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

Lutheran Bishop Younan Calls the Church to Remain Steadfast, Hopeful, and Prophetic

2012-01-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

Two news stories from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), both give us reason to celebrate and remain in prayer for all the people of the Holy Land. A.

Bishop Younan Calls Church to Remain Steadfast, Hopeful, and Prophetic
[Click the headline for access to links with photos and more.]

JERUSALEM, 25 January 2012 – Worshippers from nearly every Christian tradition crowded into the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem last evening to mark day four of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Together, those gathered celebrated a Service of the Word in Arabic, German, and English with Bishop Dr. Munib Younan, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), preaching.

In his sermon, Younan reflected on the centrality of the cross of Christ not as doctrine or decoration, but as the very way of life, unity, history, experience, and call in the church—not only in the past, but in the present life and witness of the church in society.

“The church today is again called to be bridge-builders and ambassadors of reconciliation.” Younan said. “We are called to play a role in building a modern civil society, but also to inject into society the common values of all religions that promote coexistence, peace, and justice, and accepting the other. We are called to a prophetic role, speaking the truth to power. Only when the church is involved in society, and especially among the suffering, then it will have a future.”

Younan spoke to recent articles published questioning the survival of Arab Christianity in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and developments in the Middle East that point toward a growth in extremism and threaten to curtail human rights, in particular women’s rights.

Yet, Younan said, “even in these circumstances, we will continue to be steadfast and not emigrate. For we are a people who carry a message—a message of love, a message of moderation, a message of undying hope—a message entrusted to us that is so essential in these days as the situation in the entire Middle East continues to develop. We are called to remain because the Lord called us to be brokers of justice and instruments of peace in the Holy Land.”

Younan called on the local Christian community to “Remain steadfast. Do not give up hope. Remember your calling. Be a source for moderation in the midst of a sea of extremism.”

Younan also called upon expatriate and global Christian communities to “take up your crosses in an accompaniment relationship with the local churches. Walk with us as the Emmaus disciples and Jesus walked together on that first Easter afternoon, listening to one another, learning about the current situation in Jerusalem… Come abide with us. Come share our bread. Come and see.”

Younan closed his sermon with a call to “live and witness in this spirit of the resurrection that started from Jerusalem. Let us revive our conviction that the things that unite us as Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical are much more those that divide us. Let us put aside our differences and listen to the voice calling to us to be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in the whole world.”

The service was a joint service of the Arabic-speaking, German-speaking and English-speaking congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. As well, all pastors of the Lutheran and Reformed traditions were invited to take part in the leadership of the service.

In all, there were representatives participating in worship from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Church of Norway, the Church of Scotland, the Church of Sweden, and the United Church of Christ.

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ELCJHL Breaks Ground on New Church at Baptismal Site
[Click the headline for access to links with photos and more.]

JORDAN/JERUSALEM, 16 January 2012 – On the Feast of Epiphany, 6 January, ELCJHL members and leaders gathered at the Baptismal Site at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan to celebrate the ground breaking for the new Evangelical Lutheran Pilgrimage and Retreat Center at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan.

Celebrations began with a service of Holy Communion by the Jordan River with Bishop Younan preaching and presiding, and Pastor Mitri Raheb, pastor in Bethlehem and President of the Synod; Pastor Sani Ibrahim Azar, pastor in Jerusalem; and Pastor Samer Azar, pastor in Amman assisting.

In his sermon, Younan celebrated the gift of Baptism and reminded those gathered of our shared baptismal calling:
“In Lutheran theology we baptize infants according to our understanding of Baptism as a gift of God given through grace by faith, and not because of our works. In Baptism we carry Christ and becomes heirs, with Christ, of the promises of God. To this gift of grace and promise the whole church has been continuously witnessing.”

“And we Arab Christians, too, have carried this witness for 2,000 years. Our existence has always been a call to be apostles of love to the world and to be integrally involved in our society, in which God has called us to carry out the call of our Baptism as living witnesses to ourselves and to others.”

“Because of our covenant of Baptism we have stood steadfast in this place, as we have stood steadfast to our calling to be instruments of peace, brokers of justice, defenders of truth, advocates for the voiceless, promoters of human rights, including the rights of children and women, and ministers of reconciliation in service for the sake of all humanity.”

“Today, we renew our baptismal covenant and witness again to the manifestation of God, by the Holy Spirit, through Christ Jesus, and to the love of God, through which we are all called. And we break ground today as we begin to build this new church to the glory of God and the service of all Christians—not only Lutherans—who wish to come to this place to pray and renew their baptismal promises.”

The land for this project was granted the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the ELCJHL in 2008 and visioning and architectural planning has been underway since then.
The new Evangelical Lutheran Pilgrimage and Retreat Center will be one of twelve churches built at the site that aims to focus on the spiritual, historical, and environmental aspects of the area, with special emphasis given to:
•the rootedness of Christianity both in the history and in present-day life in Jordan,
•the deep ecumenical relationships between the local churches, and
•the strong interfaith relationships on both individual, community and leadership levels.

Mr. Nayef El-Fayez, Minister of Tourism, was present on behalf His Highness Prince Ghazi, the Special Advisor to the King on Religious Affairs, for the service and groundbreaking, speaking words of welcome and encouragement to the ELCJHL.
Others present included Mr. Akel Baltaji, a Senator in the Jordanian House of Senate; Mr. Ghazi Musharbash, a Representative in the Jordanian Parliament; and Father Nabil Haddad, from the Board of Trustees of the Baptismal Site.

Mr. Nabil Zaki Goussous, Principal Architect at NZG Architects, has served as architect on the project.

With construction beginning soon, the ELCJHL hopes to have the Pilgrimage and Retreat Center finished before next year, and to hold the consecration of the site on the next Feast of Epiphany on 6 January 2013.

Bishop Younan invited all present this day to return in one year, and extended an invitation to “all Lutheran churches, both the local congregations of the ELCJHL and the global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition to… come on the 6th of January to celebrate the Feast of Epiphany at the Baptismal Site at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan in the spirit of love and ecumenism.”

The ELCJHL gives thanks for the generous support given and pledged by various international partners, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) working closely with the OSMTH, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for their grant, and many other friends of the ELCJHL.

Funds given in the US may be directed through the ELCA Global Gifts “ELCJHL Baptismal Site Project”. Donations from other countries abroad can be directed to the ELCJHL.
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New EU Report says Two-State Solution Threatened by Israeli Policies in Area C

2012-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Friends, ELCA Peace Not Walls sent this important information.

New EU Report says Two-State Solution Threatened by Israeli Policies in Area C

Another home demolition in Palestine, photo by Chris Cowan

A new report by the European Union leaked to journalists says that the possibility of a two-state solution is getting more and more remote as Israeli policies of population transfer and demolition of homes continue. An article by the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz says that ”the report stated that Israeli policy in Area C ‘results in forced transfer of the native population,’” which is illegal under the Geneva Conventions and other international laws.

Area C is part of a division of the West Bank stipulated by the Oslo Accords: Area A, where the Palestinian Authority has full civilian and security control, although Israeli incursions and closures are still controlled by Israel; Area B, which is those parts of the West Bank that come under Israeli security control and Palestinian civilian control; and Area C, which is territories under full Israeli civilian and security control. All of areas A, B and C are considered Palestinian territory under international law.

In another article on the report in the UK Independent, it claims “the 16-page document is the EU’s starkest critique yet of how a combination of house and farm building demolitions; a prohibitive planning regime; relentless settlement expansion; the military’s separation barrier; obstacles to free movement; and denial of access to vital natural resources, including land and water, is eroding Palestinian tenure of the large tract of the West Bank on which hopes of a contiguous Palestinian state depend.”

The article describes what’s in the report:

“It says the EU needs “at a political” level to persuade Israel to redesignate Area C, but in the meantime it should “support Palestinian presence in, and development of the area”. The report says the destruction of homes, public buildings and workplaces result in “forced transfer of the native population” and that construction is effectively prohibited in 70 per cent of the land – and then in zones largely allocated to settlements of the Israeli military.

In practice, it says Palestinian construction is permitted in just 1 per cent of Area C, “most of which is already built up”. The EU report’s short- and medium-term recommendations include calling on Israel to halt demolitions of houses and structures built without permits – of which there have been 4,800 (in Area C alone) since 2000. But there is also a call for the EU to support a building programme that includes schools, clinics, water and other infrastructure projects.

The EU should also be more vocal in raising objections to “involuntary population movements, displacements, evictions and internal migration”.

For more information about Area C, click here.For more information about Palestinian home demolitions, see the website of the Israeli Committee against Home Demolitions.
For the United Nations agency UNWRA’s call to stop home demolitions, click here.

For stories on the ground, see the blogs of recent and current US Ecumenical Accompaniers Chris Cowan and Tammie Danielsen. Chris served in Hebron and the Southern Hebron Hills area last year and Tammie is serving there now through the US Program of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel, a peace program begun by the World Council of Churches.

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Christmas, Hebron, and a calendar for the new year

2011-12-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas peace and joy to all my readers!

Christmas
See Loren McGrail's blog for a wealth of resources for Christmas and beyond. Loren served as an accompanier through the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).

Loren writes a wonderful reflection, these are just blips from her introduction. Please read the whole piece.
"On an ordinary starry night, a birth happened in a cave for animals. On an ordinary night, our holy and reconciling God loved the world so much that he sent his only Son to be born as one of us, to become flesh and live among us, to illuminate our humanity so that we may find it shining forth in others and ourselves.
"Like John the Baptist then, we are called to testify to this light too, a light that shines both in us, through us, and around us. This light shines in the darkness and is not overcome by it. We are not the light but we are called to be light bearers. We are called to live into Christmas, to testify. (,,,)
"When I left Palestine in May, I was told that we would always be ecumenical accompaniers, that we had entered into a life long relationship and that our real work would begin when we returned to tell our story of what we saw, what we heard, what we witnessed. I am not sure what is more real but I do know that the work of remembering and telling, showing and describing is important and ongoing and that I can never return to not knowing or caring. The light has been turned on and I must go and tell it on the mountains, everywhere. The darkness of occupation too has been illuminated and must not be covered up or silenced."
See Loren's meditation at her blog, A Garment of Destiny.

Hebron
Another Ecumenical Accompanier, Maria Santtos from Finland, provides just about the best thumbnail sketch of the Hebron situation on her blog, West of the Bank.

Calendar
The yearly fundraising calendar for Gaza artists “Colors from Palestine” is ready. Support art in Palestine by ordering your calendars today. To view and order your copy of the 2012 “Colors from Palestine ” calendar click on the link below:
http://resistanceart.com/2012_Front_Back_Covers.htm

All proceeds from the sales of “Colors from Palestine ” 2012 Calendar will be donated to "The Young Artists forum" in Gaza.

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Bethlehem and Washington, D.C., joining for Prayer Service

2011-12-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

Christ is Born, Glorify Him!
Save the Date!
Join friends in Bethlehem and Washington, D.C., for the fifth Annual Bethlehem Prayer Service

Saturday, December 17, 2011
10 AM EST
Christ is Born, Glorify Him!
It's a joint simulcast service with the people of Bethlehem at the National Cathedral in Washington, Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW, Washington, DC.

Are you in the DC area? Then you are invited to join worshipers in the National Cathedral. If you are anywhere else, we encourage to you gather with others in your community to watch the service live at on the internet. - www.nationalcathedral.org.
In Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians continue to bear witness to their faith this Christmas as they have done for generations. Once again, let us join our voices with theirs in seeking and offering hope for a better future.

Beginning with music from the Wartburg College Choir at 8:45am CST: simulcast from Washington National Cathedral with Palestinian participants: Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan (sermon); Pr. Mitri Raheb of Christmas Lutheran; Bishop Suheil Dawani, Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. Via internet, you may join service live at www.nationalcathedral.org

Prayers, readings, and hymns alternate between Washington, DC and Bethlehem via the Internet, bringing together people of different lands, languages, and ethnic backgrounds in celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace.
PDF Flyer available HERE.

Please post and distribute widely!

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Here's a beautiful Advent prayer:

A Coming for All People
O God, I pray for peace and justice for all people.
O God, I pray for love and joy for all people.
O God, I pray for all children, women and men of the Holy Land.
Through my words and actions this day help me live as an instrument of
Your peace and justice.
Through my words and actions this day help me live as an instrument of
Your love and joy.
Let my expectations of God with us, of You with us, include all people.
Help me to be like Christ this and every season. Amen.

—Doris Warrell (Churches for Middle East Peace)

Thank you, Doris.

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Advent resources from Peace Not Walls

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

The ELCA's Peace Not Walls campaign provides a number of good links to Advent resources. I especially love the Advent calendar put forth by the Church of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land - Look at it here.

And the Peace Not Walls home page features a video with the Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor at Christmas Lutheran Church and director of DIYAR Consortium in Bethlehem, giving his "Keys to Understanding" the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

Advent Resources

On the way to celebrate what happened in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, let us not forget the people who yearn for peace with justice now in Bethlehem and all over the Holy Land. Here are some Advent reflections by various people and organizations to help us remember:

Churches for Middle East Peace Advent Reflections

Jan Miller: A Pilgrim’s Tale – Advent Reflections

Loren McGrail: Returned Ecumenical Accompanier – Advent One Bulletin Insert

Church of Sweden and ELCJHL Advent Calendar 2010

All Peace Not Walls resources are at the home page for ELCA Peace Not Walls.

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Family to be Evicted from East Jerusalem Home

2011-11-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

An advocacy alert from the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). This information comes from Peace Now.

URGENT ACTION APPEAL:
Family of 12 to be Forcibly Evicted from their East Jerusalem Home

Nov 24, 2011 6:13 AM
SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

The 12-member, Palestinian, Sumarin family received a court order to vacate its home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan by Monday, 28 November 2011 or the Israeli Police will forcibly evict them.

The Sumarin family has been living for decades in their home. Yet, the Israeli government under the Absentee Property Law confiscated the family’s home, and then gave it to the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which leased the home through its subsidiary, Himnuta to Elad.

Elad an organization engaged in settling Jews in East Jerusalem; it also runs the nearby City of David national park. Elad built the visitors center of the “City of David” tourism site next to the Sumarin family’s house. Therefore, the house is a strategic site for settlers, as it would give them a large contiguous area at the entrance of Silwan.

The immoral and irresponsible acts of the JNF, its subsidiary, Himnuta, and Elad are only possible with the direct complicity of the Municipality of Jerusalem and the Government of Israel, and directly threaten the two-state solution and the possibility of realizing a just peace.

The prospect of being cut off again horrifies Ahmed Sumarin.

"I don't know what to do if they come with force. This is our home. My grandfather still lives here. Where will we go? If they take your home away, you can only go onto the street."

Click here for more information from Peace Now.

INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW:
Under international law, East Jerusalem is considered occupied territory and the international community has never recognized Israel’s annexation of the area in question. Consequently, Israel is vested only with temporary powers of administration, cannot impose domestic Israeli law, and perhaps most significantly, cannot transfer its own population to such an area. As discussed above, the cases of displacement in Silwan have been adjudicated in domestic Israeli courts contrary to international law and as a result of the evictions, Jewish Israelis have moved into occupied territory.

MAKE A DIFFERNCE:
We encourage you to:
·       Forward this email to your networks
·       Inform your representative in parliament about what is happening in Imneizil
·       Contact the following officials and call on them to allow Palestinians in Area C to have free access to electricity, water and sewage infrastructure without the threat of demolitions:
o   Your Ambassador and/or Consul General in Israel
o   The Israeli Ambassador in your country

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Nader Hanna
Advocacy Officer
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine & Israel (EAPPI)
P.O. Box 741
Jerusalem 91000
Tel: +972 2 628 9402
Fax: +972 2 627 4499
Mobile: +972 54 815 7652
E-mail: eappi.advocacy@alqudsnet.com
Website: www.eappi.org

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Coming up in Chicago: Ingathering of the Faithful in Solidarity with Palestine

2011-11-23T21:26:00.000-08:00

Chicago area friends, please share information about this good event and plan to participate yourself!

Interfaith Service
Nov. 29, 2011, 7:00 PM
Reception following the service will enable networking for future action

Wellington United Church of Christ
615 West Wellington
Chicago, Ill.

Here is a link to a flyer...
http://www.waucc.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Ingathering.pdf

On the 29th of November, 1947, the United Nations adopted RESOLUTION 181, which stated that the British mandate of Palestine was to be partitioned. In what had been largely Arab territory, there were now to be two states, with 55 percent of the land given to the quickly expanding Jewish minority.

International Solidarity Day was declared by the United Nations in 1977 to encourage Israel to honor UN RESOLUTION 181 and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.

Come, let us gather and offer each other spiritual support to continue working for a just peace. Come, also to learn about new ways to act faithfully in our continued advocacy to end militarism, promote steadfast nonviolence, and challenge unjust US policies.

Ad hoc planning/working group:
American Friends Service Committee,
American Muslims for Palestine,
Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy,
Christian Peacemaker Teams — Chicago
Jewish Voice for Peace
MiddleEast Task Force of the Chicago Presbytery, and
Wellington Ave United Church of Christ

Contact Rev. Loren McGrail for more information lorenmcgrail@gmail.com
Contact www.waucc.org for information on transportation and parking

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Russell Siler: Challenge the distorted, one-sided narratives heard in our churches and communities

2011-11-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

Readers, Correction: It was not the Silers I saw in Jerusalem but other good friends.

Russ Siler has revived his series of email comments. While this post is a little long for sharing in church newsletters, it is very worthwhile reading. I encourage you to find ways to share Russ Siler's message.

Russ writes:

What I have heard, seen, read, and watched in recent months has moved me to resume writing my occasional posts regarding the situation in Israel-Palestine. (...) If you do not wish to receive future posts, just let me know. If you have received this message from someone else and wish to be added to the e-list, again just let me know.
For Peace with Justice,
Russ Siler

Home From Jerusalem # 1
27 October 2011

History tells us that some people can be good teachers in areas where they have no practical experience. Priests and other celibate ministers and practitioners can be excellent marriage counselors. Many athletic head coaches have excelled at their craft without having been players at a high level--or even players at all. We can receive valuable advice and guidance about extricating ourselves from deep financial difficulties from those who have never known financial adversity. However, I have reached the conclusion that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and occupation is so overwhelmingly complex, nuanced, and oppressive that very, very few people can grasp the depth of its inhumanity without having witnessed firsthand the daily physical articulation of its brutality and the steady erosion of freedom and dignity which it engenders.

Certainly commentators can grasp the history and the politics of this tragic drama. They can recite the chronology of the battles and the lists of primary figures and the litany of conferences, accords, and agreements. They can propose one path to peace or jumpstart to justice after another. But if they have not lived in the bleak shadows of humiliation and bondage, they will know neither the sense of urgency nor the despair which are the constant companions of those who live in the land we in the West call “Holy.”

This conviction forced its way into my consciousness as an unwelcome thought some months ago. I have always tried to suppress the feeling that some can understand the pain and suffering better than others. I can no longer do so in good conscience. Israelis and Palestinians who walk in daily fear and hopelessness know better than anyone else. You and I can never say we know what they are going through. We can never know as they do. But it is my firm contention that those who have lived among the people there--watching through tears as their friends and neighbors, co-workers and colleagues, sisters and brothers struggle with the growing realization that the rest of the world does not care enough to demand justice--are far better equipped to comprehend what the headlines report to the world.

Time after time in these past months I have seen headlines and heard stories about how the Israelis “want peace” or are willing to “negotiate terms of peace” or are ready to make “painful concessions,” but the Palestinians just “refuse to come to the table.” While there may be a grain of truth to some of these stories, it is virtually impossible for most observers in this country to discern such a meager morsel buried within the layers of misperception, misdirection, and media mouthing of a narrative that is anything but accurate or neutral. However, when one has lived in the heart of the matter, the realities become much more obvious. There is one of these realities which transcends all the others--when seen up close without the dimming distortion of distance: Israel is doing all it can to delay actual negotiations with the Palestinians on territory, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem until it has taken as much land as the rest of the world will allow. While the world hears of peace processes, pre-conditions, demands, and time lines, the Israeli settlement enterprise moves inexorably forward. There is a clear pattern, now more than a generation old. The government announces that it will build 1100 housing units in the settlement of Gilo, or somewhere else in occupied territory; various government officials in other countries issue statements of displeasure and concern; the Israeli Prime Minister’s office offers an innocuous explanation; the 1100 disappear from headlines; and the building continues as announced. Soon the public conversation about “facts on the ground” will include these new houses which are illegal according to international law. This is nothing new; it has been going on for decades. Small wonder the people living there long ago learned that justice is what nations of the world demand for themselves, only not for others.

The people who live in Israel-Palestine--except those who choose to cover their eyes and block their ears to avoid the truth--know well this pattern. They also know full well that those whose actions support the pattern are handled gently by the authorities. Thus, militant settlers who openly violate even Israeli laws by building what are euphemistically termed “outposts” are often given years of grace before their ramshackle dwellings on expropriated Palestinian land are finally removed. Elected officials such as Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman can openly advocate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and still maintain his high office. Most people in this country have never heard of Lieberman, because he never comes here to represent Israel. If he did, America would hear his racist rant. But to Israelis and Palestinians and, indeed, to all who live there his hatred is constantly apparent.

Now this lack of knowledge is largely understandable. It is extremely difficult to grasp even the obvious nuances of the circumstances across thousands of miles. In my opinion it is essential to listen to a variety of voices and perspectives, but it is vital to hear the viewpoints of those who have lived there. Based on such an opinion, there are then two groups of people for whom I have a great deal of concern. First, I am deeply troubled, even embarrassed, by those who seem to listen only to individuals and groups who have an absolute bias in one direction or another. Those who believe the Palestinians have a monopoly on truth and integrity are wrong, but at least their views do little, at the present, to further support the occupation of the Palestinian people. Their Israeli-supporting counterparts, on the other hand, do strengthen immeasurably our American government’s one-sided, unquestioning partnership with Israel, while simultaneously undermining the efforts of my church...and yours.

