“A moment of truth–A word of faith from the heart of Palestinian
suffering”*
Occupied Palestine: 11 December 2009
Today, prominent Christian Palestinian leaders are releasing a
historical /Kairos/ document, calling on Churches around the world “to
say a word of truth and to take a position of truth with regard to
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.” Unambiguously endorsing
boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) as one of the key non-violent
forms of solidarity that international faith-based organizations are
urged to adopt, the document affirms: “We see boycott and disinvestment
as tools of justice, peace and security …”
/Kairos/ is an ancient Greek term meaning the right or opportune moment.
The Palestinian /Kairos/ document is inspired by the liberation
theology, especially in South Africa where a similar document was issued
at a crucial time in the struggle against apartheid. Informed by a lucid
vision based on the universal principles of “equality, justice, liberty
and respect for pluralism,” Palestinian Christians issue this document
today to explore a morally sound way out of the “dead end” reached in
the Palestinian tragedy, “in which human beings are destroyed.”
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) salutes the moral clarity,
courage and principled position conveyed in this new document, which
emphasizes that resisting injustice should “concern the Church” and is
“a right and a duty for a Christian,” adding that it is “a resistance
with love as its logic.”
The BNC keenly notes the importance of releasing this historical call on
this day, December 11^th , which marks the 61^st anniversary of the
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, issued in 1948, calling
for the return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes of origin “at
the earliest practicable date.” Whereas Palestinian refugees are still
awaiting their return six decades later, we share the message of hope in
today’s Palestinian /Kairos/: “One of the most important signs of hope
is the perseverance of the generations and the continuity of memory,
which does not forget the ‘Nakba’ (catastrophe) and its significance.
This land is our land and it is incumbent upon us to defend it and
reclaim it.”
Particularly praiseworthy is the /Kairos/’s emphasis on urging all
churches to positively respond to the call by Palestinian civil society,
including religious institutions, for “a system of economic sanctions
and boycott to be applied against Israel,” which, the document
clarifies, “is not revenge but rather a serious action in order to reach
a just and definitive peace.”
*The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC)*
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For the full text of the Palestinian /Kairos/ document, see:
or:
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*BNC Member organizations:
Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine
General Union of Palestinian Workers
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)
Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO)
Palestinian National Institute for NGOs
Federation of Independent Trade Union
Palestine Right of Return Coalition
Occupied Palestine and Golan Heights Initiative
General Union of Palestinian Women
Union of Palestinian Farmers
Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (STW)
The National Committee for Popular Resistance
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
National Committee to Commemorate the Nakba
Civic Coalition for the Defense of Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCDPRJ)
Coalition for Jerusalem
Union of Palestinian Charitable Organizations
Palestinian Economic Monitor
Union of Youth Activity Centers-Palestine Refugee Camps
