Investment, not divestment: How to help the Palestinians
Many U.S. denominations have partner churches in the Holy Land. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for example, has a strong commitment to “accompany” the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Given the relationship that many American churches and American Christians have with Palestinian Christians, the challenge is how to properly engage the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Should we take sides in the conflict by echoing the narrative of our suffering Palestinian brothers and sisters? Or does being faithful to the gospel call us to include Israeli suffering in the breadth of our concern? How do we acknowledge the complexity of the conflict and help Palestinians and Israelis move toward the day when they live at peace as neighbors?
Most mainline denominations have struggled with this challenge, and recently some have begun to find a creative response. At its 2011 Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA expressly rejected a plan for divestment from Israel and encouraged the various congregations, synods and church agencies to “consider making positive economic investments in those Palestinian projects and businesses that peacefully strengthen the economic and social fabric of Palestinian society.”
