In This Issue
Webinar on June 21
Steering Committee transitions
Anti-BDS Legislation
Let’s Talk Apartheid
Study Guide
Support Our Work
Updates from Other Denominations

Join Us for a Webinar June 21, 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific
MennoPIN is co-sponsoring another webinar. Jonathan Brenneman, who is beginning a special 1-year assignment with Mennonite Church USA on Israel-Palestine, will share his plans for the year and how you can connect with him. There will also be brief updates from others working on Israel-Palestine.

The webinar provides a way for those who have participated in a learning tour to connect with one another and continue their work, but is open to all who have interest. To participate, send an email indicating your interest to mennopin@gmail.com and you will receive instructions on how to join.

Steering Committee Transitions
Over the last months, we have seen some transitions on the MennoPIN steering committee. With the start of his role with MCUSA, Jonathan Brenneman is finishing up his time on the steering committee. At the same time we welcome Erica Littlewolf. Erica is from the Northern Cheyenne Nation of southeastern Montana and currently lives in Kansas, working for Mennonite Central Committee Central States with the Indigenous Visioning Circle. Learn about Erica and other members of the steering committee at https://mennopin.org/about/steering-committee/. And stay tuned for more conversation on Steering Committee service and transitions later this year.

Tell Congress: Oppose “Combating BDS Act of 2016”
The U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, of which MennoPIN is a member, has issued an action alert urging members to contact Congress opposing legislation restricting the use of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS). Take action now.

Many states have also introduced anti-BDS legislation. The RightToBoycott website is a great resource to see whether anti-BDS legislation has been introduced in your state and to get the legal and organizing resources you need to mobilize to challenge it.

The Mennonite Church and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Let’s Talk about Apartheid
This great piece by Cody O’Rourke asks, “How is it that a peace church failed to pass a boycott, divestment, and sanctions resolution at the last convention? It is important that the church take an active role shaping the contours of conversation that properly represent the plight of the Palestinian people.” Read the whole article.

Reminder: Kairos Palestine Study Guide Now Available!
If you haven’t yet received the new study guide on Kairos Palestine, get your copy today. The four-part study provides a great way to help your congregation learn more about Israel-Palestine. It is available as a free download from our website or in print from MennoMedia for $5.

Support MennoPIN’s Work
Thanks to those of you who contributed to the cost of producing and distributing the study guide. If you would still like to donate, please write a check to Pleasant View Mennonite Church, with MennoPIN in the memo line. Mail to: Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Attn: MennoPIN, 1101 N Lucas Street, Mount Pleasant IA  52641.

BDS in Other Denominations
This summer many other denominations have taken or will soon take up the issue of Israel-Palestine at their denominational assemblies. Read about these efforts: United Methodist Kairos Response | Israel-Palestine Mission Network of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East

—
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
Erica Littlewolf (White River Cheyenne Mennonite Church, Busby, MT)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

In This Issue
Study Guide Now Available
Give to MennoPIN
Palestinian Children’s Rights
Atlanta Church Summit
Wave of Prayer
Also Recommended

Kairos Palestine Study Guide Now Available!
We are delighted to announce that a study guide for Kairos Palestine is now available! Many thanks to MennoPIN member Rod Stafford, who adapted a study guide from the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for a Mennonite audience.

This four-part study provides a great way to help your congregation learn more about Israel-Palestine. It is available as a free download from MennoPIN’s website. Print copies are available for $5/each from MennoMedia.

Help support MennoPIN’s work
Help us cover the costs of producing the study guide and ensuring that key leaders in the church receive a copy. To donate, please write a check to Pleasant View Mennonite Church, with MennoPIN in the memo line. Mail to: Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Attn: MennoPIN, 1101 N Lucas Street, Mount Pleasant IA  52641. Thank you!

Congressional Letter on Palestinian Children’s Rights
The No Way to Treat a Child campaign has worked with Rep. McCollum’s office on a congressional letter to President Obama, requesting that he designate a Special Envoy for Palestinian Children. Urge your representative to join the letter, which is open for signatures until May 20.

