GA supports heavily revised
Israel-Palestine report
By Edward Terry, The Layman, July 9, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS – Even though topics like same-sex marriage, ordination standards and a new Form of Government were on the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly agenda this week, one of the the most talked about and controversial items ended up taking only 20 minutes of floor time to decide.
Most of theheavy lifting took place in the committee.
Much of the rancor over the report focused on a lack of fairness toward the Israeli perspective. Committee Moderator Karen Dimon said the group made an effort to add those voices.
“Guided by the spirit, the committee gave up mealtimes and sleep in order to hear those voices, which led to a unanimous recommendation,” she said.
The hard work paid off Friday morning just before the lunch break as the commissioners approved the amended report 558-119. Influencing that decision was a 53-0 vote by the committee..
Former GA Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase complimented the committee’s work, and presented a letter signed by eight former moderators echoing that sentiment. The signers included Ufford-Chase, John Buchanan, Fahed Abu-Akel, John Fife, David Dobler, Susan Andrews, Jack Rogers and Herbert Valentine.
“We also give thanks for the new-found spirit of collaboration and conversation that has arisen among constituencies across the church who have differing views on the Israel/Palestine conflict,” the letter said. “By adopting the amended report, you can demonstrate to our Christian Palestinian brothers and sisters, our American Jewish partners, our American and Middle Eastern Muslim partners, and to both the Israeli and American governments that the PCUSA is answering God’s call to be ambassadors of reconciliation.”
Even some of the report’s most vocal critics had positive things to say following the General Assembly’s action. In the months and weeks prior to GA, many voices called for rejection of the paper because of its perceived anti-Israel slant. The Committee for Accuracy In Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) said the original report was “highly partisan” and had a distorted view, but offered praise following the vote.
“CAMERA is heartened by the General Assembly’s efforts to perfect the report,” the statement said. “The General Assembly’s Committee on Middle East Peacemaking engaged in a good-faith effort to correct the problems with the MESC report. Problems remain, but if PCUSA leaders follow the process outlined in the overture passed by the General Assembly today, the church will embark on a process by which it can arrive at a comprehensive – and factual – understanding of all the factors contributing to the continued existence of this tragic conflict.”
Nonetheless, there were calls for more study and consideration, with concerns about the report’s fairness remaining. Andrew Wilson of San Fernando Presbytery pointed out that the amended report does not urge Palestinians to commit to a process of peaceful dialogue and reject the leadership of Hamas. He called it a one-sided diatribe against Israel.
“Jews around the world will see the PCUSA as anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic,” he said. “The writers of the document did not achieve the goal of addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict in a way that’s balanced and even-handed.”