Africa’s Churches Must Confront Israel’s Occupation & Genocide
By REVEREND FRANK CHIKANE, via KADARIA AHMED
THE World Council of Churches (WCC), representing over half a billion Christians worldwide, finally spoke with moral clarity in June. At its Johannesburg meeting, the Central Committee condemned Israel’s apartheid system, demanded sanctions, divestment, and an arms embargo, and called for an end to occupation and the Gaza blockade. It also urged protection for Palestinian Christians, denied their right to freely worship on their ancestral land.
This was long overdue. For decades, too many churches have chosen unity over justice, avoiding truth for fear of offending Jewish colleagues or being labelled antisemitic. Yet, as African Christians, with our scars of colonialism and apartheid, we know too well the realities of land theft, military rule, and erasure. We cannot ignore Palestine’s suffering.
Christian Zionism, now spreading in Africa, distorts scripture to shield Israel from accountability. It twists Genesis 12:3 into a political shield, silencing legitimate critique. But Jesus Himself is Christian Zionism’s greatest adversary. His gospel of universal love and justice cannot coexist with a theology that sanctifies occupation, dispossession, and genocide.
Tragically, some African churches host Israeli officials in their pulpits, blessing the very machinery of oppression in Gaza. This mirrors how scripture was once abused to justify slavery, colonialism, and apartheid. To defend such distortion is to betray the gospel.
Amos 5:24 reminds us: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” True Christian faith cannot sanctify oppression. Freedom for Israel cannot come at the price of Palestinian bondage.
It is time for Africa’s churches to break their silence, stand with the oppressed, and speak with one voice. Anything less would be a betrayal—of our history, our people, and our faith.