Second, I am literally ashamed of the Congress of the United States, with the exception of those Senators and Representatives who steadfastly seek a balanced truth. In contrast to ordinary citizens who must rely on the witness and testimony of others, Members of Congress have long known the truth about conditions in the Holy Land. They are well aware that the “conflict” is not a conflict. It is an occupation in which Israel is in complete control. Furthermore, Members of Congress know explicitly that the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise may be the single greatest impediment to peace that now exists. Some months ago when a joint session of Congress gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only the opportunity to speak to them, but also a standing ovation, I fear that oppressed peoples the world over felt the hope of freedom diminish palpably. The day after Netanyahu’s appearance I struggled mightily to avoid thinking that Congress had sold their positions as arbiters of fairness and justice for a boost in their re-election chances. My struggle failed; I could not avoid that realization.

Hope is not lost. It seems to me that--no matter the outcome of the Palestinians’ actions in the United Nations--so many, many more people will be moved to take a closer look at what is going on and, possibly, will begin to question the assumptions they have always taken for granted. You and I can help immeasurably by challenging the distorted, one-sided narratives we hear in our churches and communities. We can support those religious and secular organizations and movements who demand an honest rendering of the realities; that, in and of itself, will go a long way toward peace with justice. We can stand with Israeli and Jewish groups like J-Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions as they courageously attest to the need for all people in Historic Palestine to live with security and freedom. Finally, we can communicate with our nations’ decision-makers the truth that there are two peoples, not one, who live in that land. Both are in need of justice.

Russell O. Siler
thesilers@earthlink.net

Russell Siler
412 William St. NW
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-777-4114
thesilers@earthlink.net

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Shepherd's Scouts of Beit Sahour Organize "Freedom Marathon"

2011-11-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Here's an uplifting story from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

Shepherd's Scouts of Beit Sahour Organize "Freedom Marathon"

JERUSALEM, 30 October 2011 – Earlier this month the Shepherd’s Scout group of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour invited their community to come out, come together, and run, bringing back to life a long-standing tradition of ‘town marathons’—races that traverse the streets (and hills) of the small West Bank community of Beit Sahour.

Generations of Beit Sahourians have grown up watching and participating in races like this, but due to lack of funding, town races had not occurred for the last few years.
And so, the young leaders of the Shepherd’s Scout group decided to take on this year’s planning, preparation, and execution themselves. “We are capable of organizing such an event,” the youth said, “and we will prove it to the community.”

The youth decided to call their race the “Freedom Marathon” to inspire the community to continue along the long path toward peace, justice, security, and freedom for Palestine and Israel.

The enthusiasm of the youth was so infectious that soon the Beit Sahour municipality, many local organizations, and the community at large were eager to support and to be a part of the upcoming event.

More than four months of preparation and countless hours of work later, it was a joy for these young leaders to see 380 participants line up to run and countless more community members turn out to cheer on the runners and join in the festivities.

See the complete story are this link.

Visit the website of the ELCJHL to read about other recent events, to browse photos, or learn about the mission and ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

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Faith leaders urge action at the White House

2011-11-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

Excellent post from the ELCA's Peace Not Walls team...

Bishop Hanson and other faith leaders visit White House officials to urge action on Israel and Palestine peace

12 Nov 2011
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, and other ecumenical faith leaders met with White House officials to express urgency and encourage action on the situation in Israel and Palestine. According to Hanson, continued meetings with the Obama administration are “a priority because of our commitment to our companions in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. It is also carried out in the commitment we have made in the ELCA’s Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine.

“As we began our conversation with Mr. Ross, I expressed disappointment. We hear our Christian partners in the region question the United States’ commitment. They wonder why the U.S. has not been more vocal about the increased settlement construction. I told Mr. Ross that we repeatedly hear Palestinian churches say they see this as a moment of abdication by the U.S. administration.”

Hanson said afterwards that, “More progress must be made toward the goal of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Since our meeting a year ago, the prospects for peace seem to have diminished with the expansion of settlements and the absence of face-to-face negotiations.”

According to a Nov. 10 news release from Churches for Middle East Peace, the church leaders who attended the Nov. 8 meeting said they are disappointed with developments since their 2010 meeting at the White House.

“The position of the Palestinian Christian community is precarious,” stated the release. “There are constant problems of obtaining visas for clergy who must travel outside Jerusalem and the West Bank. Restriction on movement between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is a problem that undermines Christian life. Church leaders are humiliated at check points.”

Ecumenical leaders at this year’s White House meeting included Hanson; Katharine Jefferts Shori, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church; Denis James Madden, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore and chairman-elect of the Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Neil Irons, executive secretary of the Methodist Council of Bishops; and Sara Lisherness, director of compassion, peace and justice for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).
The meeting was arranged by Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of 24 national church denominations and organizations working to encourage U.S. government policies that promote a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Read full ELCA story.

Not just my morning bus driver
12 Nov 2011

As a YAGM (Young Adult in Global Mission) serving at the Dar Al-Kalima School (DAK) in Bethlehem, but living in Beit Sahour, I am privileged with the opportunity of riding the school bus with the kids everyday to and from school (I have to admit that I really do find this as a great privilege since I was “denied” such privilege growing up as a child). While the kids are pretty fun on the bus, quiet in the morning and crazy loud in the afternoon with lots of singing and sometimes even a impromptu ice-cream stop, it is the morning bus driver that I would like to post about. To be honest, I don’t even know his name. He picks me up every morning with one of the biggest grins on his face, we exchange polite sabah ilher’s (good morning) and kif halak’s (how are you) and then start on the morning route to pick up the rest of the kids. Now, the buses aren’t like buses in America. 1) They aren’t yellow and 2) they are the same buses that also run from Beit Sahour to Bethlehem everyday so it is more like DAK rents the bus every morning and afternoon, but when school is not in session the bus drivers are the same bus drivers who drive the other routes throughout town. The typical bus pick up is at the main village intersection where one would also go to catch a taxi, go to the supermarket, or even buy fresh produce. As I visit this intersection quite often for one reason or another, without fail every time my morning school bus driver sees me he rushes over to check to see where I am going, what I want, or if I need anything. Most the time, I am really just buying some veggies, but it is always reassuring when I am trying to catch a taxi that he stops me, asks where I am going, and tells the taxi driver to make sure I get there. 1)He makes sure that I get a fair price on taxis (which sometimes can be hard when you don’t always know what a fair taxi price is and you look like a tourist) and 2) he just makes the whole process a lot more comfortable (as I actually get intimidated trying to get from one place or another). I don’t always know what he is saying (he doesn’t really speak any English and well, my Arabic is also quite limited), but he continues to put a smile on my face and I know if I ever needed anything I could always run down to the intersection and if he was there he would help me with anything.
I guess I am telling this story, not just to tell you about my bus driver, but to illustrate how friendly people are here in Palestine. The people you meet here, even briefly, even if you don’t know their names, become those who you can rely on in any situation. People here go out of their way to say hello to you if you past them in the street or invite you over for coffee even if you met them only briefly going to the market. I think, or I guess I know, that there are many misconceptions regarding Palestinians, but to be honest I feel safer, more welcomed, and more at peace here, when I am among Palestinians than I did back home. Despite what might be read in the news or what is going on at the negotiation tables, my morning bus driver, the English teacher at my school, those I work with at the Lajee Center in Aida refugee camp, the taxi driver who tells me about his love for America are the true peacemakers here and I can only pray that others of the region, others of the world, can learn the true meaning of peace from them.
-Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, YAGM, J/WB 2011-2012

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US Churches and Palestine's bid for UN membership

2011-11-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

From the World Council of Churches' Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum

US Christian leaders say yes to Palestine UN membership

1 Nov. 2011

Dear friends,

We write to you to share with you a statement from four denominations in the USA on the question of the Palestinian Authority’s bid for membership in the United Nations.

The statement was signed by Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Geoffrey Black of the United Church of Christ, Sharon Watkins of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Jim Winkler of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society.

Their endorsement argues that United Nations membership is not only deserved on the basis of international law as well as basic fairness but essential to be able to “preserve a multi-religious holy land that includes Christian Palestinians”.

The leaders state that they “stand united in prayer for peace and reconciliation among Jews, Christians, and Muslims”. They strongly assert their conviction that regardless of the outcome of the UN vote, there is so substitute for “two-party, two-state negotiations” through which outstanding issues would be resolved. They hope that the Obama Administration would not veto Palestinian membership in the United Nations, and caution that such a move “would put further pressure on Palestinian Christians and Christian minorities elsewhere in the Middle East”.

They also see as unwise and counter-productive “moves in Congress to cut development aid to the Palestinian Authority to punish it for seeking UN membership”. This would “erode the quality-of-life improvements that have been achieved in the West Bank”.

The statement reiterates the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security and further argues that “UN membership for Palestine would be a step in that direction”. They also invite those who might be at variance with their stated views to “to visit Palestine and Israel, to go through the walls surrounding Bethlehem and Gaza, to understand the economic chokehold of the occupation”.

This invitation echoes the call from Kairos Palestine, and groups such as Alternative Tourism group who are promoting pilgrimages for transformation to ‘Come and See’ the “truth of our reality” and at the same time to “say a word of truth and to take a position of truth with regard to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land”.

In a recent statement the World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit had urged strong action by the UN on behalf of Palestine. He referred to the Palestinian membership bid as “a unique opportunity for the UN to take important decisions to fulfil its role and mandate according to the UN Charter”. Tveit called for “different initiatives to build stability in the region” to go hand in hand. Negotiations were not to be seen as an alternative to the Palestinian quest for UN membership.

The Palestine-Israel Ecumenical forum (PIEF) reiterates its call and urges PIEF constituents world-wide to initiate actions that inform and influence public opinion in favour of UN action, and keep up pressure through active lobbying with their governments to vote for the full membership of Palestine at the United Nations.

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For more about the United Nations and Palestine, see these links:

UN News Center - Breaking news from the UN News Center

The Question of Palestine - The United Nations page dedicated to the overview and issues related to Palestine.

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Naim Ateek will speak in Milwaukee, Atlanta

2011-11-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Friends, I point your attention to two opportunities to hear the Rev. Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel. The first is at Milwaukee, Wis., where Ateek is a presentor at the Nov. 4-6 Call to Action--National Conference.

Please tell all your contacts in the Milwaukee area about this event. On Nov. 4, Naim Ateek will be speaking on "Palestine/Israel: The Struggle for a Just Peace." Call to Action's conference is called the largest annual gathering of progressive justice-seeking Catholics.

Now the main event: I urge you to take part in the Nov. 10-12 Sabeel Conference in Atlanta this month. If you are not in the Atlanta area or able to travel there, please share this information widely with your congregation and networks. This conference is of special interest as it draws upon the heritage of the American civil rights movement.

Find the details at the FOSNA website, or read below.

Sabeel Conference
Atlanta - Nov. 10 - 12, 2011

From Birmingham to Bethlehem:
The Power of Nonviolence in the US and Palestine-Israel

Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30327

For more information call: 404-842-2198

Registration
Full Conference: $75 per person
Includes: Thursday presentation, Friday lunch, dinner and presentations, Saturday breakfast, lunch and presentations
Daily rate: $45 for one day; $30 for students

Speakers

The Rev. Naim Ateek: Founder and leader of Sabeel.
Anna Baltzer: Award winning lecturer, author, and Jewish-American activist, National Organizer for the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation and author of Witness in Palestine.
Dr. Jesse Benjamin: : Associate Professor of Sociology, Kennesaw State University, his teaching and research interests include: the “Middle East”, race, nationalism, multiculturalism, and forced Bedouin resettlement in Israel.
Dr. Mark Braverman: Jewish-American activist devoted to the Israel/Palestine conflict and author of Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews, and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land.
Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall: Founding director of the Women’s Resource and Research Center and the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies at Spelman College.
Dr. Maia Hallward: Assistant Professor of Political Science, Kennesaw State University, author of Struggling for a Just Peace: Israeli and Palestinian Activisim in the Second Intifadah; lived and worked in Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan for four years.
The Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette: Original Freedom Rider, co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960 and Distinguished Senior Scholar in Residence, Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
Manal Tamimi: Palestinian representative from the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, where community members are using non-violent action to challenge the Israeli Government who are taking over village land for a nearby settlement.

Click this link to see the full conference schedule.

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2011-10-25T02:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, I am on a little time-out as I visit friends following meetings in Jerusalem related to my work with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.

I noticed this article from Christian Peacemaker Teams. Last week I made a day trip to Hebron and Yatta and other parts of the south Hebron hills, and I saw the devastating effects of draught and lack of access to water - so Reinhard Kober's article struck me.

Al Khalil (Hebron): Water shortage - a daily Palestinian experience
by Reinhard Kober

Abu Jamal is head of a well known family in Halhul, to the north of Al Khalil. It is a beautiful town, on top of a hill, surrounded by fields and lovely gardens. Like other cities in the Palestinian controlled area A it’s population has grown from some 3.000 in the sixties to 30.000 now. Because of this, the infrastructure must expand greatly. Every year there is a need to open a new school.

Living east of the green line border Abu Jamal and his sons, as many other people, lost the possibility to work in Israel. Developing their own business, they invested in greenhouses, cultivated eggplants and tomatoes and were generally successful, at least at first. But that has changed . When asked him how farming is going, he shrugs his shoulders, and his face shows immediately, that things are becoming worse. “We don’t have the water we need. Just three hours of water access per week is not enough. Buying water in tanks is too expensive. We can’t do anything.”

Listening him I am reminded of my last walk to the vegetable market in Al Khalil / Hebron. When the Israel army shut down the old market next to the Avraham Avenu settlement, which violats the Sharm-Al-Sheikh agreement between Israel and Palestine, the entire city suffered. Reading piles of boxes with Hebrew labels, you get an idea of how Israeli companies make much profit by taking advantage of the inadequate water resources. According OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and an Amnesty International report Palestinians are denied next to their own water aquifer, which is under their own land. On average Israelis use 300 liters of water per day, Palestinians only 60 liters. Palestinians are not even allowed to dig their own wells. The situation in area C, which is controlled by Israeli forces is worse. Cisterns, which collect rainwater, are often destroyed by the Israeli army, to make life in this area more difficult. An official said: “It’s easy to make the fields bloom in dry areas (in Israel) when you deny others the use of their own water. “

For Abu Jamal it is important that his children get good education. He wants them to study in Abu Dis University, which is very expensive. That’s why he is risking a lot, sneaking across the border to earn money with an illegal job in Israel and sleeping without a shelter. On the one hand he finished his report, saying again: “What we can do?” On the other hand I am still thinking, he is still hoping for a better future for his growing family – not giving up.

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These issues of water deprivation, loss of economic opportunity and injustice do not get much attention in the conventional media. Please do more reading on this and encourage others to be informed. See the most recent OCHA Protection of Civilians Weekly Report (it's a pdf file).

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Urge members of Congress to unfreeze aid to Palestinians

2011-10-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

This important action alert from Churches for Middle East Peace

Urge your members of Congress to unfreeze U.S. aid to Palestinians

U.S. Aid is helping lay the foundation for Peace

Last week we found out that members of Congress have placed a hold on about $340 million of U.S. aid to Palestinians in response to the Palestinian application for statehood recognition in the United Nations. This hold impacts the aid funds already allocated for the 2011 fiscal year that ended on September 30.

Your Representative and/or Senator serves on a key committee that is responsible for blocking these funds. Therefore you can have a very real impact on this detrimental policy by writing your elected official today. Let your Representative or Senator know that you oppose this freezing of U.S. aid funds.

Call or write now to urge your members of Congress to move past punitive measures and continue the funding that is helping to lay the groundwork for a future peace.

The freezing of these funds, which was actually put in place in August, has already impacted some of USAID’s projects on the ground in the Palestinian Territories. Municipal infrastructure projects such as road and building construction have stopped and there is a distinct chance the cut-off in funds could harm health care projects in the region that are seeking to train medical workers and rehabilitate hospitals. Funds have also been frozen that directly impact the Palestinian Security Forces that keep order in the West Bank and therefore the Palestinian Authority as well.

Write to your member of Congress today. Tell them that the current hold on funding is detrimental to long-term peace efforts.

Many experts and analysts have voiced opposition to this move to cut off funding to Palestinians because it could destabilize the region and damage prospects for future peace. Officials from the Obama Administration, State Department, and development agencies are in negotiations with key members of Congress to unblock the aid.

But your members of Congress are key in changing this policy. Because of their positions on the congressional committees that control these funds, it is vital that they hear from you that you oppose the block on aid to Palestinians. Tell your elected officials in Washington that it is time to move past punitive measures and provide the funding that is vital for U.S., Palestinian, and Israeli interests alike.

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Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace is a coalition of 24 national Church denominations and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. It works to encourage U.S. government policies that actively promote a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all people of the region.

info@cmep.org | 202-543-1222
110 Maryland Avenue NE | Suite 311 | Washington, DC 20002

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North Park College to host Naim Ateek

2011-10-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Friends in the Chicago area, see this notice regarding an Oct. 16 opportunity to hear Rev. Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel, the liberation theology center in Jerusalem.

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Amy Kienzle: Life lessons from the people of Palestine

2011-10-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Pastor Amy Kienzle served as an ecumenical accompanier in Hebron and introduces us to the community there in her excellent feature story, "Life lessons from the people of Palestine," published in The Epistle, the magazine of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Here is a sample:
"In May, I returned from three months in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestineand Israel. My placement was in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. Our work was to live with and accompany Palestinians and Israelis working for peace and an end to occupation. This included monitoring checkpoints every day as children went to and from school, being a protective presence in places where there has been tension with Israeli army and settlers, visiting with people in their homes and listening to their stories, and documenting and reporting human rights violations.

"This work has profoundly changed me in ways that I can’t articulate or even discern yet. It will be through sharing the stories of the people and my own experiences that I will begin to understand what it all means for my life and work. I would like to share a few of the things I learned in Hebron and from the Palestinians, who so generously welcomed us into their lives.

"Dignity and hospitality are inextricably linked
The village of Amniyr in the South Hebron Hills was demolished three times while we were there. On March 29 we went to see the damage done that morning, when the Israeli army bulldozed the tents that the Red Cross had given the people to live in the last time their homes were destroyed. We walked from family to family, offering our sympathy for their loss. At every demolished home site were small fires with kettles atop them. The people offered us tea and invited us to drink with them around the rubble of their homes. Even though they had lost so much, still they gave what little they had. Their dignity remained intact. They didn’t need houses to provide welcome and hospitality to a stranger."

Please read Amy's full article at this web link: http://www.lstc.edu/media/pdf/epistle/2011-summer/epistle-magazine.pdf
Go to pages 10-11 to find Amy Kienzle's story, "Life lessons from the people of Palestine."

Amy concludes:
"Although my work as an Ecumenical Accompanier is done (at least for now), I now begin the work of being an Ecumenical Advocate. I will speak on behalf of the people I met in Palestine, whose voices are often lost when we talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is work to which everyone who cares about justice is called.

"If you are one of those people, you can help bring peace by telling our Congress that we support real negotiations for peace and we do not want our tax dollars spent on home demolitions and checkpoints that keep people from having the freedom God promises to all people. It is the work of God’s kingdom, to bring peace with justice to people everywhere. Wouldn’t it be a sign of God’s promise if this could be a reality in the Holy Land! Insha’allah (God willing).

"To learn more about the situation you can check out the links on my blog at http://thingsthatmake4peace.wordpress.com or the Peace not Walls website of the ELCA (http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls.aspx). There is a new blog there that keeps people informed of the issues and what we can do to help bring peace with justice to the Holy Land."

Read Amy's entire story on pages 10-11 of The Epistle, Summer 2011 edition.

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Lutheran news: new and old

2011-10-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

I missed a news story from the ELCA news service last week. Scroll down past recent news for a story from last spring.

September 23, 2011
ELCA Bishop extends support for Lutherans In Jordan, Holy Land
11-124-MG

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Mark S. Hanson, sent a letter on Sept. 22 to Bishop Munib Younan and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), expressing the support of this church for a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

             Hanson drafted the letter in response to growing tensions in the Middle East as Palestine submitted a formal proposal for full membership in the United Nations. The United Nations Security Council is expected to consider the request next week.

      “As leaders of government debate Palestinian membership in the United Nations, we want you to know of our continued commitment to accompany you on the road to a just two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Hanson wrote. He noted the ELCA’s commitment runs deeper than national interest and reflects “active engagement in Palestine and Israel as it is articulated in the ELCA Peace Not Walls Campaign.”

      Earlier in the week Hanson wrote to President Barack Obama, asking the United States not to block an initiative to admit Palestine as a member state of the United Nations. Such a move, the bishop observed, would be acting not only in the best interests of the United States, but of all people in the region.

      Outbreaks of violence have been escalating in the region, especially around security checkpoints, which have raised concerns about the 14 ELCA church workers currently supporting the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Robert O. Smith, area program director for the Middle East and North Africa, and coordinator of the Peace Not Walls campaign, reported that the ELCA has been involved in security and contingency planning for several weeks.

      “We are concerned not only for the safety and security of our ELCA church workers, but for the well-being of our companions in the ELCJHL and all persons who may be caught in potentially dangerous situations,” Smith said. “Our Young Adults in Global Mission are especially concerned for the safety and security of the Muslim and Christian children they accompany every day in the schools.”

      Of the 14 ELCA church workers serving in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, five have long-term assignments, six are Young Adults in Global Mission and three are with The Lutheran World Federation program in Jerusalem.

      The ELCJHL and the ELCA are members of The Lutheran World Federation, a global communion with 145 member churches in 79 countries representing over 70 million Lutherans.

      “At such a time it is important to reach out to sisters and brothers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land,” said Hanson. “For the unity we share in Christ is stronger than all the forces that might divide us. That unity calls for our public witness as we join with other Christians, Jews and Muslims advocating for a lasting and just two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. It compels us to reject violence by any party to the conflict.”

