Apartheid-Free Communities campaign

We are delighted to have joined the international Apartheid-Free Communities campaign! Read on to find out about the campaign, how you can get your church/community involved, and the resources available to help you.

Background

The Apartheid-Free Communities Campaign was formed in the USA in 2022, and is gaining international momentum. The American coalition is convened by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and originally consisted of interdenominational faith groups following the emerging consensus among the international human rights community that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people amounts to the Crime of Apartheid. The coalition has now grown to include over 154 committed faith-based groups, organisations, and solidarity movements, including several in the UK.

Why are we joining this campaign?

We have decided to join and endorse this campaign for several reasons:

1.  We believe, as our partners in Palestine do, that the evidence that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people can no longer be ignored. Now is the time for international action and pressure to persuade Israel to comply with international law.
2. This campaign focuses on mobilising civil society and faith groups, at the grassroots level, to take whatever action they can to disassociate themselves from Israeli apartheid. Sabeel-Kairos is a grassroots organisation, our strength is our members and churches that campaign within their denominations. We also have a network of regional groups and communities across the UK.
3. Our main campaign, Investing for Peace, continues to be a priority for us. We see this campaign as completely complimentary to that campaign. Churches and communities that sign up to be Apartheid-Free communities will be encouraged to take action to ensure that their funds are not invested in companies profiting from Israeli apartheid.

What does the campaign ask communities/congregations/faith groups to do?

Learn: The international human rights community agrees: Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people amounts to apartheid. Educate your communities about apartheid. Learn how it works, how it impacts Palestinian lives, and how it can be resisted. There are a wealth of resources here on the website: Resource – Apartheid-Free Communities

Pledge: Join the network of apartheid-free communities around the world. By taking the Apartheid-Free Pledge your community is committing to resist racism and apartheid everywhere and withdrawing all support to Israeli apartheid. You can view the pledge here: Pledge – Apartheid-Free Communities

Act: Live into the pledge and take action to stop apartheid. Join collective campaigns that ask institutions and corporations to step away from Israel’s violations of Palestinians rights. Find out more here: Actions – Apartheid-Free Communities

Join the campaign!

We would love to see many of our supporting churches and communities joining this campaign and making a commitment to being apartheid-free. You can do this straight away by signing the pledge, but we’d also love to work together with all communities, faith groups and others in the UK that are signing up, so let us know by emailing and someone will be in touch with you.