ANN HAFFTEN: A TEXAS LUTHERAN'S VOICE FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE

Especially now, join in prayer with Sabeel's Waves of Prayer

2009-11-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Join in prayer with the community of Sabeel, the ecumenical liberation theology center in Jerusalem - http://www.sabeel.org/etemplate.php?id=58

Each Thursday at noon Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the Eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Wherever you are, join the Friends of Sabeel in prayer for peace with justice, focusing on specific issues each week.

This week's petitions are particularly stirring:

+ On Tuesday morning, settlers and armed guards entered the Rivka al-Kurd home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem and removed the family and their belongings by force. Israeli police stood by and did not take action to stop the crime. This is the third family to be evicted by settlers in Sheikh Jarrah since August. Almighty God, in our pain we plead for mercy and justice.

+ Rev. Naim Ateek addressed a gathering of Muslim leaders from Nablus and Bethlehem on Sunday on the topic of Christian Zionism. Rev. Ateek's comments were intended to clear up confusion between the theology of Christian Zionism and the beliefs of Palestinian Christians about the state of Israel. The sheikhs and imams who attended expressed much appreciation for the conference and have already begun planning future dialogues with the local Christian community. We give thanks for this and other opportunities to address misunderstandings and to grow closer ties between different communities.

+ Early Sunday morning, an armed Israeli man was caught attempting to enter al-Aqsa Mosque. Guards fear he intended to commit a massacre during morning prayers. We give thanks that this disaster was averted and pray that Jerusalem will not descend into violence at the hands of extremists.

+ November 5 marks the end of Sabeel's Witness Visit. We pray that the participants will return to their communities as informed and inspired advocates of a just peace in Palestine and Israel. May the words and actions of these ambassadors fall upon the minds and hearts of those who can guide decision-makers into ending injustice and the suffering of the oppressed.

Find out more about the ministry of Sabeel - http://www.sabeel.org/index.php

And Friends of Sabeel - North America - http://www.fosna.org/

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

CMEP: Support Transparency & Accountability!

2009-11-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

I pay attention to directives from Churches for Middle East Peace. They know what they're doing and guide me in strategic advocacy.

Support Transparency & Accountability!

Tell your Member of Congress to Oppose H.Res 867!

Just last week, the Department of State affirmed that they had "serious concerns about what happened in Gaza" and that these allegations "which are very serious" should be "thoroughly investigated." Yet, H. Res. 867 directly challenges this clearly articulated U.S. position.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced a resolution last week "Calling on the President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the 'Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict…'" Credible allegations of misconduct cannot be investigated if Congress deliberately sweeps this report under the rug.

Contact your Member of Congress today and tell them to oppose H. Res. 867 because it irresponsibly recommends a lack of accountability and transparency.

You can TAKE ACTION by visiting - http://action.cmep.org/t/7858/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1239

H. Res. 867 highlights what the State Department has called concerns about the "one sided" nature of the Goldstone report. Yet, the resolution itself is unbalanced. It ignores and fails to address the claims of the civilian population in Gaza and important questions raised by Israelis about their country's conduct in Gaza.

Tell your representative to oppose H. Res. 867 because Israelis and Palestinians have a right to answers!

You can TAKE ACTION by visiting - http://action.cmep.org/t/7858/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1239

H. Res. 867 is out of touch with the Administration's calls for a comprehensive investigation of "all credible allegations of misconduct" and with many organizations that are calling for impartial, independent and credible Israeli and Palestinian investigations. The Administration has repeatedly asked Israel and the Palestinians to address these very serious allegations, but H. Res. 867 defies this executive mandate head on.

H. Res. 867 is expected on the House floor next week and time is running out! Contact your representative today! Oppose H. Res. 867!

We need your help! ACT NOW!

Sincerely, Amanda Rios
Deputy Director
Churches for Middle East Peace

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, http://www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com/

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'Because THEY are here," or The Olive Press-ure: keeping the farmers off-balance in the busy season

2009-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ecumenical accompanier Elice Higginbotham writes: 'Because THEY are here," or The Olive Press-ure: keeping the farmers off-balance in the busy season

Elice has spent three months in Jayyous in the West Bank as an accompanier in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) - check it out at this link: http://www.eappi-us.org/

Here is the opening portion of Elice's most recent blog post. Find it at http://eliceinpalestine.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

Olive cultivation is as old as history itself in this part of the world, well-known in biblical times and before. The agricultural lands of the West Bank, as they are in the late fall of every year, are consumed with olive-harvesting these days. Although it has been a dry year and this harvest is not expected to be good, it is nonetheless one of the more important income-producing times for the olive-growers of Jayyous and other agricultural towns and villages, and every family has kicked into full-bore harvest mode.

If a farmer with a permit to access lands behind the Separation Barrier can afford it, this is the time of year he will hire extra hands and seek permits for them many weeks in advance. Additional family members who are eligible make every effort to get a permit in this season; larger numbers of women are seen crossing through the gates. Carts, wagons, trucks carry extra water and food for the pickers. Schoolchildren spend their weekends in the fields with their parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The number of people seeking to pass through the agricultural gates may double during these weeks.

It seems the worst possible season in which to make life unnecessarily difficult for a farmer. So our EA team was shocked and annoyed to discover that our South Agricultural Gate had been closed – “permanently,” according to the Humanitarian Hotline – about a week before the start of the harvest.

Read the full post at Elice in Palestine: http://eliceinpalestine.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, subscribe at the blog - A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace - http://voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/

Anna Baltzer and Mustafa Barghouti will appear on the Daily Show Wednesday

2009-10-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

Tune to the Comedy Channel on Wednesday night when Anna Baltzer, Jewish-American lecturer and author, and Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian social and political activist, will appear on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Oct. 28).

Here's the link to the Daily Show: http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Baltzer is on the board of the Council for the National Interest (CNI) - http://www.cnionline.org/

WASHINGTON, DC (October 27, 2009) -

Anna Baltzer, Jewish-American lecturer, author, and activist for Palestinian rights, will appear on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Wednesday, October 28th. The CNI Board Member and CNI: Jerusalem Calling host will be joined by Palestinian social and political activist Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, who finished second in the 2005 Palestinian presidential election

On her recent CNI: Jerusalem Calling broadcast, Baltzer was joined by former Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldier Micha Kurz, who was co-founder of the IDF soldiers' truth-telling group Breaking the Silence. The two discussed the role of IDF soldiers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and reactions to regional issues concerning the peace process.

Listen to the archived podcast of their conversation by visiting: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZWNdgcWqFqf7QnbmnMfV%2Bnq5Czcu2uQk

Don't miss this Thursday's broadcast of CNI: Jerusalem Calling with Jeffrey Blankfort, hosted by Alison Weir from 12-1pm EST at www.wsradio.com/cni

Jeffrey Blankfort was raised in a Jewish non-Zionist family. Blankfort produces radio programs on three stations and has written extensively on the Middle East. He was formerly the editor of the Middle East Labor Bulletin and co-founder of the Labor Committee of the Middle East.

In February 2002, Blankfort won a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which was found to have had a vast spying operation directed against American citizens opposed to Israel's policies in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza, and the apartheid policies of the government of South Africa. Host Alison Weir is the head of "If Americans Knew", and a member of CNI's Board.

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

The Role of the Media in Holy Land Conflict

2009-10-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Muslim, Christian and Jewish experts discuss the Role of the Media in Holy Land Conflict - 11th HCEF International Conference Oct. 24 in Washington, D.C. (Holyland Christian Ecumenical Foundation).

Does the media coverage advance or hinder the peace process? How impartial is the media? Does the Israeli military impact the coverage? Can the media be an instrument for dialogue in the peace process?

Three distinguished, long-time observers of the Middle East from film, print, and radio/TV media will debate these issues. They will examine how the media can be a strong positive or negative force in advancing the prospects for reconciliation and peace in the Holy Land. They will discuss how Israeli occupation policies restrict journalists' access to timely coverage of the events and lead to subtle forms of censorship. The critical duty of media for accuracy of coverage and analysis of the events will be examined.

Participating in the panel will be: Ronit Avni, internationally acclaimed producer and director of documentary films; Fr. Drew Christianson, S.J., author and educator, editor-in-chief of America Magazine; and Mohamed Elshinnawi, veteran radio/TV journalist of Voice of America. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Saliba Sarsar, Associate Vice-President, Monmouth University, NJ.

The panel will discuss these issues during the 11th HCEF International Conference co-hosted by and held at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Visit online at http://www.hcef.org/

Register for the conference: http://www.hcef.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=130%3Aconference&id=790792312%3Aregistration&Itemid=236

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

ELCA bishops write to President Obama: Remain firm in your commitment to a just peace

2009-10-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

The bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent a letter to President Obama yesterday expressing "profound concern" and detailing the areas in which "bold U.S. leadership" is needed: an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and to Palestinian violence against Israelis, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Here is a link to ELCA News coverage:

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4315

Lots of resources are linked from the ELCA Conference of Bishops webpage: http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Ecumenical-and-Inter-Religious-Relations/2009-Bishops-Academy.aspx

In November another group of ELCA bishops will visit the church in the Holy Land.

Here is the letter:

October 13, 2009

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

As bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we write to express our deep appreciation for your timely and courageous leadership in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian impasse and applaud your recent meeting with President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
We strongly urge you to remain firm in your commitment to achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The U.S. plays a key role in negotiating necessary compromises and in holding both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to their obligations.

We express profound concern at the stalemate that persists and at the fading hopes for a two-state solution due to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

It is our firm belief that a just resolution is within reach if the United States remains unwavering in its determination to help the parties finally reach agreement.

The ELCA has a long-standing relationship with our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) which includes congregations, schools, vocational training, medical care, and social services in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Jordan. Additionally, we have a vigorous affiliation with the Lutheran World Federation whose many projects include Augusta Victoria Hospital, located in East Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives.

