Quaker Organisations Issue Joint Statement Calling for Permanent Ceasefire and Lasting Peace in Palestine and Israel

Quakers around the world are calling for action to bring about a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel. Several Quaker organisations, including Quakers in Britain, have issued a joint statement condemning the violence in Palestine and Israel and calling for action to end it.

The organisations say Quakers believe in the inherent worth of every individual and have a history of supporting both Palestinian and Israeli communities in the region. Their statement calls for immediate action so that killings and suffering can end. They say that process starts with a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.

The statement also urges Western leaders to look beyond the current moment and work towards a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel. In the statement, the organisations write: “Even in this time of violence and pain, we hold the belief that a different future, free from injustice and violence, is possible.”

They add that “lasting peace and reconciliation will be realized when both past and ongoing injustices are acknowledged and addressed, ensuring freedom, dignity, equal rights, and justice for all people living in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Pursuing that goal, they say, requires attention to the past as well as the present, a point they describe as central to reconciliation (Matthew 5:9).

The Quaker organisations set out specific actions they say the Israeli government, Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups, and Western leaders must take to bring about peace. The source material does not list those actions in detail.

The organisations also pledged to continue supporting the global community of Quakers as it seeks to influence decision-makers. They said they will actively support an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Source: Read the original report