Two recent and alarming actions by the Trump Administration are destroying long-held hopes for a peaceful, secure future for many people in Israel/Palestine and are endangering lives. These actions represent irresponsible foreign policy for the United States.

JERUSALEM

First, on December 6th, President Trump announced that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move its embassy there. This, despite the inescapable fact of law that East Jerusalem is not Israel's to claim. It is under a 50-year-old military occupation that the UN Security Council ordered Israel to end back in 1967. That's why, as of 2017, no nation had its embassy there.

     Trump has overturned decades of US policy on Jerusalem and has rejected the position and the advice of the international community, including all of the United States' major allies in the world.

FUNDING FOR UNRWA

This month, the Trump administration has announced that the US will cut funding to UNRWA by $65 million.  The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was created to help Palestinian refugees and provides desperately needed aid for millions.

That is more than half of the annual U.S. funding for UNRWA ($125 million). And U.S. funding comprises about one third of all UNRWA funding.
     Some might ask: why should the United States provide one third of this international agency's funding? Compared to the $4 billion+ that the US now gives Israel each year (more than we give any other nation in the world), this tiny amount to help Palestinian refugees is a paltry sum that it surely behooves the U.S. to provide.

The bottom line for advocates who are working for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land:

1. The status of Jerusalem must stay "on the table," and should be decided along with ending the Israeli occupation and the other crucial justice issues that Palestinians and Israelis must decide mutually in negotiations.

2. UNRWA funding is NOT negotiable and should not be used as a political ploy. It is heartless to cut off aid to millions of refugees who have been waiting for generations for the world to uphold their essential rights, specifically the fundamental right to return to their lands and homes.

It is our cumulative and steadfast advocacy that will bring about change in US policy on Israel/Palestine. So, regardless of whether you think YOUR members of Congress will actually do this, we urge you to take action. You don't know what impact you may have on them and their staff in the long-term (or where that staff may be working in the future!).

Our legislators must be told that their constituents want them to:

1. CALL FOR THE U.S. TO REVERSE its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and NOT TO MOVE the embassy there.

2. REJECT any cuts to U.S. funding for UNRWA.

Thousands of faith advocates and our partners across the US are sending that message to Congress this month. JOIN THEM by clicking the button below - you can review the message before sending it.

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UNRWA aid reaches roughly five million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Services include education, health care, camp infrastructure, and emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict.  Cutting this assistance would have disastrous consequences for millions of refugees who depend on it.

UNRWA has  warned that half a million Palestinian children will suffer if they cannot deliver their services.

In response to the Jerusalem announcement, 15 U.S. Christian organizations have again sent to Congress their paper of February 2017: Toward Peace, Justice, and Equality in Israel and Palestine.

The paper states: "Neither Israelis, Palestinians, or those of us in the U.S. will ultimately benefit from structures and approaches that reinforce inequality and injustice. To address this untenable situation, U.S. policymakers should make clear their commitment to ensuring fundamental human rights..."
See the full paper

UMKR is an international grassroots peace movement of laity and clergy in the United Methodist Church. We are responding to the Palestinian Christians’ urgent call, in Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth, for effective action to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just peace in the Holy Land. UMKR seeks – through nonviolent action and in partnership with our Palestinian sisters and brothers in Christ – freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis. Learn more about UMKR

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