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World Council of Churches slams Israel
Jerusalem Post ^ | May 22, 2006 | GEORGE CONGER

Posted on 05/22/2006 2:48:37 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative

Israel bears the burden of responsibility for the present crisis in the Middle East, the World Council of Churches has announced, following a meeting of its Executive Committee in Geneva from May 16-19.

The Christian Left's leading ecumenical organization stated Israel's actions towards the Palestinians "cannot be justified morally, legally or even politically."

The failure "to comply with international law" had "pushed the situation on the ground to a point of no return," they concluded.

The WCC condemned the killing of innocent civilians by "both sides" in the conflict and called for the Palestinians to "maintain the existing one-party cease-fire toward Israel" and asked Israel to base its security on "the equitable negotiation of final borders" with its neighbors.

However, the present disparities between Israel and Palestine were "appalling," the WCC said.

"One side is positioning itself to unilaterally establish final borders on territory that belongs to the other side; the other side is increasingly confined to the scattered enclaves that remain. On one side there is control of more and more land and water; on the other there are more and more families deprived of land and livelihoods.

On one side as many people as possible are being housed on occupied land; on the other side the toll mounts of refugees without homes or land. One side controls Jerusalem, a city shared by two peoples and three world religions; the other-Muslim and Christian-watches its demographic, commercial and religious presence wither in Jerusalem," the WCC said.

The WCC claimed a double standard was at work in the international community that favored Israel, saying, "The side set to keep its unlawful gains is garnering support from part of the international community. The side that, despairing at those unlawful gains, used legitimate elections to choose new leaders is being isolated and punished."

"Democracy must be protected where it is taking root," the WCC said, calling for a relaxation of American, British and EU sanctions against Hamas. "Peace must come soon or it may not come to either people for a long time," they concluded.

The WCC's Executive Committee called upon its 340 member churches in over 100 countries representing approximately 550 million Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant Christians to "share solidarity with people on both sides of the conflict," and to "use legitimate forms of pressure to promote a just peace and to end unlawful activities by Israelis or Palestinians."

It also asked its members to "find constructive ways to address threats experienced among the Jewish people, including the nature, prevalence and impact of racism in local, national and international contexts."

In March 2005, the WCC urged its member churches give "serious consideration" to pulling investments out of Israel and endorsed the 2004 decision by the Presbyterian Church of the United States to seek "phased selective divestment" from Israel. "This [Presbyterian] action is commendable in both method and manner, uses criteria rooted in faith and calls members to do the things that make for peace," the WCC said.

The Presbyterian Church will revisit its 2004 divestment decision next month at its 217th General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama, in response to criticism that the divestment call was one-sided and ill-informed.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; Philosophy; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: antisemitism; christianity; ecusa; elca; episcopal; israel; lutheran; methodist; pcusa; presbyterian; religiousleft; terrorism; ucc; umc; wcc
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1 posted on 05/22/2006 2:48:39 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
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To: West Coast Conservative

This headline ranks right up there with "The Pope is Catholic."


2 posted on 05/22/2006 2:50:26 PM PDT by Tamar1973 (Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Oh man. Yeah - like the PLO/Hamas/etc are innocent little kittens who just happen to bomb ice cream and pizza parlors 'cause Israel made them do it.


3 posted on 05/22/2006 2:50:44 PM PDT by tdewey10 (It's time for the party to return to the principles of President Reagan.)
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To: West Coast Conservative
Yes, if only those damn Jews would have sit still and let the Nazis wipe them out, there'd be peace all over the world today, right, WCC?

What sickening people.

4 posted on 05/22/2006 2:50:55 PM PDT by wizardoz
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To: West Coast Conservative

BTW, my WCC was directed at World Council of Churches, not you. Hope you didn't think otherwise.


5 posted on 05/22/2006 2:53:06 PM PDT by wizardoz
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To: West Coast Conservative

Which side rejected the Camp David talks under Clinton and started the Intifadah? Which party did not compy with the Road Map? Which side rejects talks toward a two state solution and instead wants to wipe out Israel? Which state justifies cold blooded murder of civilians? Israel would be happy to negotiate with a real partner for peace on borders. The WCC notwithstanding, Hamas is simply not interested in peace and neither, apparently, is the WCC!


