Israel and Palestine
Find mission workers in Israel and Palestine
The Presbyterian Church has been involved in mission efforts in the Middle East for nearly two centuries. The denomination's long-standing witness in Israel and Palestine has spanned a range of efforts: supporting mission personnel; working with partner churches; contributing to refugee relief and resettlement; combating hunger and poverty; supporting ministries of local churches; sponsoring travel-study seminars; promoting education, health and leadership development; vocational training programs and self-development projects; programs supporting peace, justice and human rights movements; engaging in constituency education; and mobilizing to influence public policy.
Since 1948 General Assemblies have repeatedly addressed the Middle East and particularly Israel and Palestine. The Presbyterian position has consistently been to affirm the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign state within secure, internationally recognized borders and the right of the Palestinians to self-determination, including the right to the establishment of a neighboring independent, sovereign state toward the end of establishing a just and durable peace.
Read actions of Assemblies from 1997 to 2010
Background of the conflict
Learn more about Israel-Palestine
Visit the BBC country profile.
Read about Christians in the Middle East (from the BBC)
Students at the Arab Episcopal School, Ramallah, Palestine. Courtesy of the Arab Episcopal School.
Resources for study and engagement
Kairos Palestine document: A Moment of Truth
Kairos Palestine: Congregational Study Plan
Steadfast Hope: The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace
The July 2010 Sojourners magazine (“an evangelical voice for social justice”) contains two articles that illustrate the increasing coverage being given to Palestinian Christians’ perspectives on peace and justice in Israel/Palestine:
- A one-page testimony, “Following Jesus in the West Bank,” by nationally recognized U.S. evangelical leader Lynne Hybels (Willow Creek Community Church) sharing how her position on the Israel/Palestine conflict was transformed by her encounter with Palestinian Christians
- A strongly positive assessment of the Kairos Palestine Document by Sojourners staff writerRyan Rodrick Beiler
Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum: Guidelines for Christians Contemplating a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
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Arab Evangelical Episcopal School-Ramallah Palestine Caption – Graduates of the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School, Ramallah, Palestine. Courtesy of the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School.
Partner churches and church organizations
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
Israel-Palestine Mission Network
The Israel-Palestine Mission Network is among more than 40 networks that connect Presbyterians who share a common mission interest. Most participants are involved in mission partnerships through congregations, presbyteries or synods. Network members come together to coordinate efforts, share best practices and develop strategies.
Presbytery Partnerships
Ecumenical Accompaniment
ECUMENICAL ACCOMPANIMENT PROGRAMME IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) brings internationals to the West Bank to experience life under occupation. Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) provide protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor and report human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace. When they return home, EAs campaign for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through an end to the occupation, respect for international law and implementation of UN resolutions. Learn more