bringing about the demise of one of the senate’s most powerful figures as central for understanding why Biden has cultivated close relations with AIPAC and has staunchly supported Israel his entire political career.
The conversation ended with discussion of how beginning in the 1980s Pappé sees an “unholy trinity of Christian Zionism, neo-conservatives, and the American Jewish Lobby” coalescing and working together. Christian Zionist leaders like Pastor John Hagee and the Christians United for Israel group worked closely with AIPAC to secure US support for Israel. These ties grew stronger after the 9/11 attacks, as American neocons, Christian Zionists, and the pro-Israel lobby all spread anti-Muslim rhetoric, depicting Muslims, Palestinians, as well as liberals, feminists, and globalists as threatening Western civilization.