Norwegian parliamentarian and Red Party leader Bjørnar Moxnes officially nominated the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement for a Nobel Peace Prize at the beginning of February. In his statement, Moxnes wrote, “It’s high time for us to commit to doing no harm, and for all states to withdraw their complicity in Israel’s military occupation, racist apartheid rule, ongoing theft of Palestinian land, and other egregious human rights violations.”

As activists and people of faith communities from around the world, representing multiple denominations and many religious backgrounds, we write today to affirm our support for the Nobel Peace Prize nomination. BDS is a powerful, rights-based, grassroots, and Palestinian-led initiative. It is supported by an overwhelming number of Palestinian civil society groups. BDS is an important tool for solidarity that allows the people of the world to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people, in the face of international bodies and world leaders who consistently fail to do so. In the 12 years since its 2005 launch, BDS has seen widespread international support. As Moxnes states in his letter, awarding the Nobel Prize to the movement for BDS “would be a powerful sign demonstrating that the international community is committed to supporting a just peace in the Middle East.”

The authors of the Kairos document, a Palestinian Christian call for justice, quote Jer. 6:14, writing: “‘They say: Peace, peace when there is no peace.’ These days, everyone is speaking about peace in the Middle East and the peace process. So far, however, these are simply words; the reality is one of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, deprivation of our freedom and all that results from this situation.” They call upon the international community to respond with “the beginning of a system of economic sanctions and boycott to be applied against Israel...this is not revenge but rather a serious action in order to reach a just and definitive peace that will put an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories and will guarantee security and peace for all.”

Please consider granting a Nobel Peace Prize to the BDS movement for Palestinian rights.

This week we saw the Presbyterian community move swiftly in the direction of justice for the Palestinian people. We are grateful that the Presbyterian General Assembly voted to advocate for the safety of Palestinian children, recommend to ReMax to stop business in settlements and engage in a prayerful study of the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. We applaud this measure, and look forward to joining you as you put the principles of your faith into practice. 

"In particular, mobilize Presbyterians everywhere to communicate with their senators, congresspersons, and the president of the United States their concern for the safety and well-being of the children of Palestine who suffer widespread and systematic patterns of ill-treatment and torture within the Israeli military detention system..." (Action 08-02, "On Advocating for the Safety and Well-being of Children of Palestine and Israel," General Assembly 222)