6 posted on 05/22/2006 2:56:28 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: West Coast Conservative

Maybe THESE are the Christians the Da Vinci Code is about...../somewhat sarcasm


7 posted on 05/22/2006 3:02:13 PM PDT by goodnesswins ( "the left can only take power through deception." (and it seems Hillary & Company are the masters)
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To: West Coast Conservative
Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, "I am strong!" 11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. 12 "Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. 13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow-- so great is their wickedness!" 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. 16 The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. 17 "Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.
8 posted on 05/22/2006 3:04:44 PM PDT by Liberal Bob (http://cutnrun.us)
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To: West Coast Conservative

SOROS-funded sickos.


9 posted on 05/22/2006 3:07:05 PM PDT by JR.Roofing
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To: West Coast Conservative

And you wonder what the "End Times" Church of the Beast will be?


10 posted on 05/22/2006 3:10:32 PM PDT by pankot
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To: West Coast Conservative

Wiccan Council of Churches?


11 posted on 05/22/2006 3:17:43 PM PDT by formercalifornian (One nation, under whatever popular fad comes to mind at the moment, indivisible...)
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To: 1st-P-In-The-Pod; A_Conservative_in_Cambridge; af_vet_rr; agrace; ahayes; albyjimc2; ...
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

12 posted on 05/22/2006 3:19:21 PM PDT by Alouette (Psalms of the Day: 113-118)
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To: West Coast Conservative
Oh. But I thought liberals just hated the idea of religion interjecting itself into the public square. Religion, you know, should have nothing to do with issues of law and morality.

No? You mean fellow Marxist fanatics are okay?

13 posted on 05/22/2006 3:20:07 PM PDT by Reactionary (The Barking of the Native Moonbat is the Sound of Moral Nitwittery)
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To: West Coast Conservative

"Christian Left" is an oxymoron.


14 posted on 05/22/2006 3:20:39 PM PDT by Jaysun (Even with a paddle, shit creek ain't no picnic.)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Oh, sorry.

Thought the headline was that the WCC slammed "Islam" ....


15 posted on 05/22/2006 3:21:09 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: West Coast Conservative

World Communist Church


16 posted on 05/22/2006 3:23:00 PM PDT by bmwcyle (We got permits, yes we DO! We got permits, how 'bout YOU?;))
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To: Tamar1973

Again, at the risk of repeating myself, there are no such personage as the "Christian" left. They are just plain Leftists.


17 posted on 05/22/2006 3:23:51 PM PDT by madison10
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To: West Coast Conservative
In March 2005, the WCC urged its member churches give "serious consideration" to pulling investments out of Israel and endorsed the 2004 decision by the Presbyterian Church of the United States to seek "phased selective divestment" from Israel.

I think the ultimate show of commitment would be for the WCC and its member churches to invest their money with the Palestinians. If they really believe.

18 posted on 05/22/2006 3:28:41 PM PDT by oldbrowser (We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow......R.R)
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To: Unam Sanctam

Oh, oh, oh, I know, I know, pick me, please, please !!!

Hot diggity dog.

The answer would be the Palestinians.


19 posted on 05/22/2006 3:29:13 PM PDT by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
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To: West Coast Conservative
The World Council of Churches - just the lastest "Christian" dupes to embrace the spririt of Antichrist and declare their emnity with Israel...

Ezekiel 11:17

"Therefore say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.'

That came to pass in 1948. Just like the prophecy predicted.

I'm sure that in all their exhaustive study of the Bible, the esteemed members of the World Council of Churches surely ran into this verse, along with

Ezekiel 36:24

"`For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.

The nation of Israel is land promised to and given to the Jews by God Himself. The "Palestinans" are Arabs who are squatters in a country that is not their own.

It's generally a good idea, if you're going to hold yourself out as a "Christian" outfit, to take the side of God and not His enemies.

20 posted on 05/22/2006 3:30:51 PM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
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