Christian Churches and the Palestine Question

Abstract

Mainline American Christian churches, as a group, represent the largest grass-roots body in the United States. Their potential for influencing government policies is substantial, particularly if they act in a sustained, unified fashion. Churches, or major elements within them, have united for politicalmoral purposes during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Vietnam War, and at other times. Several churches have had long-standing interests in the Arab-Israeli and Palestine questions; most have issued moral pronouncements on the subject. The intifada, however, sparked new ecumenical and interreligious* actions as well as notable developments within denominations that are grounded in a moral concern for the plight of the Palestinian people. The threat to Palestinian Christians in Israel and the occupied territories is an especially important factor. The national assemblies of most mainline Christian churches in the United States-Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and others-have taken vigorous, unified policy stances in this area. They agree on the following points: the right of Israel to exist within secure and Duncan L. Clarke is a professor of international relations and coordinator of the U.S. foreign policy field at the School of International Service, the American University. Eric Flohr is a policy analyst in Washington, D.C., who received his M.A. in international affairs from the American University in 1991. * The word ecumenical refers to fellowship or cooperation among Christian denominations, while interreligious activities involve Christians and non-Christians.