Atlanta Church Summit
On April 19-20, Palestinian and U.S. church leaders met in Atlanta. They released a statement, “Pursuing Peace and Strengthening Presence: The Atlanta Summit of Churches in the USA and the Holy Land.” Ervin Stutzman, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, is a signatory. The document affirms the use of “economic leverage on commercial and governmental actors to end unfair and unjust practices and policies which violate international laws and conventions.”

Resonating with the Kairos Palestine document, this is yet another affirmation of the call for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions as a nonviolent response to Israel’s colonial occupation of Palestinian life and land. Statements such as this–as well as this letter to the Mennonite World Review that calls us to “Stand with Palestinian Christians”–are helpful correctives to the tendentious representation of boycotts and divestment as “coercive.”

From the Sabeel Wave of Prayer…
God of justice, we are at a loss when we see countries who are in power ultimately have no power to stop the land-grabbing and illegal settlement building Israel engages in. Strengthen the voices of the international community, God, and do not let them give up. Open Israel’s ears to hear so that peace can one day come to this land. Lord, in your mercy…

Also Recommended
Kairos Palestine has issued an alert, Bethlehem in Danger, raising concerns about construction on the separation wall that cuts through the Cremisan Valley.

Sen. Patrick Leahy and 10 House members sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry on Feb. 17 that lists several examples of alleged Israeli and Egyptian “gross violations of human rights” that should be examined. The letter led to an interesting exchange between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Senator Leahy.

—

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Dear MennoPIN Friends,

Greetings! We are following up on our last update regarding Rev. Alex Awad and his availability to speak at annual conference meetings. Many of you know Rev. Awad. He is a Baptist minister and a significant evangelical Palestinian leader who has a long-standing and close relationship with Mennonites. He served as a headmaster at Hope Mennonite School near Bethlehem in the 1980s. When Bethlehem Bible College was founded with strong support from Mennonites, he became a professor and dean of students there. For years, Bethlehem Bible College has been a close partner of both Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Mission Network.

Over the next year, Rev. Awad has agreed to help us do the work that we committed ourselves to last summer in Kansas City (see “A statement of Support for our Palestinian and Israeli Partners in Peacemaking” in English and Spanish). He will be available to lead workshops, speak at area conference assemblies and be available for other kinds of conversation. This is where we need to act. Do you know if your area conference is taking advantage of this opportunity? Have you asked your pastor or area conference moderator to invite Rev. Awad to your annual meeting? (For a list of MCUSA area conferences visit here.)

In the steering committee, we see this as a great opportunity not only to learn more about the situation in Palestine-Israel, but to discern together ways to demonstrate accountability to our Palestinian and Israeli brothers and sisters. In particular, we hope that Rev. Awad’s presence at area conferences over the next year will help move Mennonite Church USA to support the original resolution presented in Kansas City (read in English and Spanish) and heed the Kairos call to support Palestinian and Israeli efforts at nonviolent resistance, in particular through boycotts and divestment.

—
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

In This Issue
Good News on BDS!
Take Action
Volunteer Opportunity
Isaac Villegas Running Palestine Marathon: Support MCC’s Work in Gaza
Upcoming Events
Also Recommended

Good News on BDS! G4S Divests and Ahava relocates from West Bank
On March 10, private security conglomerate G4S announced that they were selling off their Israeli subsidiary. G4S has been a target of BDS activists due to their involvement in running Israeli prisons where Palestinian political prisoners are held, as well as providing scanners at Israeli military checkpoints.

Ahava, the Dead Sea cosmetics company that has been a major target of BDS for maintaining a manufacturing plant in the West Bank will be relocating its facility within Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

Take Action
MennoPIN has endorsed a statement on anti-BDS legislation that is being circulated by Friends of Sabeel North America. You can add your name to it as well. Learn more about the legislation here.

Volunteer Opportunity
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI-U.S.) has, for the first time, some full scholarships available that will cover all costs of participation for this unique three month service opportunity. Application forms, with dates for upcoming terms, are online. For more information, please contact Steve Weaver.

