Over 40 Christian leaders from the United States have urged the Democratic Party leaders to ensure that the Palestine/Israel section of the Party’s platform expresses support for the security and rights of both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
In a letter sent to the Democratic Party leaders, the Christian leaders called for the 2020 platform to end the double standard used in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict “by expressly stating both a commitment to Israel and its security and a commitment to Palestinian rights. It should include clear opposition to ongoing occupation, settlement expansion and any form of unilateral annexation of territory in the West Bank.”
According to the letter, “past party platforms have stated a commitment to Israel’s security and included condemnations of threats and actions against our ally, in addition to embracing a two-state outcome. Those platforms have, however, also been silent on the rights of Palestinians, on Israeli actions that undermine those rights and the prospects for a two-state solution, and on the need for security for both peoples.”
The letter blamed the actions of the Trump administration for turning “decades of bipartisan US support for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They have provided the Israeli government with a green light to permanently reject Palestinian statehood, legitimize settlement expansion, entrench the occupation, and pave the way for annexation in the West Bank.”
“We ask that the platform address these issues—each of which has been exacerbated under the current administration—to make clear what a comprehensive Israel/Palestine foreign policy looks like under a future administration, which includes a commitment to security, democracy, and human rights,” the Christian leaders concluded.
