Photo: United Church marching for peace on Ring Road in Belmopan
by Kristen Ku
BELMOPAN, Tues. Nov. 28, 2023
The United Churches of Belize organized what they labeled a Peaceful Prayer Walk today in Belmopan, to show solidarity with Israel amidst its ongoing conflict with Palestine.
Over 200 participants, including Christians from across the country, convened at the steps of the National Assembly building, then proceeded to march along Ring Road, before returning to Independence Plaza, where they gathered for a worship session.
The march, themed, “It’s Time To Take A Stand For Righteousness!”, was led by religious leaders such as Pastor Lance Lewis and Scott Stirm. It was aimed at demonstrating the Belizean Christian community’s support for Israel and its right to self-defense.
In an interview, Pastor Santi, an executive member of the NEAB (National Evangelical Association of Belize), stated, “The situation that we’re facing globally, the Palestinian-Israeli war, we know how the whole thing started. The response of Israel, they say wasn’t the right response. However, we understand people being killed and the ceasefire thing and everything. Yet, Israel had the right to defend itself.”
Pastor Scott Stirm, Second Vice President of NEAB, described the Church’s prayers as inclusive, stating that their focus is not only on Israel but on all affected by the conflict.
“The Word of God commands us to pray for Israel, but we all agreed that we’re not just interested in praying for Israel to the neglect of anything else. We want to pray for the Palestinians, we want to pray for Belize, we want to pray for the whole situation … so we’re not interested in the back and forth of us versus them. We want to see the war end; we want to see the dying stop,” he stated.
The event also served as a platform for the Church to urge the Belizean government to reconsider its severance of its diplomatic ties with Israel. Despite the relatively small turnout, the church leaders believe their message will resonate.
However, the march has not been without controversy. In fact, many have labeled the churches’ stance as pro-Israel, potentially at the expense of Palestinian lives.
While Pastor Stirm refused to answer reporters’ questions about whether the churches’ stance on Israel’s actions is justified, Pastor Santi expressed the belief that the thousands of deaths being reported are part of the casualties of war in eliminating Hamas, which he described as a “terrorist organization”, and he urged the government to be fair in their stance toward Israel.
“People are dying; however, if they need to get rid of Hamas, then do what it takes, right? But our government should look at restoring diplomatic relations with Israel because, come on, we want to be fair,” he said.
Interestingly, no known representative of Belize’s government was present during the walk, despite being invited to join in solidarity with the churches.
In contrast, several members of both the United Democratic Party and the ruling People’s United Party had participated in the March for Peace in Palestine, held a week before.
When questioned about the absence of members of Parliament, Richard Smith, director of My Refuge Christian radio station and one of the event’s organizers, stated, “The church and government must come together; but if they stand out, no problem. We are not standing in battle like that. We are standing for unity. We are standing for purpose.”