These commitments lead us to write to you at this critical juncture to express our conviction that now is the time for bold U.S. leadership. We urge the U.S. to insist upon an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land as well as an end to Palestinian violence against Israelis. We raise before you our concern that the continued growth of settlements and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza are immediate impediments toward finding a just peace. The ELCA has long called for a halt to settlements, and we reiterate that call now with a deep sense of urgency. The suffering of people in Gaza who are unable to obtain adequate food, clean water, necessary medical attention, and building supplies due to the border closures must be alleviated now. The deteriorating conditions in Gaza make a resumption of violence more likely; however opening the borders in a carefully monitored way that respects Israel’s security needs will contribute to the well being of Palestinians in Gaza and the safety of Israelis in Sderot.

We continue to offer you our support and prayers as we hold fast to the hope that this region of turmoil can be a land where all of God’s children dwell in peace.

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

EAPPI News: House demolitions, evictions, denial of Palestinian's basic freedoms

2009-10-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

The e-newsletter of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel arrived recently. Here's a link:
http://www.eappi.org/en/news-events/eappi-news/eappi-direct-mail/eappi-news-july-september-2009.html

EAPPI News July-September 2009

EAPPI presents the third edition this year of our web-based newsletter, covering the period July-September 2009.

Recent diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in the Holy Land have taken place against the grinding daily reality of occupation. House demolitions, evictions of whole families and denial of the basic freedoms of Palestinians have continued to strangle life in the Occupied Territories as well as damaging the fabric of Israeli society. EAs continue to stand with Israelis and Palestinians campaigning for peace, working to expose the brutality of the occupation and supporting those who seek justice and human rights for all.

Also included:

Settlements on the agenda

Checkpoints - http://www.eappi.org/en/news-events/ea-reports/r/article/4566/daily-humiliation-at-chec.html

EAPPI stands with evicted Palestinian families - http://www.eappi.org/en/news-events/ea-reports/r/article/4837/double-standards.html

A call to action

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

Iowa Sabeel Conference: A Free Palestine and a Secure Israel

2009-10-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is a late notice of an important event, the Sabeel Conference in Cedar Falls, Iowa: A Free Palestine and a Secure Israel: From Occupation to Liberation and Reconciliation

October 9-10, 2009
Friday-Saturday
Schindler Education Center
University of Northern Iowa Campus
Cedar Falls, Iowa

Registration includes all presentations, workshops & Saturday box lunch; does not include Friday Middle Eastern banquet. Price: $90.00. Saturday program includes box lunch.

Friday Night Banquet is a Middle Eastern meal, served on campus (a limit of 250 reservations will be accepted) $25.

Contact iowasabeel@hotmail.com with special dietary needs, special requests or requirements needed (mobility, hearing, etc.).

The presenters:

Naim Ateek
Palestinian Anglican Canon, the founder/director of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem [http://www.sabeel.org/]. The author of A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation.

Fahed Abu-Akel
Former moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA. Helped to found the PCUSA Middle Eastern Caucus. Founder of Atlanta Ministry with International Students Inc.

Luai Amro
President of the Islamic Center of Des Moines, a growing and diverse community for over 40 years.

Anna Baltzer
Volunteer with the International Women’s Peace Service and is the author of the Witness in Palestine. Committed to sharing eyewitness experiences from the West Bank: http://annainpalestine.blogspot.com/

Phyllis Bennis
A Fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies, analyst and activist on Middle East and UN issues. Phyllis is the author of numerous books focused on Middle East issues, including Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer.

Jeff Halper
Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions in Jerusalem, dedicated to rebuilding Palestinian homes and resisting the occupation in all of its forms. Author of An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel.

Jonathan Kuttab
A member of the bar in Israel, Palestine and New York, Kuttab is an expert in international law. Jonathan co-founded the Jerusalem-based Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence and the Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners.

Don Wagner
Professor and Director of North Park University’s Center for Middle East Studies, seeking to foster awareness, understanding and reconciliation among peoples of the Abrahamic tradition. Author of Anxious for Armageddon: A Call to Partnership for Middle Eastern and Western Christians.

Friends of Sabeel North America: http://www.fosna.org/

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CMEP: Support Hands-on U.S. Leadership to bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an End!

2009-10-01T20:34:00.001-07:00

Churches for Middle East Peace urges: Don't Accept the Status Quo!

Add your name to show the president you support comprehensive Middle East peace: http://action.cmep.org/t/4317/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1160

Support Hands-on U.S. Leadershipto bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an End!

September 28, 2009

On September 22, President Obama held tri-lateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas to try and jump start final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

In response to this effort, Christian leaders from a variety of traditions, along with a diverse group of ethnic and religious leaders, issued a statement of priciples supporting strong U.S. leadership to acheive a negotiated, sustainable resolution to the conflict.

The opportunity to change the status quo is here now! Don't waste this precious moment! Add your name to show the president you support comprehensive Middle East peace: http://action.cmep.org/t/4317/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1160

Text of Statement:

Letter in Support of a Comprehensive Middle East Peace:
An American National Interest Imperative

We come from varied ethnic backgrounds and religious faiths that are diverse. We are Democrats and Republicans. We are veterans of war and of the struggle for peace. Together, we are all Americans.

We find common cause in supporting strong U.S. leadership to achieve a negotiated, sustainable resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - a fundamental American interest that crosses racial, ethnic and religious lines.

We support President Obama's determination to provide sustained, hands-on diplomatic leadership to bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an end through the creation of two viable, secure and independent states living side by side in peace and security.

The President has made resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority since his very first day in office, and we commend his leadership. We applaud the vision the President has laid out for peace in the Middle East and the challenge he has laid down to all of us to help work for peace and a more positive future for the people of the region and the world.

This is a moment of great opportunity and urgency. After decades of tragic conflict, many Israelis and Palestinians despair of the possibility of peace. While the international community and majorities of the Israeli and Palestinian people are committed to a two-state solution as the best option for achieving peace and security, the window of opportunity is rapidly closing.

We express our support for U.S. leadership to chart a path to a better future and to the following principles:

• We support both Israel's right to exist in security and the right of the Palestinian people to a viable, sovereign and secure state of their own.

• A peace agreement will need to fulfill UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and resolve critical issues of importance to the parties including refugees, borders, Jerusalem, settlements, and security.

• The Israelis and Palestinians, however, have not - on their own - been able to reach agreement. After nearly two decades of negotiations, we believe bold American leadership can help Israelis and Palestinians make the difficult decisions necessary to achieve lasting peace and hold the parties to account should they fail to honor their commitments.

• We support the sense of real urgency that the President brings to the issue and his determination to reach a negotiated resolution to the conflict during his first term in office.

• At the appropriate time, we will support the Administration if it decides to present proposals for a just and equitable solution that provides dignity, security and sovereignty for both peoples.

• Finally, we believe a peace agreement should be comprehensive - encompassing Syria and Lebanon as well as normalization of relations between Israel and the countries of the Arab world. We support the idea of a comprehensive regional peace that builds on the Arab Peace Initiative, with its offer of recognition and normalization of relations between Israel and all Arab nations in exchange for resolution of all outstanding issues.

Both sides must take steps to move the process forward, and we support the President's efforts to end Israeli settlement growth and to halt Palestinian violence and incitement. It is now time to move to the next stage of diplomacy and to address the tough issues that must be resolved to bring this conflict to an end.

There are many who will attempt to block the path to peace. They may believe that the status quo favors their interests or that time is on their side. The President should know that we understand the status quo is unsustainable and time is of the essence. We will stand with him as he promotes a fair and just resolution to this long-standing conflict and asks all parties to make the difficult but ultimately necessary compromises for peace.

We pledge to work with the President, to forge the path to peace and security for the Middle East. We also pledge to work with those in both societies who seek peace, justice, and security, and to stand up for those who hope for a better future for themselves and for the generations that follow.

Frank Anderson
Former Chief, Southeast Asian Division, CIA
President, Middle East Policy Council

Dr. Ziad Asali
President, American Task Force on Palestine

Robert Barkin
President, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Jeremy Ben-Ami
Executive Director, J Street

Ambassador Warren Clark
Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace

Debra DeLee
President, Americans for Peace Now

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
President, Lutheran World Federation

Father Theodore Hesburgh
President Emeritus, Notre Dame University

The Most Rev. Howard J. Hubbard
Bishop of Albany
Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Dr. Joel C. Hunter
Senior Pastor, Northland Church
Member, Executive Committee of the National Association of Evangelicals

Rev. Bill Hybels
Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

Lynne Hybels
Advocate for Global Engagement, Willow Creek Community Church

Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary, National Council of Churches

Rabbi Peter Knobel
Former President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Charles Kroloff
Former President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Salam Al-Marayati
Executive Director, Muslim Public Affairs Council

Rev. John McCullough
Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service

Rev. Peter Morales
President, United Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
Archbishop Emeritus of Washington

David Neff
Editor in Chief, Christianity Today

Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary, Church of the Brethren

Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA)

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Imam of Masjid al-Farah, New York City

Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr.
Senior Pastor, NorthWood Church, Dallas, TX

Hon. George R. Salem, Esq.
Chairman, Arab-American Institute Strategic Advisor, DLA Piper LLP

Rolando Santiago
Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church

Ron Sider
President, Evangelicals for Social Action

Rev. John Thomas
General Minister and President, United Church of Christ

Dr. James Zogby
President, Arab American Institute

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For more about Churches for Middle East Peace go to http://www.cmep.org/

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

Helena Cobban writes about `A Week of Dimming Peace Prospects'

2009-10-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

After all the analysis of last week's meetings, this piece by Helena Cobban sums up pretty well President Obama's struggle toward a peace process. We found it at http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48599

US-MIDEAST: A Week of Dimming Peace Prospects

WASHINGTON, Sep 25 (IPS) - Eight months after Barack Obama launched his presidency by promising a speedy push for Palestinian-Israeli peace, that effort has stalled badly. And there are now growing fears that the top levels of Obama's peace team are torn by internal disagreements that may undermine the whole peace effort.

Some of these problems were on view during two high-level appearances Obama made in New York this week.

On Tuesday, speaking to the media after the three-way meeting he held with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Obama notably avoided saying anything about the failure of the high-profile campaign he and his chief peace envoy, George Mitchell, have pursued to "persuade" the Israeli government to stop building settlement housing in the occupied West Bank.

Obama instead announced a new project: the resumption of the long-suspended negotiations between the parties over the terms of their final peace.

