Dear [faith leader]

I am writing to you as a concerned congregant about the increasing expansion of permanent Israeli control and annexation over occupied Palestine. Unilateral actions by the Israeli government to turn its 58-year military occupation of Palestinian land into permanent annexation and preventing a two-state solution, in violation of international law, are fuelling the cycle of violence and harming prospects for a sustainable and just peace for all Palestinians and Israelis. I also write at a time when the men, women, and children of Gaza have once more been brought to the brink of famine as a result of Israeli policies against Palestinians. I ask that you take the urgent actions below.   

Our call draws courage and inspiration from the word of Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The violence and injustice of forcible annexation stands in direct contrast to peace, and in contrast to God’s design for the world. We lament with all the people – Palestinians and Israelis – suffering in the Holy Land today. We are reminded through the words of Jesus that we must work towards peace for all those affected.  

The Council of Patriarchs and Heads of the Holy Land Churches, through numerous calls for action, have shared their desire to see a peaceful agreement to end the decades-long conflict. By allowing annexation and violations of international to continue, we undermine the desire of the churches in the Holy Land and prevent their vision from becoming a reality.  

For more than two decades, the World Council of Churches (WCC), through it’s Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), has advocated for this vision by amplifying the voices of the communities it accompanies, of local churches.

Our shared humanity calls us to lament with all people who are suffering – Palestinians and Israelis alike. WCC has demanded full legal accountability for all war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws committed by all parties to the conflict. For decades, the Israeli government has been pursuing policies of de facto annexation to establish a permanent presence in areas of occupied Palestine in violation of its obligations as a temporary occupier of the land. This has included its mass transfer of over 750,000 Israeli civilians into settlements built illegally on Palestinian land.  

Since 2020, the Israeli government has made a number of announcements expressing its intention to go further and formally annex parts of occupied Palestine. In its coalition agreement of December 2022, the Israeli government declared that “The Jewish people have an exclusive and indisputable right to all parts of the Land of Israel. The Government will promote and develop settlement in all parts of the Land of Israel – the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan and Judea and Samaria [the West Bank].”  

In November 2024, Israeli finance minister Smotrich declared 2025 to be “the year of annexation in the West Bank.” He ordered the transfer of control over all civilian affairs in the Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank from the military to a newly created civilian authority. 

Similar intentions have also been expressed for Gaza. In March 2025, the Israeli government said that Israel was “determined to realise the vision of US president Donald Trump” to ethnically cleanse two million Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop the land for profit. The Israeli government has since established a new ministry to begin implementing this policy. More recently, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu confirmed his intention to control “all of Gaza”.

Unilateral annexation will permanently strip six million Palestinians of their basic human rights in serious violation of international law including the Fourth Geneva Convention. Annexation will further threaten peace efforts and wider regional stability.  

Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights and peace groups have advocated for decades for an end of the occupation and a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) landmark Advisory Opinion in July 2024 provided legal clarity that Israel’s presence in occupied Palestine is illegal and must end “as rapidly as possible.” The Advisory Opinion included rulings that all Israeli settlers must be evacuated immediately, settlements dismantled, and reparations made to Palestinians for the damage caused since the occupation began in 1967. It also provided clarity on the obligations of others to ensure they are not complicit in supporting Israel’s illegal actions.  

I urge you to take the following actions: 

• Stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters in Palestine and Israel by amplifying their calls including. 

• Actively join with fellow faith leaders in this country and around the world to speak out about the need to protect the rights and dignity of all people living in the Holy Land, especially people suffering from the ongoing cycle of war and violence and those living under occupation and increasing annexation. 

• Affirm calls for justice to bring to account those who violate international laws that protect our shared humanity and safeguard human dignity. This includes providing a voice of moral support for the work and rulings of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. 

• Provide a moral voice of support for the obligations placed on countries by the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion including the obligation to “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” This includes the trade in arms and weapons.  

• Use your influence to call for those in positions of power to re-start a political process to bring about an end to the occupation and just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis.  

• Publicly voice your support for the WCC’s EAPPI programme as a means of accompanying Palestinian Christians. 

• Support local initiatives for a just peace by broadening spaces for human rights and peace organisations to speak about their engagement. 

• Lead discussions within your faith community to explore and challenge Christian Zionist justifications for the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. 

• Propose a review of your faith community’s financial investments to ensure they are not contributing to the violence in the Holy Land. 

I would be grateful for a response to this email, and also the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss my concerns. 

With thanks, 

[your name + your home address]