Did you know that there is something called the National Middle Eastern Presbyterian Caucus? It’s a PCUSA group, of course, and boy, are they hopping mad about what’s been going on in the Gaza Strip. Are they mad about the continuing, daily bombardment of southern Israel by Hamas? Are you kidding? Here’s their statement put out today by the Presbyterian News Service:

A Call To End The Siege of Gaza

The recent events in the Gaza Strip are yet another proof that the only solution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is for Israel to end its illegal, violence-breeding occupation of Palestine. Israel’s punitive and military actions will not end rocket firing or other violent reactions by Palestinians. Only justice can lead to peace.

Notice that they do not refer to the “occupation of Gaza.” That’s because there isn’t one. They also don’t note the “violent reactions” of Palestinians and their allies in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and so on that predated 1967. That’s because it would suggest that it is Israel’s existence, not its occupation, that is the real cause of the violence, something Hamas will say whenever asked.

Israel’s continued occupation of Palestine and constant domination of Palestinian civilians for three generations is nothing short of criminal. The oppression of the 1.5 million residents of Gaza is particularly inhuman and immoral. Israel in effect has imprisoned the entire Gaza population since January 2006 within a concrete wall; and then proceeded with air raids, military incursions, and extrajudicial targeted assassinations. Israel further imposed complete isolation on the Gaza strip since June 2007, and increased its tactics of blockade and intimidation – interrupting electricity and blocking supplies of medicine and fuel. This is deliberate cruel collective punishment, and indiscriminate terrorization of an entire population – young and old, women, men and children. It is blatant savagery.

The wall is actually one maintained by Egypt as well as by Israel, for reasons that have become abundantly clear in the last couple of weeks. Embedded among the 350,000 Gazans who streamed into Egypt last month were who knows how many terrorists who proceeded to fan out through the Sinai Peninsula seeking ways into Israel (two succeeded Sunday, and proceeded to bomb Dimona), as well as getting their hands on as many weapons as possible. Given Hamas’ ties to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, don’t be surprised if some of their boys start taking aim at civilians in Cairo or Alexandria.

As for Israel’s “savagery”: that’s a funny word for people who can’t even find it in themselves to forthrightly condemn terrorist acts such as Sunday’s to use. I don’t agree with everything Israel has done–blocking food and medical supplies, even if only temporarily, was wrong, wrong, wrong–and I don’t hesitate to say so. Does NMEPC do that with Hamas? Let’s see:

While we do not agree with militant methodology employed by some Palestinians, and reject it categorically as violent means, we must condemn the Israeli occupation as the root cause of the continued conflict. Israel’s willful prolonging of its occupation of Palestinian Territories can only be explained, not for reasons of security, but in order that it continues to confiscate more Palestinian land for the building of illegal settlements exclusively for its Jewish citizens. In so doing, Israel is overtly creating “facts on the ground” to prejudice the outcome of any future negotiations with Palestinians. With such reckless behavior, Israel is hurling the whole region into chaos.

Someone should notify these people that Israel has withdrawn, at considerable cost, all of its settlements from Gaza. There is no Palestinian land in Gaza being confiscated. At this point, Israel would be perfectly happy if Egypt would just reassert sovereignty over Gaza and make them all go away. Apparently the NMEPC is more interested in conjuring “facts” out of the air than dealing with the reality as it exists.

Oh, and I have to say that I’m tickled that they “do not agree” with the terrorist tactics of Hamas. I’m sure that will make the residents of Sderot all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that the NMEPC has wagged its fingers at “some Palestinians” and said “bad boys.”

We, the National Middle Eastern Presbyterian Caucus, join the patriarchs and heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem in condemning the most recent blockade of Gaza by Israeli authorities. We call on the government of Israel to fulfill its duty under international law, and its obligations according to universal standards of human rights, by immediately lifting its siege of the residents of Gaza. We call on the citizens of Israel to cause their government to end its criminal occupation of all Palestinian Territories.

But they do not even bother with the ritual call for “an end to violence by both sides.” They may disagree with Hamas’ daily attempts to kill Israeli civilians, but don’t consider such a campaign a big enough problem to ask Hamas to stop for a while. Maybe if the terrorists had more accurate rockets, the NMEPC might rouse itself to go beyond disagreement to “serious concern,” or perhaps even the dreaded “strongly disapprove.” That’d tell ’em.

UPDATE: Readers Larry and Earl Tilford mention in the comments that among the signers of this temper tantrum is Fahed Abu-Akel, a former moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly.

And welcome to readers from the Layman Online.