US Presbyterian Church votes to recognize Gaza genocide, divests from Israel
The denomination said Christians in the US 'cannot be silent any longer' regarding Israel's crimes in Gaza, including its destructon of mosques, churches, universities, and schools
News Desk
JUL 3, 2026
The largest Presbyterian Christian denomination in the US voted on 30 June to recognize Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide and to divest from two US firms, Palantir Technologies and General Electric Aerospace, over their ties to Israel’s military and intelligence services.
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) overwhelmingly approved the measure on Tuesday by a vote of 454–15. It also called on church members to boycott Israeli products and to lobby Congress for an arms embargo against Israel.
Reverend Dr Fahed Abu Akel, a Palestinian-American and former moderator of the PCUSA, stated that, “We have been silent on the destruction of most of the schools, universities, hospitals, mosques and churches – you know, one church was Orthodox, Catholic and also Baptist – all of which were done with our American-made weapons and dollars.”
Largest Presbyterian denomination in US declares Israel's war on Gaza a genocide
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The Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, has overwhelmingly voted to recognize Israel's war on Gaza as a genocide.
The measure, approved by the… pic.twitter.com/ZO7mxfe2im
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 3, 2026
“Siblings in Christ, in the name of the living Christ, we cannot be silent on this matter any longer,” concluded Reverend Akel, who survived Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians that paved the way for the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948.
“We are pleased that the denomination has taken meaningful steps to address the genocide and other gross human rights abuses against Palestinians and others around the world,” added Reverend Marietta Macy, the co-moderator of the Palestine Justice Network of the PCUSA.
While other major US churches have issued statements condemning aspects of Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians, PCUSA is the only one to call it a genocide.
The denomination called for divestment from Palantir Technologies, a data analysis and technology firm with close ties to the CIA, because it provides AI applications that assist the Israeli military in developing “kill lists” of Palestinians.
General Electric Aerospace should also be boycotted, the church stated, for providing Israel with engines and manufacturing components that have been used in military assaults in Gaza considered to be war crimes by human rights organizations.
Israel has killed over 75,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Independent estimates are much higher, reaching hundreds of thousands.
https://thecradle.co/articles-id/38580
Israel killed 17 Palestinian Christians in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Eh4w50zoOk
— Theophan the Recluse Fan (@LowStudies) July 2, 2026
The PCUSA has divested from firms involved in Israeli war crimes in the past.
In 2014, it divested from three companies – Caterpillar, Inc., Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. All three provided Israel with equipment aiding Israel’s illegal occupation and colonization of Palestinian territories.
The church voted in 2024 to divest from Israeli bonds and approved a resolution denouncing Christian Zionism.
Reverend Dr Naim Ateek, a Palestinian Anglican who heads the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in occupied Jerusalem, has explained that Christian Zionism contradicts the teachings of the New Testament and should be viewed as a heresy.
Ateek said the doctrine violates Christ’s message of love, justice, and peace. Its prophecy of the world ending in violence contradicts the view of a loving and merciful God. Christian Zionism also endorses a tribalism evident in some parts of the Old Testament that is based on racial exclusivity.
