Churches Throughout Indonesia Agree That The Israel-Palestinian Conflict Must Be Stopped

Gaza/ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Mohammed Ibrahim

JAKARTA - The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) strongly condemns any action targeting civilians, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. PGI is asking for future clarity for Palestinians and Israelis, built on justice, not military forces.

PGI General Chairperson Gomar Gultom in his statement watched with deep pain about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Israel and Palestine, where thousands of people including children were injured, died, and had to flee their settlements and homes due to the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

He said, since October 7, 2023 until today, more than 10 thousand people from Israel and Palestine have died as a result of this conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people had to flee in the midst of an raging war and in a very worrying situation.

Residents of Gaza territory and Israelis in border towns with Palestinian territory have been victims and attacked by trauma and fear day and night.

"In an evolving situation of violence, PGI strongly condemns any actions targeting civilians, the use of civilians as human dances', regardless of their national, ethnic, or belief differences," said Gomar, Friday, November 3.

Against the conflict in the region, PGI supports demands issued by Church Heads in Jerusalem in order to create future clarity for Palestinians and Israelis, built on justice, not military force, where International Law is applied consistently without sides.

Gomar assessed that peace that was not accompanied by efforts to build equality and justice would not survive the test of time. In this sense, PGI from the start was with the Council of World Churches (WCC) to fully support UN Resolutions for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, namely by carrying out a "Two-State Solution".

PGI calls on political leaders to continue to encourage the creation of sincere dialogue in an effort to find long-term solutions to promote justice, peace, and reconciliation for warring parties in an area that millions of people consider the Holy Land.

In the awareness that this conflict is not a religious conflict, and taking into account the deeply worrying humanitarian situation in Gaza, PGI urges the international community to strengthen calls for an end to violence by all warring factions.

To churches in Indonesia, PGI asks to join the prayer for the cessation of violence and the creation of a just peace on the land of the birth of three Abrahamic religions.

Churches must continue to pray and support all humanitarian efforts for thousands of refugees and victims of civilians exposed to conflict and threatened by violence in this region, regardless of ethnic background, ethnicity, nationality, as well as religion and belief.

In the same concern, PGI reminded churches in Indonesia, the government, and all elements of the nation, to pay attention to injustice and violence that undermines human dignity in violent events on the island of Rempang, the Land of Papua, and other regions of Indonesia's beloved country.