      The presiding bishop said, “It is my hope that ELCA members are praying for peace even as they deepen their awareness of the issues and advocate for a peaceful and just resolution. We join with Muslims, Jews and other Christians trusting it is God's will to hold heaven and earth in a single peace.”
ELCA Peace Not Walls -
www.ELCA.org/peacenotwalls

ELCA Israel and Palestine advocacy -
https://www.ELCA.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Issues/Israel-Palestine.aspx

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And, looking for resources on another subject I came across this great article in last May's edition of The Lutheran magazine:

Green is a color for hope
Lutheran center grows environmental awareness among Palestinians

Riad Abu Saadah holds a small yellow-green bird in his hand. Sitting in a circle around him, schoolchildren from around Beit Jala, Palestine, crane their necks to see it.

A bird is never just a bird; "there is a name for every bird," he said, gently cradling the green finch. "This is a sifri."

The children have come to the Evangelical Lutheran Church Environmental Education Center in Beit Jala to learn about Palestinian natural heritage. Situated on the rolling green hills of the Talitha Kumi Lutheran School, the center is an oasis of green. Its pine trees and local plants are a welcome respite from what most of the children encounter daily — a crowded urban environment of cement, asphalt, roadside pollution and checkpoints.

(...) Launched in 1986 under a different name (Education for Awareness and Involvement), the center began as a joint effort of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and Birzeit University to include care for creation in the Lutheran school curriculum.

Read the whole article at this link.

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Archbishop Chacour: We are not condemned, rather we are privileged to live together

2011-09-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Elias Chacour of the Melkite Catholic Church shared some thoughts in a recent letter to Pilgrims of Ibillin, supporters of the Mar Elias schools program in the Galilee area.

Among his comments I want to share this portion, and I encourage you to meditate on and discuss Father Chacour's ideas:
"For long we have stopped thinking that we in the Holy Land are condemned to live together, despite all the suffering, the disappointments and the disillusionment. Instead, we opt for a new approach: we are not condemned to live together, we are rather privileged to live together, to accept each other and to become a sign of hope for our local people, for the Middle East and for all those thousands who visit the Holy Places.

"Despite what appears on the political news we remain hopeful and are encouraged to see more and more officials on the Palestinian side seeking the implementation of their ancestors' rights, without any denial of any similar rights on the Jewish side. Charity and peace can start only when there is a genuine mutual recognition of each other.

"You have been extremely important with your solidarity to encourage us all, teachers and students, to persevere in our search for God in the face of our neighbors. The present difficult time of the stiffening of positions shows a real, deep fear that was planted and nurtured over the last 63 years since the creation of the State of Israel.

"I call on you, dear brothers and sisters, to continue believing that you personally can make a difference for the better..."

For more about Archbishop Chour, please see this link.

For information about Archbishop Chacour's books and the work of Mar Elias, check this book list.

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Bishop Mark Hanson urges the president not to block Palestinian statehood

2011-09-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a message from ELCA Peace Not Walls...

Bishop Hanson to Obama: Don’t block Palestinian Statehood

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 08:30 AM PDT

In a letter today, the Rev. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, urged President Obama not to block the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN. US officials have vowed to use the US veto power to block the Palestinian initiative asking for full member status at the UN. In preparation for a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a settlement freeze, one of the Palestinian demands for renewing negotiations, would not happen. The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem recently issued a statement calling for two states having justice, peace and security, a shared Jerusalem and renewed negotiations to those ends. They also urged restraint on both sides in anticipated protests after the bid is introduced.

Read Haaretz Article | See more resources at Churches for Middle East Peace website
BBC Q and A about Palestinian statehood

CMEP: Palestinians at UN & the Situation on the Ground

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 08:27 AM PDT

The most recent CMEP bulletin from September 16 focuses on the events leading up the Palestinian request for statehood and full inclusion at the UN. It gives some background of the different positions and statements made by leaders in the weeks prior to this historic event.

It also includes reports on the current situation on the ground concerning the forceable relocation of bedouins and the most recent “price tag” events carried out by Israeli settlers in response to outposts being demolished by the Israeli government.
You can read the newsletter here.

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ELCA Action Alert: Say Yes to Peace, Say Yes to Palestine

2011-09-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Take Action

Tell the President: Say Yes to Peace, Say Yes to Palestine

September 23, 2011
For all who care about peace in the Middle East, the spotlight now is on the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Anticipating a Palestinian bid for UN membership, leader after leader have taken to the stage to address the question. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Assembly today. This morning, President Abbas submitted an application to the UN for Palestine to be recognized as a full member state. The prospect of a bid for UN membership has provoked a recent stream of threats to Palestinian aid from Congress.

Earlier this week, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson sent a letter to President Obama urging support for Palestinian self-determination. He wrote, "It is my hope the U.S. will act in its own best interest as well as the interest of all people in the region by not blocking the initiative to admit Palestine as a Member State of the United Nations."
He stressed the importance of our accompaniment of our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers, saying, "Our Church's relationship with our Christian companions in the region provides me with a constant and troubling awareness of the daily suffering that persists because of the failure to resolve the conflict."

Take action now: Tell the President that as a Christian who cares about a just peace for all, you want the U.S. to support the Palestinians' quest for self-determination. Tell him you believe this is a legitimate way to pursue a just and lasting peace for the benefit of Palestinians and Israelis.

Send your message also to U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice at the UN: The Honorable Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, VIA FAX: (212) 415-4443; PHONE: (212) 415-4000.

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Bishop Hanson said in his letter to the President, "The objective of the initiative at the United Nations is to achieve a two-state solution, an objective we share with your administration. We agree with your statement to the UN last year that those who seek such a solution, '...should reach for what's best within ourselves. If we do, when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations – an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel.'"

You can also read more about the issue in the recent ELCA news release.

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TAKE ACTION TODAY: Tell the President the time is now for an independent Palestine to be recognized alongside Israel. Tell him you support the non-violent approach of turning to the international forum of the UN to pursue this goal.

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Jerusalem Heads of Churches Statement Concerning Palestine and the UN

2011-09-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

Heads of Churches in Jerusalem Release Statement Concerning Upcoming Palestinian UN Statehood Bid

Find the Statement here and share it with your networks and the media.

Looking toward the upcoming Palestinian UN Statehood Bid, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem released a statement last week.

We invite you to read the statement below:

Looking ahead to the upcoming General Assembly of the United Nations in this September 2011 and the bid for Palestinian statehood, the Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem feel the need to intensify the prayers and diplomatic efforts for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, see this as the most appropriate time for such an opportunity, and thus wish to reiterate the following principles upon which we agree:

A two-state solution serves the cause of peace and justice.
Israelis and Palestinians must live each in their own independent states with peace, security and justice, respecting human rights, according to international law.
Negotiations are the best way to resolve all outstanding problems between the two sides.
Palestinians and Israelis should exercise restraint, whatever the outcome of the vote at the United Nations.
Jerusalem is a Holy City to the followers of all three Abrahamic faiths, in which all people should be able to live in peace and tranquility, a city to be shared by the two peoples and the three faiths.

Thus, we call upon decision makers and people of good will, to do their utmost to achieve the long awaited justice, peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians so that the prophecy of Prophet David is lived again:

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” (Ps. 85: 10)

12 September 2011

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From Sabeel, two statements on Palestine and the UN and the Wave of Prayer

2011-09-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

Two Sabeel Statements and the Wave of Prayer from Sabeel

The UN: Problem or Solution is a short statement from Sabeel to help friends understand what might happen in the UN after September 20, 2011.

Dilemmas and Opportunities Facing the Palestinian People is a much longer version offering our friends a more detailed background material about the pros and cons of what might transpire.

Every Thursday in Jerusalem friends of Sabeel, the ecumenical liberation theology center, gather for prayer. Here's the focus:

The 21st of September is the day the UN General Assembly starts its new session for 2011. Let us keep this date in our thoughts and prayers, especially that the Palestinian Leadership will be submitting its bid for the recognition of Palestine as a member state. We pray that all UN decisions will be made on the basis of Justice, and that the powerful will refrain from applying double-standards that discriminate against the weaker states.

Israeli settlers on the West-Bank have accelerated their aggression in the past two weeks. They set fire to three mosques in villages around the city of Nablus. They also painted graffiti abusive to Islam and the Prophet Mohammad on the walls of the mosques. In the West-Bank town of Bir-Zeit, settlers sprawled abusive graffiti on the walls of Bir-Zeit University and one of the mosques in town. Israeli settlers also physically attacked a Bethlehem University lecturer and a female student on their way to University. We pray that the Government of Israel will take measures to put an end to such attacks, and that the settlers would realize that they cannot continue to occupy another people's land forever.

The Human Rights organization, B'tselem, draws the attention to the way the Israeli army, violently, deals with peaceful demonstrations on the West-Bank, especially most recently, in the West-bank village of Nabi-Saleh near Ramallah. B'tselem fears that this is an indication of the way the Israeli army plans to deal with further peaceful demonstrations the Palestinians may hold to express the affirmation of their rights to statehood and self-determination. We pray that the Israeli government will itself recognize Palestinian rights and the right of people to demonstrate peacefully.

Sabeel's founder Rev. Naim Ateek took part in a conference in the Netherlands last week, organized by the Netherlands Kairos Palestine Group. The event was to discuss, promote and spread the "Kairos Palestine- Document "A Moment of Truth." We pray for all those who attended the conference - speakers and participants - that they will speak a word of truth for the glory of God, and for the sake of peace in Palestine and Israel.

Click this link for a short video with Naim Ateek and Stephen Sizer in the Netherlands.

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CMEP Resources on Palestinian Initiative at the UN

2011-09-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

The 2011 session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on September 13 in New York City. During this gathering of the global community, the Palestinian Authority is expected to request statehood recognition at the United Nations. There is little clarity and much speculation on what form this request will take and what impact it will have.

CMEP has put together a collection of materials from trusted sources on the Palestinian initiative at the United Nations. These resources offer a combination of legal details, facts, and analysis of the possible Palestinian actions at the UN and potential results and consequences of those actions. Click this link for Resources on the Palestinian Initiative at the United Nations.

An example is Al-Haq’s Questions & Answers on Palestine’s September Initiatives at
the United Nations. Al-Haq is a Palestinian human rights organization.

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Join in worldwide prayers on International Day of Prayer for Peace

2011-09-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is a much-abbreviated clip of a bulletin distributed by the World Council of Churches.

Prayers and signs of commitment will be offered for the International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 Sept. Observances in parishes and on Facebook grow out of a May World Council of Churches peace convocation in Jamaica.

"The Palestinian Coalition of Christian Organizations, with Palestinian Moslem brothers and internationals, will celebrate at the YMCA Shepherds' Field in Beit Sahour with much commitment and dedication to work for peace and human dignity,“ writes Nidal Abuzuluf, in Palestine.

Click this link for resources and much more about International Day of Prayer for Peace.

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ELCA concern intensifies for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

2011-09-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

ELCA Peace Not Walls Newsletter - 14 Sept. 2011

Recent acts of violence and the potential for violence against civilians intensify concerns for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In recent weeks, there have been several reports of violence against civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as nearby countries in the Middle East region. These reports point toward an increasingly disturbing trend that may lead to more violence against civilian populations in the near future. This increased violence takes place within the contexts of 1) the ongoing series of revolutions in the Middle East known as the 'Arab Spring,' and 2) increased international diplomatic efforts for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. The ELCA has important resources for reflecting on the trend toward violence in the region.

As noted in a recent Security Council briefing by Lynn Pascoe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs,
"On 1 August, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) shot and killed two Palestinians during a search-and-arrest operation in the Qalandiya refugee camp. Five Israeli soldiers were injured in that operation.... On 2 August, the IDF issued restraining orders against 12 settlers from a village south of Nablus who were suspected of so-called 'price tag activities' against Palestinians. The Secretary-General has consistently called for perpetrators of such incidents to be brought to justice."

Pascoe also reported that terrorists of unclear origins targeted several civilian vehicles and one military vehicle on August 18 in southern Israel.
"The coordinated attacks resulted in the death of eight Israelis, including two soldiers and six civilians. Egyptian security forces cooperated with the (IDF) on their side of the border to counter the attacks. However, five Egyptian security personnel died in the operation."

"Citing intelligence attributing the attacks to a Palestinian group based in Gaza, Israel conducted 45 air strikes on Gaza that killed 19 Palestinians, including three civilians. Thirty Palestinians, including at least 10 militants, were also injured. The IDF also conducted search operations in Hebron in the West Bank, reportedly arresting about 120 Hamas members and injuring 55 Palestinians. Gaza militants indiscriminately fired more than 100 rockets and projectiles into Israel, killing one Israeli civilian and injuring 27. The Secretary-General and the Quartet strongly condemned the terror attacks."

On August 29, eight people were wounded near a Tel Aviv nightclub by a suspect from Nablus who stole a taxi and crashed it into a group of border guards. He then attacked the guards and two others near the nightclub before being subdued and detained.

In Syria, long-standing grievances against the government of President Bashar al-Assad and that of his father, Hafez al-Assad, surfaced in March when protests over a lack of political and economic reforms began in Dar'a and quickly spread to other parts of the country. Based on reports of arbitrary arrests and detention, initially of youths and children, armed attacks on demonstrators and funeral processions, shut-offs of water and electricity supplies to towns, and denial of access to medical equipment, among other abuses, the United Nations Human Rights Council authorized a fact-finding mission in late April to investigate these and other reports.

The mission issued its report in mid-August and discussed it at a special session of the Council on August 22. At that meeting, Ms. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that the report which covered the period from mid-March to mid-July "found a pattern of widespread or systematic human rights violations by Syrian security and military forces, including murder, enforced disappearances, torture, deprivation of liberty, and persecution," and, she added, "there are indications that the pattern of violations continues to this day." The report said that the demonstrations were largely peaceful but that military and security forces attacked demonstrators, bystanders, and those who came to the aid of the injured. These constituted wide-spread acts against unarmed civilian populations.

In late August, media reports surfaced about plans by the Israeli Defense Forces to train and equip settlers in the West Bank with potentially lethal means to deal with Palestinian demonstrations. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) had earlier called for demonstrations later in September at the time when the PA has announced it will petition the United Nations to admit Palestine as a UN Member State. He has repeatedly urged that any such demonstrations remain peaceful and that the participants be unarmed. Nonetheless, Ha'aretz, which broke this news, said that
"The army [the IDF] is establishing two virtual lines for each of the settlements that are near a Palestinian village. The first line, if crossed by Palestinian demonstrators, will be met with tear gas and other means for dispersing crowds."

"The second line is a 'red line,' and if this one is crossed, the soldiers will be allowed to open fire at the legs of the demonstrators, as is also standard practice if the northern border is crossed."

The IDF has declined to comment on the operational aspects of their preparations. However, a number of observers have expressed concerns about what the arrangements may portend. The Guardian reported:
"Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights said there were already 'serious questions and problems' with settlement security officials acting outside their designated boundaries. 'We're very concerned that [the IDF move] will not reduce conflict but increase it,' he said."

The trend toward more violence and the potential for violence against civilians should prompt members of the ELCA to reflect further upon the 1995 social statement, "For Peace in God's World", and the counsel it offers (under "Tasks") concerning peaceful conflict resolution:

Strengthen the will and ability to resolve conflicts peacefully. Disagreements, conflicts, and competition among nations, groups, and individuals are inevitable, but wars are not. One essential ingredient for reducing the likelihood of war is the steady resolve and intense effort of the parties involved to settle conflict nonviolently. Another essential ingredient is the ability to explore all avenues for common interests, to compromise interests, to conciliate differences, and to prevent, moderate, or isolate destructive conflicts. These ingredients are as vital for resolving conflict in international diplomacy as they are in families and communities.
and
Strengthen international cooperation. Belief in a common humanity, increasing global integration, and national self-interest all compel this task. In the Charter of the United Nations and in other international agreements, nations have stated how they believe their relations should be ordered. Normally nations comply with these principles. States pledge to respect the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of other states and not to intervene in their internal affairs, and to honor the self-determination of peoples. They also pledge to fulfill international obligations, to cooperate with other states, and to settle disputes peacefully. While states have the right of self-defense and may resist aggression, they are otherwise to abstain from the threat or use of military force. At present, such principles offer the best framework for a just ordering of international relations. Citizens have responsibility to hold governments accountable to these principles.

The ELCA's Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine is also quite clear about these matters. Among the political and humanitarian outcomes it says the ELCA has committed itself, especially relevant is:
An end to terrorism and violence by individuals, groups, and states.

This principle is one the church should continue to uphold and advocate, especially against the current trends in the region.

Dennis W. Frado
Director, Lutheran Office for World Community,
Congregational & Synodical Mission Program Unit
http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Advocacy-Ministries/Lutheran-Office-for-World-Community.aspx

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OCHA Movement and Access Report

2011-09-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

The regular reports from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are full of detail that helps us comprehend the situation for Palestinians. Full of pictures too! In this most recent publication, Movement and Access Report August 2011, a photo on page 18 was taken by an Ecumenical Accompanier (EAPPI).

Click this link to a pdf file of the Movement and Access Report, and please look it over carefully and share it widely.

Blessings, Ann

A few of the many events coming up

2011-09-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

My mailbox fills up with announcements of fascinating events. Here are a few of them.

++ US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
10th Annual National Organizers’ Conference in Washington, DC, September 16-19.
Online registration will close on Wednesday, September 14 at 5:00pm Eastern, after which, only on-site registration will be available.

As part of this year’s conference, Grassroots Training Institute/Member Group Workshops session. We received so many amazing workshop submissions that we had to add additional slots to fit all of them in the schedule! These workshops will inspire you to take action and become a more effective activist.

++ US Policy in Palestine-Israel - Engaging Faith Communities in Pursuit of a Just Peace
Ankeny, Iowa
October 14-15
Our Lady of Immaculate Heart Church
510 East 1st Street, Ankeny, Iowa (near Des Moines)

Scholarships are available.
For more information or to volunteer to help with the conference, contact Kathleen McQuillen, kmcquillen@afsc.org.

See the Conference Website for conference program/schedule/speakers/co-sponsors/registration.

++ Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi will keynote the HCEF Awards Banquet to be held Friday, October 28, 2011 at the Washington (D.C.) Marriott Hotel. As member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council she brings a unique insider's perspective to the burning issues of the region.

The Awards Banquet is held in Conjunction with HCEF's 13th International Conference and the 2nd Investment and Business Conference, which will be held Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30, 2011 with sessions hosted at the Washington Marriott and The National Presbyterian Church, both venues located in Washington, DC.

To register and/or learn more about the 13th International Conference or HCEF and its programs please visit www.hcef.org. or click on one of these helpful links:
Print Conference Flier
Conference Registration

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Rallies sponsored by Students for Statehood

2011-09-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

Quick bulletin to folks in the Washington, D.C., area, and please share with others in your networks. This comes to us from the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA).

ACTION ALERT
September 1, 2011 Contact: news_editor@wrmea.com

We've been asked to send this information to our lists. Visit Students for Statehood for information about additional rallies in New York, Philadelphia, Blacksburg, Chicago, Jacksonville, Albany, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Sacramento and Boise.

For Immediate Release
Rally in Support of Palestine Becoming the United Nation's 194th Member-State
Sunday, September 4, 12pm-3pm
White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (Lafayette Park Side)
Students for Statehood

September 1, 2011–A peaceful rally supporting Palestine to become the 194th Member-State of the United Nations will be held in Washington, DC this Sunday, September 4 from 12pm to 3pm in front of the White House.

The event is the culmination of a series of rallies and activities taking place across the United States in conjunction with the movement entitled Students for Statehood (SFS).

Featured events will also be taking place on Sunday in New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Blacksburg, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Jacksonville, Illinois; Albany, NY; Cleveland, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sacramento, California; Boise, Idaho.

SFS (www.studentsforstatehood.com) advocates for Palestine's admission to the United Nations as a member state. SFS believes that pursuing membership at the United Nations reaffirms the chances of reaching a just and lasting peace for the Palestinian people and an end to the illegal, Israeli occupation of Palestine.

WRMEA: 1902 18th St NW • Washington, DC 20009 | (800) 368-5788 • Fax: (202) 265-4574

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ELCA Assembly Acts on Kairos Palestine, ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan Responds

2011-09-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

ELCA Churchwide Assembly Action on Kairos Palestine and ELCJHL Bishop Younan's Response

Link to website

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America issued this notice last week. The Churchwide Assembly provided the first opportunity for the ELCA to respond to Kairos Palestine, "A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of the Palestinian suffering."

From ELCA Peace Not Walls blog:
The following action was passed by the 2011 Churchwide Assembly (CWA) at its meeting in Orlando by a vote of 868-73. This action is in line with the original strategy for engagement in Israel and Palestine adopted in 2005. It is a call to receive, share and prayfully consider the voices of our Palestinian brothers and sisters and contained in the Kairos Palestine document.
Action of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly
Passed August 18, 2011

To receive with gratitude the memorials of the Northeastern Pennsylvania, Lower Susquehanna, and Metropolitan Washington, D.C., synods related to investment for positive change in Palestine;
To encourage members, congregations, synods, and agencies of this church to:

seek ways to achieve a deeper understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the perspectives of other faith communities, and receive, read, and discuss the Kairos Palestine document as an “authentic word from our brothers and sisters in the Palestinian Christian community” that “warrants our respect and attentiveness”;

affirm this church’s commitment to non-violent responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the Peace Not Walls campaign’s efforts toward strengthening accompaniment, awareness-building, and advocacy; and

consider making positive economic investments in those Palestinian projects and businesses that peacefully strengthen the economic and social fabric of Palestinian society;

To commend the policy, “ELCA Economic Social Criteria Investment Screens,” to the members, congregations, synods, and agencies of this church; and
To decline to undertake a review of the investment of funds managed within the ELCA but to commend these recommendations to the Office of the Treasurer, the Office of the Secretary, the Congregational and Synodical Mission unit, the Mission Advancement unit, and the ELCA Board of Pensions for consideration.

Response of Bishop Munib Younan to Churchwide Assembly Action
Dear friends in the ELCA,
Thank you for your continued and reaffirmed commitment of the ELCA to justice in Palestine and Israel. The ELCA has been a faithful accompanier on the journey, and the passionate work and witness of our companions strengthens us.

