April News

Firstly, a warm welcome to those of you new to the Kairos Britain network - thank you for endorsing our document ‘Time for Action’ and we hope we can support you to campaign for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

Financial Appeal update:

From Chris Rose, Chair of Kairos Britain

At the start of March we wrote to the members of Kairos Britain. We asked for your support to raise £20,000 a year for three years to meet the costs of our advocacy worker. This money is essential if we are to develop our work, increase the number of churches and individuals involved in the Kairos network, and ensure that the forthcoming commemorations such as the centenary of Balfour do not pass us by. 

Today we received our 100th donation / pledge and with this we have passed the £10,000 mark!

Can I say a huge thank you to all of you who have given so generously to this and who have pledged three years of support.  

We are now halfway towards our goal. If you haven’t made a donation yet but are able to support us please do so. You can:

• Pledge £100 a year for the next three years.
• Make a one off donation however large or small
• Donate regularly at a level you can afford, or,
• Come together with your Karios community to make a pledge of support.

News from Palestine: Demolitions in West Bank 

The remains of a school project funded by the European Commission, demolished by Israeli forces in Khirbet Tana near Nablus on March 29, 2016. REUTERS/ABED OMAR QUSINI

The West Bank has endured an unprecedented number of demolitions during the first part of 2016, leaving an average of 45 Palestinian every week homeless.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the OPT at the end of March the total number of demolitions this year equalled 465, which is only marginally less than the total for the whole of 2015 (521) (OCHA Protection of Civilians report March 28th). In the last week of March 95 Palestinians were left homeless due to demolitions in Khirbet Tana and Hebron.

On Monday 4th April 7 homes were destroyed in 24 hours, 3 of them belonging to the families of 3 Palestinian men who were gunned down after they killed an Israeli soldier near Damascus gate in February. In a move dubbed as 'collective punishment' by Palestinian leaders the families were left homeless and clashes broke out in Qabatiya in response. 5 Palestinians were injured after being shot by rubber-coated steel bullets, and rushed to hospital in Jenin.   

Take Action Now!

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions has put together a template letter for you to use to write to your MP about the demolitions in the West Bank. Demolitions have included not only homes, but a school for Bedouin children and structures vital to the income of Palestinians. Please write to your MP and highlight this illegal act now.  

There is also a petition you can sign to campaign against the destruction of two unrecognised Bedouin villages, Um al-Hiran and Atir, which if destroyed will be used for a new Jewish community, called Hiran in its place. The 1200 Palestinian inhabitants will be forcibly moved to the over-crowded town of Hura.  

A Palestinian man, whose structure was demolished by the Israeli forces, fixes his tent donated by the Red Cross, in Khirbet Tana near the West Bank city of Nablus March 29, 2016. REUTERS/ABED OMAR QUSINI

Israel/Palestine resolution at URC General Assembly

Please find below an update from Angus Geddes, Kairos and URC member:

To all members and adherents of URC:

When it meets 8-11 July this year the URC General Assembly will consider three resolutions on Israel/Palestine.  The strongest of them reads as follows:

Eastern Synod resolves that General Assembly be asked to adopt the following resolutions:

a) commend the Church of Scotland Report ‘The Inheritance of Abraham” (revised version) for study by United Reformed churches.

b) endorse the conclusion of ‘The Inheritance of Abraham” and reject claims that scripture offers any peoples a privileged claim for possession of a particular territory.  (“and reject” may be changed to “rejecting”)

c) commend ‘A Moment of Truth, a word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering, Kairos Palestine 2009’ for study by United Reformed Churches and encourage the formation of Kairos communities, either within individual congregations or ecumenically.

d) urge the UK Government and the European Union to do all that is within their power to ensure that human rights are respected and international law is upheld in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

e) urge the UK Government and the European Union to exert, through sanctions or other effective means that address the inequality of power between the parties, international pressure on Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian territory and the blockade of Gaza and allow a just peace to be achieved.

If you are a member of a URC congregation, then do try and get the people nominated by your Synod to attend General Assembly to support this resolution.  You should be able to find out who they are from your Synod clerk, or they may be listed in the minutes of the most recent meeting of your Synod. 

For more information or support please contact Angus Geddes, of Havant URC, angus@geddes59.freeserve.co.uk

Many thanks for reading our news and for your continuing support,

Best wishes

Charlotte Marshall

Advocacy Worker, Kairos Britain.