Kairos Palestine is
a Christian Palestinian movement, born out of the Kairos Document, which advocates for ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just solution to the conflict.
The Kairos Palestine Document is at the root of why UNJPPI was created
Kairos Palestine Events
Kairos Palestine Calls to Action
Resources
What Can I Do?
~ Read the Kairos Palestine Document and see how it calls to you
~ Join an upcoming Come and See Pilgrimage
~ Read the BDS Toolkit and consider whether you might want to host/plan a BDS workshop
~ Take action based on Cry for Hope with your local congregation / community of faith
The Kairos Palestine Document (KPD)
The cruel circumstances in which the Palestinian Church has lived and continues to live have required the Church to clarify her faith and to identify her vocation better. We have studied our vocation and have come to know it better in the midst of suffering and pain: today, we bear the strength of love rather than that of revenge, a culture of life rather than a culture of death. This is a source of hope for us, for the Church and for the world.
In 2009, after two years of preparation and prayer, a group of Palestinian Christian leaders issued the Kairos Palestine Document (KPD) “A Moment of Truth: A word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering”. Their word speaks of the reality of the Israeli occupation, reflects God’s love, and cries out for support in establishing a just peace. Since the KPD’s release, churches around the world have responded at denominational, ecumenical and congregational levels. Representatives of churches and institutions from more than 20 countries attended a 2011 Kairos conference in Bethlehem, and the establishment of several denominational and/or grassroots networks soon followed, including UNJPPI here in Canada.
Annual International Conferences in Bethlehem
Each November, Kairos Palestine hosts an annual international conference which gathers local and international partners and supporters to hear updates of the situation on the ground and discuss strategies for advocacy and action. The conference includes sessions open to the public, as well as meetings for partners to discuss challenges and goals in a confidential, collaborative space. Guest speakers include Palestinian, Israeli, and international faith leaders, advocates and activists. KP partners can help organize pre- and/or post-conference local tours and visits to help participants gain a fuller understanding of the reality on the ground. The conferences have been online since 2020, except for an in person gathering in 2022. However, when travel is possible, GKJ members and supporters are highly encouraged to attend in order to see and hear firsthand about the current situation, to show solidarity with the Palestinian Christian community, and to strengthen the solidarity movement through sharing ideas and building networks.
Come and See Pilgrimages
In order to understand our reality, we say to the Churches: Come and see. We will fulfill our role to make known to you the truth of our reality, receiving you as pilgrims coming to us to pray, carrying a message of peace, love and reconciliation. You will know the facts and the people of this land, Palestinians and Israelis alike. At the same time we call on you to say a word of truth and to take a position of truth with regard to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.In 2010, Kairos Palestine was part of a consultative meeting in Geneva to develop a set of guidelines to promote justice tourism for pilgrims to Palestine-Israel. Kairos Palestine strongly encourages churches and groups to make solidarity visits and organize justice oriented pilgrimage groups in order to ‘come and see’ the lived reality in the Holy Land and then ‘go and tell’ our congregations and communities back home. Although KP is not itself a tourism operator, it has close ties with the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) which can help with organizing tours and pilgrimages that enable travelers to experience local life, meet with people, and participate in special programs when possible, such as olive picking or planting.
Annual Easter and Christmas Alerts
Kairos Palestine publishes annual Christmas and Easter alerts for congregation and individual use. The alerts focus on a different theme each time, and include stories, theological messages, prayers and actions for the weeks leading up to Christmas and Easter.
Find the alerts at https://www.kairospalestine.ps/index.php/resources/alerts.
Cry For Hope
As followers of Jesus, our response to ideologies of exclusivity and apartheid is to uphold a vision of inclusivity and equality for all peoples of the land and to persistently struggle to bring this about.
In 2020, Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice coalition issued the Cry for Hope: a call to decisive action. This is an urgent call to Christians and churches at all levels to engage in study and reflection concerning the deprivation of rights of the Palestinian people, and the use of the Bible to justify the oppression. Christians, local congregations, churches and international ecumenical organizations are asked to commit to the following actions:
- Initiate processes at local, denominational and ecumenical levels that recognize the present kairos and the urgent requirement for decisive action regarding the denial of Palestinian rights and the misuse of the Bible. These actions will express the unity of the church in its commitment to stand up to injustice wherever it is to be found.
- Engage in study and discernment with respect to theologies and understandings of the Bible that have been used to justify the oppression of the Palestinian people. Offer theologies that prophetically call for an inclusive vision of the land for Israelis and Palestinians, affirming that the creator God is a God of love, mercy and justice; not of discrimination and oppression.
- Affirm the Palestinians’ right to resist the occupation, dispossession, and abrogation of their fundamental rights, and join the Palestinians in their creative and nonviolent resistance. The 2005 Palestinian call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) provides a framework for economic, cultural, and academic measures and for direct political advocacy as nonviolent means to end occupation and oppression. The purpose of BDS is not to punish or isolate Israel. It is rather to exert pressure on Israel to comply with international law, and to call upon its government and its people, in the spirit of the Word of God, to enter into the ways of justice and peace, thereby affirming its own rights as well as the rights of the Palestinian people.
- Demand also that governments and world bodies employ political, diplomatic and economic means to stop Israel’s violations of human rights and international law.
- Oppose anti-Semitism by working for justice against anti-Judaism, racism and xenophobia; oppose the equating of criticism of Israel’s unjust actions with anti-Semitism.
- Support initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians and interfaith partnerships that combat apartheid and occupation and create opportunities to work together for a common future of mutual respect and dignity.
- Come and see the reality in the Holy Land with compassionate eyes for the suffering of Palestinians, and stand in solidarity with grassroots initiatives on the part of all faiths and secular groups who challenge the occupation and who work for a just peace.
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Toolkit
At its meeting in December 2019, Global Kairos for Justice commissioned this BDS Toolkit, for the purposes of providing important information and educating people about why economic actions are needed to make change in Israel’s record of human rights violations against Palestine. Since the call for BDS is faced with intense opposition globally, this toolkit aims to let justice-seeking people working for Palestinian rights know that they do not walk this road alone. BDS is a tactic; a means to an end. It offers a unique and distinct witness through time-honored, non-violent tools and actions, calling for justice for Palestinians and Palestine.One aspect that sets this toolkit apart from other BDS resources is the inclusion of a full-length paper on the theology of BDS, written by David Wildman, Executive Director for Middle East, Human Rights & Racial Justice, Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church. The toolkit also includes information on how to get started, stories from various regions, information on challenges to BDS, legal aspects, links to helpful videos and additional resources.
Dossier on Apartheid
“In this guide, you will find: a clear description of apartheid and how Israel’s laws, policies and practices meet the international definition; a Biblical/theological reflection describing the sin of apartheid; a heartfelt call to the global church to hear the pleas of Palestinian Christians; and a list of recommended actions.”The guide also includes brief summaries of the lengthy reports issued by well-respected organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and leading Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem and Yesh Din.