Isaac Villegas Running Palestine Marathon to Support MCC’s Work in Gaza
Isaac Villegas, pastor of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship, is running the Palestine Marathon to raise funds for MCC’s work in Gaza. For the Palestinians, there is no escape from the wall, there’s no outside, as Lena Khalaf Tuffaha writes in her poem, “there is nowhere to run to” (excerpted below. Here’s an opportunity to let your money be used by people as they rebuild their own lives, for as long as they can, as long as their communities are allowed to exist, even as the walls keep on closing in on them.

“They call us now.
Before they drop the bombs.
They think of it as some kind of war time courtesy.
It doesn’t matter that
there is nowhere to run to.
It means nothing that the borders are closed
and your papers are worthless
and mark you only for a life sentence
in this prison by the sea…
You live in the wrong place
and now is your chance to run
to nowhere.”

Upcoming Events
April 16: Atlantic Coast Conference Spring Assembly, featuring Alex Awad; Frazer (PA) Mennonite Church

Also Recommended

• Check out this story on Racial Profiling in Israel, making true Dr. Martin Luther King’s words, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
• Also, read about evangelicals challenging a decades-long stance of blanket support for Israel’s government.
• Not made in Israel: Recognizing that goods produced in Israeli settlements are NOT the same as those made in Israel.

 

—
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

In This Issue Join us for a webinar on Feb. 25! Is Rev. Alex Awad speaking at your Conference meeting? Injustice in Israel “No Way to Treat a Child” campaign United Methodist Church Board of Pensions Third Thursday action alert Human Rights Watch report MCC Palestine blog entry Also recommended Join us for a webinar on Feb. 25! If you have been part of a learning tour to Israel/Palestine, or even if you just want to learn more about the issue, please join us for a webinar on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 12:30 pm Eastern. A representative from MennoPIN, as well as staff from Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) and Mennonite Central Committee, will provide updates and talk about ways to get more involved. To join this free webinar, RSVP online. Is Rev. Alex Awad speaking at your Conference meeting? Do you know which Mennonite Church USA Conference your congregation is a part of? Do you know when and where your Conference annual meeting is taking place? Over the next year Rev. Dr. Alex Awad—former pastor of East Jerusalem Baptist Church and dean of Bethlehem Bible College—will be speaking at MCUSA Conference annual meetings. Recently Rev. Awad reflected on the ongoing violence in Israel/Palestine, noting that “killing civilians is not the path to achieve political goals.” Ask your pastor or your Conference staff about the opportunity to host Rev. Awad at your Conference annual meeting! In Mennonite World Review: Injustice in Israel “Divestment and boycotts are extreme measures, taken in extreme circumstances, but the Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers we spoke with see them as the only nonviolent forms of protest they have left…We are deeply troubled by how our financial lives are enmeshed in policies of occupation through our investments, purchases and tax dollars.” Read the full reflection from a group of Mennonite learning tour participants. “No Way to Treat a Child” campaign Some MennoPIN members have talked about impactful it was when they met with Military Court Watch on a learning tour to Israel/Palestine. The “No Way to Treat a Child Campaign,” which aims to expose the impact of Israeli military detention on Palestinian children, is a great way to follow up on those learnings. Learn more about the campaign, including how to start a local chapter in your area. United Methodist Church divests from Israeli banks United Methodist Kairos Response recently announced that the $20-billion Pension and Health Benefits Fund of the United Methodist Church has declared the five largest Israeli banks off limits for investment and has divested from the two that it held in its portfolios. Third Thursday action alert A resolution that would support illegal Israel settlements by conflating the occupied territories with Israel has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Learn more and take action through this update from Global Ministries. Human Rights Watch issues strong report against settlement businesses Human Rights Watch released a 162-page report on January 19 calling for businesses to stop operating in, financing, servicing or trading with Israeli settlements in order to comply with their human rights responsibilities. Arvind Ganesan, director of the business and human rights division said, “Settlement businesses unavoidably contribute to Israeli policies that dispossess and harshly discriminate against Palestinians, while profiting from Israel’s theft of Palestinian land and other resources.” From MCC Palestine’s Advent Reflections – Joy St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Joy is the greatest cleanser, and it is the greatest testimony to our faith.” Once again, we look to our Palestinian and Israeli partners who are living lives as peace-builders. They are the great testaments to the joy of the Gospel, the joy that Jesus’ birth brings. They teach us how to celebrate and be joyful in small ways, such as in the warm hospitality of a cup of coffee and a visit, and in large ways, by sharing their stories of both hardship and success. They show us the ways in which we can be hopeful and joyful through lived example. We at MCC Palestine and Israel are blessed to be witnesses to these lives of testimony to joy, of testimony to peace. Also recommended Occupation Captured: View these weekly photo essays of life in Hebron by Christian Peacemaker Teams Netanyahu, US envoy trade jabs over ‘two-standards’ of law in West Bank: At a conference in Tel Aviv on January 18, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro was unusually critical of Israeli policies in the West Bank. Finally, check out this week’s PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly for a discussion on boycott, divestment, and sanctions, and the church. — Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin Steering Committee: Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH) Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS) Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA) George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM) Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC) Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Advent Prayers

