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.

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Political Action        Third Thursday Alerts

2016 Alerts


January 2016 – A resolution that would support illegal Israeli settlements by conflating the occupied territories with Israel has been introduced in the House and is currently gaining co-sponsors.  Ask your representative not to co-sponsor H. Res. 567. Urge him or her to support peace not settlements.

See the Faith Forum Alert


February 2016 – A Briefing on the Village of Wadi Foquin: Interfaith partnership calls on U.S. leaders to address the consequences of settlement expansion
Tuesday, February 23, 2016; 12 Noon to 2 pm; B338 –Rayburn House Office Building
   PANELISTS: Ahmad Sokar, Mayor of Wadi Foquin; Kifah Manasra, PhD Al Estiklal University; Shukri Radaydeh, Director, Bethlehem Local Governorate; Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church

   Urge your members of Congress to attend this important briefing spotlighting the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin. As they will learn, Wadi Foquin is an example of how the Israeli occupation affects ordinary people all over occupied Palestinian territory.
   Sponsored by: Friends of Wadi Foquin; General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church; Faith Forum on Middle East Policy; US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation; Churches for Middle East Peace

See the UMKR Action Alert

See the Faith Forum alert

See the reports on this Congressional Briefing


March 2016 – The U.N. reports an "alarming" rise in demolitions of Palestine homes in 2016. Contact Members of Congress to urge the State Department to take action: make an firm request of the Israeli government to stop demolishing Palestinian homes.

See the UMKR Action Alert

See the Faith Forum alert


April 2016 – Senator Patrick Leahy and ten members of the House send a groundbreaking letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, asking the State Dept. to hold both Israel and Egypt accountable for human rights violations in the way they use U.S. military aid. This led to a war of words in Congress and with Israel. Now faith advocates are contacting Congress to build support for this letter and thank those who sent it.
See the UMKR Action Alert
See the Faith Forum Alert


May 2016 – Representative Betty McCollum has initiated a letter to President Obama, asking him to appoint a Special Envoy for Palestinian children. This envoy would monitor the treatment of Palestinian children and help to make Israeli and Palestinian governments accountable to international law. A Special Envoy could make a real impact on the lives of these children, hundreds of whom per year are detained and arrested by the military, abused and tortured, tried in military courts and sentenced to military prisons, most often for the crime of throwing stones. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to become co-signers of this letter.

See the UMKR Action Alert

See the Faith Forum Alert


June 2016 – For nearly a decade Gaza has been largely sealed off from the world.  Ordinary people-- men, women, and children--have been denied the opportunity to lead ordinary lives.   Of the approximately 18,000 homes destroyed or severely damaged during the 2014 hostilities, about 23% have been rebuilt or repaired, and an estimated 70,000 people are still displaced according a May UN report.  Severe electricity and fuel shortages lead to rolling blackouts lasting for hours each day and restrict the ability to pump water and treat sewage. Ask your members of Congress to make a public statement calling for an end to the Gaza blockade now and to support U.S. funding for Gaza's urgent needs.

See the Faith Forum Alert 


July 2016 – The United States has been subsidizing the Israeli occupation for far too long. This summer, Congress is working on budget appropriations for the coming fiscal year (which begins in less than three months: Oct 1, 2016)  and there are several proposals for increasing U.S. military aid to Israel. Additional arms won’t make Israelis or Palestinians safer, and will only serve to prolong the suffering and postpone a just peace. Tell your legislators in Congress you do not support an increase in U.S. military aid to Israel. And aid to Israel should not be unconditional.

See the UMKR Action Alert

See the Faith Forum Alert


August 2016 – The discrepancy between water available to Israelis and to Palestinians is stark.  For example, according to EWASH, a coalition of Palestinian and international organizations working on water and sanitation issues, “Palestinian average water consumption in the West Bank is already as low as 73 liters per capita per day, well below the World Health Organization minimum standard of 100, and clearly lower than the 240 liters to which Israelis have access.” Water can’t wait. While a final status agreement between Palestinians and Israelis must include long-term provisions for the fair distribution of water, immediate action is needed now to address the critical water needs of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

See the Faith Forum Alert


September 2016 – Of the numerous barriers standing in the way of a just peace, perhaps the most visible is the separation barrier that Israel is erecting, ostensibly between the West Bank and Israel but in reality cutting deep into occupied Palestinian territory. Join Christians and others around the world in praying, educating, and advocating for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis through the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel.  “Dismantling Barriers” is the 2016 theme for this annual initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches.  Find resources for worship, prayer, education, and advocacy that can be used by your congregation or group now and in the months ahead.

See the Faith Forum Alert


October 2016 – The United Nations says that Israeli home demolitions have displaced more Palestinians so far in 2016 than in all of 2015, Al Jazeera reported - and that was just in April! Since then hundreds more Palestinian have seen their homes destroyed. The Israel human rights group, B'Tselem describes a "a massive demolition campaign waged by Israel since the beginning of 2016" Tell Congress: Call for a halt to the massive home demolitions in Palestine and base US aid to Israel on compliance with US law.

