FMW Statement on Seeking a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine (July 2024)

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Friends Meeting of Washington’s Statement
on Seeking a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine

Approved by FMW’s Meeting for Business on July 21, 2024

On November 19, 2023, Friends Meeting of Washington adopted the core principles of a joint statement on Israel/Palestine offered by seven Quaker organizations from around the world. The American Friends Service Committee and the Friends Committee on National Legislation were among the signers, and this initial statement called all people of conscience and goodwill to work for a permanent ceasefire, immediate release of all hostages and political prisoners, the adequate provision of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a just political solution to the underlying conflict based on equality, freedom, and full human rights for all who live between the River and the Sea.

Now, nine months into a massive assault against the civilian population of Gaza backed by the US and other Western governments, the suffering of the Palestinian people continues unabated and the long-term security of Israeli civilians has declined even further. In light of these catastrophic developments, Friends Meeting of Washington now embraces the April 2024 joint statement by eight major Quaker organizations entitled “A Different Future Is Possible: A Shared Quaker Vision for Peace in Palestine and Israel.”

This updated and more detailed Quaker statement of conscience (again signed by the AFSC and FCNL), is deeply rooted in the Religious Society of Friends’ historic peace and justice witness, Quakers’ long  involvement in Palestine since the founding of the Ramallah Friends School in 1869, and our decades-long effort to support Jewish safety and security in ways that do not oppress the Palestinian people or violate their human rights under international law.

Friends Meeting of Washington specifically endorses this visionary statement’s proposed action steps to “seek peace and pursue it,” which are directed towards Western governments, the Israeli government, and Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups. As a guide to the peace and justice efforts of our own members and attenders, we also embrace the April statement’s call for Quakers everywhere to:

1. Urgently call and fervently work for a permanent ceasefire and amplify our voices in our communities and at the local, state, and national levels.
2. Encourage decision-makers calling for a ceasefire and working for peace.
3. Organize and participate in teach-ins, actions, and protests until a ceasefire and a just and lasting peace are realized.
4. Actively support an end to Israel’s occupation and equal protection and rights for all people living under Israeli control and commit to actions as meetings/churches until this reality is realized.
5. Divest from corporations profiting from militarism, including the occupation of Palestine.
6. Support those in Israel and Palestine who are working for peace.

What we said as a Quaker congregation back in November is still true: “We are called to act in faith and love, with persistence, patience, and courage, as partners and hands of the divine spirit as we pursue the sacred goal of peace, shalom, salaam.”
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Further Learning Resources Recommended by FMW's Committee on Peace & Social Concerns