WHEREAS, it is the position of The United Methodist Church that all United Methodists should reach out to local synagogues, mosques, and Christian faith groups by engaging in interfaith and ecumenical dialogue on how to promote justice and peace in the Holy Land (“Opposition to Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Land”; The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church, 2008, pg. 832); and
WHEREAS, in order to be productive, any such interfaith and ecumenical dialogue designed to lead to action relating to any specific advocacy position must take place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and trust; and
WHEREAS, establishing such mutual understanding and trust can, at times, appear almost unattainable inasmuch as various constituencies, even within The United Methodist Church as well as within other faith groups, support such a wide range of specific and often divergent advocacy steps designed to bring about a just peace in Israel/Palestine; and
WHEREAS, mutual understanding and trust can be established, however, when all parties recognize that, from a moral and ethical standpoint, there is a single universal standard of human rights that applies to all stakeholders in every situation; and
WHEREAS, interfaith and/or ecumenical dialogue on how best to promote justice and peace in the Holy Land can be most productive when it engages particular committees, task forces, or boards within faith communities that are committed to this universal standard of human rights and that are open to the principle of supporting an end to military aid to any country and/or group that commits human rights abuses;
Therefore, be it resolved, that, in order to promote justice and peace in the Holy Land, the 2012 United Methodist General Conference supports the efforts of existing or newly formed conference-wide and/or locally based United Methodist and/or interfaith or ecumenical committees, task forces, boards, or agencies that are committed to engaging in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue leading to achieving common goals relating to Israel/Palestine. Such goals to include the recognition of a single universal standard of human rights that applies to all stakeholders and support for an end of military aid by any country, to those parties in the conflict that commit human rights abuses.
ADOPTED 2012
RESOLUTION #6137, 2012 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
See Social Principles, ¶ 165C.
From The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church - 2016. Copyright © 2016 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.
