United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
🔸= Something New or Updated
In 2026, UMKR has made it a priority to bring the Kairos Palestine II document "A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time to Genocide" to the United Methodist Church in a number of ways, including a webinar in February 2026, developing the Congregational Study Guide with partners in the Presbyterian Church and FOSNA, and with this resolution that will be used in several annual conferences.
PLEASE NOTE: this resolution is written in the Whereas/Resolved Format. It may need to be edited or formatted differently to fit the requirements of each annual conference.
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Answering the Call of Kairos Palestine II
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WHEREAS we read in the New Testament "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. (Heb. 13:3)
WHEREAS the United Methodist Social Principles state: "We further believe that God calls all members of the human family to recognize and protect the dignity and worth of all people and to work for the well-being of all God’s creation. We, therefore, support structures in the church and in civil society that honor the basic freedoms and rights of all human beings and protect God’s creation," and
WHEREAS in the resolution “Opposition to Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Land,” adopted and re-adopted by the United Methodist General Conference in 2012, 2016, and 2024:
The United Methodist Church has repeatedly affirmed our solidarity with Palestinian Christians and their message in the original Kairos Palestine Document and has urged all United Methodists to "read about the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians and nonviolent ways of ending the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the perspective of all faith communities including the "Kairos Palestine" document" of 2009,” and
The United Methodist Church has stated that our church opposes: "continued military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, the confiscation of Palestinian land and water resources, the destruction of Palestinian homes, the continued building of illegal Jewish settlements, and any vision of a "Greater Israel" that includes the occupied territories and the whole of Jerusalem and its surroundings," and
WHEREAS Palestinians in Gaza continue to struggle for survival in the midst of devastation after two years of genocidal assault, while world powers either support or accept plans being developed for endless occupation, dispossession, and ethnic cleansing in Gaza without reference to the inalienable rights and the wishes of the indigenous people of Palestine, and
WHEREAS Palestinians in the West Bank including East Jerusalem are experiencing a terrifying escalation of military operations, settler attacks, expansion of illegal settlements, and ethnic cleansing from their land, which have reached record levels in 2024-2026, with tens of thousands being displaced, entire Palestinian communities being erased, and plans for permanent annexation of occupied Palestinian territory moving forward in the Israeli government, and
WHEREAS, Palestinian Christians, in the Kairos Palestine II document, titled "A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide" and issued in November 2025, have said to us:
- • Referring to the original Kairos Palestine document of 2009: "After prayer and reflection on the suffering of our people under occupation, we released that cry of hope in the absencce of hope, affirming our faith in God and our love for our homeland, convinced that our struggle is ultimately about human life and dignity," and
- • "We live now in a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the world. This moment demands from us a new stand, one unlike any before it. It is both a decisive moment and a moment of truth. Today, we renew our stand for truth and our commitment to fundamental religious, theological and moral principles. We look at our reality and take a renewed stand, responding to the voice of the Holy Spirit deep within us, listening to the call of faith in this time of genocide. We renew our message of faith, hope, and love — offering a faith-inspired vision for the time after genocide."
WHEREAS, in Kairos Palestine II, our Palestinian Christian siblings are calling Christians around the world to repentance for past inaction and to costly solidarity today, a call to “learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed” (Isaiah 1:17), and
Whereas their call includes rejection of Christian Zionism and all theology that would justify the oppression and destruction of the Palestinian people, as well as rejection of the conflation of antisemitism with opposition to Israeli apartheid and ethnic cleansing, and
WHEREAS Palestinian Christians, in 2009, issued an urgent call to Christians: “to engage in a process of study, reflection and confession concerning the historic and systemic deprivation of the rights of the Palestinian people, and the use of the Bible by many to justify and support this oppression,” and
Whereas three Christian organizations, including United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR), have developed a Congregational Study Guide that provides guidance for in-depth study and discussion of Kairos Palestine II, in addition to valuable supplemental materials for learning, liturgy and more, and
WHEREAS, having heard the Gospel imperative to love our neighbors, pursue justice, and care for the vulnerable, we know that we cannot fulfill that call while remaining silent about the oppression of the Palestinian people and that our solidarity with our Christian siblings in Palestine is urgently needed today, and
WHEREAS the _________ Conference has previously adopted the resolution [could add here any previous resolution in the conference that was supportive of the Palestinian people. If none, delete this clause]
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the __________ Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church supports and endorses the Kairos Palestine II document, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the __________ Conference strongly urges its congregations and all United Methodist laity and clergy of the conference to engage in study and discussion of Kairos Palestine II with the Congregational Study Guide found at the website of United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR) (www.kairosresponse.org), with the goal of the actions and advocacy called for in Kairos Palestine II to follow, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the __________ Conference also strongly urges each voting member to bring this resolution to their congregation.
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Resources Resolutions
Resolution for 2026 Annual Conferences