Olive trees are ancient symbols of peace and a basic source of livelihood and nutrition across the Mediterranean Basin. Palestinian farmers have seen their trees—some thousands of years old—uprooted from their own land, burned and destroyed, depriving them of their income and traditional way of life. The PCC donations for the Olive Tree Campaign which provides funds to support farmers suffering from Israeli policies that put their land and property under the threat of confiscation, and the sponsored olive trees get planted in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip areas where olive trees have been uprooted and destroyed by the Israelis, or where fields are threatened to be confiscated by the Israeli military Occupation, or where parts of the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements are constructed on part of the land.
PWS&D is actively responding to affected communities through its locally based, ecumenical partners, alongside other members of the ACT Alliance and Canadian Foodgrains Bank. PWS&D’s humanitarian response includes food assistance, water and sanitation support, shelter, livelihoods, and psychological help.
Children in the West Bank and Gaza also wish to grow up. The Defence for Children – Palestine defends children’s rights by offering free legal aid, documenting violations of international law and advocating for greater protections.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada asks that people pray for all who are affected and threatened and for an end to violence and a just peace in the land of Christ’s birth.
God of truth, mercy and peace,
God of life and of reconciliation,
we mourn the suffering and murder of your people
and we pray for a just peace
and reconciliation for the people of Palestine and Israel
who have endured the burden of violence and conflict for so long.
Console those who grieve,
heal the injured,
comfort those who are alone and afraid,
protect those who are held hostage, and
restrain those who would cause more violence
or act cynically for political gain and power.
Let wisdom settle on your churches
and on the governments and leaders of this world
so that justice is sought,
reconciliation found,
peace established and
security provided for all.
In the name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
STATEMENTS AND LETTERS SIGNED BY THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CANADA
Letter to the Mayor of Beit SahourOn July 28, 2025, the Moderator of the General Assembly signed a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada expressing deepening grief and frustration and urging the Government of Canada to act decisively to end the abhorrent suffering and violence in Gaza. The letter was also signed by KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Development and Peace: Caritas Canada, The Anglican Church of Canada, Canadian Friends of Sabeel, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Mennonite Church Canada Palestine-Israel Network and The United Church of Canada. While the churches welcome the Prime Minister’s words and intentions, it is noted that there has been no meaningful action. The letter repeated the churches’ request for an urgent meeting to discuss the immediate, concrete steps our government must take to uphold human rights and international law.
Ecumenical letter to PM Carney – Call for action and urgent meetingIn June of 2025, the Moderator signed a joint ecumenical letter also signed by the Anglican Church of Canada, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada, Canadian Friends of Sabeel and KAIROS condemning the state of Israel’s unprovoked attack on the Anglican Al Ahli Hospital, Gaza City on June 5th which killed three journalists, as well as two others, and injured many including medical personnel; the letter called for decisive and concrete action toward ending the State of Israel’s genocide against the peoples of Gaza, including giving full support to the unrestricted access and distribution of generous humanitarian aid in Gaza by credible humanitarian organizations in compliance with humanitarian standards, a complete arms embargo on Israel, and the rebuilding of the tens of thousands of Gazan homes and hundreds of public buildings that have been destroyed.
Ecumenical Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada on Israel’s Unprovoked Attack on Gaza HospitalIn it, they write:
“Words are not enough.
We call on church members to continue to pray and act for peace. We urge church members to share their concerns for human rights, international law, and a just peace in the Middle East with their elected leaders and with those seeking public office. We call on member churches, church constituents and all Canadians to amplify the calls of churches, faith leaders, civil society organizations and partners in the region for just peace, human dignity and international law, with strength and with urgency.”
The full statement can be read here .
Ecumenical Statement of Solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli PartnersThe letter from the Moderator of the 2024 General Assembly, the Rev. Dr. Pat Dutcher-Walls, to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, conveys The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s deep concern for the situation in the Middle East, which continues to escalate. The letter is written out of a commitment to the protection of all people made vulnerable by violence, given the denomination’s long history of political and economic advocacy where human rights are violated or genocide is suspected. In line with previous commitments and an understanding of what faithful witness in the world today demands, The Presbyterian Church in Canada calls on the Government to commit to five different actions, urging Canada to continue to push for a permanent ceasefire.
View or download the letter:The Presbyterian Church in Canada has joined the call by 16 global humanitarian and human rights organizations demanding all UN member states halt arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian armed groups fuelling the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Read more about the open call here.
The ACT Alliance Canada (ACT Canada), of which Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) is a member, has written to the Government of Canada to “take immediate steps to provide leadership in bringing an end to the suffering. We declare, ‘Enough is Enough!’ We welcome an opportunity to meet with you and other officials to work together to put this declaration into concrete actions.”
