Advent Not Arms: The faith reasons for suspending arms to Israel
As followers of Jesus, we are called to shine a light in the darkness
Throughout the past year we have witnessed the darkness of war in the Middle East. In Gaza more than 43,000 people have been killed; in the West Bank settler violence continues to terrorise local communities; and in Israel and Lebanon millions have been displaced. It is a reminder that violence is a descending spiral which comes with a terrible human cost.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace whose light shines in the darkness. Zechariah prophesied that,
“The rising sun will come to us from heaven, to shine on those living in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79
In the midst of the war in the Middle East we need this light to shine in the darkness and guide our feet towards the path of peace. As followers of Jesus who are called to be the light of the world, we have a responsibility to partner with God in this.
This Advent season one of the ways we can do that as Christians in the UK, is by calling on the UK government to suspend arms sales to Israel. As an ecumenical Christian organisation this action is inspired by our Christian faith. We believe this is a critical step on the path toward peace and want to invite our supporters to join us in this.
The sacredness of human life is central to Christian teaching
As followers of the Prince of Peace, the sale and use of weapons go against our core theological convictions. Weapons violate the Christian belief that all people, regardless of race or ethnicity, are made in the image of God and have intrinsic dignity, worth and value. This is why the prohibition of killing is central to the Christian affirmation of faith.
In the life of Jesus, we see a consistent rejection of violence. He rebukes his disciples every time they attempted to confront evil with violence and he commands them to love their enemies. Jesus' rejection of violence, even as a form of defence, rests on the conviction that violence —whether physical, structural, psychological, or otherwise—constitutes a denial and abuse of life and is inconsistent with love.
The use of weapons stands in stark contrast to Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies. At a time when people across the Middle East are being dehumanised and killed by weapons, we must stand up for the protection of all by reminding those in power of the sacredness of life.
The Church is called to actively work for peace
One of the principal vocations of the church is peacebuilding. We are called to work for peace and have been entrusted with the mission and ministry of reconciliation.
The biblical vision of peace is not simply the absence of war but is a vision of shalom—a state of wholeness, well-being, and right relationship with God, others, and creation. Achieving this peace requires working to overcome enmity, discrimination and oppression, and establishing the conditions required for just relationships.
For this reason, Jesus calls his followers to follow his example of nonviolence. Nonviolence is an alternative to both violent resistance and passive submission which breaks the destructive cycle of violence by refusing to participate in it and instead creating space for justice, reconciliation, and restoration. It recognises that a state of peace is only achieved by addressing the root causes of a conflict and doing the hard work of reconciliation.
The support and use of weapons and violence is a failure to work for peace. Instead of addressing the root causes of conflict they fuel the cycle of violence, perpetuate hatred and enmity and raise up new generations of enemies. The sale of weapons contradicts the very principles of nonviolence that Jesus taught his disciples and will not lead to the security that Israel seeks.
Embrace’s Response to the War in Gaza
Over a year into the war in Gaza, the UK government’s continued selling of arms to Israel is contributing to the cycle of violence, violating the image of God and sacredness of human life, and failing to pursue a sustainable peace.
Embrace’s vision for Israel and Palestine is one of peace and mutual flourishing for all people and we are convinced that the only way to achieve this is through all sides rejecting violence and weapons as a solution, and instead investing in the things that make for peace: an end to the occupation, equal rights for all, and the support of social development, education, healthcare and reconciliation.
As Christians who are called to be light in the darkness, one of the ways we can shine a light this Advent is by calling on our government to move towards the path of peace. We are focused on Israel because while we believe that peace requires that all sides lay down their weapons the UK government only has diplomatic and trade relationships with Israel.
We believe this action is an important part of the prophetic witness of the Church. As one household of God we all have a role to play alongside our sisters and brothers in the Middle East in working for peace and here in the UK this is one of the practical steps we can take. The church must be bold and remind the government that every person in Gaza and across the region is made in the image of God and that the killing must stop. We must be clear that another way is possible and call on the government to invest their time, resources and commitment in the things that make for peace rather than war. We believe it is only when we do this that a sustainable peace will be achieved. We share the vision of the prophet Isaiah that one day,
“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4
This Advent we invite you to join us in shining a light in the darkness of war by supporting our petition and calling on the UK government to suspend arms sales to Israel.
ADVENT NOT ARMS
Our petition is now closed and has been handed in to the UK Government representatives at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
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Please support our partners as they continue to provide crisis response on the ground throughout the region.