The United Church of Canada, conventionally referred to as “Canada’s largest Protestant denomination,” and reported by different news sources today as having “at least 600,000 members” (National Post, August 21), as “having about a million members” (several sources), and as having had “over 2 million members in 2012” (Times of Israel), has held its 42nd General Council meeting, from which it has issued resolutions on a variety of current public issues.
Among these is a Resolution “to address the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by the state of Israel,” by “initiating and developing a program of education and advocacy in cooperation with our partners, related to divestment from and economic sanctions against all corporations and institutions complicit in and benefitting from the illegal occupation. This would include education about tourism which bolsters the oppression of Palestinians.”
“Bridges Not Boycotts,” a tiny pro-Israel caucus within the denomination, sees “the ugly face of anti-Semitism” in these resolution. The group’s leader, Rev. Andrew Love, notes that, “there is a growing cancer of anti-Semitism taking hold of this body of the United Church of Canada.” While fixated on the alleged sins of Israel, they “completely ignore far more egregious human rights violations in the region,” notes Andrew Love. “There is not a single proposal calling for the UCC to support the plight of Palestinians living under occupation by ISIL – despite the reality that almost 2000 Palestinians living in Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria have been killed. Meanwhile, real genocide is being perpetrated against Iraqi and Assyrian Christians.”
ISIS is mentioned once in the UCC documents – but only in order to make the point that ISIS came into existence “inconsequence of the 48-year long occupation of Palestinian territory.”(Needless to say, this notion occurs nowhere in ISIS statements.)
Unfortunately, distinguished precedent for such lop-sided thinking is to be found in several statements and actions taken by the Pope Francis (See “Despite Slaughter of M .E. Christians, Pope More Concerned with Climate Change and ‘Palestine,” Isranet Daily Briefing, August 18.)
To uncover the full dimension of the UCC’s program regarding the future of the Jews in the Middle East, we have to go to a document that is found on the website of the 42nd General Council of the UCC (www.gcc42.ca): ”Council Reaffirms Right of Self-Determination for Palestinians and Israelis.” Here we find recommendations made to the Executive Council of the General Council by a Commission appointed to study the subject – recommendations which have not been acted upon as yet but are tabled for review and possible action.
These proposals amount to a quantum-leap forward towards elimination of the Jewish State. Here we learn that “the day for a two-state solution to the current Israeli occupation of Palestine has passed due to the prevalence of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.” In the judgment of this Commission, the State of Israel is without legal foundation. Jews (Israelis) living in what they imagine is Israel are living illegally in the “State of Palestine” – which, by healthy contrast, is totally legal. What these Jews must now do is admit the error of their ways, and petition the leaders of “Palestine” for the right to live under the jurisdiction of the State of Palestine. There is no hint of recognition here that the so-called President of this so-called state has publicly declared that the State of Palestine must be made totally free of Jews forever. Surely they know that this is what a One-State solution must be.
The height of hypocritical unreality is reached as the UCC document, “In a further move toward bridge building and reconciliation,” directs the General Secretary of the General Council “to develop a resource listing organizations in Canada and in Israel/Palestine that foster the buildings of relationships of trust between the United Church of Canada and the Canadian Jewish community.”
It is almost impossible to imagine finding enough Canadian Jews so oblivious to the intentions of the United Church as to volunteer for the Jewish-Canadian contingent in such bodies. On the other hand, at the present rate of loss of membership, the UCC will soon have too few members to populate its side.
It might seem over-the-top to describe the UCC’s programme on the future of Jews in the Middle East as a Final Solution. It most certainly does qualify as the Semi-Final solution.