As the ELCA moves forward from this Assembly action, I urge the ELCA to remain careful in its decisions as to how it chooses to promote peace. As you know, it is not always the loudest voice that elicits the greatest change. Sometimes it is the patient and perseverant who bring about great change through diligent but quiet work.

I encourage the ELCA to invest in clear and accessible resources for ELCA congregations that encourage awareness-building, accompaniment and advocacy at the individual and personal level.

I encourage the ELCA to continue to advocate for synodical, congregational and personal visits to the Holy Land to witness the situation first-hand, to visit with us, their Lutheran sisters and brothers and to be a part of the deep roots and broad mission of the ELCJHL.

I also encourage the ELCA to continue its support of the ELCJHL, its ministries and its mission, and to continue its investment in education through the ELCJHL Schools.

So that, together in awareness-building, accompaniment, and advocacy, we continue our work toward lasting peace based on justice for all.

Your Brother in Christ,
Bishop Munib A. Younan
Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

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Trees are life

2011-08-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Readers, please note this important story from EAPPI, the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. The post can also be read at the EAPPI "eyewitness reports."

`Trees for me are life'

Yusef Ali Kados is 77 years old. His family have been in Burin for generations. He worked as a primary school teacher for thirty years and has raised ten children with his wife. Israeli settlers have set fire to his olive trees on three occasions by Israeli settlers in the ten years since the attacks began.

Yusef is now left with only the 45-50 trees that are planted in front of his house. His olive trees, planted east of the private road to the Yizhar settlement, were amongst those burned two weeks ago by settlers. He lost all 350 of his olive trees and 50 almond trees, these were the last surviving trees of his on this land.

"For ten years now we have been suffering from the settlers burning the trees. We have also been attacked when we try to harvest the olives. When the trouble started ten years ago we went to harvest the olives and we were told by the settlement security not to come there anymore. When the olive trees were burned this last time, I sent my son to see because I am too old. I was in the mosque praying and he told me afterwards that everything was gone, destroyed."

"The army support and provide cover for the settlers. We want them to arrest the settlers. They see the settlers and know what they are doing. If one of us hits a settler then we will be arrested, if a settler hits one of us nothing is done. To defend yourself you must stay silent. I have not made any official complaints. The village council has taken the names of all of those who lost trees and report this to the agricultural ministry in Nablus with hope of compensation."

"These trees provided an extra income for the family. We could produce 40-50 jerry cans (18L a piece) of oil, which we could then sell some of. Every year there is less oil produced as more and more trees are burnt every year. These trees took 60 years to grow, if we plant new ones it would take 10 to 15 years to have them mature enough for harvesting. But we cannot plant again because the land is so near the private settlement road."

"Trees for me are life. I am 77 years old. I planted these trees myself in 1952. After school I would go straight to the olive trees before I would go home. It is paining us in our hearts to see the trees destroyed. The earth is the life of the farmer. My blood is burning with anger because I see my land burning and I can do nothing."

--

Thanks to the EAPPI team at Yanoun for this report.

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ELCA Assembly starts Monday: How to be involved NOW

2011-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

To my friends in the ELCA, it is a privilege to work with you.

Our Churchwide Assembly is about to begin, offering a primary opportunity for the ELCA to reinforce its commitment to ending the illegal and unjust Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and to contribute to the goals of two states and normalized relations (and recognition) of Israel with its Arab neighbors — goals favored by the majority of Israeli and Palestinian peoples and by the world community.

Several synod assembly memorials have moved through the process toward the upcoming Churchwide Assembly, filtered and organized by the churchwide Memorials Committee.

See Pre-Assembly Report, Memorial Committee Section VI, pages 39-43

Category A7: Investment for Positive Change in Palestine – at this link.

Now is the time for you all to inform yourselves about the ways the issues are likely to be presented to voting members next week. We can all contribute to constructive and accurate deliberation. Your synod office can put you in touch with your voting members. Ask for phone numbers or emails, since people are already en route to Orlando and won’t receive postal mail.

We can take part in at least three important ways:

advise our voting members to read carefully the excellent background material (and footnotes) in the Memorials Report. The memorials document is huge. It’s very common for voting members to skip around and read only the “resolved” portions, often at the last minute. Even if this step is the only one you take, it’s very valuable.
encourage voting members to affirm recommendations 1, 2, 3, on Kairos Palestine, nonviolence, and positive economic investments

encourage removal of the clause about "boycotts, divestments, or sanctions."

An excellent resource at the assembly will be Bishop Bruce Burnside from Madison, Wisconsin. He chairs the bishops' Middle East Ready Bench. He can be found with all the other bishops in their section up front.

Here are some background points:

The synod resolutions are reproduced and bundled in the online report of the Memorials Committee.

Note that the Northeastern Pennsylvania and Lower Susquehanna Synods include this clause in the RESOLVED: “…while at the same time opposing any movement toward boycott, divestment and/or economic sanctions against Israel.”

The Metro Washington DC Synod omits this last clause of the RESOLVED. The Memorials Committee has combined elements of the pertinent Middle East peace memorials from these three synods.

However, the bundled recommendation of the Memorials Committee appears to ignore pertinent information in the Background report, which notes that the 2007 CWA action already excludes divestment as an ELCA option and in footnote 12 explains that “The ELCA has a specific and restrictive procedure concerning any possible boycott.”

It is not explicit in the Background, but it’s important to remind voting members that the ELCA churchwide staff and synod leaders have encouraged individuals to consider not purchasing goods manufactured in Israeli settlements. This modest version of boycott is consistent with the 2005 Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine in the Stewarding Economic Resources section. (For more about this see the Selective Purchasing Policy Guide.)

Despite all this history, the Memorials Committee, in its Recommendation for Assembly Actions (p. 43), has painted with a very wide brush and presents this adaptation of the RESOLVED from the NE Penn and Lower Susquehanna synods: "To discourage boycotts, divestments, or sanctions and commend the policy, “ELCA Economic Social Criteria Investment Screens” to the members, congregations, synods, and agencies of this church;"

While readers of my blog may have varied opinions of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) as an overall strategy, I hope we can agree that we would oppose any move to lead the ELCA Churchwide Assembly to shut off the possibility for individuals, congregations and synods to make their own choices about use of these tactics.

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CMEP reports about water issues

2011-08-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

This excerpt from Churches for Middle East Peace's July 29 Bulletin is crucial. To see the entire news bulletin, go to this link at the CMEP website.

Seeking Water

Cisterns, large containers built to catch and hold water, have been essential for Bedouins’ livelihood for centuries. However, the Israeli government has demolished 20 rain collection cisterns in the West Bank so far this year [see this link], further limiting Palestinians access to water resource. Israeli officials claim that a few of the demolished cisterns were located in military training zones, which would make accessing them dangerous. There is a constant water shortage in the West Bank, and there are extensive restrictions and permits required to build new water infrastructure. Without the cisterns, the Bedouin community is reliant upon expensive tanks of water that they must buy from Israel. Some Bedouins accuse the Israelis of trying to force them to move by destroying their water sources. Israel denies the claims, but does not deny that they are trying to resettle Bedouins in built communities. Israeli civil administration spokesman said, “They can't keep moving from place to place and land is limited.”

Water resources in Gaza are also scarce and susceptible to destruction. Last week a water well and water tanks were reportedly destroyed by an Israeli airstrike that also injured seven people. According to Oxfam’s weekly report, the water source served 60 people in the neighborhood. Israel denies that there was an IDF airstrike on the night that the destruction occurred. The arial attack closely followed the launch of three Qassam rockets from Gaza. Water infrastructure in Gaza has been a previous target of Israeli attacks in the coastal enclave. During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military destroyed more than 18 miles of water networks.

Contact info for CMEP: Churches for Middle East Peace | info@cmep.org | 202-543-1222 | 110 Maryland Avenue NE | Suite 311 | Washington, DC 20002

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Naim Ateek: Who commands our allegiance, God or Caesar?

2011-08-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Recycling last winter's piles of magazines I came across Sabeel's Cornerstone newsletter and realized that I had not shared with you Naim Ateek's editorial, "Who Commands our Allegiance, God or Caesar?" Here it is for you now. Find the entire publication at this Friends of Sabeel - North America link: Cornerstone

Who commands our allegiance, God or Caesar?

The Rev. Naim Ateek

The Middle East has seen the presence of many empires. Once the art of war began to be refined, the movement towards empire was inevitable. Empires are built on military power. They are created and maintained by the power of arms until the empire grows weak and decadent and is replaced by another empire, more superior in military power.

There is no benevolent empire. When it is threatened or opposed, empire crushes its opponents with vicious force. Some of its citizens might be economically prosperous, but its victims suffer terribly. In essence such is the nature of ancient as well as modern empires.

Israel is a small country that was created by the victorious western powers of WWII after the disastrous tragedy that befell their European Jewish compatriots under the Nazis. Its greatest champion and sponsor at the time was the British Empire that forty years before gave a promise to the Jewish Zionist leadership to help them set up a home for Jews in Palestine. This promise was fulfilled in 1948 at a catastrophic loss for the Palestinians.

As the British Empire waned, the Zionist state cleverly and shrewdly connected itself with the rising American Empire and gradually was able to occupy strategic positions within all of its governing branches – the Congress, Pentagon, State Department, and the White House. Furthermore, the state was able to create links with church groups, such as evangelicals and more particularly Christian Zionists, that, due to their interpretation of the Bible, have become staunch supporters of the state of Israel.

Over the years, the state of Israel has become an integral part of American Empire. In fact, there seems to be an unbreakable bond on the economic, military, and political levels. “As of 2005, direct United States’ economic and military assistance to Israel amounted to nearly $154 billion (in 2005 dollars), the bulk of it comprising direct grants rather than loans.”1 Politically, the United States has consistently protected Israel in the UN Security Council.

Between 1972 and 2006 the United States vetoed forty-two resolutions that were critical of Israel.2 Due to American military help, Israel has become one of the strongest military countries in the world today, and definitely the strongest in the Middle East. Moreover, Israel has itself been manufacturing and exporting arms to various countries of the world; consistently it is rated one of the top five countries in the world in regards to arms exports.

Due to this special relationship between the United States and Israel, it has become impossible for the United States to be an honest broker in the Middle East peace process. At a time when it is in the interest of the United States to find a just solution to the conflict over Palestine, this favoritism of Israel has been one of the great hindrances to that peace. Israel has become indistinguishable and inseparable from American Empire regardless of whether the President is Republican or Democrat.

It is interesting to point out that when I was researching speakers for Sabeel’s 8^th International Conference, ChallengingEmpire: God, Faithfulness and Resistance, I discovered that most of the scholars who have published on empire are American. For over twenty years, one biblical scholar after another has written on various biblical themes relating to empire. It is an amazing group of first rate scholars who recognize the hegemony of an American Empire today and are seeking to address it.

As Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation, we have come to realize that Israel in its laws, policies, actions, and treatment of Palestinians, conducts itself like an empire because of its link with American Empire. In fact, its special relationship with the United States allows it to do what it deems necessary for its own interest with little regard to international law because it knows it can get away with it. To a large extent, Israel guides and dictates American foreign policy in the Middle East. It is important to point out that although President Obama has tried repeatedly to make the Government of Israel stop settlement building, he has not been successful. At the same time, the United States’ Administration is unwilling to support a UN Security Council resolution that censures the Israeli Government for repeated violations of international law. On the one hand, the United States admits that the settlements are an obstacle to peace and violate international law; on the other hand, the United States is unwilling to condemn them in the UN Security Council. What contradiction and what hypocrisy! Is the United States so weak that it cannot take a stand for what it knows is just and right?

***

Jesus lived all his life under the occupation of the Roman Empire and was killed by the occupation forces. From the beginning of his ministry, he preached about a different empire -- the kingdom of God. Jesus recognized that the empires of the world are built on the ideology of military and economic power. Such an ideology fills leaders with hubris, arrogance, and brutality. Empire might preach peace and prosperity but in reality it suppresses and enslaves its enemies. Empire’s power is shown through domination and exploitation while God’s power is shown through love and mercy, justice and peace.

Like in the time of Jesus, we stand before the presence of two empires – God’s and Caesar’s. The first is built on the power of justice while the second is built on the justice of power. The first preaches peace through justice while the second imposes “peace” through the power of the gun. We know that we live under an empire that dominates, exploits, and oppresses. Can we, though living under this empire, remain faithful to God and continue to challenge and resist the lure and snares of empire – not only for our own sake, but for the sake of our brothers and sisters in the world that are crying out for justice, peace, and freedom? May we all keep high before us the vision of God’s Kingdom and continue to work and pray for its realization.

The Rev. Naim Ateek is the Director of Sabeel

1 Mearsheimer, John J. and Walt,

Stephen (2007). The Israel Lobby and

U.S. Foreign Policy. New York: Farrar,

Straus and Giroux. p. 24.

2 Ibid. p. 40.

Letter to President Obama Urging Bold, Concrete, and Immediate Action for Peace

2011-06-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Religious leaders urge President Obama
to take bold action for peace in Middle East

Washington, June 30 -- National Council of Churches officers and heads of NCC member communions have joined other faith leaders in calling on President Obama to take bold action for peace between Israel and Palestine.

The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, NCC president, and the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC general secretary, signed onto a message that points out that "time is not on the side of peace."

The letter, drafted by Churches for Middle East Peace, urges the president to issue a comprehensive statement prior to the convening of the United Nations General Assembly this fall "that addresses all final status issues, including the need for Jerusalem in the future to be the shared capital of both states, a just resolution on the issue of all refugees, and assured access for all faiths to their holy places."

The letter to the president comes at a time when the path to peace is strewn with hurdles and both Israeli and Palestinian leaders face unprecedented domestic political challenges.

Recent weeks have seen comments by both President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu and a reconciliation agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Currently, a humanitarian flotilla is about to head to the Gaza strip, and the Palestinian Authority is considering bringing the question of statehood before the United Nations in the fall. There is a growing recognition of the increasingly desperate situation on the ground and that time is not on the side of peace.

All of these events make it even more pertinent for President Obama to take immediate leadership toward a comprehensive peace agreement, said Jordan Blevins, Advocacy Officer and Ecumenical Peace Coordinator for the National Council of Churches and Church of the Brethren.

The letter is signed by a wide range of evangelical, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox leaders. In addition to Chemberlin and Kinnamon, signers representing NCC member communions include:

Father Mark Arey, Ecumenical Officer, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, NCC past president, Armenian Orthodox Church of North America; Rev. Geoffrey Black, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ; Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey, Minister for Partnership Relations, Alliance of Baptists; and Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary Reformed Church in America.

Also, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church; His Beatitude Jonah, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Orthodox Church in America; and His Eminence Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church,in the Eastern United States.

Also, the Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service; the Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA; the Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller, President, Provincial Elders' Conference, Moravian Church in America, Northern Province; Stanley J. Noffsinger, General Secretary, Church of the Brethren; and Dr. Harriett Jane Olson, Deputy General Secretary, the Womens Division of General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church.

Also, the Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church, (USA); the Rev. Tyrone Pitts, General Secretary Emeritus, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Radar, Ecumenical Officer, Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church; Dr. T. DeWitt Smith Jr., Immediate Former President, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; the Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); and Bishop John F. White, Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer, African Methodist Episcopal Church.

For the full text of the statement, including the signees, please visit: http://bit.ly/kf1tss

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Increased Demolitions in the Jordan Valley

2011-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is an important Middle East Network Action Alert from the ELCA. Please read this report carefully and take the action steps recommended.

Increased Demolitions in the Jordan Valley
URGENT ACTION NEEDED:
Families Homeless due to Demolitions in the Jordan Valley

[The best way to take action is to go the Action Alert Link and follow the instructions for contacting Members of Congress, Daniel Rubinstein, the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, and Dr. Michael B. Oren, Ambassador of Israel to the United States.]

In the first six months of 2011, home demolitions in the occupied Palestinian territories displaced 706 individuals, including 341 minors, the majority of whom reside in the Jordan Valley.

The Palestinian population in the Jordan Valley has consistently faced discriminatory Israeli policies related to planning, building, and access to land and water. Over 94 percent of building permit applications submitted by Palestinians to the Israeli authorities between 2000 and September 2007 were rejected. The Jordan Valley is home to an estimated 150,000 Palestinians, but is classified as part of Area C, one of three zones identified as part of the Oslo Accords, and over which the Israeli government has both civil and security authority.

Much of the Jordan Valley’s land has been declared a "closed military zone" by the Israeli army or has been annexed into Israeli settlements, effectively turning the Jordan Valley into an Israeli-controlled enclave within the occupied Palestinian territories. Attempts by the authorities to remove the Palestinian population from Area C appear to be escalating.*

Summary of Events (June 2011):
On June 21, the Israeli army destroyed 29 homes and other properties in the Bedouin hamlet of Hadidiya in the Jordan Valley, leaving 11 children and 16 adults without homes.

Also on June 21, five structures (two homes, a shared kitchen and two animal shelters) were demolished in Khirbet Yarza, in the northern Jordan Valley, affecting 30 people, of which 8 are children.

On June 14, demolitions were carried out in Al-Fasayal, in the southern Jordan Valley, which, according to Jordan Valley Solidarity, displaced an estimated 103 people, including 64 children.

Earlier this month, the Israeli army destroyed a tent and three animal shelters in Hadidiya, displacing a family of 10 on grounds that they had relocated their home one hundred meters from its original site to a closed military area.

For more information read this article from Maan News Agency or watch this video provided via YouTube by EAPPI.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAKE ACTION: Contact the following officials to condemn the acts above and to call for all demolition and eviction orders against Palestinians in the West Bank to be cancelled immediately.

Contact Your Members of Congress at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov or through the "Take Action" link on this e-mail.

Contact Mr. Daniel Rubinstein, U.S. Consul General, Jerusalem:
Mr. Daniel Rubinstein
Consul General
U.S. Consulate
Jerusalem
Via Fax: 011 972 2 624 9462

Contact Dr. Michael B. Oren, Ambassador of Israel to the United States:
Dr. Michael B. Oren
Ambassador of Israel to the United States
3514 International Drive, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Email: info@washington.mfa.gov.il
Telephone: 202-364-5500
Fax: 202-364-5423
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information on current events in the Jordan Valley, see the May 2011 B'Tselem report: "Dispossession and Exploitation: Israel’s Policy in the Jordan Valley and Northern Dead Sea". Also see "Worrying Increase in home demolitions" [from UNRWA.]
[See also the June 21 B'Tselem report Israel Demolishes...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The International Court of Justice has stated that the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War applies to the occupied Palestinian territories. The systematic policy of house demolitions carried out against Palestinian residents contravenes Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids "any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons" except where such destruction is rendered "absolutely necessary by military operations."

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Sabeel reiterates a vision for the peace of Jerusalem

2011-06-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Sabeel’s Call for the Peace of Jerusalem
24.05.11 [Find this news at the Sabeel website]

“(41) As (Jesus) came near and saw the city, he wept over it, (42) saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19: 41-42)

During this World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel convened by the World Council of Churches as a joint action for a just peace, we, Palestinian Christians want to send a message to all our brothers and sisters in the world that focuses on Jerusalem:

Due to its significance for the whole land, the city of Jerusalem has come to encapsulate the hopes, desires, and dreams of millions of people that are concerned for its well-being and the well-being of all its inhabitants. Jerusalem has been a symbol, model, and paradigm par excellence of peace throughout its history. And today, what happens in and to Jerusalem is an omen for the whole country. It can be an omen for good or bad, for conflict and disaster or for peace and neighborliness.

In its present situation, Jerusalem cannot, in any way, stand for or represent the dreams that its citizens wish for it. Today’s picture of Jerusalem continues to be one of occupation by Israel, discrimination against and oppression of its Palestinian inhabitants and the denial of their human and political rights. Today’s Jerusalem cannot even come close to the hopes, desires, and dreams that its people long for. What the Israeli government is doing through its policies of Judaizing the city and displacing its Palestinian citizens and replacing them with Jewish settlers is a recipe for disaster.

Therefore, we reiterate our vision for the peace of Jerusalem:

1. We call on all the countries and governments in the world to make it abundantly clear that Jerusalem cannot be the possession or monopoly of the state of Israel; it is occupied territory and geographically located between the two states of Palestine and Israel; and so politically speaking, it must be shared equitably by both of them.

2. Religiously speaking, Jerusalem is equally significant to the three religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All attempts by the occupying Israeli forces to give advantage to the rights and privileges of Jews above those of Christians and Muslims must be considered null and void by the international community.

3. We call on all countries and governments in the world to pressure Israel to stop establishing and expanding the illegal settlements in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, to remove the wall that envelops the city and all the checkpoints that have isolated Jerusalem and made it inaccessible to its own people – Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

4. We call on all countries and governments to pressure Israel to respect and uphold the human rights of all the people of the land and to work for the end to the Israeli occupation and for the freedom and sovereignty of Palestine through peaceful and nonviolent means.

5. We call on all churches around the world to continue to pray and advocate for the peace of Jerusalem. In faithfulness to Jesus Christ’s message of justice, peace, and reconciliation, we call on all Christians to use their biblical interpretation and theology for the purpose of peacemaking and not as a cover-up for injustice.

It is time for the Palestinian people to be free and to live in dignity and peace. It is time for peace based on justice to be achieved. It is time for the establishment of the Palestinian state in accordance with the demands of international law and UN resolutions. IT IS TIME FOR PALESTINE!

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Sabeel's call for the peace of Jerusalem and other resources can also be found at the website of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (World Council of Churches) -

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Al-Raja Folkloric Dance Troupe Performs with Flying Colors

2011-05-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Al-Raja Folkloric Dance Troupe has many fans in United States churches. Here's the latest news from our friends in Ramallah, courtesy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)

JERUSALEM, May 20, 2011 – The al-Raja Folkloric Dance Troupe of the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah soared to new heights with its performance last week.

More than 45 high school students come together after class to practice Dabke, the traditional dance of the Palestinian people, many hours per week during the school year, and their love for the art shone through their passionate performance.

