WCC NEWS: WCC condemns violence, expresses solidarity with Rabbis for Human Rights

After an attack on Rabbis for Human Rights and the Palestinians they were accompanying, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca shared prayers of healing for those injured and of solidarity with those working for peace. A frame from one of the videos distributed by Rabbis for Human Rights depicting the attack near Burin village. Photo: Rabbis for Human Rights. 21 January 2022 The attack took place near Burin village, east of Nablus in the West Bank. Eight persons from Rabbis for Human Rights, who were engaged in planting olive trees, were injured in the incident. Reports in Israeli media indicate that the assailants used clubs, stones, and gas against the victims, as well as setting one car on fire and destroying another one.  In a video distributed by Rabbis for Human Rights, one of the victims can be heard saying: “They can kill us!” The Rabbis for Human Rights team was taken from the scene by Palestinian ambulance, and eventually transferred to Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv where they were treated for injuries. “The WCC and its member churches around the world join in praying that the day will come when peace prevails and such attacks become a thing of the past,” said Sauca. “We call on the Government of Israel to end the impunity of settlers who commit acts of violence.” Read the full statement of the WCC acting general secretary See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland