Bishops Linda Nicholls and Susan Johnson sent a letter to Justin Trudeau thanking him for supporting the recent UN resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
To state the obvious, Trudeau cares not a whit what Anglican and Lutheran bishops think about Middle Eastern wars. Israel and Hamas care even less. Still, it is only fitting that the ACoC is applauding this resolution from the UN, an organization that is only a little bit less corrupt than the ACoC itself.
Predictably, the letter goes on to excoriate Israel for its actions – which, by and large, do fall within the bounds prescribed by just war guidelines – while ignoring the savage murder, rape, torture, and mutilation of Israeli civilians by Hamas.
The letter ends with a plea for the one thing that would guarantee the absence of a “lasting peace”: a ceasefire before Hamas is destroyed.
Is the Anglican Church of Canada antisemitic, stupid or both?
From here:
We write today to express our thanks for Canada’s vote on December 12 to support the UN General Assembly Resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Though the resolution, with its additional demands, is not binding, the vote is significant for its moral weight and the glimmer of hope it represents for Israelis, Palestinians and the whole world. We are grateful for Canada’s alignment with other nations to act now, as the President of the General Assembly said, ‘on one priority -only one- to save lives’. Canada’s recent pledge of $60 million dollars to the work of the UN Relief Works Agency in preparing and delivering aid shipments and other acts of compassion and care will certainly help in this catastrophic time.
We also join many other Canadians seeking your leadership in concrete, concurrent actions toward a permanent peace. We believe it is only through an end to the occupation and a just, comprehensive and lasting peace settlement that the security of both Palestinians and Israelis can be assured.
From decisions endorsed by our assembled church bodies in June 2023, we call upon the Government of Canada to:
- take active leadership with other nations to end the illegal Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and West Bank since 1967, including settlement construction and expansion in these territories, and by challenging increasing settler violence, upon Palestinian persons and properties, with the full authority of international laws,
- make strong commitments to protecting the human rights and safety of children and youth, to closely monitor and report on the treatment of Palestinian children arrested by Israeli forces and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system, and on the increasing numbers of Palestinian children killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories where a climate of impunity and an almost total lack of accountability persists, and
- take leadership and support local women’s peace building initiatives as reflected in the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP)and National Action Plan of Women, Peace and Security.
As you know, the effects of the war are devastating, and a ceasefire is essential to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to building a lasting peace. The members of our churches continue to earnestly pray for peace. Let us all take every opportunity to choose peace and work for peace.