United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
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On 19 October 2021, the Israeli government declared six highly respected Palestinian organizations as "terrorist institutions,” a legal designation could subject them to great harm under harsh and extreme Israeli laws and within the international community. These groups advocate for Palestinian human rights at the local and international levels, provide services and support to women, children, farmers, and prisoners, and collectively support thousands of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
They are being targeted because they are doing critical work to expose and resist Israel’s constant violations of Palestinian rights. This is a grave assault on Palestinian society which the international community must oppose in every way possible. Learn more
For decades, the Palestinian people have faced Israeli settler colonialism and occupation enforced through systemic racist human rights abuses. According to human rights experts, Israel has created an Apartheid regime and is committing the crime of Apartheid.
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their call for equal and full rights. Inspired by the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa, we want to declare our own communities “Apartheid-Free" - our congregations, associations, cities, campuses, and workplaces.
Hundreds of communities have taken the Apartheid-Free pledge. UMKR can help you bring this initiative to your congregation or community! Learn more
Thousands of Palestinians are at risk of being kicked out of their homes by the Israeli government in neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. UMKR and many partners have organized actions that you can support to help avert this tragedy. We’re asking the U.S. State Department to uphold international law and take action against Israel’s continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, theft of Palestinian land, and separation of Palestinian families. Learn more
Advocates for Palestinian rights are mobilizing to ensure the UN hears the global call for a UN-led investigation of Israeli apartheid. Not only for the event of UNGA77, this is action we can take at any time. Learn more
Palestinian Child Prisoners
The No Way to Treat a Child campaign seeks to expose and challenge Israel's widespread and systematic detention, abuse and imprisonment of Palestinian children under the Israeli military occupation. Like all children, Palestinian children have the right to a safe and just future. We believe all governments must use every available means to pressure relevant Israeli authorities to end the detention and abuse of Palestinian children.
Learn more.
ON THIS PAGE:
On the left: A diverse list of avenues and opportunities for solidarity with the Palestinian people and advocacy for a just peace in Palestine/Israel.
On the right: Current and past campaigns
Several of these campaigns and actions can also be found in other areas of our website, such as Boycott, Political, Solidarity, etc.
For all our latest actions, check the menu under ACTION/ CAMPAIGNS in the navigation bar.
See some older campaigns on this page.
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In early May of 2022, the Israeli High Court approved the forced eviction of a group of Palestinian hamlets in the Masafer Yatta area, in the south of the West Bank. In effect, the Israeli court has approved a war crime. If this crime is carried out, it will be the largest forcible transfer of Palestinians from their land since 1967, when the Israeli military took over the West Bank and Gaza. Learn more
Dismantling Racism is more than one campaign; it is a continuing concern and focus for UMKR and a section of our website with many resources for learning about the work to be done and a wide range of actions and campaigns to support. Discover books, articles, learning activities, videos and podcasts among these Antiracism Resources
Find campaigns for Reparations, Defunding Police, and other important actions at: Antiracism Action
Stand with the Google and Amazon workers who are telling their employers they do not want to provide technology that will support an apartheid regime. Learn more
Since February 2021, Facebook has been considering adopting a policy that would treat some criticism of Zionist ideology and Israeli policies as hate speech, therefore not permitted on Facebook. That would have the effect of muzzling activists for Palestinian freedom and equality on the world's biggest social media forum.
Across the US and around the world, thousands are working together to oppose this proposed censorship. Support this vital campaign for free speech, a universal human right:
Learn more
Chevron runs natural gas extraction and pipelines off the shore of Palestine/Israel, making it a major partner in Israeli energy apartheid, the military blockade on Gaza, and the illegal exploitation of Palestinian land and resources.
United Methodists have joined with Palestinian civil society in calling on Chevron to end its support of genocide and apartheid in Palestine. Learn more
No Tech for Apartheid
ACTION / CAMPAIGNS
Help Tent of Nations!
This multi-generational family peace project, beloved and celebrated around the world, needs our voices again! Contact U.S. government leaders to help ensure the Nassar Family is able to prevail in their struggle to keep their land and maintain this remarkable project, in the midst of the ever-expanding settlements that surround and oppress them. Learn more, take action
PRAYER & FAITH LIFE
UMKR has a growing collection of prayers, sermons, songs, devotions and study materials related to Palestine/Israel that you can bring to your church during the season of Advent and Christmas.
PRAY & PREACH PALESTINE
When Christians are celebrating the Advent and Christmas season, and thinking of events long ago in the Little Town of Bethlehem, there could not be a more apt time to invite our congregations to reflect on Bethlehem today and the current realities of life for Christ's disciples in the Holy Land.
Ask your pastors and/or lay leaders to include Palestine/Israel in a service or other church event during the Advent and Christmas season. It could be a simple prayer or a responsive litany, a song, or a one portion of a sermon.
See the collection here
PRAYER REQUESTS
You might also be able to keep Gaza on your church’s prayer list: in the bulletin or newsletter, on a website or during worship.