Most observers - in Palestine, Israel, and the U.S. - interpreted Tuesday's events as marking two distinct victories for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Obama had in effect been forced to abandon his campaign for a settlement freeze. And Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the interim Palestinian Authority (PA), was forced to meet with Netanyahu despite previously vowing he would not negotiate with him until the freeze was in place.

For some pro-peace Americans, one bright spot in Tuesday's encounter was that Obama spelled out to the media that peace is a key interest not just for the parties directly involved, but also for the United States.

In his big speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, Obama pledged his public commitment to the pursuit - though tellingly, not the speedy attainment - of a "just and lasting peace between Israel, Palestine, and the Arab world."

He also said, "We continue to emphasise that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."

However, numerous commentators in both the Arab world and in Israel's much-diminished "peace camp" noted that since Obama has never moved beyond words in his push to freeze settlement construction, there seemed little reason to hope he would do so in his pursuit of the broader peace settlement, either.

Meanwhile, there have been worrying signs of discord among the team consisting of Obama and top peace-team members. One well-connected Arab observer told IPS that he judged that Obama's shift in focus from the settlement freeze to the final-status issue signaled the president's frustration with the approach that Mitchell has used until now.

This observer said he judged Mitchell had paid too much attention to pushing for the settlement freeze, which was only ever seen as an interim step. It was described by Mitchell and others as part of a package - along with some sweeteners from Arab states -that would help build initial confidence between the parties.

But both Netanyahu and the most powerful Arab states balked at providing what Mitchell asked for. Meanwhile, many valuable months have been wasted - months during which settlement building has continued with little pause.

The Arab observer said his understanding of Mitchell's approach, as demonstrated in his successful mediation in Northern Ireland in the 1990s, was that it involved having negotiators from the warring parties participate in lengthy face-to-face encounters during which their fears and distrust could slowly be melted away.

Another Washington analyst has observed that that approach may have been helpful in Northern Ireland, or South Africa, where the aim was to help warring parties find a way to live together over the long term within a single state.

"But in the case of Israel and Palestine, we're talking about a divorce," she said. "All these two need to talk about is the terms of that divorce, and how to do it in a way that works."

Additional evidence of high-level discord in the White House came in an interview Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, gave to television host Charlie Rose Wednesday night.

Just the day before, Obama had spelled out that peace is "in the interests of the United States". But Emanuel told Rose a couple of times that the U.S. "can't want peace more than [the parties] want it".

That was a formula frequently used during the Clinton and Bush II administrations to signify that, if a difference should emerge between Washington and Israel over the peace diplomacy, then Washington would back down.

Regarding the next steps in the U.S.-led diplomacy, Obama said Tuesday that he had asked Netanyahu and Abbas to send their negotiators to Washington "next week", and he had asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to report to him on the status of these negotiations in mid-October.

Maan News reported from Israeli-occupied Bethlehem today that Abbas's top negotiator, Saeb Erakat, would be participating in the talks, due to start Oct. 1.

In Washington Friday, veteran Palestinian negotiator Hanan Ashrawi warned that Obama's failure to win the settlement freeze and the extreme reluctance he showed toward holding Israel in any way accountable for its defiance had weakened not only Obama's standing among Palestinians and other Arabs, but also that of Mahmoud Abbas.

"The whole process Obama has gone through until now has lost Abu Mazen a lot of credibility with the Palestinian people," she said, using the name Palestinians use for Abbas.

"For Palestinians it's very important that our leadership not constantly be the one to give in," she said.

Ashrawi, who was a member of the Palestinian delegation at the 1991 Madrid peace talks, said she thought Obama's speech to General Assembly Wednesday seemed to "salvage" his policy somewhat. "So, he said the right thing there," she said. "But now we need to see if he can make the right moves."

She judged that the latest developments in the diplomacy had weakened Abbas significantly among all sectors of the Palestinian people - including with the grassroots in his own party, Fatah.

For their part, the leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas issued a statement Thursday that urged Abbbas and Fatah to "stop deceiving and misleading the Palestinian people by attaching more hopes on the 'useless' negotiations with the Israelis." The Hamas statement also strongly criticised Obama's "obvious" bias toward the Israelis.

Fatah and Hamas will be sending high-level emissaries to Cairo on Sunday to take part in yet another in the long series of reconciliation they have held over recent months.

There are few signs yet that the upcoming round of talks will succeed where so many others have failed.

With those two big Palestinian movements still at loggerheads, the Obama administration apparently split and anyway unwilling to confront Israel on key issues, and Israel's peace movement now a mere shadow of its former vibrant self, the prospects for rapid success in the diplomacy look very dim.

[Helena Cobban is a veteran Middle East analyst and author. She blogs at www.JustWorldNews.org]

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Naim Ateek in `Cornerstone': The Laundering of Words and the Oppression of Palestinians

2009-09-28T11:56:00.001-07:00

Cornerstone "...and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

Sabeel's Cornerstone, a quarterly newsletter: http://www.sabeel.org/etemplate.php?id=5

In his introductory article, Sabeel director Naim Ateek deals with truth and language. I post the entire article here. For much more, see the full 18-page newsletter which includes articles by Gideon Levey, George Appleton and Joy Mead.

The Laundering of Words and the Oppression of Palestinians
by the Rev. Naim Ateek

“… so also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue – a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth
come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so” (James 3:5-10).

Words are powerful instruments that people use for good and evil. Someone once said that people need to handle words carefully because they have more power than an atomic bomb. The letter of James in the New Testament, from which the above quotation is taken, is only one example of the power of words which we all use and abuse. For James, the tongue is a small member but it is capable of great exploits. Words can be “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” With words we can bless God and one another and with words we can curse them. If words are not controlled, they can consume people like fire. This phenomenon is not new. From time immemorial, human beings have discovered the power and subtlety of language and the use and misuse of words.

From the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the propaganda machine of the state of Israel has coined words, created myths, produced stereotypes, and crafted propaganda tools in order to justify and legitimize the Zionist narrative, while at the same time, it has managed to cast doubt upon and negate the Palestinian narrative. Through the power of laundered words Israel has been successful, to a large extent, in presenting itself to the West as the victim in the conflict over Palestine and not as the victimizer. Through the power of words, Israel has smeared the Palestinians as a bunch of warmongers, innately violent, and by nature, enemies of peace, while presenting itself as peace-seeker and peace-loving. What the government of Israel has done is to write and propagate the history of the conflict through its own prism and with laundered words.

Consequently, many Israelis have grown up believing the image of the Palestinian and the Arab that has been fashioned by Israel. In addition they have been given a powerful vocabulary of laundered words that they employ whenever they refer to the Palestinians and Arabs. It isimportant for the reader to realize that the words that are used have been laundered by the strong detergent of the Israeli propaganda machine and are intended not only to hide reality, but also to change it. In this issue of Cornerstone, Sabeel’s objective is to help the reader to discern the truth because the truth is capable of setting people free. Jesus said: “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32)

The main article in this issue is written by Gideon Levy, a well known Israeli journalist to whom we are deeply grateful. In this editorial, I am introducing the theme from my own experience with Israel as well as from the writings of others.

It is important to note that before 1967, the Arab citizens of Israel could not refer to themselves as Palestinians; it was taboo. They were known as Arabs and collectively as the Arab minority in Israel. The first identity cards (ID) issued by the new state of Israel after 1948 used the word “Palestinian” to describe their nationality. Later the Israeli government issued new ID’s and replaced “Palestinian” with the more generic term “Arab.” After that, the word “Palestinian” could not be used. It was revived only after the 1967 war when Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

From the beginning, the Israeli state recognized the power of words and their psychological effect. By laundering words, Israel hoped to change reality, create new realities, erase memory, and induce a change in people’s vocabulary. This was achieved partly by the laundering of words and partly through the use of the newly imposed Hebrew language on the Palestinian Arabs who became citizens of Israel. Avraham Burg, in his book, The Holocaust is Over; We Must Rise From Its Ashes, writes:“…the modern Hebrew language employs word laundering to mask an arrogant, violent and even racist attitude toward the Arab enemy. In everyday spoken Hebrew, the adjective Arab has a bad connotation.”1 “Israel’s word laundering is among the most advanced in the world….” (Burg, 61).

Laundered words are deceptive and intended to hide and suppress the reality and truth of the situation. They create misconceptions that aim at softening injustice and oppression, and attempt to justify and rationalize mistreatment. In short, laundered words blame the victim as being the actual perpetrator of the injustice and acquits the guilty party. As an example, the government of Israel has never admitted any responsibility for the 1948 Nakba when, directly or indirectly, it displaced over three quarters of a million Palestinians from their homes and refused to allow them to return, thus violating the terms of international law and UN resolutions. Israel then turned around and created myths and lies about the Nakba. Israel has always maintained that it did not drive the Palestinians out of their homes in 1948; they simply fled of their own volition. Despite the scientific and well documented research that has been done by Israeli Jewish historians, which prove that the expulsion of the Palestinian people was clearly planned by the Zionist leaders, the government of Israel continues to ignore and deny such irrefutable evidence.2 This explanation has been one of the oldest myths used by Israel, despite the personal testimonies of tens of thousands of Palestinians who were forced at gunpoint to leave their villages, like my family, which was driven out of Beisan.

Similarly, for the government of Israel, East Jerusalem is not “occupied” it is “liberated.” Israel does not use the word “occupation” for the West Bank because it believes that all the land is the “Land of Israel.” The usual Israeli reply is: “How can you occupy your own land?” By doing this, Israel lives in its own illusory world creating false realities and giving its people false hopes. In the Israeli Jewish psyche and logic, if there is no occupation then there is no oppression and no injustice. The Palestinians are only foreigners who are resident aliens who create trouble, commit violence and terror against the Jewish owners of the land. Therefore, when the army kills Palestinians they are only uprooting the violence and the terrorists. Killing terrorists is not murder; it is self defense. Thus,soldiers need not feel guilty when killing Palestinians. It is a sick psychology that rests on false premises and deceptive words. Indeed, the international community talks about a belligerent Israeli occupation while Israel marches through history talking about liberating and redeeming the land.

