friends of sabeel

north america
2018 annual report

A Christian Voice for Palestine


our values, our voice
We advance Palestinian liberation.
We recognize theology is a liberating force.
We believe active engagement with the world is an
integral element of faith.
We are building a base of active support for
Palestinian freedom in U.S. churches.
We value intergenerational leadership and advocacy.
We are accountable to and led by Palestinian
communities in Palestine and the diaspora.
We see the connections between struggles and work across
movements for justice.
A message from FOSNA’s Executive Director
When institutions become of the elite, by the powerful, and for the rich, it
is incumbent upon the people to reclaim them. Following the teachings
of Christianity, the church must become of, by, and for the people and hold
governments to account. In 2018, our freedom of speech continued to be
threatened by state and federal anti-BDS laws, our freedom of assembly continued
to be challeged on college campuses and local churches, and our faith continued
to be hijacked by Christian Zionist propaganda.
In 2018, FOSNA allied with organizations working toward black, Latinx, and
indigenous liberation to strengthen our collective organizing. In 2018, FOSNA
supported regional conferences, preached in the pulpits of multiple churches,
worked in the streets for justice by the people, and held one of the largest
Christian conferences on justice for Palestine.
With your support, we will continue making strides and building momentum in
our churches and local communities. Thank you for making 2018 a remarkable
year of movement building toward justice for Palestine. I am proud to be part of
this movement in the pulpits, in the streets, and in our global struggles.
Tarek Abuata
mission
Sabeel is a global peace movement that
2018
promotes a Palestinian theology of liberation.
Initiated by Palestinian Christians, Sabeel our impact and
achievements
seeks a just peace as defined by international
law and existing United Nations resolutions.
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) is a
nonprofit, Christian ecumenical organization
working toward justice and peace in Palestine
through U.S.-based advocacy and education.

30 churches
went HP-Free
To date, 30 churches and five Christian
organizations around the country have
pledged to go HP-free! The churches
signed our pledge to boycott Hewlett-
Packard printers, inks, and other products
due to the tech company’s involvement in
the occupation.
“When churches choose to
become HP-free, they not only
take a stand against Israeli
apartheid; they take a stand
against surveillance technology,
racial profiling, and violent
border enforcement worldwide.”
— Rochelle Watson,
FOSNA National Organizer
our “palestinians speak justice” tour
visited 6 cities in 10 days
In May 2018, Rev. Naim Ateek, founder of the
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center
in Jerusalem, and Tarek Abuata, FOSNA executive
director, visited six cities for a speaking tour.
Together, they visted Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne,
Goshen, Washington D.C., and Durham. Rev. Naim
shared insights from his latest book, A Theology of
Palestinian Liberation, and Tarek discussed ways
to live liberation theology by acting in solidarity
with Palestinian calls for justice and lifting up
Palestinian voices.
 denominational
#BDSWINS JunE 2018 | St. Louis, MO
presbyterian church (USA)
of 1.5 million
• Urges RE/MAX to stop business in settlements
• Opposes anti-BDS legislation
• Opposes Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem
• Calls for equality for Palestinians in Israel
• Condemns killings of Palestinians in Gaza
“FOSNA played an instrumental
role at the Episcopal Church’s
General Convention, working with
JulY 2018 | austin, tx
allies to get the church to act on
its principles and use economic
pressure to promote justice.”
episcopal church — Rev. Gary Commins,
Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s
of 3 million Palestine Israel Network
• Divests from companies complicit in occupation
• Defends funding for UNRWA
• Condemns the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem
• Defends rights of Palestinian children
• Reaffirms Palestinian self-determination
150-member
clergy and seminary action council!
Since launching our Clergy and Seminary Action Council last year,
its membership has doubled to 150 clergy and seminary students
committed to advocating for Palestine. This year the council
mobilized to...
• Supported the Durham City Council to end police training with
the Israeli military
• Hosted a webinar featuring Rev. Naim Ateek, Dr. Monica Burnett,
and FOSNA executive director Tarek Abuata
• Initiated an interfaith statement in support of Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary after the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh
severed its relationship with the seminary for hosting FOSNA
• Defended the Unitarian Universalist Church in Spokane for
showing the film The Occupation of the American Mind
“It was a privilege to represent our council at
the Kairos Conference and engage with clergy
and seminarians globally in solidarity and
partnership for justice in Palestine.”
— Rev. Allison Tanner, Clergy and
Seminary Action Council Co-Convener
we launched our palestinian
narrative training program!
Palestinian narratives have been historically silenced.
Yet, as Palestinians are displaced around the globe,
storytelling has served a central role in maintaining the
Palestinian community. By centering Palestinian voices
in the justice movement, we center the leadership of
those whose liberation struggle we are supporting.
Our Palestinian-led trainings foster the skills needed
for Palestinians to write, develop, and share their “We want to be true and authentic to our
stories. We have trained over 60 Palestinians in San stories. We don’t need to sensationalize.
Francisco and Denver, and we will be hosting another The Palestinian story is sensational.”
narrative training in Houston.
— Nadia Abuelezam, Palestinians Podcast
conferences & events Prophetic action:
building across Christians Convening for Palestine
struggles
In September 2018, we hosted the largest FOSNA leadership
retreat and interdenominational summit. With over 120
participants, Prophetic Action was one of the largest ecumenical
gatherings of Christian leaders and activists for Palestinian rights.
This year, FOSNA attended 12 conferences, Hosted The two-day convening hosted four panels and 10 workshops “As people of faith, we
7 workshops and events, and made 12 local visits on topics including liberative theologies, white saviorism,
congressional advocacy, HP-free church campaigns,
are called to resist. As
Christians, we must take
ACROSS 20 different cities denominational and municipal divestment, and media strategy.

