On November 19, 2023, the Dallas Friends Meeting approved the following statement.

Statement on Conflict in Israel-Palestine
November 3, 2023
These troubled weeks have brought yet again a devastating eruption of the long suffering caused
by the conflict in Israel-Palestine. With anxiety and heartbreak, we witness the horrors unfolding
in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, and beyond. The global community of Quakers, of which we are a
part, includes Friends with deep roots and relationships in the land between the Mediterranean
and the Jordan. As violence has expanded and intensified in recent days, alongside continuing
strife raging across the globe and violence in our own region, we write on behalf of the Quaker
faith communities in the six New England states to offer our prayers and raise our voices and
hands for the healing of the world.
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) holds that every person has the capacity to receive
and respond to the love and guidance of God. All human beings are created and unconditionally
beloved by God. We are dependent on one another, and it is through our relationships—as

persons and as societies—that our lives make real our love for God and neighbor. We join our
voices with all who strive to meet the sacred obligations to acknowledge and honor the
belovedness and dignity of every person, every life.
We affirm again the declaration of the first Quakers in 1660:

“We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons,
for any end, or under any pretense whatsoever; and this is our testimony to the
whole world. The spirit of Christ by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as
once to command us from a thing as evil and again to move unto it; and we do
certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the spirit of Christ, which leads us
into all Truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward
weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world.”

We are called to reflect and pray more deeply, resisting reactivity, aggression, self-justification,
and othering of those we experience as enemies. We must recognize and resist the escalating
pressures throughout our human family that attempt to justify atrocities against fellow human
beings. We remember that we are each capable of evil, even in the name of good. And we are
called to daily examine and reject the seeds of war in our own hearts and living, through God’s
help.

Promoting adherence to universal humanitarian values, and to the essential use of nonviolent
methods to resolve differences, is not simply an option but a necessity for the survival of the
human family. With humility and boldness, we take up and renew a commitment to turn from
indulging our own hostile impulses, from the fostering of division within our local communities,

On November 19, 2023, the Dallas F and from the rush to violence and escalating cycles of retributive action in conflicts worldwide, and turn toward the courageous work of peacebuilding. 

We join with people throughout the world calling for an immediate ceasefire and for the provision of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We affirm and support the ongoing work of the Friends Committee on National Legislation and the American Friends Service Committee in their advocacy and service in support of a just peace for all. We unite with this recent statement on Gaza issued by wider Quaker bodies and Friends organizations of which we are a member. 

Let us each continue to seek paths to participate in the work of peace, in whatever ways and with whatever tools are available to us. We are called to act in faith, with persistence, patience, and courage, as partners with Divine Love in the deep healing of the world. 

New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

The Dallas Friends Meeting (Quakers) stands for equality, justice and compassion.  We feel anger and sadness that there has not been more progress in race relations.  In response to the murder of George Floyd, the deaths of many other Black Americans, and the ongoing racism deep seeded in society, we stand against inequality, injustice and lack of compassion toward people of color.

   The Dallas Friends Meeting denounces the ongoing cases of police brutality leading to death and all such instances which go back centuries. We denounce the unequal holding of Black lives. We denounce the violent treatment of peaceful protesters across the nation — in Dallas and even in front of the White House. We denounce the obstacles placed before people of color who attempt to vote. The Dallas Friends Meeting believes that justice work is spiritual work that we must do. We stand in solidarity with all people working toward anti-racism.

   We understand that since the early days of the religion, Quaker leaders and institutions have been embedded in a prevailing culture of white supremacy. While we are proud of the many Quakers who stood up for justice and freedom over the centuries, abolitionists often did not view African Americans as equals, Quaker schools were slow to desegregate, and today Blacks and other people of color often feel unwelcome in our Meetings.  We seek to reveal and eradicate the elements of white supremacy that are woven into the Quaker tradition.

   As Friends we recognize dismantling systemic racism is a long-term commitment and ultimately not the responsibility of people of color. It is the responsibility of white people—the people who built and continue to benefit from the system of institutional white supremacy. We know our work of rebuilding must include Black people and all other people of color. We commit to digging deeper and putting into practice becoming fierce, brave, proactive allies of Black people, Black lives, and Black bodies. 

Stop microaggressions against people of color

BLACK LIVES MATTERS

Social justice: If not now, when?