GIVING
HUMANITARIAN AID
As we all know, humanitarian aid is urgently needed in Gaza. UNRWA is the agency that helps millions of Palestinians throughout the region. Their services are irreplaceable, and Israel wants to expel them from the region. We can help them bring food, medicine, and other essentials to the people of Gaza and Palestinians in the West Bank and Lebanon also.
There are other humanitarian organizations that have a significant presence and decades of experience in the Holy Land.
Scroll down this page to see a few such organizations with links
SUPPORT OUR WORK
We depend on those who believe in our work to ensure it will continue.
UMKR is an independent grassroots movement in our church that has
grown remarkably since it began in 2010, but that would never have
happened without supporters like you. Please take a moment to
make an easy, quick and secure online donation or see how to mail a check.
LEARNING & SHARING
One of the most important things we can do to transform our own society and our government policies is to learn more about Palestine/Israel as individuals and bring people together to share that in that learning. We don’t have to be experts. We should be seeking to learn and to share the essential justice issues at stake, from a Christian and United Methodist perspective.
START A STUDY GROUP
Your pastor or other church leader may be able to help you get a group started. Or you could ask the missions or social justice committee to spend some time on Palestine/Israel.
Kairos Palestine
The Kairos Palestine document, which UMKR is named for, is Palestinian Christians' statement of faith and call to the global church and the world. It can be a good place to start. The Kairos Palestine movement has grown to have a global reach and has produced other good resources.
Israeli Apartheid
In the last few years, many of the world’s leading human rights organizations have produced excellent reports on Israeli apartheid, with videos and other learning materials. We have collected them on our website.
UMKR also has lists of recommended books and films, and we can suggest other curricula for church groups to fit your needs, so get in touch with us: umkr.organizing@gmail.com
GIVE A PRESENTATION
Instead of a small study group, you could plan a one-time event that everyone at church is invited to attend, for a Palestine/Israel presentation and discussion. Whatever amount of time you will have, we can help you with a presentation and materials that will fit: umkr.organizing@gmail.com
FILM & DISCUSSION
People usually like coming to see a movie, and you can follow that with a structured discussion. You might even include a meal before the movie! See recommended films on our website, including several that have discussion guides. Feel free to contact us for help in planning this or any sort of event related to Palestine/Israel at your church: m
PALESTINE MARKET
Christmas and Easter are excellent times to have a Palestine market at your church and you are helping the Palestinian people economically if the products originally came from Palestine. Palestinian olive oil is delicious and olive wood items are very popular. You can also offer beautiful embroidery products, hand-painted ceramics and other handicrafts made in Palestine.
Some sources for Palestinian products:
Assorted Palestinian Crafts
MECA - Middle East Children's Alliance:
https://www.shoppalestine.org
Touch of Grace: https://touch-grace.com
Palestine Online Store: https://palestineonlinestore.com
PalBox: https://www.palbox.org
Resistance Art - calendars: https://resistanceart.com
Olive Oil and related products
Sindyanna of Galilee: https://www.sindyanna.com
Canaan Palestine: https://canaanpalestine.com
Zatoun: https://zatoun.com
SUBSCRIBE
Mainstream media will tell you very little of what is happening on the ground in Palestine/Israel or bring you analysis of events from a justice-based perspective. Three news outlets we appreciate for that kind of coverage are Mondoweiss, +972 Magazine, and Electronic Intifada.
You can subscribe to their weekly or daily digests and read as little or as much as you like, but even seeing the headlines and descriptions raises awareness.
LOOK FOR BETTER NEWS
Here are some other sources that we have found provide good reporting and analysis. Of course, in recommending news outlets, we cannot be certain that all they publish will reflect our positions and values.
Al Jazeera
Middle East Eye
Middle East Monitor
Palestine Chronicle
Gideon Levy and Amira Hass at Ha'aretz, the Israeli newspaper, are very good, but accessible only with a paid suscription.
EXPLORE AND SHARE UMKR
To build a strong United Methodist movement for justice in the Holy Land, consider sharing UMKR's webinars and website and eblasts, at your church, in your networks, and throughout the conference.
If you haven't already, Subscribe to UMKR news
We have a variety of learning resources on our website and new materials for congregations from our Education Committee will be published before the year is out.
COME & SEE: Responsible Tourism in the Holy Land
Palestinian Christians have appealed to fellow Christians for so many years to come and see their land and their lives. Go beyond visiting ancient biblical sites and get know the indigenous people of Palestine. When you come home, you can speak with authority about what you have seen. At our website, under TOURISM, you can find the UMC Resolution "Holy Land Tours' to learn our church’s guidelines for United Methodists visiting the Holy Land. You can also find some upcoming tours that we would recommend.
If you hear of an upcoming trip to Palestine/Israel that United Methodists are planning, get in touch with the tour leaders. Make sure they know about the United Methodist resolution on Holy Land Tours, and put them in touch with UMKR and with the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem for suggestions in how to meet those guidelines.
