Jump to content
The Methodist Church of Great Britain | Methodist boycott of goods from illegal Israeli settlements

Methodist boycott of goods from illegal Israeli settlements

1. What has the Church decided to do? 

On 30 June, 2010 the Methodist Conference (the governing body of the Methodist Church in Britain) called for a greater engagement of the Methodist people with those living in Israel and Palestine. The Conference report Justice for Palestine and Israel highlighted the impact of occupation on Palestinian communities in Gaza and the West Bank. The full list of resolutions follows:

14/1. The Methodist Conference receives the report Justice for Palestine and Israel.
14/2. The Methodist Conference adopts the Affirmation in 7.4.1 as its reply to NOM 226 (2009) “Israel/Palestine Working Group”.
14/3. The Methodist Conference commends the report for reflection and action in Local Churches, Circuits and Districts.
14/4. The Methodist Conference affirms and restates its support for:
a) the vital work of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), encourages Methodists to volunteer for the programme and asks Churches, Circuits and Districts to make use of the experience of returning participants.
b) Christian Aid and other aid agencies working amongst Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere in the region.
c) Israelis and Palestinians in all organisations working for justice and peace in the area.
14/5. The Methodist Conference directs the Faith and Order Committee to undertake further work on the theological issues, including Christian Zionism, raised in the report that are needed to guide and support the approach of the Methodist Church to the Israeli/Palestinian situation and to bring a report to Conference.
14/6. The Methodist Conference directs the Connexional Team to resource Churches, Circuits and Districts in their understanding of and engagement with the issues involved by:
a) providing information on the networks through which they can keep up to date with developments in the Israeli/Palestinian situation
b) making available study materials covering the present situation to include the witness and teaching of Palestinian Christians especially that contained in the Kairos document produced by Palestinian Christian leaders in December 2009.
c) encouraging support for educational events around the Connexion.
14/7. The Methodist Conference directs the Connexional Team to make appropriate representations to the UK Government and the European Commission calling for action to bring to an end the Occupation and the siege of Gaza and for further Government pressure to be applied to allow a process of serious peacemaking to take place that eschews violent conflict.
14/8. The Methodist Conference encourages
a) Districts, Circuits and Churches to support the World Council of Churches week of prayer and action for a just peace in Israel/Palestine at the beginning of June each year and also endorse the Just Peace for Palestine initiative of the Amos Trust
b) Methodist people:
i. to write to their MPs, MEPs and Government ministers to call for urgent help to be given to those who are suffering as a result of the Occupation
ii. to visit the region of Israel/Palestine with those agencies which will help enable them to meet and engage with Palestinian Christians
iii. to engage in respectful dialogue with Jews and Muslims on this issue.
14/9. The Methodist Conference notes the call of the World Council of Churches in 2009 for an international boycott of settlement produce and services and the support given for such a boycott by Christian leaders in Palestine in the “Kairos” document, Palestinian civil society and a growing number of Jewish organisations both inside Israel and worldwide and calls on the Methodist people to support and engage with this boycott of Israeli goods emanating from illegal settlements.
14/10. The Methodist Conference directs the Methodist Council and the Connexional Team, as a matter of urgency, to consider and develop further ways in which the Methodist Church of Great Britain and its people, in conjunction with both ecumenical, inter-faith and other interested groups, can work for an end to the Occupation, an end to the blockade of Gaza, adherence to international law by all sides and a just peace for all in the region.
14/11. The Methodist Conference commends all the peoples of the region to the loving care of Almighty God and urges the Methodist people to engage in regular, informed prayer for the needs of the Land of the Holy One.

2. Why do you describe Israeli settlements in the West Bank as “illegal”?

We affirm, alongside the vast majority of the world governments, that the provisions of the 4th Geneva Convention apply to the occupied Palestinian territories. This includes the principle that the occupier should not transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territories that it occupies. The extensive expansion of the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and associated infrastructure pose a serious challenge to International law. It has made life intolerable for many in the West Bank and makes a sustainable peace accord around a viable two-state solution more difficult to achieve. In July 2004 every European government and most other governments affirmed their support for the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Separation Barrier. The UK Government describes the settlements in the West Bank as “illegal”. But, however the status of Israeli settlements is described we must appreciate that a process of patient and careful dialogue will be necessary to arrive at solutions that meet the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. The Methodist Church fully recognizes the right of Israel to exist as an independent state within secure borders.

3. Why Israeli settlement goods? Why not boycott other countries?

This action is not exceptional. The Methodist Church has in the past disinvested from or declined to invest in organizations because of concerns over their practices. For example, in 1997 the Church decided to disinvest from Total Oil over concerns about their practices in Burma. We are taking this particular action in response to requests from Palestinian Christians and the World Council of Churches and a growing number of Jewish organisations both inside Israel and worldwide. We have received support from some Jewish organizations and individuals welcoming this action. It is in our tradition to challenge and draw attention to situations that we believe are unjust, and the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories continues to make a lasting peace in the region more difficult to achieve.

4. What should Methodists do?

Firstly, we want to encourage Methodists to engage in regular well-informed inter faith dialogue and also in prayer for the region and all who live there. Dialogue with Jewish colleagues is particularly crucial in recognition of the importance of Israel to the identity of Jewish communities in Britain.

Secondly, some may wish to write to their MPs, MEPs and Government ministers to call for urgent help to be given to those who are suffering as a result of the occupation.

Methodists are also encouraged to visit the region for themselves where possible, to meet with Palestinian Christians and others and to share their experiences on their return.

Finally, check the labels of products you buy to see whether they originate from Israeli settlements. These can include everyday purchases such as herbs, dates, avocados and olive oil. In December 2009, Defra (the UK Government department responsible for policy and regulations on the environment, food and rural affairs) introduced new advice on labelling, recommending that packaging of products imported from the West Bank should distinguish between Palestinian areas and Israeli settlements. The Methodist Church has written to major supermarkets to ask whether they are complying with this guidance and we will be highlighting some sources of information for consumers.  

5. Why is the Church conducting research on Christian Zionism?

The decision to ask the Church’s Faith and Order Committee to do some further work on Christian Zionism arises from a feeling that this is a theological position not well enough understood by the Church, and also one which is an important factor in Christian reflection on the situation in Israel and Palestine. The schedule and scope of this work has not yet been determined but we expect that its outcome will be valuable in further guiding and informing our work and discussions on this matter.

6. Do all the things said during the Conference debate represent the Church’s views?

Not necessarily. The official position of the Church is what is set out in the resolutions agreed by this and previous Conferences. Neither the text of the reports (except section 7.4.1 which was adopted as a position of the Methodist Conference) or anything said during the debate necessarily forms a Methodist position. The report, any other materials and comments made during speeches are there to challenge the Conference, to stimulate debate and to try to persuade, but what counts is what’s in the resolutions.