The Church and the Palestinian Question

Part I – Middle East Council of Churches

Dr. Michel E. Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

A few days ago, a senior ecumenical delegation held a stand in solidarity with the Palestinians in their suffering through remote communication, due to the impossibility of visiting the Gaza area. In this context, we found it necessary to share with the public the relationship between the Church, the Middle East Council of Churches, and the Palestinian cause.

Supporting vulnerable groups, including youth, women, rural populations, migrants, and refugees, has been a priority in the MECC’s programs and concerns since its establishment.

The deteriorating situation in the region affects additional groups in society, some of whom were previously able to meet their needs but are no longer able to do so. Displacement, inflation, and political and security instability are pushing an increasing number of people into misery, worsening the destitution of many social groups in the absence of comprehensive and sound government policies. It is worth mentioning that the number of these groups is expanding, and statistical indicators have become alarming. Therefore, the Middle East Council of Churches considers supporting these groups to be a key priority in its programs. Palestinian refugees, by virtue of the miserable situation they have been living in for three-quarters of a century, are among the groups in need of support.

MECC and the Palestinians

At the level of social service, immediately after the Nakba, committees were established in Cyprus, Lebanon, and Jordan to serve Palestinian refugees. These were initiatives by local churches, both traditional and evangelical, which gradually evolved into more crystallized and organized forms. This long process reached its peak when the MECC was established, and all these committees were merged into a department that is the largest and oldest in the Council. They were all called the "Department of Service to Palestinian Refugee." This department's central office is currently in Jerusalem and has branches in several areas of the Antiochian Levant.  

At the level of advocacy and sensitization of local and Western public opinion, the MECC has held all forms of conferences, seminars, and lectures, and has made contacts with Christian religious authorities to advocate for the Palestinian cause from 1948 until today. The NEEBII which is the Near East Ecumenical Office for Information and Interpretation, was the most important means for this purpose. It is headquartered in Ras Beirut and was merged with the MECC in 1974 at its foundation. The name of the MECC has historically been closely associated with the Palestinian cause, to the extent that this has caused much misunderstanding between the Council and many political and religious authorities. Also, in the border strip area in southern Lebanon, the MECC was dealt with on this basis during the occupation, and its office in Jdeidet Marjayoun was closed for a long time.

At the current stage, the MECC opened the Human Dignity Lecture Series with a lecture on the subject of Palestinians and liberation from a Christian perspective on July 29, 2022, followed by a lecture on Human Dignity and Palestinian Refugees on July 27, 2023, in the presence of the Lebanese Minister of Labor.

During the Gaza war, on the day of the bombing of the Anglican Hospital, the Council held a seminar on what is happening in Palestine on October 18, 2024. The Secretary-General's speech at the symposium was entitled "That Long Night," in which he stated:
"Seventy-five years and our people in Palestine have been suffering under the rule of racial discrimination, tyranny, persecution, uprooting, confiscation of homes, occupation of neighborhoods, falsification of papers, in addition to arrest, enforced disappearance, torture, and murder.
Has the international community become deaf to the moaning of children and the crying of the grieving? And where is the Christian West in all this? Has it forgotten that Jesus commanded them to do so? Is the allure of oil and gas more valuable than the splendor of the Bible verses?"

First Statement Issued by the MECC During the Gaza War
This statement was issued on October 18, 2023. It referred to what is happening in Palestine as a war of genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the MECC was the first to use these terms, which caused fierce controversy with some churches. The statement included:
"It is no longer a secret to anyone that what the Palestinian people are subjected to in Gaza is not a military reaction to a military action, but genocide and ethnic cleansing of the detainees of the largest prison in human history, and it is premeditated.
What is happening on the land of Gaza, with the practices of scorched earth and the burning of those on it, has departed from all logic and the law of God and humanity, as even wars have controls determined by international treaties and covenants.
The attacks on unarmed civilians, including the sick and people with special needs, as well as children, women, and the elderly, the destruction of infrastructure and the medical system, the killing of medical staff and journalists, and the cutting off of water, supplies, and medicine to a community of two and a half million people, can only be described as a crime against humanity...
If all of humanity does not act immediately and appropriately, this crime will remain a stain of shame on humanity forever."

Second MECC Statement
The second statement was issued on November 19, 2023, following the meeting of the Executive Committee in Beirut from November 17 to 19, 2023. At the beginning of the meeting, the participants observed a minute of silence and prayed for the comfort of the victims of the bloody war in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, where the war constituted the most prominent topic discussed. The participants condemned all forms of violence, regardless of the source, and strongly condemned the ongoing war that is destroying people and infrastructure, especially in the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands of victims, wounded, and injured, particularly among children, the elderly, and women. They also demanded an immediate and definitive ceasefire, an end to genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people, the release of all prisoners, and the start of sending necessary and urgent relief and assistance to the afflicted people suffering from hunger and displacement. Additionally, the participants appealed to churches around the world, the international community, and all people of goodwill to exert all efforts to silence the weapons and establish a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace by ending the occupation and siege that led to the explosion of what we see today – a brutal war that does not respect international conventions that protect hospitals, schools, places of worship, and the civilian population. The statement condemned these inhumane acts, which contradict our Christian faith, and addressed the issues of genocide, the threat to human dignity and cultural heritage, the impunity of the perpetrators from any accountability or punishment, and their continuation to this day.
The Executive Committee also authorized the Secretary-General to send an open letter to the heads of churches, ecumenical councils, and international organizations on the position of the churches of the Middle East regarding the events in Palestine and the Middle East.

The Secretary-General's Christmas Message
On the occasion of Christmas 2023, the Secretary-General sent a message entitled "From the Children of Bethlehem to the Children of Gaza... The Crime is One and the Victim is One," in which the phrase "the time of child extermination" was emphasized. He concluded by saying:
"Glorious is your testimony, O children of Gaza, glorious is your rest in the custody of the Most Merciful, glorious is your resurrection, for we are the children of the Resurrection. Know that our children and the children of the world live with your suffering and feel your pain, and be confident that those who took your lives will be pursued by the curse of humanity until the Day of Resurrection.
Despite the sound of bombs, despite the killings, despite the terror, we say to you the birth of the Master is glorious, and he will remain glorious forever, and by his birth, he has glorified every child born in this world, especially where he was born, in the Holy Land."

To be continued – Part II: Middle East Churches and the Palestinian Question