View or download the letter:View or download the letter:In response to the spiralling violence, they have issued an ecumenical statement, A Cry to End the Violence and to uphold the rights of all civilians to life and freedom from violence and discrimination. In it, they write:
“We join the voices of those in the region and others in Canada and internationally in urging the Canadian Government to support a ceasefire and a negotiated resolution to this violence. The pain and tragedy of the growing numbers of civilian lives, Israeli and Palestinian, lost in the violence to date are evidence of the need for an immediate ceasefire, not an escalation of violence.”
View or download the full statement:PREVIOUS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTIONS AND ENDORSEMENTS
ECUMENICAL CHURCH STATEMENTS
- Joint Press Release: The Latin Patriarchate Of Jerusalem And The Custody Of The Holy Land
- Kairos Palestine: Moment of Truth: Faith in the Time of Genocide
- Israeli forces strike Catholic Parish in Gaza
- Church leaders condemn regularly occurring settler violence, including alleged act of arson near historic ruins
- Calls from Palestinian Christian partners in the face of increasing attacks on Palestinians, and particularly on Palestinian Christian towns, villages, communities, holy sites and clergy
- WCC Statement on Palestine and Israel: A Call to End Apartheid, Occupation, and Impunity in Palestine and Israel
- Mennonite Church Canada Palestine-Israel Network: Implementing the 2016 Resolution on Palestine-Israel (January 9, 2025)
- Humanitarian Plea from the Churches of Jerusalem: Defending the Dignity and Presence of the People of Gaza issued on February 14, 2025
- Statement On The Celebration Of Advent And Christmas In The Midst Of War On Gaza
- 2024 Christmas Message from the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem
- Statement by the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches on October 7.
- Statement on 16 August 2024 by the Jerusalem Patriarchate on Israel’s Impediments to Freedom of Worship.
- Statement from the Canadian Council of Churches, Commission on Justice and Peace: “Called to Be Salt and Light: Open Up Space to Stand for Peace”
- An open letter to Palestinian Christians from Christians in Canada in response to “An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians.” Read more
- The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on 8-14 November, released a statement that demands an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Palestine and Israel. https://www.oikoumene.org/news/wcc-demands-immediate-ceasefire-humanitarian-corridors-in-palestine-and-israel
- In an earlier statement, church leaders in the Holy Land raised their united voices and called for the cessation of all violent and military activities that bring harm to both Palestinian and Israeli civilians and respect for human rights. https://www.oikoumene.org/news/church-leaders-in-holy-land-call-for-de-escalation-respect-for-human-rights (published October 12, 2023).
- The World Council of Churches (WCC), of which the PCC is a member, also issued an urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, condemning any acts that target civilians, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or faith.
https://www.oikoumene.org/news/wcc-urgently-appeals-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-israel-and-palestine (published October 7, 2023). - The statement from the Patriarch and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem on the current devastating situation in Gaza can be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/blog/2023/10/13/statement-of-the-patriarchs-and-heads-of-the-churches-in-jerusalem-on-the-escalating-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza/ (published October 13, 2023).
PARENTS CIRCLE FAMILY FORUM (PCFF)
The PCC’s recipient of the Cutting Edge of Mission Award for 2023, Parents Circle Family Forum, wrote in the earliest days of the violence that the “relentless cycle of conflict has inflicted immeasurable pain and suffering on innocent lives. It is a time of great sorrow, knowing that countless families now bear the burden of emptiness in their hearts and the heavy weight of grief due to the tragic loss of their loved ones.” The Forum is made up of parents, both Israeli and Palestinian, who have lost children due to the ongoing conflict. You can watch the videos of the presentation during the 2023 General Assembly and the two recipients of the award on behalf of PCFF, Laila AlSheIkh and Robi Damelin .
In the earliest hours of the unfolding conflict, the PCC received a statement from Parents Circle Family Forum (PCFF) on behalf of its co-directors, saying:
“The toll of violence is not just counted in numbers; it is measured in the shattered dreams, the untapped potential, and the irreplaceable bonds severed by these horrifying actions. The victims, both seen and unseen, deserve our unwavering support and empathy as they grapple with the profound trauma inflicted upon them.”
“It is an undeniable truth that the time has come to change the situation. This region has endured too much pain, too much bloodshed, and too many tears. It is a moment for all parties involved to reflect on the senselessness of this continued conflict and to recognize the shared humanity that binds us all.”
“Let us remember that violence begets violence, and the only way forward is through peaceful dialogue, diplomacy, and a commitment to finding common ground. It is a call to action for leaders, communities, and individuals alike to seek solutions that prioritize reconciliation, justice, and lasting peace.”