Today 11/12/2023 Harrisburg Monthly Meeting approved the following minute on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Nov 12, 2023
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) testimony on peace, justice, and nonviolence is based in our experience of the divine in all of creation and within all persons:
Thus, we are deeply troubled by the suffering and injustice caused by the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and we are concerned that our government perpetuates that violence by continuing to send billions of dollars of military aid to the region. We affirm the right to self determination for both Israel and Palestine.
We call upon our nation to:
* Work for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to save precious human life
* Cease sending United States military aid and selling weapons to Israel and work to end military aid and arms sales from all outside countries to all parties in this conflict
* Continue diplomatic efforts with all parties and remain in dialogue even with those who have acted violently
* Work towards a just, comprehensive resolution that allows all people of the region to live in security and equality, and repairs harm that has been done
* Join the international court system and accept its jurisdiction
We call upon all nations to:
* Support efforts based in international law to bring justice, peace, security, and reconciliation to all parties in the conflict
* Take measures to assure that international laws are applied universally
We call upon all individuals and communities to:
* Support and learn from organizations that bring Israelis and Palestinians together for justice and peacemaking.
* Examine how anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and privilege affect our understanding of the conflict
Adapted from here: https://www.fcnl.org/updates/2017-12/quaker-meeting-minute-israel-palestine-conflict
