ENI — The United Church of Christ in the United States argues it has not changed its policy on the Middle East after accepting a resolution that its executive council consider “ongoing balanced study, commentary and critique” about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The resolution at the denomination's June synod meeting said the study should examine whether the church should give further support to calls for selective divestment from companies the UCC says profit from activities perpetuating conflict in the region, as well as calls for an end to the so-called Israeli “security barrier.”
The Institute on Religion and Democracy, an advocacy group that in the past has criticized UCC policies on the Middle East as being unfair to Israel, welcomed the latest resolution. It said it was “a major step toward even-handed treatment of Palestinian and Israeli interests.”
However, a UCC spokesperson said the UCC had not “in any way backtracked” on its previous statements on the Middle East, including one that urged a “fair and just two-state solution for both Palestine and Israel.”