This reminds me of what happened at the time of the prophet Jeremiah. The political situation in the country was extremely tense. There was an impending Babylonian military threat against Jerusalem. Some people, however, were taking things very lightly and spreading rumors that since God was on their side no harm would come to Jerusalem. They were crying out: “peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah6:14). Jeremiah called such words deceptive: “Do not trust those deceptive words” (Jer. 7:4).

Deceptive words are received by some people. They give comfort and assurance but, ultimately, they deceive because they convey false realities and create false hopes. Sooner or later, people discover the deception and deviousness.

In a section of his book, Avraham Burg focuses on Israeli use of laundered words. He writes that in the Nazi documents one seldom finds words like “destruction,” “elimination,”“murder,” or “killing” to describe what the Nazis were planning to do to Jews. What one finds are words like “evacuation,” “special treatment,” “relocation,” “work in the East,” “residential relocation,” and “final solution.” He continues: “The special terminology was developed to allay the fears of Jews so that they would go easily to the centers of death, believing they were going to work in the East….” (Burg, 58).

Burg adds: “A civilization that employs laundered words uses a false language to represent a false culture and allows a state to wash itself clean of any responsibility for acts done in their name. ‘I didn’t know,’ ‘I wasn’t told,’ ‘It can’t be, the newspaper didn’t report it’ are common manifestations of responses to laundered language.” Burg believes that the reply should be: “They did tell you, but in words that allowed you to not acknowledge their true meaning. They told you, but in a way that enabled you to not know what you did not want to know” (Burg, 59).

With the presence of a right-wing government in Israel there is fear that the laundered words, the inflammatory language, the deception and the lies might begin to affect people at the center. Burg says, “Inflammatory language arouses passions but creates false warmth. They allow themselves to speak words that should not be spoken in respectable places. Extremism moves from the fringes of xenophobic nationalism to the more moderate right and from there on to the cultural and political mainstream. The circles of influence almost always parallel those of indifference” (Burg, 63). The racist views of a person like Avigdor Lieberman, the foreign minister of Israel, might be rejected as extremist in the beginning, but with time, the same words might be accepted and eventually affect others at the center.

We must witness to the fact that laundered words do not contribute to peacemaking. On the contrary, they inflame anger, hate, and revenge. Laundered words are as devastating and damaging as the physical oppression of the occupation itself. Whereas the first target of the occupation is to hurt the body, the primary target of laundered words is to hurt the spirit and the soul and to break the will and morale of people. It is our duty and responsibility to expose the destructive phenomenon of laundered words. It must be resisted and confronted as an evil that must be rooted out. It is an ugly form of racism that we all detest.

Ultimately, it is truth and not lies that will endure. It is light and not darkness that will prevail.

1 Burg, Avraham. The Holocaust is Over; We Must Rise From Its Ashes. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
2 See Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004 and Pappe, Ilan. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. Oxford: Oneworld Publications Limited, 2006.

The Rev. Naim Ateek is the Director of Sabeel, the Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem.

To read the entire edition of Cornerstone, go to the website: http://www.sabeel.org/etemplate.php?id=5

The Sabeel website is: http://www.sabeel.org/

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go to "A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Middle East Peace" - http://voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/

Reports from Deheisheh and Jerusalem: IFPB delegation

2009-09-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) fosters a network of informed and active individuals who understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the United States’ political, military, and economic role in it. To build and nurture such a network, IFPB leads diverse delegations to Israel/Palestine - http://www.ifpb.org/

Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (USC) organized a 23-member delegation to Israel/Palestine. I share here a couple of reports from a member of the delegation. To read more click this link: http://www.ifpb.org/del31/default.html

"To Exist Is To Resist"

As we walked through the winding alleys of Deheisheh Refugee Camp, we saw bashful children standing in doorways and not so bashful children playing in the street, old bleached, curled remnants of martyr posters were still pasted on some walls, but it was the prominent martyr paintings and “Palestine” graffiti that caught our eyes. During the second Intifada, Dheisheh, whose residents had lost so much to Israel, became among its fiercest resisters. The Israeli response was severe, invading the camp and searching house to house, punching through walls instead of entering through doors and traumatizing families. Some twenty multistory homes were demolished by Israelis as “homes to terrorists” despite the fact that made dozens of innocents homeless and only further radicalized those affected. Nearly everyone in the camp knows someone who was killed during the Second Intifada and many of the camp’s men have served lengthy terms in Israeli military prison without trial. Post-traumatic stress would be rampant, if the trauma could be categorized as post rather than ongoing.

Yet, Dheisheh’s residents have held on, remembering their heritage and identifying themselves as being from their home villages. Instead of agonizing, they have organized. Lacking any community space, they pooled their together their meager resources and built the Phoenix Community Center, a place now that plays host to weddings, dance troupes, educational facilities and summer camps. Today, just persisting or being steadfast- sumud in Arabic- is their main way of resisting Israeli military rule that is so hostile to their living an everyday life.
--Dave Matos

"Jerusalem: To share or not to share"

For our first day on the ground, our delegation tackled one of the central and most emotional issues at the core of peace -making between Israelis and Palestinians: Jerusalem. Both Israelis and Palestinians have a strong emotional connection to this holy city for the three Abrahamaic faiths. But it would be a mistake to simply pigeon-hole the conflict over Jerusalem as a petty squabble over holy sites; rather, it is a nationalistic contest for control of the Jerusalem as their capital city.

Since 1948, the UN's plan to keep Jerusalem as an international city open to all failed miserably. Fierce fighting between Zionists and Arab forces, divided Jerusalem in two in 1948, rendering a Jewish West Jerusalem and a Jordanian-controlled Arab East Jerusalem. Wealthy Arab neighborhoods in West Jerusalem were summarily emptied of their inhabitants to be replaced by Jewish denizens, as our guide pointed out on our bus trip into Jerusalem upon our arrival. However, despite their drive for Jerusalem, Zionist forces failed to capture the Old City, home to the holiest sites. The Old City and East Jerusalem remained an Arab populated and controlled city... until 1967, when Israel conquered East Jerusalem and finally laid claim to the Old City, and the West Bank and Gaza to boot.

While most peace advocates agree that a shared Jerusalem, with Israel maintaining a capital in West Jerusalem and Palestine maintaining a capital in East Jerusalem and negotiated management of Old City holy sites precious to Israeli Jews and Palestinian Christians and Muslims, Israeli policies since 1967 have not moved in that direction. As explained in a morning briefing from ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions), Israel "annexed" the whole of Jerusalem in 1969, declaring it the "indivisible and eternal" Jewish capital, a change which the international community has not recognized, and embarked on a set of actions to change the character of Arab-populated East Jerusalem. For one, the boundaries of this new united Jerusalem were carefully chosen to deliver Maximum Land, Minimum Arabs. Open and sparsely populated spaces far to the East fell within the new boundaries; however, traditional Arab neighborhoods often found themselves divided or outside the newly defined city limits. Zoning was then implemented to strictly constrain the development of Arab neighborhoods, much of the open land being designated "green zones." However, instead of reserving these green zones as nature preserves, several of them became home to Israeli Jewish settlements, illegal population transfers under international law.

While Jewish population growth was encouraged, the Palestinian Arab population of East Jerusalem found itself under increasingly discriminatory and onerous restrictions through zoning and permit requirements. It became exceedingly rare for Israel to issue very expensive building permits for Arabs. While many technocratic reasons were given, the gross disparity indicates the true reason for the denial of these building permits was a discriminatory policy towards Jerusalem’s Arab population. The result has been a severe housing shortage, driving the price beyond the reach of some Arab citizens of Jerusalem and putting heavy economic pressure on the rest. One of Israel's cruelest policies to displace the Arab population is home demolitions. We circled the hillside around the Silwan neighborhood (named for the ancient pools of Siloam) that the Israelis call the City of David. Under the pretext of archaeological excavation, some seventy homes in this Arab neighborhood have been placed under demolition order. Again, the disparity between illegal Israeli settlements encouraged by the Israeli government and illegal Palestinian Arab homes that are built anyway for the lack of issued permits shows a grossly discriminating policy. Luckily, US diplomatic pressure has given a temporary stay for these homes, but it is uncertain how long this will last.

To make a peace where Israel and Palestine share Jerusalem will require the world community to confront these policies, specifically the settlements which seem to have become "facts on the ground" to divide and fragment an Arab East Jerusalem. The Obama administration has taken a strong stand against settlements, including those in East Jerusalem. Despite the US call to enforce a settlement freeze, the Netanyahu regime in Israel has thumbed its nose at Obama's challenge. They have declared several new settlement projects in East Jerusalem, most recently 20 units in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Increasingly, pro-Israeli media have become more shrill on the issue. Just last Monday a settler group held a protest at the Israeli Knesset and settler youth have taken the offensive creating some twenty new illegal outposts. Obama is right on this issue and it is critical that we support him and not buckle to pressure from the pro-Israeli right.
--Dave Matos

For more about Interfaith Peace-Builders, see the website: http://www.ifpb.org/

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CMEP on White House and Settlements

2009-09-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Churches for Middle East Peace reports on the White House Statement on Settlements & "Palestinian Authority Only" stamp. There is lots more information at www.cmep.org

1. White House Statement on Israeli Settlements

On September 4, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued a statement in response to reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu plans to approve hundreds of new housing units in the West Bank prior to a moratorium on settlement construction. "We regret the reports of Israel's plans to approve additional settlement construction. Continued settlement activity is inconsistent with Israel's commitment under the Roadmap…The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement expansion and we urge that it stop."

The U.S. is currently working with Israelis, Palestinians, and Arab states on the steps they must take to resume meaningful negotiations. The White House statement explains the importance of a settlement freeze saying, "We are working to create a climate in which negotiations can take place, and such actions make it harder to create such a climate."

The Administration reaffirmed its commitment to Israel's security saying that security for Israel "can best be achieved through comprehensive peace in the region, including a two-state solution with a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel."

Talks between U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell and Israeli authorities are continuing. President Obama is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 21, and many are hopeful there will be some announcement about peace efforts at that time. Stay tuned.

