Take a Stand Campaign
What are other Christians saying?
Around the world, Christians are belatedly issuing calls through their churches and other organizations for an end to the massive ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and human rights abuses from all parties in the Holy Land. Each of the churches below has condemned Israel’s occupation and war on Palestinians, as well as the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, calling for justice as the foundation for peace.
The Catholic Church
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. On July 20, 2025, he condemned the “barbarity” of the war in Gaza and the “indiscriminate use of force” after at least 93 Palestinians were killed lining up for food packages. He criticized Israel’s ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza. The pope also spoke of his anguish over the Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which killed three people and injured 10. Pope Francis also criticized Israel’s conduct of the war, and in September 2024 he called for an investigation to determine if Israel's military attacks on Gaza constitute genocide. He placed a telephone call to the priest of Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza every night during Israel’s bombardment until just two days before his death.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. The Irish Conference of Catholic Bishops said, “What is happening in Gaza – and the West Bank – is the death of tens of thousands of non-combatants, many of them women and children. This is unconscionable and disproportionate. It is immoral for world leaders to stand by inactively in the face of this outrageous tragedy for humanity. Words are not enough! There is an urgent need for the international community to intervene, cut off arms supplies and bring the carnage to an end.”
The United Church of Christ
In June, 2025, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people and the role of the US government in supporting it. It called for an end to the US provision of arms and financial support to Israel. It also affirmed the rights of refugees to return to their homes and their right to self-determination. Earlier, the denomination’s Palestine Israel Network had published a powerful statement called “It’s Past Time: Naming Israel’s Genocide in Gaza.” The statement included a challenge to those in positions of authority, saying, “It is past time for all our political and religious leaders to recognize and name the atrocity in Gaza for the genocide that it is.” In July 2021, the UCC General Synod became one of the first denominations to pass a resolution recognizing “Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures” and affirming that the “continued oppression of the Palestinian people remains … a matter of theological urgency.” Since then, several other denominational, state, and local religious bodies such as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Episcopal Dioceses of Washington, Vermont, and Chicago have followed suit.
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church has affirmed a resolution at every General Conference since 2016 condemning Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land: “The United Methodist Church opposes continued military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, the confiscation of Palestinian land and water resources, the destruction of Palestinian homes, the continued building of illegal Jewish settlements, and any vision of a ‘Greater Israel’ that includes the occupied territories and the whole of Jerusalem and its surroundings.” The denomination has divested its holdings in several Israeli banks associated with illegal settlements. In June, 2024, the General Conference called for an end to all military aid to the region and withdrawal of all investments in Israeli bonds.
“The United Methodist Church opposes continued military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem...”
Alliance of Baptists
In 2023, the Alliance of Baptists approved the following Statement on Israel and Palestine: “We recognize that the government of Israel’s laws, policies, and practices regarding the Palestinian people fulfill the international legal definition of apartheid.” The denomination endorsed an Apartheid-Free Pledge, encouraging congregations to join them. The pledge states, “We affirm our commitment to justice, freedom, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people; We oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression; We declare ourselves an Apartheid-free community and to that end, we pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s Apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”
The Mennonite Central Committee
In January 2024, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) called for a halt to arms transfers to Israel and armed Palestinian groups from all states and for the implementation of the International Court of Justice provisional ruling issued in January which calls on Israel and all states to prevent genocide in Gaza. The group issued a statement saying “We continue to call on our governments to work for a ceasefire, with the latest proposal agreed to by Hamas and endorsed by the UN Security Council but held up by Israel. MCC applauds the recent decision by the government of Canada to restrict arms sales to Israel….MCC decries the near unmitigated military support that the U.S. government has provided to Israel to carry out a genocidal campaign against Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank...We call on the Biden-Harris Administration to immediately cease all military support to Israel to comply with U.S. and international law and with the ICJ’s ruling to prevent genocide. We remind the global community that the pillars of international justice—the ICJ and the International Criminal Court—were set up in the wake of World War II to prevent atrocity crimes. Their rulings must be respected, including the responsibility to withhold weapons from countries where there is a plausible risk of atrocity crimes, such as genocide.”
The Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox leadership has issued calls for a ceasefire, protection of civilians, humanitarian relief, and accountability. The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has issued strong condemnations of Israeli airstrikes that have impacted church compounds in Gaza, including the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius in October 2023 and the Holy Family Church in 2025. They have labeled such targeting of churches as war crimes. They have expressed profound concern regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, highlighting the suffering of the population, and urged relief for the starving population in Gaza. Following attacks on the Christian town of Taybeh, Greek Orthodox leaders in Jerusalem issued a firm condemnation, with demands for investigation and protection of Palestinian Christians.
The Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) includes 145 member churches representing over 77 million Christians world-wide. In June, 2025, it issued a statement calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and unhindered humanitarian access, an immediate and unconditional end to the war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, an immediate release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel without charge, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and reaffirmation of a two-state solution. Its US affiliate, the 2.7-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, adopted a measure in July, 2025, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and an immediate end to the mass killing in Gaza. It asked the Presiding Bishop to petition U.S. leaders to recognize and act to end the genocide against Palestinians, halt military aid to Israel used in Gaza, support Palestinian statehood and U.N. membership, and reject forced displacement and settler violence.
