"The religious left's quick condemnation of Israel was exactly what flotilla organizers hoped for." -- Mark Tooley, IRD President

Contact: Jeff Walton, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, 202-413-5639 cell, jwalton@TheIRD.org 

WASHINGTON, June 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Following Israel's interception of a blockade-running flotilla, officials in the World Council of Churches and some Palestinian Christian groups have roundly condemned Israel's restrictions on commerce with the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip. The Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) issued a more measured statement opposing Israel's action.

WCC General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit denounced the Israeli action as a "flagrant violation" of international law, condemning "the assault and killing of innocent people who were attempting to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, who have been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007."

Tveit urged an end to "the economic blockade of Gaza" and said the events were another reminder "of the pressing need for an end to the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories."

The World Council of Churches is urging Christians to take part in a 29 May-4 June "World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel."

With a long tradition of sharp critique of Israel and silence about abuses under neighboring Islamist regimes, the WCC and other Western church elites sometimes convey the impression that only Israel and the United States are human rights transgressors.

Last year, then-WCC General Secretary Samuel Kobia called Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories "a sin against God."

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

"Always eager to parrot the latest condemnations of Israel, the religious left has eagerly seized upon the Gaza flotilla incident.

"Statements from the WCC and others ignore video of flotilla 'peace activists' beating Israeli soldiers with metal poles. They also ignore the nature of Islamist rule of Gaza under Hamas, under which ordinary Palestinians continue to suffer.

"The religious left's quick condemnation of Israel was exactly what flotilla organizers hoped for: demonizing only Israel while turning a blind eye toward Hamas and its Iranian patrons."