The Methodist Church voted on Wednesday to boycott products from Israeli settlements recognised as illegal under international law at its annual Conference in Portsmouth. It took the decision following a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a number of Jewish organisations, both within Israel and worldwide, and the World Council of Churches.
In December, the Department for Environment food and Rural Affairs introduced new advice on food labelling, recommending that the packaging of products imported from the West Bank should distinguish between Palestinian areas and Israeli settlements. The former President of the Methodist Church, Revd David Gamble, wrote to major supermarket chains earlier this year to ask how they labelled their food. Many of the responses he received explained that processes were already in place to label products accurately or that processes were being put in place. The European Court of Justice has ruled that imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank should not benefit from a trade agreement between Israel and the European Union.
Methodists in favour of boycotting Israeli goods from what the General Assembly of the United Nations voted were "illegal settlements" in 2004 believe that disinvestment from those settlements is one measure among many that will help to highlight injustice suffered in the region and, by highlighting it, take a step towards a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
It is a decision that has caused pain. Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relationships at the Methodist Church, addressed the Conference to express the distress felt by senior representatives of the British Jewish community whom she met once the Methodist report became a public document. One of their profound concerns was with the historical account of Israel and Palestine presented in the report that was written to resource yesterday's debate. The Revd Graham Carter, chair of the working party that compiled the report, acknowledged the history was not complete and that, given the time constraints for the compilation of the report, the working group had to present what it believed was a fair selection from a variety of narratives. The report's historical account is not Methodist Church doctrine.
The conflict in Israel and Palestine is not a one-sided conflict. The Israeli settlements internationally recognised as illegal are not the only barrier to peace. Arab terrorist organisations and states intent on destroying Israel are also a barrier to peace. Any debate genuine about peace in the region should take as its starting point Israel's right to exist and its right to defend itself. Israel should not be singled out above all other countries for opprobrium and international sanction.
The report received by the Methodist Conference stated in its introduction: "We continue to affirm the right of the State of Israel to exist and that all the inhabitants of Israel/Palestine are entitled to their full human rights, including the right to live in peace and security and without the threat of violence." The Methodist Church has a long history of interfaith relationships; it greatly values the relationship it shares with its Jewish brothers and sisters and hopes that that relationship will continue to flourish.
The Methodist Conference also passed a resolution commending all people of the region to the loving care of Almighty God and urged the Methodist people to engage in regular, informed prayer for the needs of the Land of the Holy One. The President of Conference, Revd Alison Tomlin, asked Conference to pass this particular resolution as a standing vote and, from where I was watching, everyone on the floor rose to their feet.
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