Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, issued a statement of concern following the July 3 Jenin incursion. On that day the Israeli military conducted a major assault on the Jenin refugee camp in the Palestinian city of Jenin, located within the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Israeli government stated that the goal of the operation was to target militants within the camp.
Eaton joined Sani Ibrahim Azar, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, in being “deeply dismayed at the ongoing Israeli military incursions into Palestinian communities, especially in the city and refugee camp of Jenin.”
She echoed what Azar said in his recent statement: “The extensive damage to human lives and property, including the death of children, does not further the cause of justice and will not bring Israelis or Palestinians closer to peace or security. Our church calls for the upholding of human rights for Palestinians, for a ceasefire, and for an end to the occupation. We lift our prayers for all affected communities, and for the restoration of justice and peace for all of the peoples of the Holy Land.”
In her statement, Eaton noted the 2016 Churchwide Assembly memorial to “urge this church’s members, congregations, synods, agencies and presiding bishop to call on their U.S. Representatives, Senators and the Administration to take action requiring that, to continue receiving U.S. financial and military aid, Israel must comply with internationally recognized human rights standards as specified in existing U.S. law, stop settlement building and the expansion of existing settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, end its occupation of Palestinian territory and enable an independent Palestinian state .…”
“It is past time that the administration and Congress pursue these objectives,” she wrote. “The ELCA will continue our advocacy for justice in the Holy Land in collaboration with our ecumenical, interfaith and other partners who share our commitments to seeking a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Read the entire statement here.
