World Council of Churches denounces Israel’s apartheid & occupation, calls for sanctions
WCC central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm moderates a session during the 2025 Central Committee meeting of the World Council of Churches, 18-24 June 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa
Jeff Wright reports in Mondoweiss on 26 June 2025:
Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa earlier this week, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued a bold statement naming the reality of apartheid in Israel, demanding the end of Israel’s occupation and the lifting of the unlawful blockade of Gaza, and calling on states and churches “to impose consequences for violations of international law, including targeted sanctions, divestment, and arms embargoes.”
The statement acknowledges the WCC’s commitment to “inter-religious dialogue and cooperation”—a nod to its Jewish partners, many of whom can be expected to condemn the statement. “However,” the text reads, “the unbearable suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza, and the escalating violence and oppression in the West Bank and in Jerusalem compel the global fellowship of churches to speak with clarity, urgency, and commitment to the principles of justice under international law and ethics.”
Despite spirited dissent during the CC’s formulation of the statement, leaders of the WCC declared that Israel’s actions “flagrantly violate international humanitarian and human rights law as well as the most basic principles of morality.”
“The Government of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has entailed grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” the statement reads, “which may constitute genocide and/or other crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).”