Their name—al-Raja—means “hope” in the Arabic language, and through their bold movements, traditional embroidered costumes, and lively Arab music they convey both the history of the Palestinian people and their hopes and dreams for freedom and peace in their land. In their dancing students Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah—Christian and Muslim alike—offer a powerful witness that the ELCJHL is proud to support.

The al-Raja Folkloric Dance Troupe was founded in 2004 with the partnership of the Grefsen Videregaende Skole in Oslo, Norway, and has performed both locally and internationally in Norway and the United States of America.

Click here to see photos.
Click here to learn more!

Peace,

Rev. Elizabeth McHan
Communications Assistant
ELCJHL
communication@elcjhl.org

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May 29 - June 4 is World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel

2011-05-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings and peace to you all. You can take part in the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel.

See a list of international activities scheduled to take place during the Week, from 29 May to 4 June 2011, at this link: http://www.worldweekforpeace.org/

If you are aware of any activities or events being planned for the Week, please kindly forward that information to John Calhoun so he can update the list and help publicize such events. His contact info: calhoun.wwppi@gmail.com

Rev. John Calhoun is Convenor, World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, 29 May - 4 June 2011, a "Joint action for a just peace convened by the World Council of Churches."

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Actions taken by the ELCA Metro Washington DC Synod

2011-05-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

The ELCA's Metro DC Synod Assembly considered and passed two resolutions related to this issue on May 7. A workshop on Kairos Palestine on the Friday evening before was well attended:

Investment for Positive Change in Palestine - This memorial requests action of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to encourage various expressions of the ELCA “to consider making positive economic investments in those Palestinian projects and businesses that peacefully strengthen the economic and social fabric of Palestinian society.”

Kairos Palestine Response - Reception of the “Kairos Palestine document” is resolved by this action and affirmation of its belief that "The mission of the Church is prophetic, to speak the Word of God courageously, honestly and lovingly in the local context and in hte midst of daily events.” An invitation to Bishop Munib A. Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, to speak with our synod members will be extended by this resolution.

Memorialized actions for consideration of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly include encouraging discussion of the Kairos Palestine document in other parts of the ELCA and review of how investment fund management within the ELCA including the ELCA Foundation and ELCA Board of Pensions.

Nathan Rich heads up the ELCA Metro DC Synod Middle East Working Group:
nathan@WIAMEP.ORG

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Join Palestinians and Israelis praying for peace

2011-05-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

Worldwide action for peace in Palestine and Israel is coming up. We can can all take part in our congregations and communities. The goal is a common witness for peace. You can participate by planning worship and educational events and acts of advocacy in support of a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
PIEF news page

As part of a week-long series of events to promote a just peace in Israel and Palestine, Palestinians and Israelis will be praying for peace in front of several Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the separation wall and in houses of worship in Jerusalem and across Palestine.

They will be part of a worldwide effort to affirm the human dignity and rights of all peoples through the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, an initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches (WCC), taking place from 29 May to 4 June 2011.

The aim of the week for peace is to encourage concerned communities and individuals to make a common witness by participating in worship, educational events, and acts of advocacy in support of a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

“With the Palestinian-Israeli peace process at a standstill, people of faith are increasingly searching for ways to express their support for a just and lasting peace for all in Palestine and Israel,” says the Rev. John Calhoun, the convenor of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel. “The WCC has set aside this period of seven days to encourage churches and individuals to worship and pray, to educate and be educated, and to take action in support of a peaceful and just end to the occupation of Palestine, in accordance with United Nations resolutions.”

The common focus of this year's events is Jerusalem. Policies and actions taken by the Israeli government in occupied East Jerusalem continue to threaten the future of Jerusalem as a viable home for two peoples – Palestinians and Israelis – and three faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Furthermore, the restrictions on access by Palestinians to places of worship in Jerusalem, the demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem in order to expand illegal settlement building, and the denial of Palestinians’ right to family reunification in the city, as well as the withdrawal of the residency permits to many Palestinians, as is the case with Bishop Suheil Dawani of the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, constitute grave violations of basic human rights.

The activities planned for the week demonstrate the initiative’s commitment to peaceful action in support of a resolution to this long running conflict. Local church groups and peace activists will advocate with government officials and community leaders through educational seminars, open forums and public demonstrations focusing on the urgent need to bring to an end the ongoing injustices taking place in the region.

The WCC invites member churches, religious and community organizations, and all people of faith to join with peacemakers in the region and around the world by participating in the events of the week.

For more information on the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, and to view a list of events being planned by country, please visit the initiative’s website at http://www.worldweekforpeace.org/ or send an email to the convener, Rev. John Calhoun, at calhoun.wwppi@gmail.com

WCC media contact: Michel Nseir, Michel.Nseir@wcc-coe.org (+41-22-7916052) or Ranjan Solomon, ranjan.solomon@wcc-coe.org

Website of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum: PIEF

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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

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Bishop Hanson: Obama speech resonates with ELCA Mideast principles

2011-05-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 20, 2011

Obama speech resonates with ELCA Mideast principles, says presiding bishop
11-073-JB
Full story here

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said he appreciated President Barack Obama's May 19 speech on the Middle East and agreed that "the status quo" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unsustainable.

Hanson also said the speech contained principles that resonate with those in previous ELCA statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region.

Hanson made the comments in a May 20 public statement in response to Obama's speech delivered at the State Department in Washington, D.C.

Regarding developments throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Hanson said the ELCA upholds "the right to self-determination so that the God-given dignity of all people is respected and recognized. This principle, though, must be fully realized everywhere, without exception, so that peace, justice and development will be possible."

In addition to his statement, Hanson was among 29 Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders who sent a letter to Obama today offering support for "strong, sustained U.S. leadership, in coordination with the Quartet, to press for agreement on a two-state peace agreement before it is too late." The religious leaders urged Obama to visit Jerusalem and the region soon to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to restart negotiations.

Here is the full text of the presiding bishop's statement:
"I appreciate President Barack Obama’s speech on the Middle East this week. It contains principles that resonate with the principles in previous statements by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region.

I agree with the president that the status quo with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unsustainable. We, and those we accompany in the region, have been and remain committed to an outcome where Israelis and Palestinians co-exist in justice and peace, as citizens of viable and secure Israeli and Palestinian states. Building on the president’s statement, we also continue to support a negotiated, final status agreement which achieves a "shared Jerusalem" serving as a capital to both Palestine and Israel, with access to and full rights in the city for Jews, Christians and Muslims. The ELCA has said that terrorism and violence by individuals, groups and states must stop. The occupation must end, and Israel must withdraw its civilian population and military presence from all territory it has occupied since 1967. Moreover, a unified Palestinian governing authority must recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Without real pressure to halt Israeli settlement expansion and no sign of unconditional commitment by either of the parties to an immediate return to negotiations, there is a heightened danger of renewed violent conflict. Such conflict would bring more suffering for Israelis and Palestinians and potentially fan the flames of extremism throughout the region.

With respect to developments throughout the Middle East and North Africa, we, too, uphold the right to self-determination so that the God-given dignity of all people is respected and recognized. This principle, though, must be fully realized everywhere, without exception, so that peace, justice and development will be possible.

We support efforts, in concert with others, to enable all people of the region to lift the bonds of oppression, wherever they may be, so that everyone can live a full and flourishing life in which all of their human rights are preserved and protected. As the president noted, this process demands the practices of mutual respect by our country along with others. Similarly, it is essential that our country should work toward promoting better understanding among religions and the defense of the rights of all religious groups for the sake of inter-communal cooperation throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

I am supportive of the president’s call for these principles to be 'translated into concrete actions.' These principles need to be applied consistently, especially to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As the presiding bishop of the ELCA, I seek those things that support God’s mission of restoring community in this world God loves. This means that no state and no person should be left undefended and that no one should be stripped of one’s rights. The ELCA is committed to work for positive changes to replace the current unsustainable status quo. As a church, we do this not for the sake of any one ethnic or religious group but rather for the sake of all God’s beloved children."

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Now is the time for bold moves toward peace

2011-05-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

On May 10, former Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale addressed nearly 400 people at a J Street event in Minneapolis.

J Street writes, "With thunder outside and an electric feeling inside the room, the former Vice President told those gathered that while the new Palestinian reconciliation agreement should be viewed with caution, America should not rush to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority.

"Mondale also suggested that Israel might use this moment as an opportunity to reopen a dialogue with the Palestinian government. The chorus of rational, mainstream voices calling for urgent American leadership is growing louder.

"But with some on Capitol Hill reflexively calling for an immediate end to Palestinian aid, and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing a joint meeting of Congress (May 24), we need to tell our elected representatives that now is the time for bold moves toward peace and not rash decisions on aid."

Please contact your Members of Congress now in support of President Obama's specific emphasis on 1967 borders for Israel and the future Palestine.

Ann

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Mazin Qumsiyeh arrested

2011-05-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

Al Walaja: IDF disrupt nonviolent march

Editor Palestine Monitor

15 May 2011

Prominent political analyst, author and professor, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh was arrested along with two other Palestinians as they protested in the village of Al Walaja, near Bethlehem, on 15 May 2011. According to Dr. Qumsiyeh’s press release, the three were arrested while participating in a non-violent march of civil disobedience towards the Green Line.

As of six o’clock on Sunday night, Dr. Qumsiyeh was still in detention at the Israeli military compound close to Rachel’s Tomb.

According to reports, Israeli forces bombarded the protest in Al Walaja with tear gas, forcing protesters to find refuge in the village’s houses. Five more were arrested after IDF soliders raided homes. According to the press release, three Palestinians, one Irish and another international were arrested from homes.

The original village of Al Walaja was expelled in 1948 and gradually resettled across the valley, near Beit Jala in the Bethlehem district. The march today planned to march from the newly settled Al Walaja to the village’s original lands, which is now forested with a nature reserve. http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1812

Qumsiyeh wrote: Sunday will be a significant day around the world as we not only commemorate but this time ACT to end the Nakba that started 63 years ago. You can
choose to wait it out or you can go out in the streets and be the change you want to see in this world. I personally will be in Al-Walaja in the Bethlehem district where we gather at 10 AM AT Ain Jweiza mosque and march at 11 AM from the part of Al-Walaja occupied in 1967 to the part occupied and ethnically cleansed in 1948. Others will be in Qalandia Checkpoint (11 AM) and then Ofer Checkpoint (at 2 PM) near Ramallah. Thousands will march on the Lebanese-Palestinian border from both sides.

Same for Egypt and Jordan. Thousands will be in cities around the world marching on Israeli embassies and consulates (usually around noon to 2 PM). 63 years of ethnic cleansing meant that most of our people are refugees or displaced people
(over 7 million) and that we comprise the largest remaining refugee population on earth. 30% of the world refugees are Palestinians. Enough is enough. Thousands have already demonstrated in Egyptian cities and in cities around the world on Friday and Saturday. But it is also not enough to have rallies and speeches.

Civil bedience/civil resistance and other methods (e.g. boycotts, divestments, and sanctions) must be expanded. In Jerusalem, young Milad Said Ayash (17 years old) was murdered by the apartheid regime as the first martyr of the Return uprising. Silence remains as complicity.
Here is what awaits in Palestine: The Beauty of Palestine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtzXPcQu41g

Al-Walaja story
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcodiFkotgk

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBeztx5Lcv8

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mramhyCQlI

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

Join us in Palestine July 8-16 (see http://palestinejn.org/)

http://qumsiyeh.org/

http://pcr.ps/

http://imemc.or/

http://www.alrowwad-acts.ps/

Apologies

2011-05-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry, readers... I've had to replace my computer and getting to know this new equipment has slowed me down. More reports soon. Ann

Christianity & Islam: Friend or Foe? Confronting Islamophobia

2011-04-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

For folks in Washington state, please give your attention to this important event in Lynnwood next week. For assistance contact John Berg -johnTBerg@msn.com

Christianity & Islam: Friend or Foe? Tuesday, April 26, join a compelling conversation on confronting Islamophobia, sponsored by Middle East Peace Builders, a Life Group of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynnwood.

The event begins at 7 pm in room 203 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St., Lynnwood, Wash. 98036

Christianity & Islam: Friend or Foe?
The affirmation “I am my brother's keeper” leads to the question raised in the Gospel: "Who is my brother?”

Come explore if Christianity and Islam can peacefully coexist and what the best of these religious traditions has to contribute to our communities. We will look at how to build relationships of trust with Muslims, extending hospitality to our new neighbors.

Many voices today pit Islam and Christianity against each other, as if neither could tolerate the presence of the other in the same community socially or theologically. Furthermore, some in America believe that we have much to fear from the growing presence of Muslims in our communities. The non-religious scratch their heads, viewing this as confirmation that religion is a scourge to our modern experience.

Some of the questions we will explore:

Can Islam and Christianity co-exist in the same world or are they bound to be the inevitable “clash of civilizations?”

What are some of the key differences and similarities between these two monotheistic religions? What are the core beliefs of Islam and what do Muslims believe about Jesus?

How do Muslims view Christianity? Do we worship the same God? What should be our attitude to the Muslim community down the street?

Is Islam compatible with democracy or capitalism? Does the Koran support terrorism?

Our Speaker: Rev. Dr. Andrew Larsen has been an ordained ministry in the Evangelical Covenant Church for more than 20 years, with extensive experience working cross-culturally in Latin America and now serving Muslim communities locally and abroad. He has also served as pastor in the USA for seven years, engaged in the broader work of the church in both local and global projects. He has taught classes on inter-religious engagement and is currently facilitating local churches across the USA, Canada and Latin America to serve their immigrant neighbors.

For further information contact John Berg - JohnTBerg@msn.com - Phone: 425-218-3682

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`I am the Resurrection and the Life' an Easter message from Bishop Younan

2011-04-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

2011 Easter Message from Bishop Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)

"I am the Resurrection and the Life" - Jerusalem, April 20, 2011

"In a world of suffering and death, these words of resurrection and life transcend us. Jesus first addressed these words to Martha of Bethany when Jesus stood at the tomb of his good friend Lazarus (John 11:25). This occasion is one that has profound meaning because Jesus shows clearly his emotions in the face of death, weeping openly over the death of his friend."

And so begins Bishop Munib Younan's Easter Message for 2011. It is a powerful message of hope, promise, and call in the midst of our world today, rooted in Jesus' words: "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

Go to this link for the entire message.

"Martha understood fully that God always stands on the side of life. “Lord, if you had been here our brother would not have died,” she said pleading to Jesus. The whole Bible reveals this theology of life as God meant it to be. God chooses wholeness for us. God chooses life with dignity. God chooses life abundant. As Jesus proclaimed in the previous chapter of John, “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

"This is the whole reason for Jesus’ life and ministry. This is the whole reason that John has recorded these stories, including the story of Lazarus called forth from the tomb. “These signs have been written,” says John in his summary conclusion, “that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life” (John 20:31). This is why every child in Sunday School is taught, “For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

"Over the last few weeks we have been overwhelmed by images of devastation and despair from Japan. And I have returned often to Jesus’ sorrow over the death of Lazarus. And I feel the tears that must be flowing over the loss of life, damaged homes, and the catastrophic possibilities still emerging from the ruined nuclear reactors."

Go to this link for the entire message.

For information on the ELCJHL, click here: http://www.elcjhl.org/

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Palestinian Christian community responds to Holy Week restrictions

2011-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) has issued an alert regarding the rights of Christians to worship during Holy Week.

8 April 2011

Dear friends,

The Palestinian Christian initiative Kairos Palestine has issued a statement spelling out the position of the Palestinian Christian community concerning Israeli imposed restrictions on religious rights, especially during Holy Week.

The statement notes that “for Christians, Holy Week in Jerusalem has a special spiritual connection.” It says that the various gathering points to which pilgrims from all over the world journey, namely the Old City, its gates and roads, the Mount of Olives, Via Dolorosa and The Holy Sepulchre Church, are equally important to the Palestinian Christians of the West Bank and Gaza.

The statement underlines the strong desire of Christians in the West Bank and Gaza “to join their Jerusalemite Christian brothers and sisters in the liturgical events leading to the resurrection, the holiest celebration in Christianity”.

The statement points out that “in every country that respects (and practices) freedom of worship, they do so without “restrictions from the governing authorities”. It proceeds to bemoan the fact that the occupying power has denied free access to Holy places of worship to both Christians and Muslims on several important occasions over the last decade.

This discriminatory and restrictive policy by Israel allows only 8000 pilgrims and few hundreds of locals to enter the city on Holy Fire Saturday. The Holy Sepulchre Church and other crucial religious sites are rendered “off limits for Christians through a complex network of walls, checkpoints, and security apparatuses”.

Traditionally, Palestinian Christians welcome The Holy Light seated on the roof of the Patriarchate and at the Church of Saint Jacob, adjoining the Holy Sepulchre. This religious tradition is something they are unwilling to forfeit because it is a violation of a fundamental human rights and a restriction on their right to religious freedom. It further upsets a centuries old tradition for the Palestinian Christians.

Kairos Palestine decries this unjust and one-sided policy which compels Christians and Muslims to apply for permits to enter while Jews continue to have free access. At best, not more than two or three thousand Palestinian Christians will receive entry permits. The permit system instated by Israel is in obvious violation of various Human Rights, international covenants and treaties to which Israel is a signatory.

Kairos Palestine rejects “the imposition of a permit/quota system to access our churches and shrines”. The Kairos statement points to how “the heavy presence of Israeli Police and Military forces prevents Christians from accessing the Holy Sepulchre Church and the Old City” thus disturbing the spiritual atmosphere of Easter”. The presence of Israeli commanders in and around the Tomb of Christ under the pretext of security is unacceptable.

The Kairos statement states that such actions taken against Palestinian Christians are an affront not only to them, the first and oldest Christian community in the world, but also to Christianity as a whole.

The Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum urges churches around the world to support the call of Kairos Palestine which invites “all our leaders, friends, brothers and sisters around the world to continue exerting pressure on Israel, to end its military occupation on this land and to respect international law and human rights”. In terms of practical measures, Kairos Palestine urges:

Church leaders not to submit and accept the conditions that deprive indigenous and international worshippers of the joy of celebrating Easter.

Letters to political representatives to pressure Israel by political means to end its restrictions on the freedom to religion in general and with regard to the Easter celebrations in particular.

Letters of protest to Israeli ambassadors in your countries complaining against such actions.

Click here for the full text of the statement from Kairos Palestine.

Ranjan Solomon, PIEF communications consultant

For more on advocacy actions by churches around the world please see http://pief.oikoumene.org

David Housholder: `Being Pro-Israel?'

2011-04-07T12:12:00.001-07:00

I sometimes read Pastor David Housholder's blog. I knew his dad and mom, Tom and Delphine, back in the 1970s when I first worked at the former American Lutheran Church. Dave was an earnest high school kid who sometimes came along with his dad on dark winter nights to pick up Delphine at the Lutheran Vespers office.

Someone recently forwarded this blog post, "Being Pro-Israel?" - which has some interesting points. Here's a link to the post: http://robinwoodchurch.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/being-pro-israel/

[From David Housholder's Journal]

Being Pro-Israel?

March 21, 2011

If you are a conservative or a Christian (I am both), one of the boxes you seem to have to “tick” is “pro-Israel.”

This also seems to imply, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim.

I am a great admirer of Israel. They have the best democracy and the most vital and diversified economy (from electronics to agriculture) in the Middle East.

The Israeli national anthem “Ha-Tikvah” stirs me emotionally.

The Hebrew Bible is one of my happy places. Our congregation, Robinwood Church, is preaching through the Psalms (have been at it for a year and a half).

One of my mentors, Prof. Dr. Ralph Gehrke, read Isaiah in Hebrew with me every Saturday for ages.

However, I find that some of the black-and-white pro-Israel sentiment in the circles in which I run is often un-reflected at best. Ignorant at worst. Here are some random thoughts:

We don’t need to “defend Israel.” They have a formidable military and a credible nuclear deterrent. We have never fired a shot in defense of Israel and have never needed to intervene to help them. They buy our arms. Fine. So do many Arab states.

We need to focus less on the Eastern Hemisphere and more on the Western Hemisphere. We have a fixation on the Middle East. Because we import oil? Most of our imported oil comes from Canada, Mexico, and South America. We are only 4% of the world population, and the main reason for our budget deficit is our bloated “police the whole world” military. We got entangled in the Eastern Hemisphere during McKinley’s term (Philippines) and we have been messed up ever since, with very little to show for it. The Founding Fathers warned us against “entangling alliances” in the Old World. We have the resources to make the Western Hemisphere a democratic, prosperous heaven on earth.

Although there is much overlap, biblical Israel and modern Israel are not exactly the same thing. Modern Judaism was hatched after the New Testament was written, when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and they had to reinvent themselves. As did Christianity, Judaism had a Reformation in the 1500s (the hasidic/lurianic impulse) that still affects them to this day.

You can’t draw a straight ethnic line between ancient Israel and the modern state of Israel. Golda Meir was born in Milwaukee. Most of modern Israel has Rhineland into Eastern European (Ashkenazi) and Spanish/Portuguese (Sephardi) bloodlines. Middle Eastern DNA roots among them are sketchy at best. You can look up Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish lineage on Wikipedia.

The main tribe (of the 12) remaining somewhat intact is the tribe of Judah. From which we get the word “Jew.” The “ten lost tribes” are, well…lost. The tribe of Judah was NOT given the entire holy land, only a county-sized area around Jerusalem. The tribe of Judah can lay no biblical claim to the northern West Bank (Samaria), the area around Tel Aviv, the areas of Galilee and the Golan Heights. God never, in the whole Old Testament, gave the entire land of Israel to the tribe of Judah. The other tribes are gone, as are their claims. It’s like Texans coming back after centuries and laying claim to the whole former USA territory. Not saying that Jews all over Israel (or anywhere in the world for that matter) don’t have a right to their homes, I’m just saying that their saying “the Bible says so” is overstated. There is another tribe, Levi, from which we get the Kohenim (priests), but they were, expressly according to the Bible, to be given no land. Just for the record, I believe Jews (and all of us) have a right to own land anywhere in the world, including the West Bank and Gaza, if they want to buy it. Being a libertarian, I believe in open borders.