To read the official White House statement, please go to - http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-the-Press-Secretary-on-Israeli-Settlements/

Background Reading:

"Remarks to the Press," Ian Kelly, United States Department of State, September 4, 2009 -
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/sept/128675.htm

"U.S. 'regrets' Netanyahu plan to approve new West Bank homes," Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff, and Akiva Eldar, Haaretz, September 5, 2009 - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1112403.html
.
"West Bank settlement growth looks likely," Richard Boudreaux and Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times, September 5, 2009 - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-mideast5-2009sep05,0,2602090.story

2. "Palestinian Authority Only" Stamp

An Israeli policy that denies some Americans entry to Israel appears to be targeting Arab-Americans. Arab Americans have complained to the Department of State because this "Palestinian Authority only" stamp is seen as arbitrary discrimination. The stamp bars these Americans from entering Israel and Jerusalem and thus, could prevent American citizens from reaching the American Consulate and the American Embassy.

On August 19, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "We have made it quite known to the Israeli Government…that we expect all American citizens to be treated the same regardless of their national origin. And this kind of - these kinds of restrictions we consider unacceptable."

The 1951 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the U.S. and Israel says that U.S. citizens traveling to Israel be permitted "to travel therein freely, to reside at places of their choice; to enjoy liberty of conscience..." The United States has continuously made it clear to the Israeli government that fair and consistent treatment of U.S citizens, regardless of ethnicity, is a priority.

Background Reading:

"U.S. blasts Israel's limits on U.S. visitors to W. Bank," Barak Ravid, Amira Hass and Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz, August 21, 2009 - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1108778.html

"Daily Press Briefing," Ian Kelly, United States Department of State, August 19, 2009 - http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/aug/128060.htm

"Arab Americans complain to Clinton about Israeli 'discrimination'," Agence France-Presse, September 3, 2009 - http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jBEv3mJwZkyymXUKktEoFRZj2NjA

"Enough is Enough," Dr. James Zogby, Arab American Institute, August 31, 2009 - http://www.aaiusa.org/washington-watch/4235/enough-is-enough

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ICAHD Building Camps: "...a small group of people, fueled by a passion against injustice"

2009-09-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions hosts an annual Building Camp. I am posting a sample entry from among the daily reports. For more like this, go to ... http://www.icahd.org/eng/

ICAHD Building Camp 2009: Day 4

Anata, East Jerusalem, Yesterday I spoke with a Jerusalem Post reporter, and invited her to come and see the camp in Anata for herself. She couldn’t, she told me, “because we’re not allowed to go to the West Bank.” And that’s a shame, because that means she won’t be able to see and report on so many things that might help her audience understand what occupation means to the more than 2 million residents of the West Bank. She won’t see the curious children who come to our construction site near the Israeli “security fence,” the wall that snakes through the West Bank, cutting through villages, separating farmers from their land, and even splitting in two the campus of Al Quds University (Al Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem).

Some of the children began throwing stones at the soldiers by the wall the other day, drawing attention from the police and making us nervous that they might shut down our project, a home for the Sbaih family, whose previous house was demolished by the Israeli authorities. (Some 15 percent of the 162 houses that ICAHD has reconstructed over the last seven years have been re-demolished by the Israeli military—the reconstruction work is at least as much a statement of resistance as it is an effort to provide homes for Palestinians, and the families who participate do so with this understanding.)

The Jerusalem Post reporter won’t see the contrast between the illegal Israeli settlements here — lush green landscaped communities with municipal swimming pools and well-maintained roads — and the Palestinian villages, whose narrow streets, if they are paved at all, are so uneven that the vans we cram into to go to our worksites can only travel at five or ten miles an hour most of the time. Jeff took us on a tour of one of these communities yesterday — Ma’ale Adumim. It encompasses land stretching all the way to the Dead Sea, and, when construction finishes, it will nearly bisect the West Bank. It includes an industrial park and an aeronautics and space college. This school is intended to turn out technicians to work at the airport that is planned to serve “Greater Jerusalem,” itself a sprawling swathe of land with settlements topping the hills and dividing the surrounding Palestinian villages from each other.

Most people live in Ma’ale Adumim more for economic than ideological reasons; unlike the religious settlers who believe the land was deeded to them directly from god, they moved to the settlement because government subsidies make it financially attractive and they feel alienated from the Orthodox population that is ever more dominant in Jerusalem. Residents drive to work in the city every day, as they do in suburban bedroom communities in the United States, but here they use four-lane highways reserved for Jews, while Palestinians must travel on smaller side roads, going through checkpoints that the settlers never see. The ubiquitous checkpoints that can cause a trip of 10 miles to take hours are tucked out of sight in the tunnels where the Palestinian roads pass under the settler highways.

Even the wall itself is constructed so that it is not so intrusive from the Israeli side. While Palestinians are greeted by a 25-foot concrete barrier, often on the Israeli side, the area approaching the wall is a gentle slope with landscaping. The Israeli journalist won’t see the irony of the acres and acres of stumps from Palestinian olive trees that have been cut down by the military, while other ancient trees with thick gnarled trunks have been uprooted whole and transplanted to beautify the grassy traffic circles in the settlements. “Imagine seeing a 400-year-old olive tree that has been in your family for generations planted in a Jewish settlement,” says Jeff. These green oases with their grass- and tree-lined streets are a tremendous drain on the water resources of the region. Israel and its settlements in the West Bank use 85 percent of the water from the West Bank, while in many Palestinian villages and cities, municipal water comes only two days a week.

And it’s too bad the reporter won’t come to our construction site to see what a small group of people, fueled by a passion against injustice, can accomplish. In only a few days, we have gone from a bare foundation to a structure with four walls and a roof, with the beginnings of interior walls tracing out the rooms where a family will raise children, eat, drink, sleep, and, we hope, grow old together.Yes, with a little effort, it’s possible to go through life in Israel and the settlements without ever seeing a Palestinian. And that’s the real shame.

Find this report and others at the ICAHD website:
http://www.icahd.org/eng/news.asp?menu=5&submenu=1&item=734

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Update on schools of the ELCJHL

2009-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

The "calendar" pages distributed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) have featured schools this summer. While the calendars are not available on the church's web page, you can subscribe and receive them on a regular basis. Contact Allison K. Schmitt, communication assistant: communication@elcjhl.org

September 2009
Ramallah students graduate, dance, advocate and learn

Like all the schools of the ELCJHL, the Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah is a busy place, even during the summer break. In recent months, it awarded diplomas to 37 young people, its 30th graduating class. Its environmental club organized activities on World Water Day. It
hosted “Expo 17,” a vocational, technological, scientific and art exhibition.

The Al Raja Dance Troupe, perhaps the school’s best known group, was active as well. The Troupe’s 30 dabka dancers, who range in age from 7th grade to 11th grade, showed off their considerable talents to a large audience of appreciative parents, distinguished guest, family members and peers at the Ramallah Cultural Palace in June.

Dabka is the traditional Palestinian dance that reflects daily life in Palestine. Dabka dance weaves Palestinian culture, history, tradition and national identity into this lively, joyful form of line dance. For the students, it is an expression of their hopes for freedom and a just peace.

After a busy summer, everyone at the School of Hope is preparing and looking forward to another successful school year.

Prayer:
God of all: We thank you for giving us the ability to learn. Be with all those who begin studies this month, giving them curious, creative minds and talented educators. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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August 2009
“Extras” are the tradition at Dar al-Kalima School

In education, there’s curriculum – math, science, language, social studies – and there’s extra-curricula – sports, music, art and the like. But developers of the ELCJHL Dar al-Kalima School
in Bethlehem felt so strongly about training the whole child that the so-called “extras” were built into the school day.

Since its founding in 2000, Dar al-Kalima’s school day has included seven periods of traditional classes as well as one period for an extra-curricular subject of the student’s choice. The Extra-Curricular Program, as it is called, offers a wide variety of options, from traditional subjects such as geography and chemistry to non-traditional offerings such as drama, embroidery, art, music and story-telling. Students choose their ECP schedule based on their own interests and are encouraged to value and care for their own personal development, paying equal attention to academic, physical and spiritual needs.

Students also have access to facilities of the Dar al-Kalima Health and Wellness Center, a fitness center and clinic located on the campus of the school. Classes in swimming, aerobics and dance are offered regularly.

Prayer:
Creator God: You created us to reason, move, relate and create. Help all your children develop into what you made them to be and to use those gifts to serve others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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For more about the schools of the ELCJHL, see this link at the churches' website: http://www.elcjhl.org/ed/emmission.asp

ELCA Middle East Network Newsletter - August 2009

2009-08-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Middle East Network Newsletter
August 26, 2009

In this issue:

+ Churchwide Assembly reaffirms commitments in ELCA Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine
+ Talking with Jews and Muslims about Israel-Palestine in our local communities
+ Update on Holy Land youth mission
+ Churches for Middle East Peace: Church leaders send letter to Secretary Clinton on East Jerusalem home evictions
+ Latest reports from United Nations OCHA-OPT

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Churchwide Assembly reaffirms commitments in ELCA Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine

On August 22 by a vote of 690-125, the 11th ELCA Churchwide Assembly reaffirmed the ELCA's commitment to eight tasks relative to the Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine. Specifically, the assembly voted "to reaffirm the commitment of this church to:

1. Continue its awareness-building, accompaniment, andadvocacy on behalf of a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine;
2. Evaluate and refine its peace-making efforts to demonstrate as fully as possible the "balanced ... care for all parties" expressed in the Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine (2005; Sect. II.A), while continuing our unique relationship with and accompaniment of Palestinian Christians and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL);
3. Learn more about the experiences of both Israelis and Palestinians and their mutual fears, aspirations, and hopes;
4. Work to convey the concerns and perspectives of Palestinians and Israelis that dispel stereotypes and caricatures and promote better understanding;
5. Lift up the voices within both communities, especially those of victims of violence, that seek peace with justice through nonviolent responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
6. Continue to help alleviate the humanitarian needs of all of those affected by the conflict, especially in Gaza;
7. Support U.S. funding that promotes peace and cooperation for all parties to the conflict; and
8. Continue to pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples."

The second task above was added by the Assembly to the report of the Memorials Committee which included the other seven tasks. The new task was moved by voting member Pr. Richard B. Geib of Lower Susquehanna Synod.

