EDINBURGH — The (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland’s General Assembly has called for an end to what it said was the “illegal” occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel.
It also reaffirmed its long-standing support for a “viable, independent” Palestinian state as the only way to achieve peace and justice in the Holy Land.
At the same time, delegates to the assembly meeting condemned the wave of suicide bombings aimed at Israeli citizens, calling the attacks “terror against innocent civilians unacceptable to all civilized people.”
In other action, the assembly, after an emotional debate, rejected a resolution that would have delayed the closing of five nursing homes for the elderly by the denomination’s Board of Social Responsibility.
Board officials said the closures were prompted by a gap between the amount of money the government provides for the care and actual costs of maintaining the facilities.
In defending the board’s action, Jim Cowie, the board’s convener, was sharply critical of the failure of government at United Kingdom, Scottish and local levels to provide adequate funding for the care of the elderly.
“We do not want to be ‘the church that says no’; we want to be ‘the church that says yes’ but find in so many situations the (funding) is unavailable to put these values (justice and inclusion) into practice,” he said.
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