The Presbyterian Church (USA) on Friday declared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip meets “the international legal definition of apartheid.”
The church adopted a resolution — called an “overture” in denominational language — that calls on its 1.2 million members “to seek appropriate ways to bring an end to Israeli apartheid.”
Separately, delegates to the church’s 225th General Assembly voted to have the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board designate May 15 of each year as “Palestinian Nakba Remembrance Day” to show “solidarity with those suffering under [Israeli] occupation.” That move was approved as part of a larger “consent agenda” used for items less likely to spark floor debate.