The second task quotes from Section II A of the Strategy, from a list of "assumptions" which "undergird the ELCA's commitment to intensify its work for peace with justice in Israel and Palestine." The sentence from the Strategy reads in full:
2. Balance. Effective ELCA action will be balanced in terms of its care for all parties in the conflict, but must address forthrightly imbalances of power as they play out in the lives of people in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Peace Not Walls staff welcome comments about how the ELCA can best fulfill these tasks.

Earlier at the Churchwide Assembly, on Tuesday, August 18, a hearing was held on the Strategy. The meeting place was"standing room only," and initial comments were made by Bishops Bruce Burnside, Dean Nelson, Duane Pedersen and Margaret Payne.

Peace Not Walls staff responded to questions such as how we can interact with our Jewish neighbors when discussing theIsrael-Palestine conflict, what we can do if we can't travel to the Holy Land, how the church can speak more clearly than governments which are often constrained in what they can and cannot say, what the ELCA is doing to promote economic progressin the West Bank, and what resources are available to teach about peace in our congregations. Voting members also described personal experiences and offered opinions, such as having been a medical staff volunteer at Augusta Victoria Hospital, the value in meeting with the "Living Stones" in all three faith communities when visiting the area, the importance of being aware of the conflicting narratives and concerns of Israelis andPalestinians and the need to build trust and come to discussions and encounters with humility, the benefit of doing critical biblical and theological work about the conflict, and the dire need for the Mount of Olives Housing Project to provide shelter and a way for the Christian community to remain a significant part of the Palestinian population.

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Talking with Jews and Muslims about Israel-Palestine in ourlocal communities

Voting members at the August 18 Churchwide Assembly hearing on the Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine raised this iss ue and were referred to the following existing resources:

a. Jewish-Lutheran Talking Points - http://ga6.org/ct/gdLYbS51mja4/

b. Windows for Understanding: Jewish-Muslim-Lutheran Relations - http://ga6.org/ct/g1LYbS51mjaX/

c. Covenantal Conversations book, exploring the shared theological framework, special historical relationship, andpost-Holocaust developments and current trouble spots that situate the Jewish-Christian relationship today (accompanying video in production) - http://ga6.org/ct/5pLYbS51mja3/

d. ELCA Christian-Muslim resources - http://ga6.org/ct/g7LYbS51mjar/

e. National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace inthe Middle East (NILI) statements that can be used in local relationships - http://ga6.org/ct/gpLYbS51mjaf/

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Update on Holy Land youth mission

Apply now for the Holy Land Youth mission trip scheduled for July 8-22, 2010, sponsored by ELCA Global Mission, theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the Southeast Michigan Synod. The trip will be a mix of a leadership, peace-building camp with Palestinian youth from theELCJHL and an opportunity to see ancient holy sites and meet people of all faiths who are working together to advocate for peace with justice.

Complete and return the application available online at http://ga6.org/ct/t7LYbS51mjac/.
Cost is expected to be $2000 in addition to airfare. Although the deadline is in December, spaces are filling and limited. It is expected the trip will include about 25 youth (from sophomore year in high school to age 22) and about 7 adults. Fundraising suggestions will soon be available online. Email peacenotwalls@elca.org or call Julie Rowe at 1-800 638 3522 Ext. 2720 with questions.

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Churches for Middle East Peace: Church leaders send letter to Secretary Clinton on East Jerusalem home evictions

Church leaders including ELCA presiding bishop, the Rev. Mark S.Hanson, sent a letter from Churches for Middle East Peace to Secretary of State Clinton this month in response to the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem. The letter thanks Clinton for her August 3 statement that "'eviction of families...in East Jerusalem is not in keeping with Israeli obligations.'" The letter notes that "this action took place in the sensitive Sheikh Jarrah section of East Jerusalem close to the 1949 Armistice Line or Green Line," and that the action "undercuts U.S. efforts to create an environment for starting talks for a comprehensive peace agreement and is therefore harmful to both the Palestinians and Israelis hopes for peace." It concludes by calling for "the immediate reversal of this ill-considered eviction" and "the restoration of these houses to their former residents."

Read the full text of the letter at http://ga6.org/ct/t1LYbS51mjae/.

Read the ELCA August 12 news release on the letter - http://ga6.org/ct/tpLYbS51mjaB/

For more, see the August 2009, Fact Sheet: "Sheikh Jarrah" at http://ga6.org/ct/b1LYbS51mjav/.

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Latest reports from United Nations OCHA-OPT

August 2009 Special Focus: The humanitarian impact of two years of blockade on the Gaza Strip - http://ga6.org/ct/bdLYbS51mja5/

West Bank and Gaza Closure Maps June 2009 - http://ga6.org/ct/b7LYbS51mjat/(also at http://ga6.org/ct/tdLYbS51mjad/ )

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Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://ga6.org/join-forward.html?domain=elca_advocacy&r=YdLYbS5q0gxN

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ELCA's amended Peace Not Walls action

2009-08-24T16:27:00.001-07:00

[second corrected version]

For the record, the action of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in assembly regard to its strategy, “Peace Not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy Land” was adopted as amended.

The amendment added a new paragraph at #2, below.

The amended action reads this way:
To reaffirm the commitment of this church to:
1. Continue its awareness-building, accompaniment,and advocacy on behalf of a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine;
2. Evaluate and refine its peace-making efforts to demonstrate as fully as possible the "balanced ... care for all parties" expressed in the Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine (2005; Sect.II.A), while continuing our unique relationship with and accompaniment of Palestinian Christians and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL);
3. Learn more about the experiences of both Israelis and Palestinians and their mutual fears, aspirations, and hopes;
4. Work to convey the concerns and perspectives of Palestinians and Israelis that dispel stereotypes and caricatures and promote better understanding;
5. Lift up the voices within both communities, especially those of victims of violence, that seek peace with justice through nonviolent responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
6. Continue to help alleviate the humanitarian needs of all of those affected by the conflict, especially in Gaza;
7. Support U.S. funding that promotes peace and cooperation for all parties to the conflict; and8. Continue to pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
8. Continue to pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and>the Holy Land and for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

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ELCA Churchwide Assembly underway in Minneapolis this week

2009-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is meeting in assembly at Minneapolis this week. See all the business at this link: http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Office-of-the-Secretary/ELCA-Governance/Churchwide-Assembly.aspx

There is a recommendation scheduled for action which affirms the church's commitment to its Peace Not Walls campaign. Peace Not Walls: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls.aspx

A number of synods put forth "memorials" that can be found at this link: http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Office-of-the-Secretary/ELCA-Governance/Churchwide-Assembly/Actions/Voting.aspx#Memorials

This is the Recommendation for Assembly Action:

To receive the memorials of the Eastern Washington-Idaho, Southwestern Texas, Indiana-Kentucky, New England, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Lower Susquehanna,and Metropolitan Washington, D.C., synods related to the ELCA strategy, “Peace Not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy Land”;

To reaffirm the commitment of this church to:

1. Continue its awareness-building, accompaniment,and advocacy on behalf of a peaceful resolution ofthe conflict between Israel and Palestine;

2. Learn more about the experiences of both Israelis and Palestinians and their mutual fears, aspirations, and hopes;

3. Work to convey the concerns and perspectives of Palestinians and Israelis that dispel stereotypes and caricatures and promote better understanding;

4. Lift up the voices within both communities, especially those of victims of violence, that seek peace with justice through nonviolent responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;

5. Continue to help alleviate the humanitarian needs of all of those affected by the conflict, especially in Gaza;

6. Support U.S. funding that promotes peace and cooperation for all parties to the conflict; and

7. Continue to pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

There may be substitute motions put forth from the floor, but I am not aware of their language or the timing of such an effort. I invite anyone who has more information that I do to post their comments here. Thanks.

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US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation - national organizers conference

2009-08-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

I want to share this information from the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

From the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Coming up in Chicago 8th Annual National Organizers' Conference!
September 12-13, 2009

This is an exciting time for our movement to change U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel to support human rights, international law, and equality. We have a new President who, for the first time in decades, is exerting pressure on Israel to end settlement activity. This past year we witnessed over $3.3 million of divestment from Caterpillar and the first U.S. college to divest from the occupation, and are gearing up to build on these successes with our fall organizing tour. Join us in Chicago Sept. 12-13 to help plan the future of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation during these exciting times.

See below for information about this exciting gathering:

LOCATION: We will be holding our 8th Annual National Organizers' Conference at the UniversityCenter in beautiful downtown Chicago at 525 South State Street (the intersection of State Street and Congress Parkway). For more information on how to get there, please click here. (http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2065)

REGISTRATION: Now open. The registration fee is $75 and will include conference packets, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and admission to the Saturday key-note speech. To register and pay, click here. (http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2003)

SPEAKERS: We are excited to announce that Omar Barghouti and Rashid Khalidi will be speaking at our conference. See below for the biographies of these two amazing advocates for justice. More details on conference agenda will be announced soon.

Omar Barghouti is a Palestinian political commentator and human rights activist currently studying at Tel Aviv University. He is a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and author of numerous articles and essays on the Israeli Occupation.

Rashid Khalidi is a Palestinian-American historian on Middle East affairs. He currently serves as the director of the Middle East Institute and profession of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, and has previously held positions at the University of Chicago, GeorgetownUniversity, and the American University of Beirut. He is a founding trustee of The Center for Palestine Research and Studies and author of six books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also sits on the US Campaign's Advisory Board.

AGENDA: This year's annual conference will be extremely important; all member groups of the US Campaign should start making plans to send delegates today. We'll be discussing the political situation and its implications for our work in the United States, our ongoing political and legislative work challenging military aid to Israel, the functioning of the coalition, and next steps forward on our Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaigns. Details for proposal applications will be announced soon. We will be bringing back our Grassroots Training Institute. More details on conference agenda to be announced. (http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2004)

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS IN GOOD-STANDING: Please note that while individuals and member groups of the US Campaign are encouraged to attend the conference, only delegates of member organizations in good-standing are allowed to submit proposals and vote at the conference. "In good standing" means that your group has paid its membership dues for 2009. Annual membership dues are set at between $100-$1,000 or more depending on the size and budget of the group. Groups that are unable to pay $100/year can contribute $50 or request a waiver of the membership fee from the Steering Committee. Please click here to check to see if your group is "in good standing."You can renew your dues by emailing the National Membership & Outreach Coordinator at office@endtheoccupation.org. (http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2055)

FAQs: We have anticipated some questions you might have and went ahead and offered answers. Click here to read the frequently asked questions. (http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1624)

GRASSROOTS TRAINING INSTITUTE: We are happy to announce the return of the Grassroots Training Institute (GTI) on Sunday, September 13. Please be sure to indicate in your registration form which 3 GTI workshops you are interested in attending.