During this Advent season, join in a daily prayer vigil for hope, healing, and justice in the Middle East. You can use these resources from Kairos USA or ACT Palestine, as well as submit your own prayers to their website for shared use.

You can also invite your congregations and friends to join Sabeel’s Wave of Prayer every Thursday as well as share Sabeel’s Christmas Message from Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid…to you is born…a Savior” (Luke 2:10-11).

Christmas Giving

Looking for a Christmas gift that can also be a conversation starter? Try Equal Exchange Olive Oil: http://equalexchange.coop/olive-oil or Ten Thousand Villages products from the West Bank: https://www.tenthousandvillages.com/. Purchase of these products helps support sustainable livelihoods and fair wages for many living in the West Bank, while fostering care for the life and history of the land.

PeaceSigns

As the violence between Israelis and Palestinians continues, a recent PeaceSigns article tells the story of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy named Abed al-Rahman Obeidallah, who was killed by an Israeli soldier in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem.

Take action by calling your members of Congress at (202) 224-3121. Tell them you are dismayed by all acts of violence, and ask them in their public communications to acknowledge the broader cycle of violence created by the Israeli military occupation.

MCUSA Resolution

Several members of MennoPIN’s Steering Committee participated in a roundtable November 19-20 on Israel-Palestine convened by Mennonite Church USA, to determine next steps for following up on the “Saturday resolution.” The resolution calls for education, reflection, discernment as we pray and act for peace in Israel-Palestine over the next two years. MennoPIN will work with various Mennonite agencies to help implement the resolution, as we work toward passage of a stronger resolution in 2017.

International Day of Solidarity

November 29 marked the United Nations’ International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This year, the day also brought protests around the world asking the UN to end its contract with G4S, a security company that provides services and equipment to Israeli prisons where Palestinian prisoners are detained and often tortured without trial.

More than 1800 Palestinians, including 300 children, have been arrested and imprisoned since the beginning of October. You can use this form to send a letter to the UN asking them to end their contract with G4S.

Bethlehem Today

This Advent, some of our congregations are focusing on Bethlehem today and the experience of colonial occupation, lifting up the stories of Palestinians, and reflecting on our response as U.S. Mennonites. What are you doing this Advent season in your congregation to remember Bethlehem today? We would love to share your stories on the MennoPIN facebook page and website!

 

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Friends,

In the midst of increased violence in Israel-Palestine, encourage your congregation to continue to pray fervently for justice and peace. Here are some resources to use:

• Prayers from The Lutheran World Federation – Jerusalem Program
• Sabeel’s Wave of Prayer 

More on the Current Violence

• Hebron, a city in the southern part of the West Bank where Christian Peacemaker Teams works, has been the site of much of the violence this past month, with 10 Palestinians killed. CPT’s “Occupation Captured” provides compelling photos documenting life under occupation in Hebron.
• Mennonite Central Committee and other Christian agencies working in Israel-Palestine issued a statement calling “on the international community to address the root causes of the conflict by redoubling its efforts to safeguard international humanitarian law and human rights.”

