Palestinian Church Affairs Committee Urges Global Church Leaders To Speak Against Israeli Violence

Israeli Military in Gaza Strip, Palestine (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The Presidential High Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, led by Ramzi Khoury, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), called on church leaders around the world to take a clear and open stance against crimes and violations committed by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people.

In an official letter, accompanied by reports documenting serious human rights abuses, the committee highlighted the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in mass destruction and the loss of many human casualties, amid what it describes as disruptive international silencing.

The letter stressed Israel's actions including the killing, arrest, and forced transfer of are not limited to Gaza, but extend to the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, where systematic ethnic cleansing, colonization, and religious violations are increasing.

The committee condemned Israel's continuing aggression, which was carried out openly in violation of international law and human rights conventions, and called for a moral stance that rejects involvement and upholds human justice and dignity.

The committee also called on church leaders to use their voices and spiritual influences to uncover occupation crimes, calling for an end to any form of support or silence against them, demanding accountability before international forums, in line with Christian principles calling for human protection and the elimination of injustice.

"Silence and indifference will only strengthen greed and let impunity win," the letter concluded.

It is known that the latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, leaving 1,200 people dead and 251 others held hostage according to Israeli calculations.

Until yesterday, the medical authority in the Palestinian enclave estimated that 56,500 Palestinians had been killed, the majority were children and women, and 133,419 others were injured as a result of Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023.