After lengthy deliberation, the church’s Social Justice Steering Committee (SJSC) has joined a multi-faith coalition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. The so-called Washington Solidarity Statement, which also envisions an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, already had been signed by more than 150 faith, peace and justice organizations in the state as well as more than 2,500 local individuals, including several church members and our two UUC pastors.

“We condemn all targeting and killing of civilians, whether Israeli or Palestinian,” the statement reads. “Such indiscriminate violence harming innocent civilians is not only a violation of international law, but also of basic morality and decency.”

The coalition hopes the statement will help persuade U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Marie Cantwell, as well as nine of Washington’s 10 House members, to endorse a proposed ceasefire and hostage release. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who represents Seattle in Congress, was an early advocate of this approach. Gadi Eisenkot, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, also has called for a ceasefire.

In discerning whether to sign the solidarity statement, the SJSC followed UUC's process for taking a position. The committee recognized that the statement is controversial. After all, it implicitly criticizes the Biden administration’s current policy of fully supporting and helping finance Israel’s military campaign to eradicate Hamas, no matter the cost in Palestinian and Israeli life. But SJSC members ultimately decided that the statement does advance UUC’s vision and priorities, especially the sixth principle’s commitment to global “peace, liberty and justice.”

SJSC has planned a series of events to give church members an opportunity to share their feelings and thoughts about what is happening in Israel-Palestine. On January 17, members facilitated several “listening circles” on the topic. The committee will host a follow-up event on February 21.

You can read the statement and see the list of signatories at https://sites.google.com/view/solidarity-statement/. If you are so moved, you can add your signature at https://sites.google.com/view/solidarity-statement/home.