Join Us

If you have not yet responded to our request to let us know your city/state/zip, congregation, and area conference, please do so by sending us an email with that information. This will help us to facilitate connections between MennoPIN members locally and also to organize better as we look ahead to the next Mennonite Church USA convention.

Fall MCC Palestine Update

Many of you have visited Israel-Palestine on learning tours hosted by Mennonite Central Committee. Here are a few highlights from their fall update:

• Over one year after the end of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, the situation in Gaza remains dire. A recent UN report warns that Gaza could become “unliveable” by 2020 without immediate and radical action, including the lifting of the blockade.
• The village of Susiya, which lies between an Israeli settlement and archeological site, was slated for demolition and bulldozers had arrived on the scene in early August. With outcry from the international community, the bulldozers have left for now and it seems the Israeli authorities are seeking to negotiate with the village. Unfortunately, while international attention was turned to Susiya, demolitions were carried out in many other communities in Israeli-controlled Area C.

#BlackPalestinianSolidarity

A recent video was released under the hashtag #BlackPalestinianSolidarity that features more than 60 Black and Palestinian artists, writers, and activists highlighting the shared experiences of racism and oppression that both communities are confronting, holding up signs such as “Gaza Stands With Ferguson” and “When I see them, I see us.” Angela Davis explained:

“Mutual expressions of solidarity have helped to generate a vigorous political kinship linking black organizers, scholars, cultural workers and political prisoners in the U.S. with Palestinian activists, academics, political prisoners, and artists…That the Palestinian people have refused to surrender after almost seven decades of continuous struggle against Israeli settler colonialism is a great encouragement to black people in the U.S. to accelerate our ongoing struggles against racist state violence. These powerful images represent a journey from struggle against tyranny to a collective hope for a just future.”

This expression of solidarity reminds us that our work for justice in Palestine-Israel must also include work for justice at home, actively dismantling structures of oppression such as racism and poverty as well as militarism.

Announcement from Mennonite Church USA: Israel/Palestine Learning Experience, March 2016

Interesting in deeper understanding of the conflict in Israel and Palestine? In meeting with Palestinian pastors and church leaders? In visiting important sites in the Biblical story?

Consider participating in a “Come and See” mini-tour in conjunction with the Christ at the Checkpoint conference (March 3-6, 2016). The tour will involve three days of immersion in the realities of occupation in the West Bank.  The conference that follows (March 7-10) is hosted by Bethlehem Bible College and will create space for Palestinian and American evangelicals to enter into honest conversation about the realities faced by the Palestinian church and the challenges of working for justice in the spirit of Jesus in this context.

After the conference you can choose to participate in a three day Holy Land tour and visit sites in the Biblical story in Bethlehem, Galilee and Jerusalem. The “Come and See” tour and conference will cost roughly $1000 plus airfare and the Holy Land Tour will be an additional $395 or $515 depending on lodging choices. Mennonite Church USA pastors and leaders who participate in the first tour and conference can apply for a $1000 scholarship.  

Recommended Reading

We are lifelong Zionists; here is why we’ve chosen to boycott Israel

Frequently Asked Questions about KC2015 Delegate Assembly Resolutions, Part 2

 

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

In This Issue
Mennonite Church USA resolution
Cremisan Valley
Sign a petition for Gaza
Budget cuts to Palestinian Christian schools
Want to get involved?
Recommended reading
From the Sabeel Wave of Prayer

It has been a while since we have been in touch with you, and a lot has happened.

Mennonite Church USA resolution

In July, Mennonite Church USA delegates voted to table the resolution on Israel-Palestine for two years. This was a huge disappointment and setback for all of us who care so deeply about justice in Israel-Palestine and had worked so hard on it—drafting the resolution, gathering support from our congregations, and educating people about it.