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
www.endtheoccupation.org

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ELCA Bishop Boerger to speak in Lynnwood, Wash.

2009-08-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

Readers in the Seattle area -

The Rev. Chris Boerger, bishop of the ELCA's Northwest Washington Synod will share from the heart via word and photos from his recent journey to the Holy Land.

Bishop Boerger, along with 43 other bishops and spouses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), visited the Middle East in January 2009 to learn more about the reality of the conflict in the Holy Land. Come to see and hear his report on what he discovered as he journeyed among Jews, Muslims and Arab Christians.

Sunday evening, August 9, 7:00pm -9:00pm

Dessert will be served!

Trinity Lutheran Church
6215 196th St. St.
Lynnwood, WA 98036
(half a block west of Highway 99 on 196th, just west of Trader Joes/Albertsons/James Village)

Host: Middle East Peace Builders LifeGroup
For further information, contact:
John Berg JohnTBerg@msn.com / (425) 218-3682
Liz Gimmestad cgimmestad1@hotmail.com
Lenore Peterson lenpeterson185@comcast.net

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The reality of Israel's 'open' Jerusalem: Ghettoes, demolitions and housing shortages

2009-07-26T15:41:00.001-07:00

The reality of Israel's 'open' Jerusalem: Ghettoes, demolitions and housing shortages, by Jonathan Cook (July 23, 2009)

"Palestinians, meanwhile, are denied the right to live both in West Jerusalem and in many residential areas of East Jerusalem. Even in their tightly controlled neighbourhoods in the city’s east, at least 20,000 of their homes are subject to demolition orders, said Mr Halper."

No one would have been more surprised than Fawziya Khurd by the recent pronouncement of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that Israel operates an “open city” policy in Jerusalem.

Mr Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem following the 1967 war -- what he called the city’s “unification” -- meant that all residents, Jews and Palestinians alike, could buy property wherever they chose.

“Our policy is that Jerusalem residents can purchase apartments anywhere in the city,” he said. “There is no ban on Arabs buying apartments in the west of the city, and there is no ban on Jews building or buying in the city's east.”

Mr Netanyahu was trying to justify recent construction in East Jerusalem by settler organisations in defiance of demands from the US that Israel halt all such work. In particular, US officials are objecting to the recent takeover of property by settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where Mrs Khurd used to live, as well as the Old City, Silwan and Ras al-Amud.

According to experts, however, the reality is that in both a practical and legal sense Mr Netanyahu’s “open city” is a fiction, extended only to the settlers and not to Mrs Khurd or to the 250,000 other Palestinians of East Jerusalem.

Mrs Khurd, for example, has been forced to live in a tent after settlers ousted her from her East Jerusalem home of five decades in November. She also has no hope of moving back to the house taken from her family in Talbiyeh, now in West Jerusalem, during the 1948 war that established Israel.

In addition, movement restrictions mean that almost all of the nearly four million Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza are banned from entering the city or visiting its holy sites.

Inside Jerusalem, as in the West Bank, Israel enforces a strict programme of segregation to disadvantage the Palestinians, said Jeff Halper, of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Israeli Jews have the freedom to live in both parts of the city, with 270,000 in West Jerusalem and a further 200,000 living in East Jerusalem in rapidly expanding settlements heavily subsidised by the state.

Palestinians, meanwhile, are denied the right to live both in West Jerusalem and in many residential areas of East Jerusalem. Even in their tightly controlled neighbourhoods in the city’s east, at least 20,000 of their homes are subject to demolition orders, said Mr Halper.

Daniel Seidemann, a Jerualem lawyer, said that in his 20 years of handling residency rights cases for Palestinians he had never heard of a Palestinian with a Jerusalem ID living in West Jerusalem.

The reason, he pointed out, was that almost all land inside Israel’s 1948 borders, including West Jerusalem, has been registered as “state land” managed by a body known as the Israel Lands Authority.

The authority allows neither Palestinians nor Israelis to buy property on state land. Instead long-term renewable leases are available to Israeli citizens and anyone eligible to immigrate to Israel under the country’s Law of Return -- meaning Jews.

The settlements in East Jerusalem -- now covering 35 per cent of the eastern city, according to Mr Seidemann -- are also built on land declared as “state land”, in violation of international law. Again this means that only Israelis and Jewish foreign nationals are entitled to lease land there.
Because they do not hold Israeli citizenship, the Palestinians of East Jerusalem are disqualified from acquiring property either in West Jerusalem or in the settlements of East Jerusalem.

“The extraordinary situation is that a Palestinian who had his land expropriated to build the settlement of Har Homa [on the outskirts of East Jerusalem] cannot lease land there, whereas a Jew from Paris or London who is not even an Israeli citizen can.”

Mr Seidemann also pointed out that the country’s Supreme Court ruled in 1978 that a Palestinian family forced out of what became the Jewish quarter of the Old City in 1967 had no right to return to their property.

The court justified its decision on the grounds that each religious community should have its own quarter. “However, that ruling has not stopped the Israeli government from helping Jewish settlers to encroach on the Muslim and Christian quarters.”

This week, the Israeli media reported, several families from a settler organisation, Ateret Cohanim, had moved into a building in the heart of the Muslim quarter. The property was bought by Ariel Sharon in the 1980s to assert Jewish sovereignty over all of the Old City, although he never moved in.

Mr Halper said that, in addition, Jerusalem’s Palestinians, unlike its Jews, faced municipal policies designed to make life as unbearable as possible. Demolitions of Palestinian property are widespread. Police, for example, have torn down Mrs Khurd’s tent on six occasions since November and she faces a series of fines.

“Even according to Israeli figures, East Jerusalem lacks 25,000 housing units to cope with the Palestinians’ minimal needs,” said Mr Halper. “The land is available, it’s just that Israel wants to induce a severe housing shortage for Palestinians.”

The hope is that they would move to the West Bank, he said.

Mr Seidemann said a handful of Palestinian families -- faced with this housing shortage -- had managed to rent homes short term from Israeli owners in East Jerusalem’s larger settlements, such as French Hill and Pisgat Zeev. This marginal phenomenon, he said, had been misleadingly trumpeted as proof of the “egalitarian nature” of Israel’s property laws.

According to the Israeli media, Mr Netanyahu’s remark may have been intended to throw mud in the eyes of the US Administration as it steps up pressure on Israel to halt settlement building in East Jerusalem.

Mr Seidemann said: “The [US] State Department understands these issues better than Mr Netanyahu. There is zero possibility that his comments will be treated as credible by any of their negotiators.”

[Jonathan Cook is a freelance writer based in Nazareth. From Media Monitors Network: http://world.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/64775 - originally published by The National in Abu Dhabi]

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Sabeel's Naim Attek on KUOW radio

2009-07-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hear an interview with Naim Ateek of Sabeel on KUOW-radio, Puget Sound Public Radio, at the University of Washington in Seattle.

"Arab Christians in Palestine: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek"
How will peace come? Mired in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians — an ecumenical grassroots movement called Palestinian Liberation Theology is doing their part to bring education, reconciliation and peace. The group "seeks to provide a holistic vision of God's redeeming activity in the midst of the current reality."

Here is a link to the program: http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=17986

KUOW's Steve Scher interviews Naim Ateek, a Palestinian Anglican priest and an Arab citizen of Israel. His latest book is A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation. Ateek is the director of Sabeel, an ecumenical theological center in Jerusalem, which he founded to work for the liberation of Palestinians. He is the author of Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation and co–editor of Faith and the Intifada: Palestinian Christian Voices.

For more information about Sabeel, see these links:
•Sabeel - An ecumenical liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians - http://www.sabeel.org/
•Friends of Sabeel - North America - http://www.fosna.org/

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New Hope for Peace: What America Must Do to End the Israel-Palestine Conflict

2009-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

I am always impressed by the video resources put out by Landrum Bolling and the Foundation for Middle East Peace. While this one is mostly "talking heads," these are very smart heads. It's free and it's only 20 minutes long, which is a real plus for me as a teacher and presenter.

"New Hope For Peace: What America Must Do To End the Israel-Palestine Conflict"
Four American Statesmen Speak Out in a New DVD
Presented by Landrum Bolling

Four American statesmen, Jimmy Carter, James Baker, Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski, believe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved with a comprehensive U.S. presidential initiative.

Speaking as President Obama's diplomacy is unfolding, the four leaders say the time is right for a new U.S. initiative in New Hope for Peace. This 20-minute DVD is presented by Landrum Bolling with cooperation from the Foundation for Middle East Peace (http://www.fmep.org/) and Mercy Corps International.

Drawing on their long experience, the four statesmen explain that solutions that would meet the basic needs of Israelis and Palestinians are well known and that both want peace but have been thwarted by hard-line minorities. They believe that strong U.S. presidential leadership can help bring a two-state peace through a comprehensive peace plan and sustained mediation. They predict that the international community would welcome and support such a U.S. initiative.

The overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians want peace... The President should make his policies clear on settlements, home demolitions, Israel security, and East Jerusalem ... Jimmy Carter

The vast majority of the Israelis are tired of being a nation perpetually at war...they want to see a secure peace agreement, and so do the Palestinians... Hard liners on both sides are the biggest obstacles to peace...You have to talk to your enemies ... James Baker

We must play a more active role...We need to act decisively and comprehensively...The President needs to step up and say "this is the American proposal." ...it will turn around the psychological atmosphere in the Middle East. Brent Scowcroft

Two decent peoples are locked in a mortal embrace...they cannot move toward peace unless someone helps... It takes an impartial, energetic outside mediator... there is only one candidate...the U.S., and more specifically the President. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Preview New Hope for Peace on YouTube - http://e2ma.net/go/2155109026/1964605/72718569/2243/goto:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMbBYCM4SWA

Copies are available on request from the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
202-835-3650, info@fmep.org. 1761 N Street, NW, Washington DC 20036, http://www.fmep.org/

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Church leaders of Jerusalem welcomed President Carter

2009-06-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

I came across a June 17 news story from the news service of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem detailing President Jimmy Carter's meeting with Jerusalem church leaders.

