Timeline and background on Presbyterian General Assembly positions on the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

The Middle East has been an area of deep concern to General Assemblies ever since the 1948 PCUSA Assembly declared: “. . . We believe that a solution to the problem will be achieved only by a return to the principle of faithful devotion to the welfare, needs, and rights of both the Jewish and Arab peoples . . .” (PCUSA, 1948, p. 203).

The 1967 PCUS Assembly supported the cause of peace in the Middle East and wrote: “. . . The General Assembly express[es] deep concern over the unrest and recent conflict in the Middle East, an area which contains much that is sacred to Christian, Jew and Moslem alike, and it registers its wholehearted and prayerful support of individuals and nations who are seeking to bring peace and concord to that area of the world . . .” (PCUS, 1967, p. 111).

The major policy statement of the UPC came in 1974, when the Assembly adopted a policy statement that provided these guidelines for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.