Moderator Writes Pastoral Letter to Support General Council’s Decision

On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, the 44th General Council affirmed the application of justice principles to the conflict in Israel and Palestine; in doing so, it enabled the national office and local congregations to adopt Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) strategies and joins in the consensus of the international human rights communities in recognizing and rejecting Israel’s apartheid system. 

Following are the recommendations that were part of the proposal that was passed by GC44.

The Moderator, the Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, has written a pastoral letter to the church about the decision.

Recommendations

• Affirm that the application of the principles allows for the adoption of the strategies of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement and the ability to respond positively to the request of New 01 - Join the Apartheid Free Communities Movement (proposal received by the Executive of the General Council May 10-11, 2024), joining the consensus of the international human rights community in recognizing and rejecting Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures towards the Palestinian people, and refer proposals GCE04, CS01, SW09, FSL01, PM02, RC1501, and SW02 Peace in Palestine and Israel to the General Secretary as part of the process to guide the church’s response.*
• Direct the General Secretary to continue to report to the Executive of the General Council on the advocacy work related to Palestine and Israel and how the principles were applied, and to provide any learning to the Theology Inter-Church Interfaith Committee.

*NEW 01 can be found at commons.united-church.ca / Governance / General Council Executive / GC44 Executive / Meeting Documents / 2024-05-10-11 GCE / Proposals.

GCE04, CS01, SW09, FSL01, PM02, RC1501, and SW02 can be found at commons.united-church.ca / Governance / 44th General Council / 2024-10 Annual Meeting / Background Documentation.