The World Council of Churches (WCC) last week denounced Israeli apartheid in Gaza, demanded an end to the occupation and the lifting of the unlawful blockade and called on states and churches to impose consequences for violations of international law, including targeted sanctions, divestment and arms embargoes.
The WCC is a global fellowship comprising 352 churches from over 120 countries, representing more than 58 crore Christians worldwide.
In a statement issued during a recent meeting in South Africa, the WCC’s central committee expressed “deep lamentation and outrage” over the escalating crisis in Palestine and Israel, describing it as a situation that “flagrantly violates international humanitarian and human rights law as well as the most basic principles of morality.”
The statement invoked the verse “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” from the Book of Amos to underscore the WCC’s call for genuine justice and moral accountability in the face of the ongoing crisis.
The WCC drew a firm line between the Jewish people and the actions of the Israeli government, reaffirming that it “stands firm against any kind of racism, including antisemitism, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.”
However, it noted that “the unbearable suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza, and the escalating violence and oppression in the West Bank and Jerusalem” compelled churches worldwide to speak “with clarity, urgency, and commitment to the principles of justice under international law and ethics.”
The committee warned that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza involves “grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention which may constitute genocide and/or other crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”
Condemning the ongoing violence, illegal settlement expansion and systemic rights violations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, the WCC stated that these actions defy “international legal norms, including the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and numerous Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.”
Reaffirming its commitment to interfaith cooperation and accountability under international law, the council urgently called for “naming the reality of apartheid” by denouncing the system imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people.
It urged “implementing sanctions and accountability,” asking states, churches, and international bodies to impose measures such as targeted sanctions, divestment, and arms embargoes, “affirming Palestinian rights and freedom” by supporting their right to self-determination, ending the occupation, and lifting the blockade on Gaza.
The WCC also stressed the importance of upholding the resilience of Palestinian Christian communities and ensuring their right to live and worship freely in their homeland.
The WCC also commended the leadership of the South African government for seeking justice through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and urged all nations to “comply with the ICJ’s rulings” while calling on churches around the world to “witness, to speak out and to act.”
Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip, including attacks that have killed hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid at its controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites.
Since October 2023, the Israeli assault has resulted in at least 56,259 documented Palestinian deaths and over 1,23,492 injuries. Thousands more are feared trapped under the rubble, unreachable by emergency and civil defence teams due to ongoing Israeli strikes. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank during this period. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Fifty hostages remain in Gaza of which 20 are believed to be alive. Israeli losses in the ground assault number 441.
