‘From ceasefire to peace’: Movement for Palestinian Solidarity reflects on path to a just peace

“A ceasefire, however stable, is not peace.”

These words begin the resource “The Road from Ceasefire to Peace” recently created by the United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (UCC MPS).

UCC MPS created this “roadmap for UCC advocacy and solidarity” in a time when the ceasefire declared in October offered “a welcome step toward ending the genocide” even while bombing continues in Gaza, Israeli military and settlers are exercising increased violence in the West Bank, and humanitarian needs remain insufficiently met.

The UCC MPS resource evaluates the conditions needed to move toward a just peace based on the 2021 General Synod resolution “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Israel and Palestine.”

The resolution “offered a theological framework, consistent with international law and human rights norms, for meaningful and enduring peace in the region based on justice rather than military domination. It serves as a plumb line against which to assess any peace process and proposals, and becomes particularly relevant as the Trump and Netanyahu administrations outline a way forward which they seek to impose on Palestinians,” the MPS resource says.

UCC MPS further states, “A true roadmap toward a just peace requires the affirmation of the human dignity of all parties and rejects schemes which simply create a more insidious occupation, provide corrupt economic opportunities to powerful outside business interests, or advance the annexation agenda.”

UCC MPS is a grassroots organization with the mission to promote justice for Palestinians and to support Global Ministries partners in Palestine and Israel. It was founded in 2012 as the UCC Palestine Israel Network.

Centering Palestinian partners

Peter Makari, global relations minister for Middle East and Europe of Global Ministries, has stressed centering and supporting Palestinian partners’ voices and work. Global Ministries is a common witness in mission between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ

“The statement from the UCC’s Movement for Palestinian Solidarity is strong and clear, reminding us of the General Synod’s 2021 resolution, amplified by this summer’s resolution on ending the genocide,” Makari said, “The voices of our Palestinian partners – partnerships we have nurtured for decades – have been clear for a long time and especially urgent now: that the rights of Palestinians must be upheld. Such a perspective is a moral and theological position. The UCC MPS statement lifts up the dual imperative: to end the genocide, and to address core issues that have been unresolved for far too long. Our accompaniment of our partners there includes our advocacy and witness, as well as centering their voices, and supporting their critical work.”

Read the full text of “The Road from Ceasefire to Peace” from UCC MPS here.

Find “Costly Solidarity for Disciples: A Toolkit for Action” from UCC MPS here.

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