President Carter Meets with Jerusalem Church Leaders and is deeply touched by their Commitment to Peace, Reconciliation and Interfaith Harmony - http://www.j-diocese.org/newsdetail.php?id=3430

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 13:36
Communications and Public Relations Office
The Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem

Former President Jimmy Carter on a Peace Mission to the Middle East met in Jerusalem on Saturday June 13th, at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in the Old City with a group of Church Leaders from the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, and a core group from the World Council of Churches (WCC Geneva, Switzerland) Palestine and Israel Ecumenical Forum. The core group was locally led by Mr. Yusef Daher, the Inter Church Center Executive, and the Rev'd Canon Naim Ateek, the SABEEL Director, both of Jerusalem.

The meeting with Christian leaders "was the suggestion" said Mr. Daher "of the Right Rev'd Suheil S. Dawani, the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, and coincided with the WCC Core Group's visit to the region". Bishop Dawani, had recently participated in a Carter Center conference in Atlanta, Georgia, of Christian Leaders in America hosted by President Carter on May 14th - 15th the signature theme of "Towards a New Christian Consensus: Peace with Justice in the Holy Land".

In Jerusalem, President Carter was hosted for the meeting at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in the Old City by His Beatitude Theophilos III who welcomed the former U. S. President and Noble Peace Laureate to the "Mother Church" that "embraces all initiatives that call for peace and justice in the world generally, and in our beloved Middle East Specifically" and went on to say in speaking for his colleagues and in recognition of the Carter initiatives," we firmly believe, now exists the possibility for the conflict and hatred to be turned into durable and justice (sic) peace".

Bishop Dawani in his comments stressed the need to stem the outflow of Christians leaving their historic homeland through emigration and the consequent loss of the moderating balance that Christian community has traditionally provided over the centuries. Today, the Bishop stressed, "the Christian community seeks to focus its renewed energies and resources on housing, Healthcare, Education and Social Service Institutions, all of which need governmental, NGO and interagency developmental support as that of U.S. AID" and towards this, the Bishops added "these institutions are a natural grass roots presence, and in their non-sectarian services, promote respect for other people's convictions, uphold interfaith dialogue and seek communal harmony - and we all warmly welcome your (Carter) initiatives for peace in the region."

President Carter responded in reaffirming his commitment to that important task, of Peace, reconciliation and expressed his rising hopes for this in what he saw in President Obama's statement in Cairo. He spoke well of his meetings in Lebanon with several Leaders of different faiths during the recent national legislative elections there, and of his prayerful hope for the coming week's meetings in Gaza. The President also expressed his understanding of and encouragement for the role that the historic Christian Community can and does play in Peace initiatives and interfaith harmony.

Canon Naim Ateek commended the President for his affirmation of democracy by his presence at national country elections in regions of conflict. In this process of democratization in governance, there needs to be a built-in Dr. Ateek stressed, of a shared respect for both the political aspirations as well as the religious convictions of minorities in the electorate, and especially where Christians find themselves in sensitive minority placement among the three Faiths.

As President Carter was leaving, the Patriarch asked the group to join him for "a pleasingly special and memorable sight" on the Veranda with its magnificent vista of the Old City. In the twilight of that day, he pointed to the picturesque historic interfaith presence in three Holy Shrines symbolized by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Minaret of the Mosque of Omar, and the rebuilt Dome of the Old City's Synagogue in the ancient Jewish Quarter - almost touching each other - three Abrahamic communities living faithfully - "what had been, what should be now, and our hope for the bright future".

With the President, himself a devout evangelical Churchman who teaches Sunday School in his small Baptist Church congregation in Plains, Georgia "40 Sundays of the Year", and deeply touched by the physical sight in this admixture of the three collegial Faiths, Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan then pointed to a fourth building on the horizon, the late 19th Century majestic white Bell Tower of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

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Here's another story that came out of World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel, "Change in the Air on Israel/Palestine, say Global Churches - http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/9601

Change is in the air as churches in many parts of the world hold a "World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel" which began on 4 June 2009, say organisers and participants. New voices are advocating steps toward peace which churches have been promoting for years.

"It's time for us to act on what everyone knows is true," US President Barack Obama said in his address to the Muslim world from Cairo, 4 June 2009, in the section specifically dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"It's time for Israelis and Palestinians to share a just peace," says the message that churches have been using for the World Council of Churches-led action week, 4-10 June 2009.

To begin the week in Bethlehem, local participants projected prayers for peace onto the 'separation wall' at night. As the week goes on, prayers are being read aloud at checkpoints, in schools and in refugee camps.

"There is really no situation that is intractable – none," said Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate and retired Anglican Archbishop of Capetown in a speech at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey near Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday 7 June.

"Each [situation] is capable of being resolved, even this one that seemed so utterly intractable," he added, comparing the Palestine - Israel conflict to the seemingly deadlocked situation in South Africa before the downfall of apartheid.

Meanwhile, in at least seven of the participating countries, church delegations have arranged to meet government officials to urge concrete steps toward peace now.

"It's time for people who have been refugees for 60 years to regain their rights and a permanent home," the churches' action week message says. For 60 years "the Palestinian people, Christian and Muslim…have endured the pain of dislocation", the US president said in Cairo.

In Manila, the Philippines, Christian and Muslim groups came together on 5 June to pray, to demonstrate peacefully at the Israeli embassy and to hold a candle-light vigil for peace.

"It's time to assist settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to make their home in Israel," say WCC member churches and others who join the week. "It is time for these settlements to stop," said President Obama.

People and parishes in the European Union can get help in engaging local retailers about settlement products and lobbying their governments by using an advocacy paper on settlement products that was issued especially for this "World Week for Peace".

"All of us have a responsibility to work for the day…when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims," said the US president in Cairo. "It's time to share Jerusalem as the capital of two nations and a city holy to three religions," say the churches.

A public seminar in Norway tackled the topic of "Promised Land" as part of the action week. The 5 June event featured a pastor and author whose understanding had changed after a visit to the conflict zone.

"It's time to learn from past wrongs," says the World Week message. "It's time for equal rights. It's time to stop discrimination, segregation and restrictions on movement," it adds.

In Scotland, parliamentarians reported to church and civil society leaders on solidarity visits to people in Gaza – one of several events in the week of action which took place there.

Two church groups in the UK visited a local Israeli-owned company which makes engines for drones used against Gaza. Then they prayed at a local church.

"Violence is a dead end," said the US president.

"It's time to be revolted by violence," say the churches, "and for civilians on both sides to be safe."

Sunday, 7 June, is the focal point of "World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel" for many participants. An ecumenical service in East Jerusalem and services in dozens of countries used a prayer from Jerusalem's church leaders. Many parishes worshipped with a special liturgy from Ireland which included testimonies from young Israelis and Palestinians.

Participants with access to the internet are invited to send prayers to Bethlehem for "World Week" and to use the prayers collected there in Spanish, German and Italian – now and in the future.

Now in its fourth year, the action week is organized by and offered to Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches and related ministries. Pax Christi International is the bridge to people working for peace in the Catholic Church.

The goal is to pray, educate or advocate for a just peace in Israel-Palestine during one week in June. From Kenya to Canada, the UK, the US, Australia and Austria, individuals, congregations and organizations in some 40 countries are taking part in one or more of the suggested activities, judging from information received by WCC.

More on the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: http://worldweekforpeace.org/

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com

Tell President Obama: Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace

2009-06-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tell Obama: Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace

Join Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson and other major Christian leaders from Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant, Orthodox and historic African American traditions who have come together at this critical moment to declare their support for bold U.S. action to achieve a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians - http://action.cmep.org/t/4029/signUp.jsp?key=1013

In a letter released on June 4, immediately following President Obama’s speech in Cairo, more than 50 Christian leaders commended the President’s message to the people of the Middle East and his strong commitment to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue. They wrote, “As you embark on peace efforts, we ask you to provide a clear framework for an end to the conflict, help Israelis and Palestinians make the difficult decisions necessary to achieve lasting peace, and hold both parties to account when they fail to honor their commitments.”

The leaders promised on-going engagement, declaring, “We...are rallying Christians nationwide around robust U.S. peacemaking efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.”

In his Cairo speech, President Obama pledged to “personally pursue” the goal of two states living in peace and security, saying it was time for all of us to work for the day when the “Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims.”

Let President Obama know that you and Christians nationwide support bold, immediate American leadership. http://action.cmep.org/t/4029/signUp.jsp?key=1013

Peace between Israel and the Palestinians will require the strong and helping hand of the United States. Supporters of the status quo will discourage strong U.S. leadership. Please join in commending Obama for his important statements pressing both Israel and the Palestinians to take action for peace.

Now is indeed a critical moment in the long history of this conflict. Despite widespread support for a two-state solution, the window of opportunity is closing. As hope dims, the threat of violence grows and hard-line voices are strengthened.

If the President is going to provide the kind of sustained, hands-on U.S. diplomacy necessary to help move the parties forward and finally end this conflict, he will need for those who believe in this effort to make their voices heard.

Add your name today to the letter to President Obama urging bold U.S. action for peace in the Holy Land. http://action.cmep.org/t/4029/signUp.jsp?key=1013

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ELCA news release, “ELCA Presiding Bishop Welcomes President's Remarks on U.S.-Muslim Relations," June 4, 2009. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx#&&a=4150

Text of Ecumenical Letter, June 4, 2009 - http://www.cmep.org/boldaction/ecumenical-letter.pdf

Transcript: President Obama’s Cairo Speech, June 4, 2009 - http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09/

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The ELCA Middle East Network provides regular updates. Sign up at this link - http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls/Get-Involved.aspx

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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, go the the blog: A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace, www.blogspot.voicesforpeace.com