PIAG   Palestine Israel Action Group

Ann Arbor Quakers promoting peace in Israel Palestine

Why PIAG protests Israel's Occupation
From its earliest inception the Religious Society of Friends has placed rejection of war as basic to our understanding of God's will.  We believe that human beings are capable of solving conflicts through reason, an empathetic understanding of the other's point of view, and the courage to take principled, nonviolent action in the face of injustice.  In this spirit, the Palestine Israel Action Group of Ann Arbor Friends Meeting protests the Israeli government's military repression of the Palestinian people and occupation of their lands, a process of control that contravenes international law, the Geneva Convention, and United Nations mandates. Domination through violence engenders further violence in a tragic cycle that causes suffering to Israelis as well as Palestinians. Such repression cannot assure a nation’s security.

What we have to share
PIAG has produced Educational Resources and Tools for Activists that can be used by religious and secular organizations locally, nationally, and internationally. We invite readers to adapt these materials for use in their own communities and Contact Us with additional ideas or suggestions. Besides our educational materials, PIAG's Recommended Actions suggest a variety of ways to engage in economic pressure against Israel's Occupation.  Individuals and groups can also support positive economic engagement by purchasing Palestinian olive oil and handcrafts and selling them at public events.

Should Quakers endorse divestment?
For decades, Friends have called for independence, security, and a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians. This call has been voiced widely by others working for peace, including Israelis, Palestinians, and Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and secular peace groups in the United States and worldwide. This call, however, has gone unheeded.  Our own government in fact continues to fund and support much of the Israeli repression.  The Occupation and suffering continue.

 As a result, religious and secular peace groups are using economic leverage to make a stronger moral and political statement.  They are engaging with U.S. corporations that sell arms, bulldozers, and other products sustaining Israel's occupation. They are refraining from economic support for such companies and avoiding exports from illegal West Bank settlements. These measures are not meant to bankrupt or destroy Israel, but to pressure Israel's right-wing government to respect international law, ease its stranglehold on Palestinians, and begin to bargain in good faith.

 PIAG believes that economic engagement is one of many non-violent ways to express a commitment to justice. We are inspired by an earlier Quaker activist, John Woolman, who refused to use the postal service because of the suffering of young post-boys who rode the pony express, and who counseled Friends to avoid supporting the evils of economic exploitation and slavery.   Heeding George Fox's message to "let your life speak," we encourage Friends and others to actively oppose Israel's occupation through a variety of economic measures ranging from dialogue with corporations that supply military equipment to Israel, to shareholder resolutions, to institutional and personal divestment from U.S. and Israeli companies that support the Occupation.

Please see PIAG's Recommended Actions to support a just and viable peace in Israel/Palestine.