The Disciples of Christ
In 2023, the General Assembly of the Disciples of Christ Church in the United States and Canada voted overwhelmingly and close to absolute consensus to describe Israel as an apartheid state. The resolution calls for the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and an immediate end to Israeli occupation, as well as respect for the right of Palestinian refugees to return. It also calls for respect for the rights of Palestinians and all justice advocates worldwide to express themselves, demonstrate, and use boycotts, divestment, and sanctions as peaceful and lawful tools to halt injustice against Palestinians. In September, 2024, the denominational leadership issued a pastoral letter calling for “an end to the horrific genocide taking place in front of our eyes.”
Pax Christi International
In July, 2025, the 60,000-member Catholic peace group Pax Christi International called for (1) an immediate and permanent ceasefire and immediate access to humanitarian aid for everyone in Gaza, to be distributed through UNRWA and other experienced NGOs; (2) the release of all hostages, Israeli and Palestinian; (3) a complete arms embargo on Israel; (4) an end to all trade with illegal Israeli settlements; and (5) an end to the Israeli siege on Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.
In a 2024 statement calling for a ceasefire, Pax Christi International said, “Does our collective Christian voice echo the teachings of Jesus or has it, in its tepid silence, become another weapon? We shudder to think that the cries of the living stones of Palestine have fallen on deaf ears. When will our sisters and brothers in Gaza know that the Church has not abandoned them? Or, like Jesus, will they be left to suffer alone in a garden of rubble? Have we too fallen asleep? The time to speak is now. There is not a minute to waste.”
The Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church General Convention in 2024 condemned Christian Zionism and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, conditioning US military assistance on compliance with human rights, and a long-term solution based on equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis. In 2022, it voted to condemn Israel’s occupation and oppression of Palestinians. It also asked churches to distinguish between Biblical references to Israel and the modern nation-state of Israel. In 2018, it voted to divest from companies involved in Israel's human rights violations. It stated that Jerusalem is “a holy city to the three Abrahamic faiths” and should be “the shared capital of both the State of Israel and of a potential Palestinian state.”
The Presbyterian Church USA
The Presbyterian Church USA voted for divestment from Israel bonds as well as the bonds of Turkey and Morocco in July of 2024. It also voted to condemn Christian Zionism and linking the State of Israel with Biblical views of the “promised land.” In 2022, it passed a measure declaring Israel an “apartheid state.” In 2014, it had voted to divest from three companies for complicity in Israel’s occupation, which it has repeatedly condemned. PCUSA was the first mainline denomination to actually divest from companies deemed to be supporting Israel’s occupation.
“Does our collective Christian voice echo the teachings of Jesus or has it, in its tepid silence, become another weapon? We shudder to think that the cries of the living stones of Palestine have fallen on deaf ears...”
The World Council of Churches
In June, 2025, the World Council of Churches Central Committee issued “A Call to End Apartheid, Occupation, and Impunity in Palestine and Israel.” It stated in part, “We recognize and denounce the system of apartheid imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people, in violation of international law and moral conscience. We call on states, churches, and international institutions to impose consequences for violations of international law, including targeted sanctions, divestment, and arms embargoes. Full support must be given to the International Criminal Court and UN mechanisms investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity. We uphold the inalienable human rights of Palestinians to freedom, justice, return, and self-determination. We demand the end of the occupation and the lifting of the unlawful blockade on Gaza…We commend the leadership of the South African government in seeking justice and accountability to international law through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and urge all states to comply with the ICJ’s rulings. Churches worldwide are called to witness, to speak out, and to act.”
“We uphold the inalienable human rights of Palestinians to freedom, justice, return, and self-determination. We demand the end of the occupation and the lifting of the unlawful blockade on Gaza... Churches worldwide are called to witness, to speak out, and to act.”
The Quakers
On July 28, 2025, eight major Quaker organizations based in the U.S., Britain, Norway, Canada, Europe, and other countries issued a joint statement that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and calling for action: “We believe with moral clarity, and in line with the definition of the crime of genocide, that the current actions in Gaza perpetrated by the Israeli government, constitute genocide.”
Churches for Middle East Peace
This coalition of 22 U.S. church denominations and organizations has issued many excellent statements which can be found at https://cmep.org/press-news/public-statements-letters/. In July of 2025, CMEP condemned the Israeli government’s revealed plan to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into camps with the explicit intention of facilitating their departure from Gaza, saying the policy amounts to ethnic cleansing and a grave violation of international law.
Ecumenical Statements
In July, 2024, more than 200 US Christian leaders signed an urgent letter to the White House in calling for a ceasefire and saying: “We fear the existential threat to the Christian presence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories – the very place where our faith tradition began. More than three percent of the Christian community in Gaza has been killed since October 7th, including 18 Christians at St. Porphyrius Orthodox Church. Dozens of Christian families throughout the West Bank have left due to the occupation, increased violence, and economic pressures. Christians and their significant contributions to civil society could soon disappear from the Holy Land. Thus, as Christians and people of peace, we call on the international community and global institutions to end all arms flows into the conflict zone and to end various states’ attempts to frustrate legal remedies being sought in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in response to war crimes alleged against both sides and the ‘plausible’ accusation that Israeli action in Gaza ‘could amount to genocide.’ We also call for unrestricted access to all necessary humanitarian assistance for those in need and the opening of an internationally facilitated long-term and permanent peace process…”