ACTION & ADVOCACY
This is how we bring what we have learned and shared in our faith communities to the world, and join in expanding the public’s understanding, shaping institutional positions, and influencing government policies.
GET CONNECTED
For a broader perspective on what will make for peace and justice in the Holy Land, these are groups we would recommend getting to know and subscribing to their email lists.
Friends of Sabeel North America FOSNA
Jewish Voice for Peace JVP
American Muslims for Palestine AMP
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights USCPR
CHURCH DISPLAYS
A simple way for your congregation to make a statement of solidarity is with a display. Perhaps a UMKR posterabout Palestinian human rights and a Palestinian flag. If you have some particular in mind, get in touch with us.
The Christ in the Rubble nativity display at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem in December 2023 was reported around the world. See it on this page
You could recreate it at your church and invite local press to see it and do an interview with you, the pastor, or another leader at your church.
PUBLIC DISPLAYS
Set up a visual display on church property or somewhere in your community where you have permission. Some current displays are depicting the deaths in Gaza, particularly the children who have been killed. See what others have done:
Orlando mourns children of Gaza, construct city hall steps memorial
Thousands of shoes laid out as memorial to children killed in Gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/3/19/thousands-of-shoes-laid-out-as-memorial-to-children-killed-in-gaza
Netherlands commemorates Palestinian children killed in conflict with Israel
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/netherlands-commemorates-palestinian-children-killed-in-conflict-with-israel-with-display-of-8-000-shoes/3088461
Protesters in Germany display images of killed Palestinian children in Gaza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErMtkVrWGDA
'I'm not just a number’: Doha art installation commemorates over 15,000 children killed in Gaza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3GLr2mCgY
(Same exhibit as above) Artist uses 15,000 teddy bears in memorial to Gaza’s children
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/videos/477886241902652
Artist’s display in Portland depicts number of children killed in Gaza
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/05/20/artists-display-in-portland-depicts-number-of-children-killed-in-gaza/
‘Those are my people’ | Students for Justice in Palestine hold memorial for Gaza
https://www.psucollegian.com/news/campus/those-are-my-people-students-for-justice-in-palestine-hold-memorial-for-gaza/article_2bc7a7d6-875c-11ef-9a70-c37c4211aefd.html
15,000 Palestinian flags planted in memorial to Gaza’s children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU6rIY1OcDI
APARTHEID-FREE COMMUNITIES
Your church can take the Apartheid-Free Pledge and become an Apartheid-Free Congregation
Learn more about this initiative and get help in bringing this to your church by contacting UMKR. Early in 2025, we will have an Apartheid-Free toolkit for United Methodist advocates.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS
If your conference would be supportive, get one of UMKR's annual conference resolutions submitted to your conference. Contact UMKR for help in figuring out if this would be a good idea in your conference, how to submit it, and what you will need to do to see it through to adoption.
POLITICAL ADVOCACY
This is such a crucial action area for the Palestinian rights movement. Changing the policies of world powers is vital if we are to see real changes on the ground in Palestine/Israel. Despite current realities in domestic politics in the U.S. and other countries, we must keep using our voice and leveraging our collective power.
UMKR action alerts will give you opportunities do that. If you contact us, we also can help you connect with groups that have broad political action networks.
DIVESTMENT
The United Methodist Church made history at the church’s General Conference this spring, becoming the first Christian denomination to vote for divesting from Israeli bonds.
UMKR is working to see this policy fulfilled at all levels of the church. Contact us to see what divestment steps might be possible at your church or in your conference: umkr.organizing@gmail.com
BOYCOTT
Boycotting is one of the most effective and time-honored tools for social and political change. There are several boycotts you can support, including the Chevron Boycott that UMKR is involved in. Keep alert to other boycotts that we are mobilizing and learn more at the website of the BDS movement.
CEASEFIRE PILGRIMAGE
In these events, we walk in prayerful solidarity with the people of Gaza, usually some distance that corresponds to the length of Gaza. There have been hundreds of these pilgrimages over the last year, on a small property or across a long distance, small and large groups, on every continent. Besides offering a witness of solidarity, many pilgrimages raise funds for aid for Gaza.
Organizers have a helpful toolkit: https://www.gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com/
PUBLIC ACTIONS
Join local public actions like demonstrations; we have links for websites that are listing them throughout the year. See some links to listings of events on this page
When you go,bring a poster that tells the world United Methodists are showing up.
And when you attend one, see who you can connect with, especially the Palestinian community in your area, which brings us to....
LOCAL SOLIDARITY
There may be other ways you can reach out to the local Palestinian community in your area. Start with a Google search and searching on Facebook or other social media. Join their mailing list, promote their activities, and show support.
There are more ways for you to step into learning about Palestine/Israel and advocating for justice and peace in the Holy Land. We hope you will keep exploring online and in your communities. Feel free to contact us when you are looking for assistance or inspiration: