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More than 250 Christians gathered at the U.S. Capitol May 5-7, calling for an end to violence in the Middle East. Churches for Middle East Peace, alongside co-sponsors that included the ELCA, hosted the Joint Christian Advocacy Summit. Panels and workshops, focused on the theme “Do Right; Seek Justice (Isaiah 1:17): Christians Uniting Against Oppression in Palestine/Israel,” challenged and equipped faith leaders to advocate for U.S. policies that promote justice in the Holy Land. Participants from across the country urged legislators to support measures that protect humanitarian services for Palestinian refugees and limit the transfer of defense weapons to Israel.
Representation from the ELCA included eight synod bishops and more than 40 members. Khader El-Yateem, executive director of Service and Justice, served as a keynote speaker. “What does it mean for us today to defend the oppressed?” he asked. “It is a call not for violence but for advocacy, for peaceful resistance to end the human suffering of our neighbors. Our neighbors might be over the oceans, but they are our neighbors in humanity.”
A variety of ELCA staff served as panelists, including Khader Khalilia, program director for Arab and Middle Eastern Ministries, who spoke on “Interfaith Opportunities”; Maddi Froiland, program director for Sumud, who presented on “Christian Zionism”; Shadin Nassar, regional associate for Middle East and North Africa, who addressed “Generation of Advocates”; and Sasha Ghosh-Siminoff, program director for Middle East and North Africa Policy, who moderated “Health & Humanitarian Crisis.”
Centering Palestinian voices and experiences was a key focus of the summit, especially to better understand the realities of living under occupation. This was evident through Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, who grew up in the Al-Far’a refugee camp and lived under military occupation in the West Bank of Palestine. “All forms of injustice are cut from the same fabric,” he said in a keynote address. “Palestinian liberation is also a Jewish liberation; it is a human liberation.” Further, he encouraged Christians to help open their hearts, engage in difficult conversations and reignite hope.
From meetings with congressional staff on Capitol Hill to centering time for prayer and reflection, the summit demonstrated that doing right, seeking justice and standing with those facing injustice is not a choice but an expression of faith and a commitment to our shared humanity.
