Arab Center analysis addresses US Churches and the Mainstreaming of Palestinian Solidarity

The Arab Center Washington D.C. has published an analysis by Philip Farah, co-founder of the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, which addresses the challenges facing the mainstreaming of Palestinian solidarity and U.S. churches and religious communities.

Farah writes, “US churches have been at the forefront of the Palestine solidarity movement in recent years. On July 30, 2025, for example, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)’s churchwide assembly passed a resolution calling on its members ‘to petition US leaders to recognize and act to end the genocide against Palestinians [and] halt military aid to Israel used in Gaza.’

“The resolution passed with a 95 percent majority—a landmark decision from one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States. The resolution suggests that support for Palestinian rights may be moving from the fringes of the US political map to the mainstream, including in churches.”

Farah continues, “Church-based solidarity with Palestinians is not unique. In fact, it follows a longer tradition of Christian communities supporting progressive movements in the United States. Christian activists played prominent roles in the abolition of slavery, the promotion of the rights of workers, women, African Americans, and other minorities, as well as ending the Vietnam War and US support for apartheid South Africa.

“In each of these cases, church-based solidarity helped mainstream these progressive movements, eventually resulting in political victories. The Palestine solidarity movement in the United States appears to be following a similar trajectory today.”

The analysis addresses the role of U.S. Churches in progressive causes and the growing mobilization after October 7, 2023.

He also addresses the challenges faced and opportunities for progress.

You can read the original article at the Arab Center Washington D.C. website by clicking this link.

https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/us-churches-and-the-mainstreaming-of-palestinian-solidarity/

Arab Center Washington DC (ACW) is a nonprofit, independent research organization and think tank based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, Arab politics, and relations between the United States and Arab countries.

The organization provides research, analysis, and policy recommendations intended to inform American policymakers, journalists, academics, and the public.

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