See the UMKR Action Alert

See the Faith Forum Alert


November 2016 – President Obama can still take action to encourage a just peace in Israel/Palestine: by supporting Palestine's admission as a full member state at the United Nations and by taking firm action to help end the Israeli settlements. Contact the President to ask him to use his remaining weeks in office to leave the legacy of a bold peacemaker for the people of Israel and Palestine.

See the UMKR Alert

See the Faith Forum Alert



2015 Alerts

January 2015 – Tell your elected officials: Don't punish the Palestinians for signing international treaties and conventions, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court 
Read more, take action

February 2015 – Tell your elected officials:  Don’t let political debates distract from real human needs.  Urge support for Gaza relief and continued funding for Palestinians.

Read more, take action

March 2015 – Tell your elected officials:  Support a negotiated deal with Iran.

Read more, take action

April 2015 – Tell your elected officials:  Support peaceful solutions. (1) Don’t stand in the way of Iran negotiations. (2)  Do support urgent help for Yarmouk refugees

Read more, take action

May 2015 – Urge your elected officials to attend the upcoming Congressional Briefing and to advocate for Palestinian children in detention.

Read more, take action


June 2015 - Help your members of Congress plan their August recess trips to Israel.

Read more, take action


July 2015 – Send a united message to Congress: "I care about peace, I care about Susiya."

Read more, take action


August 2015 – Tell your members of Congress to promote peace by advocating for an end to the Gaza blockade.

Read more, take action


September 2015 – Urge your elected officials to call upon the Israeli government to halt construction of the Separation Wall as well as home demolitions.

Read more, take action


​October 2015 – Urge Congress to work for lasting peace and aid Palestinian refugees from Syria. Both the current violence and the ongoing humanitarian situation for Palestinian refugees are inextricably linked to a long history of tension and oppression. Congress should help fund UNRWA's emergency appeal for Palestinian refugees from Syria and call for a halt to violence by all parties, as well as calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and a lifting of the Gaza blockade.  Read more, take action


2014 Alerts

January 2014 - This month, tell Congress to call for a complete halt to all settlement activity as a show of support for a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.  

Read more, take action

February 2014 - Take action to support the 5th annual Open Shuhada Street Campaign to help the residents of Hebron.  Tell Congress to call for a halt to all settlement activity and an end to restrictions on movement for Palestinians.  
Read more, take action

March 2014 - Call for a lasting ceasefire between Gaza and Israel and an end to the Gaza blockade. 
Read more, take action

April 2014 - This month:  Call on Congress to support a shared Jerusalem, where the rights of all are respected.
Read more, take action

May 2014 - Tell Congress:  Peace process or not, settlements must stop.  Call for an end to all Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories.  

Read more, take action

June 2014 - Contact your members of Congress to urge that August recess trips to Israel also include the occupied Palestinian territories.  

Read more, take action

July 2014 - Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  

Read more, take action

August 2014 - Call on Congress to stop U.S. complicity in suffering and to support U.S. policy for a just peace in Israel and Palestine.  

Read more, take action

September 2014 - Call on Congress to support justice for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. 
Read more, take action

October 2014 - Call on Congress to support Gaza aid and an end to the blockade.  

Read more, take action

November 2014 - Call on Congress to help end the violence and foster a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
Read more, take action

December 2014 - Let light shine from Bethlehem to Gaza!  Call on Congress to support an end to Israel's occupation. 

Read more, take action
Related file:   
Read the Letter for action on Gaza from 21 Organizations to U.S. Secretary of State Kerry and USAID

2013 Alerts

June 2013 - Ask your Members of Congress to support a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Remind them of the many Palestinians and Israeli working nonviolently for peace.  

Read more, take action

July 2013 - Ask your Members of Congress to demand an end to Israeli policies and actions that force Palestinians to leave their homes and to implement a moratorium on demolition orders.  
Read more, take action

August 2013 - This month, tell your Members of Congress in person that peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians need to be founded on justice.  

Read more, take action

October 2013 - This month, tell your Members of Congress in person or in writing that you oppose ongoing Israeli settlement expansion, particularly its effects on Palestinian movement and access.  

Read more, take action

November 2013 - This month, tell your Members of Congress in person or in writing that it is time to take action to end the Gaza blockade.  

Read more, take action

December 2013 - Take action to help Palestinians get to work, school, hospital, and home.  Call for an end to restrictions on movement.  

Read more, take action

Third Thursday Action Alerts from

the Faith Forum on Middle East Policy
Coordinated advocacy for a just peace in Israel-Palestine

United Methodist staff and leaders of other denominations and faith organizations participate in the Faith Forum for Middle East Policy that meets in Washington DC. In June 2013, the Faith Forum began the Third Thursday initiative, providing a recommended advocacy message for many justice advocates to bring to their own Members of Congress in the same month. The goal is for U.S. Senators and Representatives to hear consistently that their constituents support a just peace in Israel-Palestine.

See below the subject of each month's alert and click the links to download the full message, including action for each month.

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