responsibility.”
— Rev. Traci Blackmon,
United Church of Christ
 expenses growing & activating
2018 Financial snapshot our communities
Total Budget: $417,000 This year, we continued growing our
Interdenominational Leadership Network. Through this
This year, our work was sustained network, FOSNA connects Palestine/Israel Networks
by 1,494 individual donors, 43 (PINs) across denominations to strategize Palestine
monthly donors, and 174 Circle advocacy.
of Friends members.
FOSNA hosted a network webinar after the Presbyterian 5,400+ Facebook followers
and Episcopal convenings to reflect on lessons learned 1,500+ twitter followers
from denominational BDS victories.
11,700+ email subscribers
Our online community also continues to grow: 23,200+ website users
national Board of Trustees Advisory Board Patrons
leadership Rev. Canon Richard Toll, D.D., D.Min.
President
Laila Al-Marayati
Mubarak Awad
Kathy Bergen
The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu
Patron of Sabeel International
Anglican Archbishop Emeritus
Doug Thrope, Co-Chair Mark Braverman of Cape Town, South Africa
Michael Spath, Co-Chair Rt. Rev. (John) Barry Curtis
Tarek Abuata Rochelle Watson Kali Rubaii Ramah Awad Jay Visbal Rev. Diane Dulin, Secretary Tom Getman Rev. Canon Naim Ateek
Executive Director National Organizer Development & Communications
Internship Coordinator Coordinator Website Coordinator Lynn M. Martin, Treasurer Rt. Rev. Thomas Gumbleton Founder/Director
Gabriel Habib Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation
Jeff Abood Yvonne Haddad Theology Center in Jerusalem
Nicholas Ammar Zaha Hassan
Ronald G. Caldwell, M.D. Rashid Khalidi
Nahida Gordon, Ph.D. Atif Kubursi
Brian Grieves Afif Safieh
Marie-Claire Klassen Joh Salzberg

staff
Catherine Nichols Dorothy Jean Weaver
John Erickson Melissa Otero Amy mclaughry Ashleigh zimmerman Mandy Erickson Robert Ross Cornel West
Senior Program Advisor Administrative Assistant Accountant Data Specialist Editor
our goals for 2019
• Grow our Clergy and Seminary Action Council to 200 members
• Expand our HP-free church campaign into a cross-movement justice
church campaign
• Launch a speaking tour to promote 50 justice congregations
• Co-launch Journey Towards Justice, a curriculum on Palestine for
black churches that includes a training program for facilitators with
Black4Palestine
• Support three Cities for Palestine BDS campaigns at municipal level
• Fund three seminary faculty and student witness trips to Palestine
• Host three Palestinian Narrative Trainings
• Support BDS initiatives at national denominational gatherings
Join us in 2019!
FOSNA is dedicated to standing in solidarity with
Palestinian people as they struggle for their rights.
As a Christian Voice for Palestine, we are part of a
chorus of voices holding the church accountable
for its powerful role on the global stage. We play a
critical role in strengthening a U.S.-based call for
justice that is growing across movements.
Thank you for being a strong supporting member
of FOSNA. Our successes in promoting Palestinian
Liberation Theology is the culmination of your many
contributions. This movement only grows with your
support. Donate today online at fosna.org/voice or
by using the enclosed donation form!
 A Christian Voice for Palestine

www.fosna.org
PO Box 3192 Greenwood Village, CO 80155
(503) 653-6625 | friends@fosna.org