The Iona Call: Response to Kairos Palestine from Christians in the UK

Kairos Palestine: The Iona Call 2012

 

We, a group of Christians from many parts of the UK and

beyond, gathered on the Isle of Iona in Pentecost week

2012. Under the guidance of Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek  and Dr.

Mark Braverman  we considered our response to the Kairos

Palestine document: “A Moment of Truth – a word of faith,

hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering”

(2009).

 

This is our kairos moment – our moment of truth. We are

called to respond boldly to the deepening suffering of our

sisters and brothers in Palestine under occupation by Israel.

We stand in faithfulness and solidarity with Palestinians and

Israelis who are working tirelessly for a peace based on

justice.

 

We believe it is necessary to challenge the deafening silence

of most churches in the face of the continuing injustice of

dispossession and denial of basic human and political rights.

We agree with the Kairos document that the occupation by

Israel is “an evil and a sin.” (Kairos Palestine 4.2.1).

 

Therefore:

• We ask our churches and theological institutions to

challenge how the Bible has been used to justify

oppression and injustice. We encourage the

development and use of educational resources to raise

awareness, enrich worship and challenge

misperceptions and apathy.

 

• Palestinian Christians have called us to “come and

see” (ibid 6.2). We urge Christians to participate only in

those pilgrimages which give opportunity to listen to

the experiences of Palestinians and engage with the

harsh realities of occupation.

 

• We support Palestinians in their non-violent resistance

to Israeli injustice and oppression. We endorse their

call for boycott, disinvestment and sanctions (BDS)

and other forms of non-violent direct action.

 

• We call on Christians to put pressure on governments

and the European Union to demonstrate a commitment

to justice for Palestinians and security for all people.

In pursuit of the above we intend to establish a UK Kairos

network, linked to the Kairos Palestine global movement, to

alert our churches to the urgent situation in Palestine. We

challenge Christians and churches to engage in prayerful

study of the Kairos Palestine document in openness to what

the spirit is now saying to the churches (Rev. 2.7). We must

read the signs of the times and act in obedience to God’s will

(Matt. 16.3).

 

Difficult though this journey may be, we seize this kairos

moment with conviction and hope. We recognise our

responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ to speak the

prophetic word with courage.

 

We are called to respond to the question from Palestinian

Christians:

 

“Are you able to help us get our freedom back, for this is the

only way you can help the two peoples attain justice, peace,

security and love?”  (Kairos Palestine 6.1).

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