Peace Not Walls

Our church’s primary companion church in the Holy Land is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). This Arabic-speaking community of faithful Lutherans is the primary relationship through which the ELCA sees the situation in Palestine and Israel. Together, our churches are members of The Lutheran World Federation, a global communion that has a vital Jerusalem-area program that has been running projects related to health, education and humanitarian aid in the occupied Palestinian territories for over 65 years.

We invite you to join our advocacy efforts to bring about a just and lasting negotiated resolution to the Palestinian Israeli conflict.

• Call for equal human dignity and rights for all people in the Holy Land.

• Call for an end to Israeli settlement building and the occupation of Palestinian land, both of which violate international law;

• Call for a two-state solution, with two viable, secure states living side-by-side.

• Ask individuals to invest in Palestinian products to build their economy and to utilize selective purchasing to avoid buying products made in illegal Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land.

• Call for an examination of U.S. military aid to Israel to ensure compliance with U.S. and international human rights law and a possible withholding of aid for noncompliance with those laws.

Are you interested in learning more, sharing your experiences with others, and/or traveling to the Holy Land? Peace Not Walls will help connect you locally with others concerned about the future of Israel and Palestine, provide you with resources (informational handouts, worship materials, maps, historical background, trip planning ideas, church policy, etc.), and share information about upcoming trips to the Holy Land.

Through its Peace Not Walls campaign, the ELCA supports a viable, contiguous Palestinian state; a secure Israeli state at peace with its Arab neighbors; and a shared Jerusalem with equal access and rights for Jews, Muslims and Christians. In order to achieve this just peace we need your support!