There are lots of Palestinian Arab Christians. But conservative US Christians prefer non-Christian Israeli Jews over them anytime. They actually got angry when a Palestinian Christian got elected to be the head of the Lutheran World Federation. A pastor told me last week: “He’s probably really a Muslim.”

I often hear people say “God is pro-Israel so I am pro-Israel.” It’s simply not that simple. The Israelites were the “good guys” in the Bible, so anyone who uses the label Israel today must be the “good guy.” Often, but not always. Israel was very fallible in the Old Testament, and not always the object of admiration. You could bring that line or reasoning to its breaking point by being “Pro-Ahab” because he was the king of Israel. And using the label “Israel” today, which modern Israel has more of a right to do than anyone else, does not equate you with biblical Israel. The two nations (biblical and modern) are deeply related, but not identical.

The Bible is ambiguous as to whether Israel is a physical or a spiritual nation. Galatians 6:16 makes it clear that the two are not necessarily mirror images of each other (you can be one without being the other).

The Bible is also ambiguous as to whether or not the promise of the land (ha-aretz) is conditional upon Israel’s faithfulness, or permanent. According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, only 57% of Israelis believe in a “higher power.” Israel is a much more secular nation than the United States.

Not asking anyone to be anti-Israel. The whole world should love and admire Israel. Modern Israel is an amazing nation. I tip my hat to them. I want to see them prevail. They have much to add to the world.

Just asking us to consider de-emphasizing our American fixation with the Eastern Hemisphere in general and the Middle East in particular. Had we stayed in the Western Hemisphere, our homeland, the New World; well then, Pearl Harbor and 9-11 would never have happened.

Also asking us to question the “straight line” thinking that equates ancient Israel with modern Israel. One was the mother nation of us all, at some level. The other is a different and amazing contemporary society. Sure, there are deep connections. But there are also some disconnects.

Your thoughts?

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Post them to Dave's blog: http://robinwoodchurch.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/being-pro-israel/

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CMEP: Challenges and Obstacles

2011-03-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP's) recent bulletin is full of information and links. I'm a little tardy in getting it out. Been busy with EAPPI planning and a debriefing of marvelous accompaniers from Groups 37 & 38.

I've re-arranged the CMEP bulletin just a smidge, putting the important statistical info up top. Ann

CMEP Bulletin
March 18, 2011
Challenges and Obstacles
View this email online

Statistics update
In the past two weeks, the Israeli government has demolished 65 Palestinian structures and displaced 119 Palestinians, including 42 children, according to the latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Meanwhile, a separate OCHA report revealed that in February, Israeli authorities rejected 364 applications submitted by Palestinian West Bank ID holders to legalize their current residency in East Jerusalem.

You can learn more about the UNOCHA’s work in the Palestinian territories here.

Itamar Atrocity Fallout
Late on Friday March 11, a young Israeli couple and three of their young children were brutally murdered in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, located near the northern city of Nablus. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad immediately denounced the murders and President Mahmound Abbas expressed his horror in an interview on Israeli radio and in a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

In response to the tragic killing, the Israeli government on Sunday, March 13 approved the construction of several hundred new homes in West Bank settlements. Settler groups have complained recently that approval of new construction by Israeli authorities has been slow, and Netanyahu has complained to his party members that he is under intense international pressure not to go ahead with new settlement construction. In a visit to Itamar after the announcement of authorizing new construction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “they murder, we build.” In response, a surviving sister of the murdered children replied, “Will the Americans let you?”

Israeli Foreign Minister and leader of the opposition party Tzipi Livni said in response to Netanyahu’s announcement, "The cycle of terrorism and building that the prime minister has been caught up in is not the correct cycle. We do not set long term policy based on a singular event, even one as terrible as this… It is not enough to call for the world to criticize terror. Our ability to gain legitimacy to fight terror depends on our attempts to reach agreement [with Palestinians]."

The United States also criticized the announcement of new construction, saying that the U.S. saw “these settlements as illegitimate and as running counter to efforts to resume direct negotiations.”

CMEP released a statement this week that condemned the murders and decried such violence as symptomatic of a stagnant peace process.

Netanyahu in Bind
The Israeli response to the murders in Itamar throw into sharp relief the divisions within Israeli society and the challenges that Prime Minister Netanyahu faces in confronting internal Israeli politics.

On the one hand, the European community—and particularly the United Kingdom, France and Germany—is increasingly impatient at the lack of progress in negotiations. As Philip Stevens notes in the Financial Times, the Europeans view the current instability in the Middle East as making such talks all the more urgent, and have recently indicated that they may push the Middle Eastern Quartet to publish specific parameters of a peace deal, a move that Israel opposes.

On the other hand, Netanyahu is under pressure from his right wing to press on with settlements. The decision to allow further construction was a gesture to this base in the wake of the horrific violence in Itamar.

In the face of these competing pressures, Netanyahu’s strategy appears to be delaying action whenever possible. He recently made known that he is planning to make a major policy speech; this was enough for the Middle East Quartet to postpone its meeting scheduled for this week until mid-April.

Given the rising tensions in the region and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is not clear how much longer the Prime Minister can delay making a proposal to the Palestinians on final status issues.

Unity Movement
The popular uprisings that have roiled the Middle East for the past two months have not gone unnoticed within the Palestinian Territories.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza on March 14 to call for an end to the Hamas-Fatah dispute that has divided the Palestinian people since 2007.

In response, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas announced he will travel to Gaza in order to attempt to form a new government. The visit would be Abbas’ first to Gaza since Hamas took power in June 2007.

Israeli officials viewed the unification efforts skeptically. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment not to deal with any Palestinian government that included Hamas.

Arms into Gaza
In a reminder of just how precarious Israel’s security context is, two arms shipments to Gaza were intercepted over the past week.

The first shipment was intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea and contained 50 tons of Iranian-made weapons, including sophisticated missiles that Hamas is not known to possess. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that the weapons seizure justified Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza. “To all of those who questioned and attacked and criticized Israel for stopping Gaza-bound ships in order to check them, there is the answer,” he said.

The second shipment was intercepted in southern Egypt, along a Bedouin smuggling route. The shipment included ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades and was seized by Egyptian forces along its border with Sudan.

CMEP Advocacy Conference
Register today for CMEP’s 2011 Advocacy Conference, For the Peace of Jerusalem. We are excited to announce that Archbishop Elias Chacour will be speaking at the conference. We are working on an exciting line up of speakers and workshops for the May 22 – 24th event. Add your name soon to make sure you get the Early Bird registration rate (enter code "gets the worm). Find out more.

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Sabeel's March 17, 2011, Wave of Prayer

2011-03-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

I meant to get this out yesterday, Thursday, to coincide with Sabeel's weekly "Wave of Prayer." Last fall I joined the staff and friends of Sabeel for a service of reflection and Holy Communion built around the concerns expressed in that week's Wave of Prayer.

To subscribe to the Wave of Prayer devotions, go to this link: http://www.sabeel.org/waveofprayer.php

Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, to pray for the needs of this region and our world and to share the Eucharist. Starting in the Pacific Islands, passing through Asia, Palestine, Europe, the Americas and on around the globe, we pray for peace with justice.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer, Thursday, March 17, 2011
We hold in prayer the family and friends of the five members of the Fogel family who were horrendously and criminally murdered last Friday in the illegal Israeli settlement Itamar, close to Nablus. As the investigation continues with no obvious suspects, we pray for the quick apprehension and trial of the murderers.

We also remember the Palestinian families who have suffered from violent settler attacks protected by the Israeli army in retaliation to the murder in Itamar this past week, even though those who committed the crime remain unknown. We pray that the cycle of violence, repaying one wrong with another, will be broken.

Our prayers are with everyone in Japan as they face the ongoing trauma and damage from last Friday's major earthquake, aftershocks, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis. We especially pray for comfort and relief for those who have lost loved ones, homes and workplaces, for the safety of everyone in danger of nuclear radiation and for insight and strength for those responding to this disaster, including those working to keep the nuclear damage under control. We also remember the nuclear facilities around the world, many of which are in tsunami or earthquake prone areas, including in Israel, and pray for people and politicians as the question of the safety of nuclear power plants is revisited.

We pray for all the participants and leaders of current and upcoming Sabeel programs. On Tuesday, Sabeel started its community Lenten Program; this year's focus on fasting, charity and prayers will include visits to nursing homes and orphanages over the next three weeks, as well as taking part in the Contemporary Way of the Cross. In addition, this Friday and Saturday young adults from Jerusalem, Nazareth and the West Bank will join together to plant olive trees in Beit Jala.

With the Prayer Cycle of the World Council of Churches, we pray for: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle.html)

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Don't fail to read the concluding statement issued by Sabeel's Eighth International Conference, held in Bethlehem last month: http://www.sabeel.org/events.php?eventid=183

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The Cave strives to help Bethlehem artists and preserve traditional crafts

2011-03-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Cave announces new gift ideas from Palestine. Click here for the new Easter Collection.

The signature Olive Leaf jewelry collection is inspired by the thousand-year old groves that symbolize abundance, steadfastness and rootedness in our land.

The hand-made stained glass ornaments are crafted by our artisans from glass bottles and broken windowpanes. The broken glass pieces are symbols of brokenness in our world, and in assembling them into work of art we recall God’s saving grace, transforming what seems to be hopeless and worthless into a beautiful and whole creation.

The Cave Arts & Crafts Center strives to help local artists and preserve traditional arts and crafts by offering courses, improving access to materials and equipment, and providing a market for the sale of art items. Since so many of the artists are women, there is an added benefit of helping women to have some financial independence, which is a rare thing in a patriarchal society such as Palestine’s. Many women artists also feel a boost in their self-confidence from their work – they enjoy expressing themselves and creating beautiful objects for others to enjoy, and they also feel like they have more control over their lives when they are productive and earning an income. In this way, they are creating a better future for themselves through their work, and elevating the status of women and artists in Palestinian society.

For more about Palestinian women and handcrafts, see this link: http://www.annadwa.org/ecommerce/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=1

At The Cave, our Palestinian women make handicrafts for different occasions: Easter Decorations, Church Textiles, Spring Ornaments, Baptism and confirmation gifts, Mother’s Jewelry, Graduation presents, and more….

Please check our website at http://cave.annadwa.org/ and choose your desired gift to help a student or family in Bethlehem, Palestine.

The Al-Kahf Arts & Crafts Center (and The Cave gift shop) aims to revive the local community’s sense of beauty, strengthen Palestinian cultural identity, and cultivate local artistic talent. The Cave is part of the Diyar Consortium, Bethlehem, Lutheran based, ecumenically oriented institutions serving the whole Palestinian community with an emphasis on children, youth, women & the elderly through unique programs that are contextual & holistic in nature.

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Searching for a Path Toward Peace

2011-03-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

CMEP Bulletin
March 11, 2011

Searching for a Path Toward Peace

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Letter to the President
The state of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is in flux as Prime Minister Netanyahu weighs his government’s response to major changes underway in Arab countries and the increasing impatience of European governments with the stalled negotiations with Palestinians. The United States for now is focusing efforts on the collective diplomacy of the Middle East Quartet (the U.S., EU, UN, and Russia), though the Quartet meeting scheduled for March has now been postponed until April.

In the context of this uncertainty, Churches for Middle East Peace sent an open letter to President Obama this week signed by 20 national church leaders urging him to take bold action in concert with the Quartet and other stakeholders to reduce the fear and mistrust that has prevented an agreement, promote readiness of the two sides to reach a deal, and travel to the region soon to propose specific steps to achieve peace. The letter also expressed regret at the U.S. veto of a resolution on Israeli settlement activity in the UN Security Council last month.

Middle East Quartet Meeting Delayed
The Middle East Quartet announced on March 10 that it will not meet as planned during next week’s G20 summit in Paris, but will instead meet at a later date in April. A scheduled meeting of Israeli and Palestinian experts this week did not take place.

However, the Jerusalem Post and others have speculated that the postponement is intended to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu further time to prepare a “bold” new peace initiative. Netanyahu has probably not yet decided whether to present plans for a comprehensive agreement or more limited temporary measures. Many analysts are expecting the latter course of action, but the Prime Minister is being pulled in opposite directions by the international community and the right-wing members of his own party and constituency.

As the Los Angeles Times reported on March 11, polls released this month show that Netanyahu’s approval rating has dropped to 32% and that more Israelis now support the centrist Kadima party than Netanyahu’s more conservative Likud party.

Britain Ramps Up Pressure on Israel
Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague indicated on Tuesday that the United Kingdom will increase pressure on Israel to negotiate with the Palestinians.

Hague claimed that the UK, France and Germany will call for the international community to describe what a peace agreement might look like. In the past, Israeli leaders have strongly resisted an specific proposals for a peace framework and have insisted that any solution must come from direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian delegations.

Hague’s announcement is in keeping with recent British, French and German policy. Three weeks ago the three countries released a joint statement in favor of a UN Security Council resolution that declared Israeli settlement activity illegal.
In the recent letter CMEP sent to President Obama, an international effort to put forward the framework of a peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors is one of the key tenets of forward progress toward peace, national church leaders indicated. The absence of true and lasting negotiations between the parties involved for more than three years shows that the international community needs to try a bold new move that hasn’t been tried before. Interim agreements, like the proposal that may come out of Netanyahu’s government this spring, is a dangerous substitution to making the hard choices inherent in pursuing direct negotiations on all final status issues.

Barak: Israel To Seek $20 Billion More In Aid
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel may request up to $20 billion more in military aid from the United States.

Barak explained that the additional aid may be needed in response to the changing security environment in the Middle East. With popular uprisings sweeping the region from Morocco to Bahrain, Barak claimed that the aid would not only benefit Israel. “It might be wise to invest another $20 billion to upgrade the security of Israel for the next generation,” he said. “A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in a turbulent region.”

Whether the United States would fulfill such a question is unclear. The United States already gives Israel $3 billion in military aid annually, and the request would come at a time when Democrats and Republicans are deadlocked over deep budget cuts.

Funding Fears
While Israel is appealing for more military aid, the U.S. government’s spending on projects around the world is under scrutiny as Congress works toward yet another continuing resolution in the absence of finalizing a 2011 budget. One of the aspects of U.S. aid that is facing the chopping block, and sharp criticism, is our government’s contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which provides a broad range of essential services to 4.7 million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. More than 3,000 messages have been sent by folks around the country in response to CMEP’s Action Alert this week calling for you to write your members of Congress in support of continued U.S. funding of UNRWA. Add your voice to the support of this vital agency that helps sustain a capable and healthy Palestinian society that will be a good neighbor to Israel when peace comes.

Talking to Congress
More than 2,600 people have signed on to a letter telling the 112th Congress that peace in the Holy Land must be a priority. Add your name to the letter today. It’s also incredibly valuable that you get the chance to meet with your elected officials and their staff face to face so we encourage you to sign up to participate in meetings in your district this month.

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Communion: Reflections from an Alternative Holy Land Tour

2011-03-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

I read a fine blog entry by Frank Rogers at a blog I ran across: http://www.patheos.com/community/ancientstoneslivingstones/2011/02/07/communion/

Rogers' entry is part of a blog diary kept by an alternative Holy Land tour called Ancient Stones, Living Stones. The whole blog is worth reading: http://www.patheos.com/community/ancientstoneslivingstones

Rogers writes in a post called Communion: "By far, the vast majority of Palestinian and Israeli people that we met have chosen against violence, hatred, and an endless cycle of blame and revenge. They simply want peace; and they are seeking it through truth-telling and understanding, justice and compassion, creativity and hope in the human spirit."

Alternative travel in Palestine and Israel is the best way to be made aware of the situation of those struggling for justice and peace. Find a list of alternative Holy Land travel opportunities at the website of Friends of Sabeel - North America: http://www.fosna.org/content/alternative-travel-listing

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Archbishop Thabo Makgoba calls barrier "a wall of strangulation'

2011-03-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

My third news release from the Sabeel Conference in Bethlehem. Look for all our releases and the conference statement at http://www.fosna.org/ - on the right under "Recent News."

4 March 2011

ARCHBISHOP THABO MAKGOBA AT SABEEL: GOD, FAITHFULNESS AND RESISTANCE

Bethlehem, Occupied West Bank – The Rev. Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, called Israel’s separation barrier “a wall of strangulation.” Makgoba addressed participants of the Sabeel International Conference, preaching at the Church of all Nations at Gethsemane in Jerusalem 25 February 2011.

More than 200 international participants came to Bethlehem for the conference under the theme, “Challenging Empire: God, Faithfulness and Resistance.” Sabeel is the ecumenical liberation theology center based in Jerusalem.

“We must not be naïve in speaking about South Africa while standing in Jerusalem,” Makgoba said. “The wall of strangulation or `beautification’ is worse than the South African pass laws, the Bantustans or homelands, and racial discrimination,” he said. Visiting with Palestinians in Bethlehem and Hebron is “an experience I will treasure,” he said, and, “I will rededicate myself to the pursuit of justice.”

Makgoba called for “prophetic theology.” He said, “We must do this especially from the perspective of the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, the outcast, the powerless, the voiceless, the Palestinians – for all of whom God has a particular option, as Jesus affirmed when he (…) set out what we might call the `manifesto’ of his ministry.”

Makgoba shared aspects of Christians’ struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. “Faith helps us resist the assumptions of empire,” he said. “For we subvert all its norms when we dare to live as Jesus lived and taught (…) when we dare to believe that blessings come when we love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and practice radical forgiveness – even as we raise our voices for justice and act to transform unjust structures,” he said.

In Bethlehem, bible study leader Ched Myers presented a radical Jesus unfamiliar to most Christians today. Myers is the author of Binding the Strong Man and a partner in Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries, Oak View, Calif., USA.

“Jesus publically identifies with the notorious John the Baptizer, whose message of repentance was directed not just to a personal change of heart but to the whole nation. Jesus and his followers were complicit In John’s rebel movement,” Myers said.

Jesus did not propose “a utopian dream that can only be realized in heaven or the afterlife,” Myers said. “Jesus’ gospel leaves no room for otherworldly religion: `The time is now; the sovereignty of God is here.’ (Mark 1:15),” he said.

Myers called the destruction of Palestinian olive trees by Israeli settlement development “economic warfare” and compared it to Roman economic oppression of formerly self-sufficient fishermen in Jesus’ time. Fisherman had "fallen to the bottom of an increasingly elaborate economic hierarchy. It stands to reason that peasant fisherman would have been particularly responsive to a call to resist,” Myers said.

Myers explained that Nazareth in Galilee, Jesus’ home town, was located in the neighborhood of the demolished city of Sepphoris, re-built by the Romans as a powerful administrative center. “It was a dramatic case of imposing a colonial settlement on an indigenous landscape. Sepphoris would have towered over Nazareth, like the [Israeli] Har Homa settlement does over Bethlehem today, even more so,” Myers said.

Jesus the carpenter might have walked about an hour to get work in the new imperial city. “The trauma of Sepphoris’ destruction and reconstruction as an imperial city right at his doorstep would have had a profound impact on his consciousness, infusing in him a keen sense of the travails of empire,” Myers said.

Myers outlined some aspects of “the Jesus of the gospels that tend to be overlooked by churches today,” including “going to the roots of our tradition and of our social crisis” and apprenticing ourselves with “older traditions of
resistance and renewal.”

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Reporter: Ann Hafften
Sabeel Media Coordinator: Nicolas Atallah
phone: 0526822443
http://www.sabeel.org/

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Naim Ateek and Afif Safieh spoke to the Sabeel Conference in Bethlehem

2011-02-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the second news story I have released from the Sabeel Conference in Bethlehem. For more short news stories, see the Sabeel website - www.sabeel.org - under "latest news."

The story and an earlier one will be available on the website of Friends of Sabeel-North America - www.fosna.org

27 February 2011

GOD IS LOVE, NOT EMPIRE,
NAIM ATEEK TELLS SABEEL CONFERENCE

Bethlehem, West Bank -- “Empires have always used religion and theology to their advantage,” Naim Ateek told the Eighth International Sabeel Conference. “Israel is an integral part of American empire; in its hegemony over Palestinians it acts and governs as empire.” Ateek is the founder and director of Sabeel, the ecumenical liberation theology center based in Jerusalem.

Participants heard from Afif Safieh, who has served as Palestinian Ambassador in three world capitals: London, Washington, and until 2009, Moscow. More than 300 participants are attending the event in Bethlehem, 23-28 February, 2011.

“The United States acted as empire last week with its veto in the U.N. Security Council, overpowering the votes of 14 other nations,” Ateek said. The veto defeated a resolution that condemned Israeli settlement building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, contrary to U.S. policy stating that settlements are illegal.”

“The establishment of Israel was a relapse to the most primitive concepts of an exclusive, tribal God. At its core is the way some secular Zionists interpreted the Holocaust,” Ateek said. “For some, the only authentic response to the Holocaust, religious or secular, Jewish or not, must be total commitment to the security and wellbeing of Israel,” he said.

Ateek told the conference that “Israel has adopted a new god, one named Betahone, meaning security. This god is nourished continually by the American empire with the most up-to-date military technology.” Israel’s export of arms is fourth in the world, he said.

“The God that I have seen in Jesus Christ not the god of armies, not the violent god found in certain biblical texts,” Ateek said. “It is the vulnerable God of love in Jesus Christ who was nailed to the cross. God is not the god of empire but the nonviolent God who is found the refugee camps, suffering with the families while the Israeli army carries out its incursions,” he said.

“The power of God is not expressed in war, violence or assassination, not in oppression, checkpoints and Apartheid walls, in lies and injustice,” Ateek said.” The biblical God is full of truth and justice, love and mercy and compassion. This is not the god of `Christendom’ or `Israel-dom.’ The biblical God expresses power through forgiveness, peace and reconciliation,” he said.

“I believe God’s power could be seen in the nonviolence of the recent Egyptian revolution,” Ateek said.

“When we chose this conference theme, `Challenging Empire,’ we did not anticipate revolutions in the Middle East, people striving for justice and freedom. Our people too are hungering for freedom and respect for their human rights,” Ateek said.Sabeel welcomed Bethlehem’s local community to an evening session where Safieh told the conference that, while the Israeli lobby is still very powerful in the United States, the “battle for Washington” is winnable for Palestinians.

