In a new letter, over 200 global Christian bishops and executive leaders urged world powers to end complicity in the ongoing violence and atrocities committed in Gaza as a part of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The letter calls for an immediate permanent ceasefire, work for the release of hostages and prisoners held without due process of law alike, the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to civilians, and halting all weapons and ammunition transfers to Israel to ensure they are being used according to international law.

Read the letter and list of signatories here. 

CMEP’s cover letter to President Biden is below. 

July 23, 2024

Dear President Biden: 

As the violence and devastation in the Gaza Strip now approach 300 days of almost nonstop bombardments, displacement, and the increasingly desperate need for food and water, we as a coalition of 35 diverse church member communions and Christian leaders beseech you to use all of the power and authority of your position to leverage a negotiated settlement and make the attacks and deprivation stop. Mr. President, enough is enough! Through both inadequate action to ensure delivery of aid and continued provision of arms used in the atrocities—and at times massacres—the United States and your administration have moved beyond complicity. The United States is instead the primary partner to Israel in its ongoing military assault against Palestinians in Gaza. Should you continue on this path and ignore calls for accountability at every turn, this has likely already immeasurably damaged U.S. interests and security in the years to come.

There is still time to choose a different way forward. We call for an end to the U.S. participation in the ongoing violence. We call for an immediate halt of the transfer of weapons, parts, and ammunition to Israel while there is risk that they will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law. 

We oppose the invitation for Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of the United States Congress. In addition, the timing comes after one of the deadliest weeks in Gaza in the past nine months. Instead, we implore you to make clear to the Prime Minister that your administration will no longer provide monetary and diplomatic cover for Israel to continue its military assault on the people of Gaza. The lack of strong U.S. leadership has directly resulted in the death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and has weakened U.S. credibility in the region, contributed to regional instability, and increased the likelihood of a broader Middle East War. In addition, the ongoing violence and instability has caused the Christian community in the Middle East to become increasingly vulnerable so that its very existence is at risk. 

All perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including Israeli state actors, extremist groups, and Palestinian militants, must be held accountable. The Biden administration must use its leverage to end all violence, push for an end for Israeli military abuses of civilians in the Gaza Strip, ensure the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners held without due process of law, and demand progress toward a permanent negotiated settlement. We demand the delivery of immediate and adequate humanitarian aid into Gaza, support for UNRWA, and accountability for the withholding of aid as a method of warfare. The attached letter, signed by 200 global bishops and executive leaders, shares a global call and demand for a comprehensive ceasefire and an end to international complicity. We care deeply about each and every Israeli and Palestinian life lost, and many more lives are at stake if this war is not brought to an immediate end. 

The time for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire is now.

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
Executive DIrector on behalf of the CMEP Board