In counting their losses, Christians, Muslims, Jews discover common ground in grief.
Since the outbreak of Israel's military offensive against Hamas in late December, I have received -- almost daily -- fresh accounts from those close to the conflict.
In November, 2006, I met Labib Madanat, executive director of the Palestinian Bible Society, on my way into Gaza for a reporting trip to follow up on our 2005 coverage by Deann Alford, which we titled: Love in the Land of Enmity.
This week, as the fighting and dying continues, Labib shared some recent experiences with me, which he agreed could be released publicly:
January 2009:
Last year, and after the killing of Rami Ayyad, I had the chance to visit Gaza several times. The most memorable one of those visits was late February 2008 together with Brother Andrew. On that visit I stopped to pick a stone from a location where an Israeli soldier got killed in action 18 years ago; I did so according to a request from the soldier's father, who later became a friend of mine. We also visited Rami's widow Pauline Ayyad and her new born baby girl Sama; we encouraged her shared with her pain, joy, and grief.But also during that visit we met with a main Palestinian leader in Gaza, we expressed our condolences for the loss of his son who got killed as he clashed with Israeli soldiers three weeks before our visit. A Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim; in one visit we moved across the dividing lines sharing the love of our Father and his compassion for His tortured humanity in Israel/Palestine.
The last two weeks, and even now, we witness atrocities in Gaza; too painful and too ugly. In south Israel hundreds of thousands keep close to or inside their shelters for the fear of rockets from Gaza.
Sure there is no comparison between the loss of life and injuries in Gaza and inside Israel. Michael Sabbah; the retired Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem said "every person's pain is human pain". Whom to blame and how far back we should go? What is the baseline for deciding justice? As a Palestinian/Jordanian Arab Christian I should naturally blame Israel and hold them responsible for the killing of many children in Gaza.
But at the same time a Jewish friend can come and say the same against Hamas or other Palestinian or Arab governments or organizations and hold them responsible for the killing of many Jewish children.
To engage in the blame game is to perpetuate the effect of violence and evil; it adds fuel to the fire. This does not mean acquitting the guilty, it means we submit the file of all the guilty ones, and I am one of them, to the one who judges justly and whose gates of mercy are always open for those who seek it.
So what do we do? To say it is God's business and run away? Absolutely not. He took the responsibility of justice and gave us the responsibility of compassion. "Love your enemy" in such days mean a lot and so does "love your neighbour as yourself". In Luke 4, Jesus said to the assembly in Nazareth's Synagogue " What you have just heard me read has come true today" . We are the continuation of that fulfillment. So let it be so in action today.
Within the body of Christ, we are people who also belong to our nations. This belonging and citizenship should receive meaning and value and form from our belonging to our heavenly citizenship.
Two days ago I was struck by anger and pain, yesterday I met my brother and colleague Victor, who is a Messianic Jew, we debriefed shared our hearts and prayed. The body of Christ should be a safe territory to walk in the light, receive healing and practice forgiveness. It should not be betrayed to become an additional battle ground, as Jesus said " My house is a house of prayer for all nations and you made it a den of thieves".
I invite you all; living stones, the body of Christ, to be that safe place, and a fulfillment of God's good news to our hurting human family.
May Palestinians and Israelis be saved.
Pray for the cease fire negotiations and a durable end to the border conflict.
Posted by Tim Morgan on January 13, 2009 9:32AM
Comments
War is horrible. No government should enter a war unless other means have failed or are likely to fail. But if a government does enter a war, it must do so to eliminate the enemy as an enemy. I side with Israel, though it has many flaws. It is the superior government in that it offers far more respect for individual rights for its citizens.
P. S. -- Re ". . . the border conflict." I would suggest that the war is not about the placement of a border, but about Western Civilization's defense against aggression. One element of Western Civilization--considered as a complex of cultural elements based on a philosophy of reason--is the right of every individual to live his life according to his own worldview, as long as he respects the equal right of others to do the same.
Posted by: Burgess Laughlin at January 13, 2009
If the old testament prophets were alive today in Israel they would be gathered in front of the Knesset building, clothed in sack cloth and ashes, and saying the following:
"Oh Israel, God has measured your actions on the scales of justice, and you are found seriously wanting. You illegally occupy Palestinian lands; your settlements are built on private Palestinian property; your 600 military checkpoints in the West Bank degrade and humiliate Palestinians every day; your blockade of Gaza has created the largest open air prison in the world.
