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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Resources Webinars
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The Power of BDS: Transforming the World
Two new campaigns to continue the transformation
Presented by United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR) and Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA)
The BDS movement, an essential pillar of Palestinian freedom, has transformed the global understanding of the question of Palestine. Since 2005, the BDS movement has built a global network with tens of millions of supporters for Palestinian rights.
BDS has moved large corporations end their complicity in Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people.
In this webinar, discover two new campaigns that we know will impact the global conversation about Palestine:
PURGE PALANTIR
Tech giant Palantir is building tools for mass surveillance to help governments track and target individuals. It is a behemoth that is vacuuming up our data to be used in everything from denial of health insurance claims to unjust deportations and lethal drone strikes. Palantir is used by militaries, police forces, banks, hospitals, and many other businesses.
Palantir openly supports Israel's genocide on Gaza and assists their military operations. In the United States, the company helps immigration authorities to target people for deportation and police departments to surveil our communities. This campaign aims to stop this dangerous U.S. company from weaponizing our personal data and using it to oppress and destroy.
NO ROOM FOR GENOCIDE
Imagine taking a vacation in a territory under military occupation! And in an illegal colony in that territory! That is what Airbnb and Booking.com offer to their customers: rentals in the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It's time to let these companies know this practice must stop. Everyone who travels can take the pledge to avoid using Airbnb and Booking.com as much as possible.
Imagine hosting someone who has been implicated in the Gaza genocide in your home! Those of us who have a rental can take the "Sanctuary of Peace" pledge, to not host war criminals and those who enable genocide. Learn more from leading organizers of both campaigns. In this webinar, we also hear from David Wildman, a United Methodist Church leader with decades of in-depth experience in BDS organizing, on the power of this transformational movement.
Moderated by Lisa Bender, Co-chair of UMKR's Steering Committee.
See the video below and under that, you will find information and resources shared during the webinar.
Related Resources
PURGE PALANTIR CAMPAIGN
Website: https://afsc.org/purge-palantir
NYC Hospital system will drop Palantir:
https://afsc.org/newsroom/facing-public-outrage-nyc-hospital-ceo-announces-palantir-contract-will-not-be-renewed
NO ROOM FOR GENOCIDE CAMPAIGN
Website: https://bdsmovement.net/news/no-room-for-genocide
No Room for Genocide Toolkit:
https://bdsmovement.net/sites/default/files/2025-08/No%20Room%20for%20Genocide%20toolkit-12.08.pdf
Two Pledges:
If you are a traveler, pledge to drop Booking.com & Airbnb from your travel plans.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/e70360edd4e2a336ac560838d6fc5e425373f140
If you are a hospitality host, pledge to make your B&B, hostel, or hotel a Sanctuary of Peace.
https://sanctuariesofpeace.org/
KAIROS PALESTINE II "A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide"
The full text
https://www.kairosresponse.org/kairos_palestine_2.html
Congregational Study Guide for KP2
https://www.kairosresponse.org/kp2guide.html
UMKR-MFSA webinar on KP2, with Munther Isaac, Rifat Kassis, and three UMC Bishops
https://www.kairosresponse.org/webinar_18feb2026_kp2.html
UMC RESOLUTIONS FOR BOYCOTT AND DIVESTMENT
"Opposition to Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Land" (2012, 2016, 2024)
https://www.kairosresponse.org/oppos_to_settlements_resol.html
Calls for worldwide boycott of products from Israeli settlements
"Exclude Government Debt of Countries Involved in Prolonged Occupations" (2024)
https://www.kairosresponse.org/gc2020_exclude_bonds_prolonged_occupations.html
Calls for divestment from Israeli government bonds, as well as Turkey and Morocco
BOYCOTTS UNITED METHODISTS HAVE JOINED
Chevron Boycott (current)
https://www.kairosresponse.org/chevronboycott.html
https://www.umcjustice.org/latest/take-action-boycott-chevron-corporation-8293
Pillsbury Boycott (successful, closed)
https://www.kairosresponse.org/boycott_pillsbury.html
SodaStream (successful, closed)
https://www.kairosresponse.org/sodastream_boycott.html
UMKR POLITICAL ADVOCACY
Stop Arming Israel
https://umkr.salsalabs.org/blockthebombs/index.html
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OUR SPEAKERS
KENNY MORRIS is a campaigns strategist at the American Friends Service Committee within its Action Center for Corporate Accountability. He supports campaigns against companies that profit from borders, including the national campaign "Purge Palantir," focused on Palantir Technologies. Before joining AFSC, Kenny was a tenant organizer in Connecticut and a volunteer labor organizer in his workplace in his hometown of San Diego.
LUCAS FEBRARO is a member of the Palestinian BDS National Committee. A Brazilian-born activist and political content creator based in Berlin, he has served as communications director for DiEM25 as well as for the BDS movement. Actively involved in diverse social and political causes, Lucas speaks and writes on such issues as misinformation in global conflicts, media manipulation, propaganda, and social justice.
DAVID WILDMAN is the former Executive Secretary for Human Rights & Racial Justice with the UMC General Board of Global Ministries, and, in that capacity, he has worked closely with UMC grassroots partners in the Middle East and Afghanistan. He is a member of the UMKR Steering Committee and has visited Palestine/Israel and other parts of the Middle East many times. He was a co-founder of US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)) and has served on its Steering Committee. David also represents the United Methodist Church at the United Nations.
Our moderator, LISA BENDER is co-chair of the UMKR Steering Committee and chair of UMKR's Boycott and Divestment Committee. Lisa retired after 18 years as the Executive Secretary for the Director of Connectional Ministries of the UMC Susquehanna Conference in Pennsylvania, and continues to serve her conference on several boards. Lisa has been a delegate to the UMC General Conference in 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2024.