Safieh spoke of “an `Israeli America’ where the administration adopts the regional strategy of Israel and integrates it in their global approach.” He said, “ I believe in the power and existence and the reality of the Israeli lobby in Washington, and it is this particular lobby that has confiscated American foreign policy in the Middle East so that to us the remaining superpower looks like a sub-contractor in the Israeli strategy.”

“This is what we witnessed last week in American sabotage and torpedoing of a [U.N.] resolution that was deliberately worded with their own proclaimed position from 1967 until now, which is astounding,” Safieh said.

“We can win the battle for Washington,” Safieh said. “I believe it is winnable.”
“The Palestinians are the test for American credibility, respectability, believably, love-ability,” Safieh said. “Can you imagine the love, if America were to become the locomotive for change in Palestine? That is a sea change that unfortunately has not occurred,” he said.

Safieh said, “Is Israel still a strategic asset or is it a burden and a liability? Is there an identity of interest among Israelis and Americans or is there a bifurcation and divergence of interest? We got the message: America is committed to Israel’s existence. But is America committed to Israel’s expansion? In Israel there is a vibrant debate about the desirability of keeping the hilltops of the West Bank. What is America’s interest in Israel keeping the hilltops of the West Bank?”

He said, “Does America need or wish to be perceived to be in collusion with Israel and its Territorial appetite resulting in its being on a collision course with the Arab or Islamic world or not?”

“I believe that in leading circles of America there is this awareness that Israel has become a liability,” Safieh said. “We need to win our political battle of persuasion,” he said.

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Reporter: Ann Hafften
Sabeel Media Coordinator: Nicolas Atallah
phone: 0526822443
www.sabeel.org

Sabeel International Conference in Bethlehem: Challenging Empire

2011-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

It's a thrill to be writing news from the Sabeel International Conference. Loads of material, technical gliches, late nights - just like old times. This program is Wow! I'm delighted, baffled and inspired all in two days. Ann

Feb 24, 2011

SABEEL CONFERENCE IN BETHLEHEM:
JESUS CHALLENGED EMPIRE

Bethlehem, Occupied West Bank -- About 200 international participants have come to Bethlehem for the Eighth Sabeel International Conference. The group gathered at the Bethlehem Hotel under the theme, “Challenging Empire: God, Faithfulness and Resistance.” Sabeel is the ecumenical liberation theology center based in Jerusalem.

Dr. Richard Horsley told participants, “Jesus was a Palestinian under imperial rule. Just as the modern state of Israel and other states in the Middle East were the creation of Western colonialism, so the ancient temple-state in Judea” was set up by foreign powers.

Horsley described Jesus as a community organizer working to renew in village communities a commitment to the covenant laws of God. He said, “… all of the Gospels … portray Jesus as having the same basic agenda, the renewal of the people of Israel in opposition to the Jerusalem and Roman rulers of the people.” Jesus’ program “tapped into the people’s deeply rooted cultural traditions,” he said. Horsley is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion, University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA.

Jesus’ commitment to renewal in village communities was strategic, Horsley said. It was “a key component in a strategy of resistance to the rulers, a confrontation of Empire. By restoring their mutual cooperation and solidarity, villagers could resist the further disintegration of their communities.”

Vulnerable families could be encouraged “not to succumb to the outside forces that would turn them into share-croppers or force them off their ancestral land and out of the village community,” he said. “By mobilizing people power and building community solidarity, Jesus’ renewal of the covenant also became a form of resistance to the predatory pressures of the Empire,” he said.

Horsley pointed to “a new form of Empire, global capitalism.” He said, “The transnational megacorporations that constitute this dominant imperial apparatus are far beyond any attempt at regulation (…). The U.S. still is, or has, an Empire. But it is now interlocking with the new Empire of global capitalism (…) while the US military serves as the enforcer of the New World Order which aids and abets the operation of global capitalism.”

Ambassador Hind Khoury told the group Wednesday that they could not be meeting at a more interesting moment in history, “a historical moment for us Palestinians and Arabs, for empire and for the world. While the situation in Palestine has been dramatic for too long, events are now snowballing in front of our eyes planting the seeds of change for the region and forever.” Khoury is the former ambassador to France from the Palestinian Authority. She serves on the Sabeel Board of Directors.

Khoury described “the hegemonic grip of the global American empire, with Israel constituting an integral and essential strategic partner” in the Middle East. Disregard for “the human factor” is both shocking and consistent, Khoury said.

“People and values simply do not matter, you walk over them, you crush them, you bombard them, you assassinate them, you deny them a present and a future, and all is legitimate on the altar called the security of the state of Israel,” Khoury said.

Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh described “the 13 percent of Bethlehem that is the concentration camp we (Palestinians) are allowed to live in,” while the remainder is either zoned restricted or is “illegally annexed.” He said, “Israel continues building its Wall, which in Bethlehem is 60-70 percent complete.”
Qumsiyeh, a professor at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities, addressed “Mapping Empire Today in Palestine and Israel.”

“Shedding fear is the most important part of people-power resistance,” Qumsiyeh said. “State power requires fear,” and it employs “unimaginable” tactics such as demolishing homes six and seven times.

As for “empire,” we have to ask who is behind all this, Qumsiyeh said. “Greed and interests of greed that cannot be ignored. We must understand the biology of the disease we are facing so that we can treat it.” Palestinians are facing world powers, not just another state, he said.

“Justice, peace, truth – these are not just words. Leaders blurt them unconsciously. I say as a Palestinian Christian, look to Jesus Christ. He was the first Palestinian martyr. He spoke Aramaic, a precursor to Arabic, and he was killed for acting, not just for saying these words,” Qumsiyeh said.

The Rev. Christopher Ferguson, United Church of Canada, said the gospel message “has been grabbed and imperialized, the message of liberation made to destroy and oppress.”

Ferguson said, “Freedom is the message of the Jesus movement. Where we stand is resisting empire with the Palestinian people. It is not an optional extra but at the core of our faith and our relationship to God.”

The Rev. Mitri Raheb preached at the Wi’am Center, located next to the Separation Wall in Bethlehem. He spoke to the familiar text from the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth,” saying it would more correctly be translated, “for they shall inherit the land.” Raheb is the pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church and president of the Diyar Consortium in Bethlehem.

“We really think empire will last. Jesus says it will not,” Raheb said. “How wise Jesus was. No one of Jesus’ time would have imagined that Herod was not here to stay. Jesus tells us through this verse that we are released from the power of empire. Jesus speaks and empire has lost its power over us. We see it in the Arab world in these recent weeks. Young people saw that empire could be shattered. God won’t do it alone, only with us.”

The Rev. Alison Tomin and Deacon Eunice Attwood, president and vice-president respectively of the Methodist Church in Britain, discussed the process that led to adoption of an important report and resolutions on justice and peace for Palestine and Israel at last summer’s Methodist Conference in Portsmouth.

Methodist people should take seriously the deepening of their understanding of issues (here), said Attwood. “They should examine their understanding, though it will bring some discomfort into established Methodist-Jewish discussion groups. The vast majority have decided to face discomfort and face these issues, bringing the possibility for more discussion with other Christians as well as with Muslims,” she said. “Methodists are committed to listening to every voice, but particularly the poorest, the most vulnerable, the oppressed and the most needy,” Attwood said.

Thanking the Methodists, the Rev. Naim Ateek, director of Sabeel, said Wednesday, “Today if you stand for justice and truth, you will be attacked. Churches suffer from weakness of the prophetic. Israel wants you silent, then you are okay. Once you speak out, immediately you will be attacked. Then the question is: Can you stand? And I thank God for every person who does that.”

The Sabeel International Conference continues at the Bethlehem Hotel through Monday, 28 February.

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Reporter: Ann Hafften
Sabeel Media Coordinator: Nicolas Atallah
phone: 0526822443
www.sabeel.org

Reports from the countryside around Hebron

2011-02-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

An excerpt today from the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) newsletter and another from Jan Miller's blog, A Pilgrim's Tales.

First from EAPPI [to go straight to the entire newsletter click this link: http://www.eappi.org/?id=8351]

February 2011
Across the Middle East and North Africa, the year 2011 has begun in dramatic fashion. Unprecedented protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen have shown the depth of peoples’ desire for justice and freedom in a region that has seen decades of political oppression and violence.

While media coverage has focused on unfolding events in Egypt, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory has not been static. Israeli forces and settlers have killed several Palestinians, announced major land confiscations, and demolished dozens of Palestinian homes.

Ecumenical Accompaniers were among the first internationals to arrive in Dkaika, a village in the South Hebron Hills, on the morning of 12 January, when the Israeli army destroyed 9 residential structures and a classroom serving 15 pupils. Fifty people, including 30 children, were left homeless.

"Two policewomen stopped me when I wanted to go in to the house and take out the furniture and our things before they demolished it. They would not let me," said Hamdah Najadah, a local woman.

"They destroyed everything, even the coffee, sugar and flour. Where will we sleep? It is winter, and bad weather is coming. God be with us!"

In occupied East Jerusalem, the demolition of the Shepherd Hotel by Israeli authorities in order to build an illegal settlement on the site drew international criticism. The international community considers Israel's unilateral building of settlements in East Jerusalem illegal and a threat to a negotiated agreement over the city's future status.

In An Nu’man village near Bethlehem, Israeli bulldozers destroyed the home of a young couple, Raed and Siham. The army only gave them a few minutes to remove some of their furniture. The bulldozers actually started to tear down the house while they and their three little children were still in it - violating Israeli law. We have visited the family twice a week since the demolition. The family now lives with their neighbors who also have a pending demolition order.

For more eye-witness accounts from EAPPI, go the the home page: http://www.eappi.org/

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Here is Jan Miller's blog post. She is very concerned about the Meqbul family and others in Beit Ummar. Link to it: http://apilgrimstales.blogspot.com/2011/01/this-week-in-palestine.html

Jan includes Jamal's email messages about his situation.

See Jan's blogs about peacemaking in Israel and Palestine: http://www.apilgrimstales.blogspot.com/

She writes:
Today I’m writing because I have had a couple of alarming notes from Jamal, who hosted us at his home in Beit Ummar in the West Bank, just south of Bethleem. In May, Jamal invited our Compassionate Listening delegation to meet with his group—Wounded Crossing Borders. This is a group of Israelis and Palestinians who have all lost loved ones or been wounded in the conflict. They meet together to get to know one another and to build bridges of understanding. Our group sat with them in the shade on Jamal’s patio as the late afternoon sun filtered through the grapevines. The geraniums were blooming—pink, red—and the Muqbul family had prepared a feast for us, coordinated by Jamal’s wife Saddiye. As we sat eating our homemade humus, pita, chicken, rice and vegetables, we heard the story of Jamal’s 14-year-old nephew Ibrahim, who had just been arrested (he has now been cleared of all charges, with the help of the Israelis in Wounded Crossing Borders).

That warm afternoon on his patio, with Palestinians and Israelis who are seeking peace, seemed far away as I read his email on Thursday:
January 20—All time we afraid about our kids always we worry, last night the Israelis soldiers come to my family houses, they brock windows and doors then they ask about my son Zain they need him, my be they will return back in any moment, Sadiye crying all the time and she ask me to keep them in another place but where ? i call all of my group if we can do any thing, i am sure the Israelis IDF dont need me work for peace.

In a more recent post Jan writes:
More news from Beit Ummar (Ommar), between Bethlehem and Hebron in the West Bank—this time from the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP). In the last two weeks I have written about the violence in Beit Ummar against Jamal Muqbul, whom we met in May. Yousef, the boy who was killed Friday, is a close friend of Jamal’s son Yazan. Jamal writes of their sorrow: “yes.. we are so so sad about Palistinin who killed by settler yesterday morning especially he is close friend of my child Yazan. …. now there is many soldiers in the village.” [http://apilgrimstales.blogspot.com/2011/01/youth-peace-volunteer-killed-in-beit.html]

Take a few minutes to read about Yousef, who was involved in non-violent actions and was learning peacemaking in Beit Ommar. Read this information and more on PSP’s website: http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/

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CMEP: Mubarak's out. Now on to the peace process?

2011-02-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Churches for Middle East Peace Bulletin
February 11, 2011
Mubarak's out. Now on to the peace process?
The web version of this bulletin has a load of embedded links:
http://www.cmep.org/content/mubaraks-out-now-peace-process

Mubarak Falls
The recent political upheaval in Egypt culminated on Friday with the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who turned over authority to the Egyptian military. Headed by Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the military is now expected to oversee a process of transition until national elections are held next September.

Mubarak’s ouster was met with stark relief in Washington, which had been caught between its longtime financial and political support for Mubarak and its sympathy for the democratic aspirations of the protest movement. “This is an extraordinary moment for Egypt,” said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry. Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden, hailing Mubarak’s departure as a “pivotal moment,” insisted that “The transition that's taking place must be an irreversible change and a negotiated path toward democracy.”

Implications for Israel and Palestine
Although it’s still too soon to know just what effect Mubarak’s fall will have regionally, one thing is clear: it will not be without consequences for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As discussed last week, the promise of a democratic Egypt has prompted newfound concerns within Israel. In particular, many Israelis fear that if an Islamist government were elected to power, it would not only destabilize the security of Egypt’s border with Gaza, but the new government could possibly unilaterally withdraw from the Camp David Accords, the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt that has served as a lynchpin of regional peace and stability for the past 30 years.

These fears, however, are likely unfounded.

For one, as a Newsweek report details, it’s not clear that the Muslim Brotherhood would actually come to power. Even more though, a violation of the Camp David Accords would have significant ramifications for Egypt’s already struggling economy. Breaking the peace agreement would jeopardize the nearly $2 billion in aid that the U.S. gives to Egypt annually, as well as the revenue Egypt generates from Israeli-Egypt trade -- one natural gas pipeline alone produces $300 million a year in revenues for Egypt, a figure that is expected to rise to $1 billion by 2015, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Thus, even if a new Egyptian government actually wanted to withdraw from its peace treaty, it’s not clear it would be willing to bear the significant financial and economic costs of doing so.

New Revelations about the Olmert-Abbas Negotiations
Rather than hindering peace in Israel and Palestine, the upheaval in Egypt may actually help.

In a featured article in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, author Bernard Avishai lays out just how close former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were to a deal in 2008.

According to Avishai, whose article is based on extensive interviews with both Olmert and Abbas, the main roadblocks to piece – the demilitarization of the Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees -- all “proved susceptible to creative thinking.”

Where the talks broke down, according to Olmert, was the lack of leadership on the part of the United States -- all that was missing was sufficient pressure from the United States to “bridge the gaps.” With the region energized by Egypt’s transformation, the United States might find those gaps even narrower than in the past.

Quartet Meeting
As the drama unfolded in Egypt, the Middle East Quartet also met in Munich this week on February 5. Following the meeting, the Quartet released a statement saying that it had taken note “of the dramatic developments in Egypt” and that it had reiterated its support for the conclusion of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations by September 2011.

Moreover, the Quartet’s statement also expressed “regret” that Israel discontinued its 10-month moratorium on the construction of new housing in the settlements in the West Bank. By contrast, the statement praised President Abbas for his leadership and “continued Palestinian State-building efforts.”

Events surrounding the Quartet’s meeting were as significant as the meeting itself. On the same day that the Quartet released its statement, the Palestinian Authority, summarily rejected an economic aid package that had been proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Quartet envoy Tony Blair just before the start of meeting in Munich. “The announcement by the Israeli government and the Quartet’s special envoy is totally unacceptable,” said the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat. “We don’t believe in these measures, which are aimed solely at destroying confidence between Israelis and
Palestinians. If Netanyahu wants to establish mutual trust and peace, he must stop settlement-building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem” Erakat said.

Updates from CMEP
The CMEP staff welcomes the addition of two colleagues to our office this week. Alexandra Stevens is a graduate student at George Mason University and has studied abroad in the West Bank. She is interning with CMEP because she wants to continue learning about the conflict and finding new ways to advocate for peace. We’re also glad to welcome Chris Meserole, who studied religion and the Middle East at Yale, and writes about religion and foreign affairs for the Huffington Post. His Arabic is still pretty mangled, but he's working on it. Both Chris and Alexandra are wonderful additions to CMEP’s team.

Churches for Middle East Peace - http://www.cmep.org/

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Jeff Halper appearances in Los Angeles & Orange Counties

2011-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

As part of a national ICHAD tour, the Friends of Sabeel in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, along with six other peace groups from the Muslim, Jewish and secular community, are co-sponsoring Jeff Halper's speaking engagements from in early February at venues throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Halper founded ICAHD, the Israel Coalition Against Home Demolition, a group of volunteers who protest at the site of Palestinian Homes being destroyed.

He will speak on the topic, “Isreal/Palestine: Towards Peace, Apartheid or Warehousing?"

Jeff Halper was interviewed on KPFK (90.7 FM) on Sunday February 6th at 9 AM and Monday 7th at 8 AM.

TONIGHT
University of California, Irvine
Tuesday February 8th at 6 PM
Crystal Cove Auditorium

Upcoming:
California State University, Long Beach
Wednesday February 9th at 2 PM
Building LA3-room 106

California State University, Fullerton
Wednesday February 9th at 7PM
Ruby Gerontology Center Auditorium

For information on appearances go to:
http://www.lajewsforpeace.org/

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Accompanier stands with Palestinians for peace

2011-02-04T04:58:00.000-08:00

Ecumenical accompanier Susanne Nelson was featured in an article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, "Standing with Palestinians for peace at Israel's gates." I will post links to Susanne's blog here too.

Here is the link to the Argus Leader story:
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20110203/VOICES/102030305/Standing-Palestinians-peace-Israel-s-gates?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CHome%7Cp

And here is an excerpt:

Standing with Palestinians for peace at Israel's gates
Ecumenical program places Sioux Falls native as mediator in global hot spot

Susanne Nelson grew up in Montana, so the sight of cattle pushing their way through a chute is familiar to her.

But it wasn't until she traveled to Palestinian territory that she saw people doing the same thing, crowded together in a small area under a sky that is hours away from being brightened by the sun.

They wait, as they do every day, to pass through a gate that will allow them to travel to their jobs in Israel or to their own farmland.
It is an anxious time because they know the gate can close abruptly, preventing them from going to work.

"Some of them get hurt just because they can't keep up with others," Nelson says, speaking via Skype. "And it's dark."

Nelson, a licensed clinical social worker from Sioux Falls, has been living in Tulkarm, a city in the north West Bank, since December.

She is halfway through a three-month commitment to be an ecumenical accompanier, someone who stands by the gates with the Palestinians as a visible presence monitoring the conduct of Israeli soldiers.

That's one of her volunteer duties. Another will occur in about three months when Nelson returns, ready to share her experiences and viewpoints."The only way anything is solved is through dialogue and understanding," she says. "I would never pretend to be an expert in the field, but when you've spent a little bit of time in the area - my organization calls us the eyes and ears on the ground, and that's a good way to put it."

The ecumenical accompanier program, offered through the World Council of Churches, gives people around the world the chance to work for peace in a troubled area.

[Read the complete article at this link: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20110203/VOICES/102030305/Standing-Palestinians-peace-Israel-s-gates?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CHome%7Cp]

In this blog post Susanne writes about a Sunday trip to worship in Nablus and a visit to a Christian friend in Tulkarem: http://aprairievoice.blogspot.com/2011/01/sundays-activity.html

Here Susanne describes a visit to Shufa, a village in the Tulkarem area: http://aprairievoice.blogspot.com/2011/01/village-of-shufa.html

Look a little deeper into Susanne's blog posts and you'll find this one about a visit to Bethlehem: http://aprairievoice.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunday-in-
bethlehem.html

To learn more about the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, see the website: www.eappi-us

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CMEP statement on proposed UNSC resolution on settlements

2011-02-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) has issued a statement calling on the Obama Administration not to stand in the way of the resolution regarding settlements in the UN Security Council vote.

We can reach out to President Obama by phone and email with the same call and urging him to take this opportunity to spur both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to take decisive new steps toward a comprehensive peace agreement.

For more from CMEP, go to the new, redesigned website: http://www.cmep.org/

Here is the complete statement. Below is contact information on how to reach the White House.

February 2, 2011

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), a coalition of 24 national church communions and faith-based organizations advocating for robust U.S. government policies to help end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is deeply concerned with the lack of progress in negotiations for a comprehensive peace. Brief direct talks were suspended last September. U.S. proposals intended to reignite direct negotiations failed to bring the parties back to the table.

A United Nations Security Council resolution calling on Israel to stop illegal construction of settlements in the territories over which it gained control in 1967, including East Jerusalem, has been submitted for Security Council consideration and will be discussed by the Middle East Quartet (U.S., UN, EU and Russia) later this week. The language of this resolution reflects language that the United States has historically used to describe settlement construction activity: illegal, an obstacle to peace, and not legitimate.

CMEP calls on the Obama Administration not to stand in the way of this resolution in a Security Council vote. Furthermore, in the context of the resolution’s consideration, CMEP urges the U.S. government to take this opportunity to spur both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to take decisive new steps toward a comprehensive peace agreement.

With new tensions and transformations rapidly emerging in the Middle East, regional stability and security require a comprehensive peace agreement in the near future. In addition to believing the current situation to be politically unsustainable, CMEP continues to be deeply concerned about the impact of the existing stalemate on people’s daily lives. The absence of any progress toward a resolution compounds the humanitarian situation on the ground, stranding many Palestinians in a state of perpetual food insecurity and leaving most without access to adequate water resources.

Palestinians deserve self-determination and Israelis deserve the security of a comprehensive peace and recognition by their neighbors. The outlook for an agreement is not hopeless. Recent reports confirm that in 2008 both sides made significant progress in defining their positions on important final status issues, including security, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem. Yet little progress has been made since then. The United States must send a robust message in word and deed to both parties that delay is not an option and that new substantial steps toward a comprehensive agreement are needed immediately.

