gaza

As violence escalates and reverberates in the Middle East, Friends feel a call to act. For many, that action includes working in their own community to distill their grief, fear, confusion, and concern into a collective and corporate statement of belief and action. Friends call these statements “minutes.” 

“In the way of peace, we urge all people, including those who hold political power, to set aside violence and aggression and to seek humane and compassionate ways of resolving conflict.”

As the war in Gaza continues to escalate and reverberate throughout the Middle East, increasingly more Quaker churches and meetings have issued minutes to express their concern for the conflict.

FCNL lamented the final passage of the massive $95 billion in further war funding for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and others.

As the war in Gaza continues into its sixth month, the consequences for civilians have been devastating. More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed, and the United Nations is warning of imminent famine in Gaza if urgent action is not taken to surge aid deliveries.

FCNL joined more than 100 national organizations in signing a letter to President Biden urging him to block $735 million in weapons to Israel.

Join FCNL’s Quaker Changemaker Event on Wednesday, December 11 to learn how Quaker communities are continuing their advocacy in support of peace in Israel, Palestine, and across the Middle East. Over 80 meetings and churches have shared their public testimony that war is not the answer by minuting their concern. What’s more, Friends have used these statements in local and federal advocacy to advance the need for a ceasefire, humanitarian access, and peaceful resolutions in Israel-Palestine.

Gaza Needs Aid

Over two million Palestinian civilians are enduring one of the world’s worst human-made humanitarian crises. Famine and disease are spreading as vital aid remains blocked. In the midst of this suffering, the Biden administration and Congress have suspended all U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)—the largest aid provider in Gaza—until March 2025.

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