But there have been setbacks before in the pursuit of justice, and we must redouble our efforts to ensure successful passage of a strong resolution in two years at Orlando 2017. The Mennonite reports that Executive Board “staff will identify a three-person writing team, as well as a broader reference team representing a range of perspectives, to revise the resolution. Congregations will receive an early draft for study and feedback; the team will use the feedback to adapt the statement as needed prior to the 2017 Delegate Assembly.” As MennoPIN members, it is critical that your voices are heard during this process.

Summary of comments by delegates on the Israel-Palestine resolution

6 Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers respond to delayed action

Cremisan Valley

In August, the high court of Israel ruled that Israel could continue building the separation wall in the Cremisan Valley near Bethlehem, after a ruling in April had halted construction. The wall goes directly through the land of 58 Palestinian families in Beit Jala and around a Salesian monastery, convent, and primary school. Sign a petition urging foreign governments to intervene to stop construction of the wall. Learn more through this update from Friends of Sabeel North America.

Sign a petition for Gaza

Last summer’s war left more than 100,000 housing units damaged, 19,000 destroyed, and damaged or destroyed 562 factories and workshops. Israeli restrictions on construction materials entering Gaza mean that few of the materials needed to rebuild have been allowed in. MCC and other organizations are seeking 1.8 million signatures on this petition—one for each resident of Gaza. To learn more and find out what steps you can take to advocate for an end to the blockade, check out MCC’s latest action alert.

Budget cuts to Palestinian Christian schools

On September 1, 47 Palestinian Christian schools in Israel went on strike to protest cuts in funding from the Israeli government. Funding given by the government has decreased dramatically over the last two years, while Israeli Jewish private schools remain fully funded. At the end of September, the Israeli Ministry of Education agreed to pay the Christian schools a one-time payment of $12.6 million, though the schools continue to advocate for a more equal, permanent solution. Disparate funding for both public and private Palestinian schools highlights the discrimination that Christian and Muslim Palestinians face in Israeli society.

Want to get involved?

Consider joining one of MennoPIN’s subcommittees to help MennoPIN continue this important work.

• The Communications Subcommittee focuses on publicizing the network and its areas of concern via articles, news releases, and digital media (web site, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
• The Grassroots Subcommittee focuses on expanding and strengthening the network through personal contacts and regional organizing, with an emphasis on building relationships.
• The Advocacy/Action Subcommittee organizes and promotes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions actions as well as legislative advocacy.
• The Education Subcommittee promotes educational resources and opportunities related to Israel-Palestine.

Email mennopin@gmail.com and note which subcommittee you are interested in.

Recommended reading

Combatant for a just peace by Ryan Rodrick Beiler

From the Sabeel Wave of Prayer…

Dear God, as leaders of the nations gather together at the General Assembly of the United Nations, we give thanks for the nation states that recognize the state of Palestine. We give thanks for the message of Pope Francis for the need for international responsibility as global citizens. We pray that the leaders of the world may raise their voices in solidarity with those who demand an end to the occupation of their land, so that Palestine and Israel may live within secure borders, democratic rights and religious freedom. Lord hear our prayer…And let our cry come unto you. 

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Dear Friends,

Kansas City 2015:
The Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City is only two weeks away! There are a lot of exciting opportunities for education, advocacy, and relationship-building as Mennonites from around the country gather together. We have compiled a list of Kansas City convention events and activities that will be of interest to MennoPIN.

First on this list is the Palestine-Israel resolution that will be presented to the Delegate Assembly on Wednesday July 1. If you are present in Kansas City, please try to attend this delegate session. For those not attending, let us all hold the delegates and our church leaders in prayer as the Delegate Assembly considers this resolution on July 1!

Please continue to be in conversation with your congregation’s delegates to Kansas City, providing them with whatever resources they might find helpful for their preparation. Resolution resources can still be found on the MennoPIN website https://mennopin.org/resolution/, including a brief history of Mennonite involvement in Palestine-Israel, a link to resources for further learning as well as the list of MennoPIN suggested materials for your congregation. Also check out this list of frequently asked questions prepared for delegates.

More resources for education and advocacy:
Here is a great piece in Mennonite World Review describing the work for peace with justice in Palestine-Israel that many have been doing in Mennonite Church USA, and that has laid the groundwork for this summer’s resolution in Kansas City. This summer will see a number of church denominational meetings across the U.S. Check out this article to learn more about what other churches are doing to support the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.

