Part of a two-day online pastoral solidarity visit to the Holy Land by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ecumenical partners including from the Middle East Council of Churches, the ACT Alliance, and Caritas Internationalis, the session brought forth a range of experiences and perspectives from local communities at a time when accompaniment and solidarity are dearly needed. Opening the session, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected that “We want to focus on the current situation, amid escalation of violence, and how can we deal with this together.” General secretary of the East Jerusalem YMCA Peter K. Nasir, working with Palestinian children who have experienced detention, said they are seeing a level of frustration and trauma they have never seen before. “Many feel that there is no law, and nobody, to protect us,” he said. “It is our duty as Christians, to stand up against all injustice,” he added. “We have spoken about the failure of the international community. We are frankly afraid that we will be pushed out of our areas and our villages, by Israel,” reflected Rifat Kassis of Kairos Palestine. “The basic demand is for everyone to accept the rulings of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court — and to amass pressure on their governments and on Israel to end its occupation and to accept international law,” Kassis said. Rev. Dr Mitri Raheb, president of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, recalled the Bible verses of Amos 5:23-24: “Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like water...” “The situation is really very, very difficult, beyond anything we can talk about,” Raheb said and called for a fresh approach to theology. “Theology after Gaza cannot be what theology was before Gaza,” he said. WCC moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm reflected: “I feel very much connected in theology — I speak of Christ’s cry on the cross, ‘why have you forsaken me’ — I speak of Bonhoeffer, of Amos – what does it mean for a theology after Gaza, as German theologian Bonhoeffer during the Second World War reflected on theology after the holocaust. We need a lot of dialogue on this.” Bedford-Strohm thanked the Palestinian brothers and sisters for their witness in this time, expressing “gratitude for all the brave people we have met these days, who stand up for overcoming violence and a life together in just peace.” Dr Yousef AlKhouri from Kairos Palestine and Bethlehem Bible College, said his family is still sheltering at the church in Gaza where they have served for hundreds of years. He described a situation of lack of medical care, lack of electricity, hunger and dehydration – and an overall disrespect for the basic human rights and the international law which protects civilians, even in wartime. “Day after another, it is important for churches globally to interfere with all their weight, spiritual, and diplomatic means to stop the war,” he urged. WCC general secretary Pillay said in conclusion: “If you want to find justice, peace, if you really want to bring change, you have to work to change the systems. As churches, we must be truthful and prophetic, in both what we do and say.” Among organizations present were Diyar Consortium, Kairos Palestine, YMCA, Department of Services to Palestinian Refugees, Arab Educational Institute, and SABEEL. WCC holds digital solidarity visit to Holy Land | 
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