The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) made an oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council’s 63rd session in Geneva on Tuesday 22nd of September regarding Israeli settler violence in the West Bank.
Speaking on behalf of its Evangelical Christians in the Middle East, the WEA expressed “grave concern over escalating Israeli settler violence and military operations in the occupied West Bank, which are contributing to dispossession and displacement of Palestinians, including Christians.” The statement noted with particular concern the situation of the Palestinian village of Taybeh, the West Bank’s last predominantly Christian village.
The WEA statement quoted residents’ reports of “repeated settler incursions, intimidation, property damage, fires, and attempts to take control of privately owned land.” The WEA recalled that in May, settlers established a new illegal outpost near the village. In August, residents continued to report attacks on homes and property and obstruction of access to their land.
The WEA said that it was “deeply troubled” by credible reports that “Israeli authorities and military forces provide vehicles, drones, and weapons,” concluding that “annexation plans are detrimental for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, the WEA stated: “as Christians, we believe that every person has equal dignity and the right to live safely in peace on their land.”
Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, the director of the MENA branch of the World Evangelical Alliance, said that as a Palestinian Christian and evangelical leader, he cannot separate his faith in Jesus Christ from the call to defend the dignity and safety of every human being.
“The continuing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the West Bank—against families, homes, land, livelihoods, and places of worship—demands the attention of the global Church. Violence and injustice cannot be justified by religion, nationalism, or claims to the land.”
Rev Sara said Scripture calls on the faithful to ‘seek justice’ and be peacemakers.
“We therefore call for the protection of Palestinian civilians, accountability for acts of violence, and concrete steps that allow both Palestinians and Israelis to live in security, dignity, and a just peace.”