Palestinian Christians continue to invite their brothers and sisters around the world to act nonviolently for peace with justice in Palestine-Israel. The Kairos Palestine call, including the call to boycotts and divestment, is one such invitation. Learn more about the Kairos Palestine call here and about the experience of Palestinian Christians.

#NoWayToTreatAChild:
As of March 2015, 184 Palestinian minors (ages 12 to 17) were being held in Israeli custody, according to the Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem. Their most common offense is throwing stones. Because they are held under military law, these children do not have the protections generally provided under both international and Israeli law. While in detention they are often blindfolded and subjected to verbal and physical abuse. A 2013 UNICEF report states, “Ill treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized.” While noting positive progress on some fronts, a UNICEF update this year states, “Reports of alleged ill-treatment of children during arrest, transfer, interrogation and detention have not significantly decreased in 2013 and 2014.”
Learn more about what you can do by reading MCC’s action alert and learn more about the work to address Israeli military detention of Palestinian children at http://www.nowaytotreatachild.org/.

“Wall to Wall”:
The most recent issue of the MCC Washington Office Memo features reflections on Israel’s Separation Wall and its relationship to a wall that is not so far away—the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. There are many connections between these two walls, from U.S. government funding to the corporations building them. Several years ago an Israeli brigadier general was speaking at a border security conference in El Paso, Texas, when he boasted, “We have learned lots from Gaza. It’s a great laboratory.” This chilling quote brings home the reality that walls are all too often built to keep out the “other”—usually seen as one who is different from us and sometimes even less than human. In the face of these high walls, we as Christians must proclaim that love for neighbor is more powerful. Christ can break down even the strongest walls that divide us (Ephesians 2:14) and in that we place our hope.

This current issue focuses on Palestine and Israel and the next issue will focus on the U.S.-Mexico border. In it you will also find an analysis of the impact of the Wall on Palestinians, resources for reflection and mediation, and a helpful list of policy principles that can help you as you advocate for a more just and peaceful U.S. foreign policy in the region.

“Intersections: Palestine, Baltimore, and beyond”
In MennoPIN we are committed to an intersectional approach to working for peace with justice in Palestine-Israel. This means that we believe that working for justice and peace in Palestine-Israel cannot be separated from and must be complemented by working for justice and peace in our home communities. This is an important point highlighted in the MCC Washington Office Memo mentioned above. Learn more about the exciting solidarity opportunities being realized by organizations like Interfaith Peace-Builders and their commitment to the goal of justice in Palestine as well as the goals of the racial justice movement in the United States.

Prayer requests:
Remember that you can find prayer requests to use in your congregations here. The most recent prayer request has been formatted so you can include them as church bulletin inserts. We also encourage you to continue to pray alongside Palestinians using prayers like those shared by Sabeel. There is much to remember in prayer this month as we prepare to gather in Kansas City, but let us particularly remember the people of Gaza for whom this month marks one year since Israel’s most recent brutal assault on their lives and homes.

During this month of June, and as we prepare for the Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City, please continue to pray for all the people of Palestine-Israel.

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Dear Friends,

This email goes out to the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network as an urgent request for information regarding MennoPIN’s presence at this summer Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City.

We need your help! Please take a few minutes and fill out this very brief survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GnPJJDc-qM4fXcXOQXdcugdkJ45R2bf2aERHZM9ncVE/viewform

1) Are you attending the 2015 convention in Kanas City?
2) Are you serving as a delegate?

Please continue to be in conversation with your congregation’s delegates to Kansas City, providing them with whatever resources they might find helpful for their preparation including this list of frequently asked questions: http://mennoniteusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/FAQIsrael-Palestine_2015May.pdf.

Remember the resolution materials on our website, such as a brief history of Mennonite involvement in Palestine-Israel, a link to resources for further learning as well as the list of MennoPIN suggested materials for your congregation.

Again, please fill out the survey above and let us know what your plans are for Kansas City!

—
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)