D058 Ceasefire in Israel–Hamas War
The prophet Isaiah tells us that when the Lord teaches us his ways, we shall beat our swords into plowshares and not study war anymore (Is. 2:3-4). The Episcopal Church, and all Christians, are called to a ministry of proclaiming peace in all walks of life – to “enter the chaos, stand in the middle, and create [an] ‘in-between space’ … [where] people may meet one another, find a safe place, and establish common ground so reconciliation can occur.”[1]
In the midst of the Israel–Hamas War, a deeply divisive conflict both in the Middle East and in the west, the Episcopal Church must maintain its position as the church who “respects the dignity of every human being” (BCP, 305) in calling for peace and justice for all people, not just a select few. Leadership on both sides of this war have failed to live up to the bare minimum standards for war, let alone the ethical position of pacifism, and the United States and other western nations, by their willingness to keep the status quo the status quo, have led us there as well.[2]
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said in a speech to the Church of England’s General Synod that “the evils of Hamas cannot be paid by the civilians of Gaza.”[3] No civilian deserves to be harmed for the evils of the world that surrounds them. Our priority, as Nicholas Kristof wrote, must be being “anti-massacre, anti-starvation, and anti-rape.”[4] While Kristof’s entire article is worthy of commendation, his final paragraph should be our guiding light as we continue to call the world into a foreign policy centered around the principles of the Helsinki Accords, including a respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the right to self-determination:[5]
A wise Palestinian from Jenin, Mohamed Abu Jafar, whose 16-year-old brother had been shot dead by Israeli forces, told me last year: “They can’t kill us all, and we can’t kill them all.” That leaves, he said, one practical option for all of us: working for peace.
Let’s get to it.
[1] Community of the Cross of Nails North America, “The Ministry of Reconciliation,” https://www.crossofnails-na.org/about/history/.
[2] Nayyera Haq, “Israeli and Palestinian leaders failed miserably. Their people will pay the price,” https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/hamas-war-israel-leaders-both-sides-failed-rcna119347.
[3] Justin Welby, “General Synod November 2023 – Joint Presidential Address,” https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/speeches/general-synod-archbishop-canterburys-presidential-address.
[4] Nicholas Kristof, “How to Think Through the Moral Tangle in Gaza,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/01/opinion/israel-gaza-antisemitism.html.
[5] Resolution 1985-D068, “Urge Observance of the Helsinki Accords on Human Rights”.
Note: this resolution and/or its explanation contains external references, such as URLs of websites, that may not be in the required languages of General Convention. Because of copyright restrictions, the General Convention cannot provide translations. However, your web browser may be able to provide a machine translation into another language. If you need assistance with this, please contact gc.support@episcopalchurch.org.
Explanation
The prophet Isaiah tells us that when the Lord teaches us his ways, we shall beat our swords into plowshares and not study war anymore (Is. 2:3-4). The Episcopal Church, and all Christians, are called to a ministry of proclaiming peace in all walks of life – to “enter the chaos, stand in the middle, and create [an] ‘in-between space’ … [where] people may meet one another, find a safe place, and establish common ground so reconciliation can occur.”[1]
In the midst of the Israel–Hamas War, a deeply divisive conflict both in the Middle East and in the west, the Episcopal Church must maintain its position as the church who “respects the dignity of every human being” (BCP, 305) in calling for peace and justice for all people, not just a select few. Leadership on both sides of this war have failed to live up to the bare minimum standards for war, let alone the ethical position of pacifism, and the United States and other western nations, by their willingness to keep the status quo the status quo, have led us there as well.[2]
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said in a speech to the Church of England’s General Synod that “the evils of Hamas cannot be paid by the civilians of Gaza.”[3] No civilian deserves to be harmed for the evils of the world that surrounds them. Our priority, as Nicholas Kristof wrote, must be being “anti-massacre, anti-starvation, and anti-rape.”[4] While Kristof’s entire article is worthy of commendation, his final paragraph should be our guiding light as we continue to call the world into a foreign policy centered around the principles of the Helsinki Accords, including a respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the right to self-determination:[5]
A wise Palestinian from Jenin, Mohamed Abu Jafar, whose 16-year-old brother had been shot dead by Israeli forces, told me last year: “They can’t kill us all, and we can’t kill them all.” That leaves, he said, one practical option for all of us: working for peace.
Let’s get to it.
[1] Community of the Cross of Nails North America, “The Ministry of Reconciliation,” https://www.crossofnails-na.org/about/history/.
[2] Nayyera Haq, “Israeli and Palestinian leaders failed miserably. Their people will pay the price,” https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/hamas-war-israel-leaders-both-sides-failed-rcna119347.
[3] Justin Welby, “General Synod November 2023 – Joint Presidential Address,” https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/speeches/general-synod-archbishop-canterburys-presidential-address.
[4] Nicholas Kristof, “How to Think Through the Moral Tangle in Gaza,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/01/opinion/israel-gaza-antisemitism.html.
[5] Resolution 1985-D068, “Urge Observance of the Helsinki Accords on Human Rights”.
Note: this resolution and/or its explanation contains external references, such as URLs of websites, that may not be in the required languages of General Convention. Because of copyright restrictions, the General Convention cannot provide translations. However, your web browser may be able to provide a machine translation into another language. If you need assistance with this, please contact gc.support@episcopalchurch.org.