07-08-2025
Michael Higgins: The United Church's abhorrent excuses for October 7
It is loathsome when anyone describes the butchery that happened in Israel on October 7 as an act of 'resistance,' but it is particularly troubling when it comes from people within the United Church of Canada.
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Such hateful rhetoric can be found in a proposal that will be considered by the church's general council meeting, which starts Thursday. It begins by stating that 'the Gaza genocide is the most recent and most severe expression of the colonialist oppression of the state of Israel upon the Palestinian people.'
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'The Palestinians have, from time to time, resisted their oppression by significant use of deadly force,' it continues. 'The largest and most recent expression of this resistance was the October 7th raid into Israeli kibbutzim located along the Gaza border.'
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How odious to describe the massacre of 1,200 people, including innocent civilians at a music festival, along with mass rape, as an act of resistance. This is the language of terrorists.
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The proposal goes on to call for a permanent ceasefire, along with other recommendations, but not once does it call for the release of hostages. It is one of seven anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian items on the general council agenda. Other conflicts, such as the one in Sudan, where tens of thousands have died and millions have been displaced, get no mention at all.
In an emailed statement to the National Post, Rev. Carmen Lansdowne, the church's moderator and spiritual leader, said proposals to the general council came from various sources and all, or none, could pass.
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'The United Church of Canada consistently condemns all acts of violence by all parties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,' Lansdowne said. She added that the church had called on the government to secure a ceasefire, ensure the delivery of aid, achieve the release of 'captives, both Israeli and Palestinian,' as well as impose an arms embargo on Israel and end 'Israel's military occupation and annexation of Palestine.'
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'There is space, without being antisemitic, for legitimate critique of the current situation in Israel and Palestine that aligns with international law and human rights, and with the legitimate security concerns of the State of Israel,' Lansdowne said.
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Legitimate critique is one thing, but the proposals are, unfortunately, part of a disturbing pattern from the United Church, which bills itself as the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, ministering to 800,000 people.
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In a panel discussion in May 2024, Lansdowne echoed a similar point to the 'resistance' proposal when she suggested that Israel had no right to resist the murderous rampages of Hamas. Instead, it had to show restraint.