"Oh Israel, why do you cry, complain and moan that you must defend yourself against Gazan rockets when your illegal occupation, colonization, theft of land, and blockade of Gaza is the cause of this conflict.
"Oh Israel, remember the Lord your God exiled you two times during old testament times because your turned from God and treated each other as well as aliens and strangers among you with injustice. If you continue your injustice against the Palestinian people, be prepared to suffer the same exile that your forbearers did thousands of years ago.
"Oh Isreal, heed the words of Jehovah God. He loves you but his patience with you stiffnecked people is coming to an end."
Posted by: Seethelight at January 16, 2009
Though I agree with those who blame Hamas for the current round of conflict, I wonder how many Evangelicals would hold Israel accountable for an occupation that has lasted 40 years?
Most political scientists who study comparative cases of national or ethnic resistance would see that Palestinian resistance fits a pattern. Even if we cannot sympathize with Hamas' ideology or the means used to wage resistance, can we pretend that part of our Evangelical heritage does not include rebellion against the occupier or unjust overlord?
Though I respect CT's reporting and essays on various topics, I wish it would devote a substantive edition to mature ways to think about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using spiritual resources that go beyond selective quotation of Scripture, debatable interpretation of bible prophecy, or knee-jerk support for Israel. While these are surely legitimate approaches, they unfortunately dominate the discourse of Evangelicals who have little knowledge and naturally less experience of Middle East culture and people.
There are substantive Christian leaders and intellectuals on both sides of this issue--center right to center left-- that could write short, intelligent, even profound essays helping CT readers understand the complexity of issues like this. It would be a refreshing exercise in intellectual and spiritual learning.
Is anyone in the editing room listening?
Posted by: david holt at January 18, 2009
David, the activities of Hamas (and Fatah, Hezbollah, etc.) that I've seen fit the pattern of inflicting as much damage on Israel as possible or, in lieu of sufficient resources, negotiating a strategic cease fire.
But I second David's call for a two- (multi-?) sided assessment of the conflict. I'm admittedly very poorly informed of the arguments for the peaceableness of Hamas and Fatah and the illegitimacy of Israel's military measures.
Posted by: Chris (Jesdisciple) at January 20, 2009
David writes of "knee-jerk support for Israel." Why does it seem that American Evangelicals and Christian fundamentalists take more thoughtful approaches to the actions of all other countries around the world, but not Israel? I believe it all goes back to what we learned in Sunday school: stories about Moses and the promised land; God's chosen people; and King David. I once believed that Israel could do no wrong, and the Arabs could do no right, based on what I learned in Sunday School and good old fashion dispensational theology preaching. As a result, the state of Israel is regarded as a modern day King David's kingdom, and modern day Arab nations are just substitutes for the old testament Philistines, Amalekites and Hittites. Throw in one very selective provision of God's covenant with Abraham about blessing and cursing Israel (the mantra of Christian Zionists) and you've got an easy theology of knee-jerk support for Israel.
As I wrote in my earlier post, God exiled the Israelites twice in the old testament for turning away from Jehovah God and abusing each other as well as strangers and aliens in their land. God's covenant with Abraham had many more provisions than just blessings and cursing which Christian Zionists never mention. As to why, that's a discussion for another time.
So those who unquestionably support Israel's policies toward its neighbors, including the Palestinians, with whom they share the land, by what standards ought Israel to be judged? Old Testament standards set forth by God, or modern day international principles of conduct by states, such as the Geneva Conventions and the International Declaration of Human Rights? It's pretty clear that the state of Israel has disregarded Old Testament principles.
Israel purports to be a modern democratic state, but its actions are anything but. As long as Israel occupies and brutalizes the Palestinians for wanting their own state, promised them in the same UN treaty of 1948 that created the modern Israeli state, it will neither experience peace nor security. Perhaps Israeli political leaders should spend a little time reading their ancestral Old Testament prophets for a few hints about treating each other with justice and fairness. They might be surprised by what they find.
Posted by: Seethelight at January 21, 2009
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