“Blessed are the peacemakers” is a call from Jesus that is today most timely and urgent. Churches for Middle East Peace offers its prayers and active support to all who are willing to take bold steps to help bring about a comprehensive peace among Israelis and Palestinians.

Warren Clark, Executive Director
Martin Shupack, Board Chair

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Contact the Administration
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United StatesThe White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

(Include your email address, if any, in mailed correspondence)

Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
email: president@whitehouse.gov

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Bishop Younan preaches on Christian unity

2011-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

Bishop Munib A. Younan preached a sermon for the Week for the Prayer of Christian Unity at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. I have provided some excerpts here. For the complete sermon, please go to the link: http://gallery.mailchimp.com/c9c32f1679d067d8ca8107b9e/files/Bishop_Younan_Sermon_WeekOfPrayerForChristianUnity.pdf

The wonderful resources of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are not limited to a single week but can be used anytime in prayers and vigils for peace, conferences and events, special worship services. Explore this website at the World Council of Churches: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/faith-and-order-commission/xi-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity.html

Here are excerpts from Bishop Younan's sermon -

Jan. 25, 2011
“One. . . in the apostles’ teaching. . . .”
(Acts 2:42)

"(...) As I often say, to work for unity in Jerusalem is an art. We are in need of capable artists to produce something so beautiful. We all know the work required and the careful planning to design a Middle Eastern Carpet. It is as if each of our churches is a different color of thread (or yarn), yet woven together the carpet becomes so much more beautiful than each strand of yarn by itself.
The individual threads do not loose their identity or individual character. The beauty of their particular color remains intact. Yet coming together under the direction of an artist, the finished carpet is more beautiful than all of the individual strands. And it is none other than the Holy Spirit that guides this process of coming together to produce this beautiful ecumenical carpet. Picture with me such a beautiful carpet hanging here on the wall—a beautiful carpet, perhaps with an image of the Lord’s Supper with Jesus sitting in the middle—Imagine how beautiful this carpet would be. If ecumenism succeeds in Jerusalem, it can succeed in the whole world. And so we are called to this purpose, for we are capable artists weaving together this beautiful carpet of the holy communion. It is not a burden, nor an effort. It is simply our duty to which we have been called to answer Christ’s priestly intercession so that we maybe one as Christ and the Father are one (John 17).

"(...) This can be an example of how Christian unity can take place here in Jerusalem. Ecumenism is not built on the shoulders of others, not on finding mistakes and disagreements with others. Nor is it in concentrating on particular events in our common histories. Unity starts when we are open to live in a spirit of repentance and forgiveness, and ask our Lord to guide us. Unity is not uniformity. A carpet of all red threads is okay, or one that is all blue, or all green. But we all know that much more desirable in the market is that carpet which brings together various colors into one with a carefully designed pattern of the Holy Communion. Each of the churches brings to our ecumenical carpet special gifts that benefit us all. Those of us from the Lutheran tradition stand in appreciation of the witness that each of you give:
• To the Orthodox we say thank you for your witness of steadfastness in faith.
• To the Armenian and Coptic for your example of faith in martyrdom.
• To the Syriac for the way that you have preserved a history going back to the Aramaic roots of our faith.
• To the Latin Catholic for your example of church order and for the spirit of faithful obedience.
• To the Maronites for your ability to contextualize our faith.
• To the Greek Catholic for joining East and West together under one roof.
• To the Anglicans for your liturgical forms and hymnody
• And I hope that you would say the same for our Lutheran zeal and fervor inpreaching and especially our devotion to justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers. We stand appreciative of each of you and your witness in the faith. And now that we have worked together for some time here in Jerusalem, we can only say that we cannot imagine for one moment trying to exist without each other.

"(...) Unity in a spirit of repentance and forgiveness calls us as reconciled diversity to see Christ in the other, and to find a common witness here in Jerusalem. Why did God decide on that first Pentecost to make use of 19 different languages including Arabic? Why has God today placed us here in Jerusalem: Orthodox, Catholic, Oriental Catholic and Orthodox, Lutheran Evangelical, Anglican? Why here in Jerusalem? Why us? Why these particular different churches? One thing is certain: he called us to be in Jerusalem to be a light to the world. It is a light that emanates from Golgotha and the empty tomb. It is a light reflecting this spirit of repentance and forgiveness. It is a light that calls us to be living witness and creative diakonia together.

"(...) We must have strategies and action plans. Most of all we are called to remain steadfast in the apostles’ teaching. We all as churches are responsible to deepen the understanding of our witness and presence in the Holy Land. We are called to educate our people:
To know the Bible deeply.
To understand its message.
To emphasize the importance of Christian education.
To know why we are here in Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
To show the world that we in Jerusalem continue to be both the church of Golgotha and the church of the empty tomb, the church of suffering, but also the church of resurrection.
We are called to educate our people that what unites us is Jesus.
We are called through this teaching to confess together that There is one body and one spirit, one hope in which we are called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one eucharist, one God and father of us all.
We are called through this teaching to stand together, to present a common living witness."

Learn more about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land: http://www.elcjhl.org/

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Episcopal bishop and St. Olaf college students concerned about justice and peace

2011-01-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Episcopal presiding bishop writes to Obama on Israeli-Palestinian peace process

This news courtesy of the ENS staff. For the complete story and the full text of Bishop Jefferts Schori's letter, go to this link: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_126599_ENG_HTM.htm

January 18, 2011

[Episcopal News Service] Stressing the urgency of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori last weekend wrote to President Barack Obama urging United States leadership to "reignite a negotiations process that can produce immediate and sustainable steps toward a just, comprehensive and lasting peace."

The Jan. 16 letter also cautioned against U.S. use of its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to block a possible resolution on Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories. Use of the veto "would send the wrong signal to both parties, as it would be interpreted by many as a break from past U.S. positions against settlement building," the presiding bishop wrote.

Stalled peace talks
The presiding bishop's letter comes at a moment when U.S. efforts to broker direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are stalled. The parties briefly came to the table in September in direct negotiations orchestrated and mediated by Obama, but those talks faltered when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to extend a temporary freze on the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian negotiators have maintained that a full settlement freeze is a condition of their participation in peace talks.

[Full story and complete text of the bishop's letter at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_126599_ENG_HTM.htm]

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St. Olaf College students get a view from the Holy Land

This news courtesy of St. Olaf College News. For the full story, go to this link: http://www.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsShorts#5019

JANUARY 18, 2011

St. Olaf students participating in the Interim program in Israel and the Palestinian territories received a tour of the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem last week from Rev. Mark Brown '78, the organization’s regional director.

The students, led by Associate Professor of Religion Jim Hanson ‘83, are taking a course titled Historical Geography and the Bible in the Holy Land. It’s the first St. Olaf group to visit Israel in more than 11 years. In addition to touring the Lutheran World Federation compound that is located on the Mount of Olives, the group has toured an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, a Palestinian refugee camp, and many sites pertaining to Biblical history.

[For the complete news brief and photo, go to: http://www.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsShorts#5019]

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During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, look to Jerusalem

2011-01-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity draws attention to Jerusalem
20 January 2011

Shortly after the beginning of each year, Christians around the world pray for church unity. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, traditionally celebrated from 18-25 January, draws on resources sponsored jointly by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church. The materials for January 2011 have been prepared in partnership with the churches of Jerusalem.

"In a present-day context of despair and suffering, the churches of Jerusalem show determination and witness together with the global church for a just peace in the city of peace," said WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in a sermon at Geneva's Ecumenical Centre during a service of prayer organized by the city's churches. The service on Wednesday evening, 19 January, included traditional music from the Middle East and was led by local church leaders. It was attended by more than 200 people.

Tveit observed that the New Testament portrayal of the Jerusalem church "describes the original oneness of those early believers in Jesus. Being one means being together, breaking bread, praising God, but also giving and sharing, according to who is in need." He described the image of sharing around the table as a striking image that "gives great spiritual energy" to ecumenical endeavours.

He continued, "The table is also a place and space that demands that we think about justice and the way food and access to power are shared in the world, especially at a time when speculation with food prices will mean that the poorest will become poorer, and go hungry."

Tveit noted that "there is still sadly one table where we as Christians do not yet eat together," referring to differences among churches that mean all Christians cannot share together in the eucharist. "Yet here too the witness of Christians in Jerusalem, the mother church of us all, can help us. They show us that it is possible to work together despite divisions, to carry forward prophetic calls for justice and peace, and try to be one in action together."

In the Geneva service, Father Mikhail Megally of the Coptic Orthodox congregation thanked other local churches for their support in the wake of recent violence perpetrated against the Coptic community in Egypt. He told the gathering, “Copts are children of the Middle East. They belong to this region and are part of its development and identity. We cannot imagine either Egypt or the Middle East without their Christians.”

Full text of the sermon by the WCC general secretary: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/sermons/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2011.html

The general secretary mentioned the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, "... created in 2002 in response to a call from the churches in Jerusalem – individual accompaniers from member churches live alongside Palestinians and Israelis and see what life is like. Afterwards they return to their own contexts and tell the story of what they have experienced."

Full text of the introductory remarks by Father Mikhail Megally (pdf) - http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2011pdfs/WOPCU2011_FrMegally.pdf

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Action Alert: Support UN SC resolution condemning settlements

2011-01-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

This Action Alert just in from the ELCA Middle East Network and Peace Not Walls. Click the link for the complete alert, plus links to more resources:
http://capwiz.com/elca/callalert/index.tt?alertid=22390501

Tell the President: Support a UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements.

Click the link above, then click the "Call Now" box for helpful talking points. In case you don't get that far, here is the phone number:
Washington office of President Barack Obama, 202.456.1313.

Tell the President to join the international community in reaffirming that Israeli settlements are illegal, are a major obstacle to peace, and should be halted immediately and completely.

Call the President today in support of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

The UN Security Council may soon be considering a resolution

reaffirming the illegality of Israeli settlements in Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967,

naming settlements as a major obstacle to peace,

demanding that Israel cease all settlement activity including in East Jerusalem,

calling on both parties to act on the basis of international law and previous agreements,

calling on all parties to continue negotiations on final status issues, and

urging intensified efforts to invigorate the peace process.

U.S. leaders have said each of these things before. Our support for this resolution encourages the Obama administration to reaffirm these positions.

Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, wrote in Foreign Policy online magazine on January 5 that "the U.S. should rejoin the virtual international consensus on these issues, stand up for its own declared interests, and vote for the proposed Security Council resolution."
[http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/05/the_us_should_vote_for_a_un_security_council_resolution_condemning_israeli_settleme]

This resolution comes at a critical juncture when negotiations have lapsed specifically over the settlement issue. The U.S. administration has repeatedly called for a settlement freeze and has criticized settlement activity including in East Jerusalem. A UN resolution now, reaffirming previous UN resolutions and stating clearly the international consensus on settlements, could serve as a catalyst to get negotiations back on track to finally achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

Contact the president today.

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New book: Palestine sixty years later

2011-01-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU) has published Palestine sixty years later, by Thomas Suarez. Because this book is so photo-driven, I recommend it for gifts and church libraries.

While the website might change, right now you can see samples of the beautiful pages at this link: http://palestine.org.il/

AMEU: http://www.ameu.org

Palestine sixty years later combines 171 photographs and commentary into a vivid glimpse of modern-day Palestine. An Introduction summarizes the origins of partition, compares the methods of Zionist expropriation used in 1948 to those employed today, and analyzes how Israel has exploited Judaism and the collective Western subconscious. The main part of the book is divided into three section: Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Although its focus, inevitably, is on the realities of life under siege and Occupation, the author depicts side-by-side the "other" Palestine, people living their own lives as best they can under that reality, refusing to be defined by it. A concluding commentary addresses the reasons the conflict has remained unresolved, and argues for immediate action to end the injustice.

A violinist, Thomas Suarez has written about Palestine both online and in print, and is the author of three major works on the history of cartography, and a novella. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of Gaza Mental Health Foundation.

Palestine sixty years later
Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank 2008-2009
Photographs & Observations
Thomas Suárez
Price $18
112 Pages. Softcover. 8.5 x 9.5 inches. Published by Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU), 475 Riverside Drive, Room 245, New York, NY, 10115-0245. Photographs and text © 2010 by Thomas Suárez. ISBN 978-0-578-051

From Middle East Books Reads - http://www.middleeastreads.com/?p=255 -
"Palestine: Sixty Years Later [is] a full bore assault against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, rejecting assumptions of symmetry between Israel and Palestine or presumptions that Israel acts in self-defense.

"Suarez’s... photographs of contemporary Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank are incontestable. They offer an unnerving portrait of a people and a land under an inconsolable occupation... The value of this photo essay lay in its capability to remind its readers that Palestinians are people like themselves,wishing the best for their families, but living under extremely harsh conditions... Suarez’s narrative accompanying the photos provides a powerful indictment against Israel’s practices and ultimategoal of erasing the Palestinian presence."

"A beautiful, evocative book. Suarez’s marvellous photographs capture more eloquently than any words the essence of what it means to live under Israeli occupation. The accompanying text is authoritative and to the point. An aesthetic and educational experience not to be missed." — Ghada Karmi, author of Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine

"[This] extraordinary book of photos and text ... should be read by every American citizen."— U.S. Senator James G. Abourezk

"A moving, fact-filled and insightful portrait of a people under relentless siege."— Norman Finkelstein, author of Beyond Chutzpah and "This Time We Went Too Far"

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Kairos Palestine study launched by Presbyterian Israel/Palestine Mission Network

2011-01-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

On the first anniversary of the launching of Kairos Palestine - A Moment of Truth, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has released a 24-page booklet that includes the Kairos document and a three-week congregational study plan.

Info at this link: http://israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/index.php/component/content/article/140-kairos-palestine

Kairos Palestine is the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" of our time, according to the Network. "This Confession of Faith, written in 2009 by a broad spectrum of Palestinian Christian leaders, is addressed to Palestinians, Israelis, the international community--as well as all the churches of the world. It lifts up the classical theological virtues of faith, hope, and love that lie at the heart of the Christian Gospel, and affirms that resistance to injustice and oppression is firmly grounded in these principles. It is both an anguished cry in a dark hour and a profound testament to unquenchable hope."

The study plan includes informative background material on the Israel-Palestine conflict including three maps in color. This material provides essential historical, political, and theological context for the Kairos Palestine statement. The booklet is an excellent guide for readers undertaking an individual study of the document. Church-based groups will benefit from the detailed lesson plans for a three-week congregational study, inclulding a list of thought-provoking questions to stimulate reflection and discussion.

Cost and ordering info: $2.00 each for 1-19 copies $1.50 each for 20+ copies
Order: http://store.pcusa.org/ or 800-524-2612 PDS No. 2646610001

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Valiant US leadership is needed

2010-12-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

Churches for Middle East Peace announces that valiant U.S. leadership is needed, and that starts with you and me.

In this season of hope and expectation we must remind the President that we support peacemaking even when that path is daunting. Send a Christmas card now to President Obama and let him know that we believe in peace!
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4819

While direct talks failed to produce the desired results, we haven't given-up on peacemaking. As a world leader, the role of the U.S. government is crucial to a future peace with justice and security for all.

The president is facing the need to develop a new strategy for advancing an agreement for peace.

What's happening to Palestinians and Israelis cannot be tolerated by Christians who hear the call of Jesus to embody and work for peace. Violence and dehumanization directed at any person cannot be endured without a high price being paid by all of us.

In this season of hope and expectation we must remind the President that we support peacemaking even when that path is daunting. Send a Christmas card now to President Obama and let him know that we believe in peace!
While direct talks failed to produce the desired results, we haven't given-up on peacemaking. As a world leader, the role of the U.S. government is crucial to a future peace with justice and security for all.

If you have send a card by postal mail, many thanks! Please pass this email along to someone you know who may also want to send a card.

Make peace a priority this Christmas. Send a card and join the campaign for peace. Take another step in the hard journey toward peace in the Holy Land. http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4819

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For the Peace of Jerusalem: Christians for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Now [http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/salsa/web/common/public/index.sjs] is a national campaign calling on people of Christian faith across the country to work for a just and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. The campaign’s launch on December 1, 2010 is especially timely given the U.S. administration’s focus on direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leadership, the challenges these talks have already faced, and the important role of the Holy Land in this season’s celebrations of Christ’s birth. Find out more about the campaign and its members at http://www.peaceofjerusalem.org/.

Churches for Middle East Peace - http://www.cmep.org/ - a 26-year old coalition of coalition of 24 national Church denominations and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. It works to encourage U.S. government policies that actively promote a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all people of the region. For more information visit http://www.cmep.org/.

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Lutheran Bishop Younan: Fear Not

2010-12-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

The Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, released a Christmas message last week. Here's the link to the statement: http://www.elcjhl.org/Admin/Bishop/2010.12_BishopYounan_ChristmasMessage2010.asp

Christmas Message 2010

Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan
Bishop of the ELCJHL

“Fear Not!”

When we think of the Christmas story, the most common words that come to mind are peace, joy, hope, faith, and love. Christmas is a pleasant time when families come together, when choirs sing, and when children are filled with fantasies. Yet the first two words of Christmas are “Fear not!”

8"In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Fear not! for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:8-11

It was the same when the angel appeared to the aged priest Zechariah at the temple: “Fear not!”

And when Gabriel appeared to the young girl Mary in Nazareth: “Fear not!”

And when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant and an angel appeared to him in a dream: “Fear not!”

In first century Palestine, there were so many reasons for them to be afraid:
•For Zechariah, the impotency of old age and the potential loss of mental and physical abilities.
•For Mary, a young vulnerable girl, pregnant outside of marriage in a patriarchal society.
•For Joseph, the pressures of leading an upstanding and righteous life with religious zealots judging him on the basis of Mary’s pregnancy.
•For the shepherds, the threat of the natural world with wild animals about to attack their flocks during the darkness of night and the lawlessness of thieves and bandits who would not be afraid of using violence on them for material gain.
•For all of them, questions about God’s presence in their lives when God seemed so very far away.

And yet, “Fear not!” was the message of the angel to all of them. And it was not the terrifying, life-destroying, bad news they might have expected. It was good news of great joy for each one of them and for all people. “Fear not! For I bring you good news of great joy!”

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” – John 3:16

For Zechariah, for Mary, for Joseph, for the shepherds, the message was very simple, “God has not forgotten you. God is not far away or removed from your lives. God hears your cries of loneliness, inadequacy, uncertainty, doubt and fear about who you are, what is your purpose in life, how you fit in with your relationships to others, your relationship to this vast universe, and most of all your relationship to God—to God who comes in the form of a child born in a humble manger, among common people like you, on a still silent night, in a small village like Bethlehem. This is good news of great joy. God loves you. Fear Not!”

In the first epistle of John, we are told “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). And so the first word of Christmas must be that spoken by the angels, “Fear not!” It is the first, the middle, and the last word of Christmas. “Fear not!” Here in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and into the whole world, “Fear not!” Then, 2,000 years ago, and today at Christmas 2010, “Fear not!”

There are many issues today that cause us to fear: health problems like cancer and diseases like HIV/ AIDS, economic issues like job loss and decreasing funds for retirement, family issues like divorce or the death of a spouse, environmental issues like global warming and disappearing natural resources, international tensions and the development of more destructive weaponry, extremism in politics and religion. Once again we need a Christmas angel proclaiming, “Fear not!”

Yes, here at Christmas time 2010 in the Middle East, we once again long for a heavenly angel to comfort us with these words, “Fear not!”

Our people are in danger of drowning in fear. Many Christians in many parts of the Middle East are increasingly cowering in fear and becoming timid in their witness. Just a little over a month ago in Baghdad at Our Lady of Salvation Church terrorists gunned down two priests and fifty-one defenseless worshippers. Since then, another three were killed in Mosul and an elderly Christian couple were murdered in their own home in Baghdad. So how do Christians respond? In an Associated Press story, one woman, afraid to give her name, said she lives in a constant state of fear, keeping her children indoors and out of school. In less than fifteen years, the number of Christians in Iraq has declined from one and a quarter million to only 400,000. For centuries Christians and Muslims have lived side by side, yet today religious extremists are holding hostage the moderate majority, Christian and Muslim alike. Iraqi Christians are once again in need of a Christmas angel proclaiming “Fear not!”

A similar picture is developing in Egypt where Coptic Christians have fresh in their memories the drive-by shooting that left six Christians dead in Nag Hammadi as they were leaving church after last year’s Christmas Eve Mass. As we approach another Christmas season, there are heightened tensions in Egypt. We ask both sides — Christians and Muslims alike — to dialogue concerning their differences for the sake of their long-standing relationship. We announce to them from Jerusalem, “We are praying for you.” And we say, “Fear not!”

These and other situations have resulted in the U.S. State Department “International Religious Freedom Report” for 2010 reminding us that: “The right to believe or not to believe, without fear of government interference or restriction, is a basic human right.” To believe without fear — to worship without fear — is a fundamental human right. Yet, because of extremism, people are afraid.

These and other situations were the reason that the Vatican recently held its Synod on the Middle East to:
•“confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the Sacraments.
•And to give new life. . . so that they might provide an authentic witness of joyful and attractive Christian life.” [Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, The Middle Eastern Synod in its Geopolitical and Pastoral Context (Zenit.org, May 22, 2010)]

I hope that the World Council of Churches will hold a similar conference so that we Christians of the Middle East will have a coordinated strategy and be strengthened in the process.

Here in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, including Jordan, we are not facing the same problems of persecution as our sisters and brothers in many countries of the Middle East. There may be social and political problems, but we thank God for the religious freedom we enjoy. Here Christians today number only 1.4 % of the population with many Arab Christians emigrating because of the political situation and the lack of willingness and resolve to bring about a just peace, because of lack of jobs, because of lack of housing, because of the difficulty of travel, and because of the rise of extremism on both sides.

Palestinians and Israelis today face a common enemy: fear. In the absence of justice and peace, the common denominator is fear. Fear of the other. Fear for the future. Fear that freedom is not coming. Fear that children will grow in hatred. Fear of insecurity. Fear of the occupation. Fear is our common prison that keeps us locked up in cycles of mistrust and shattered dreams. It is a fear that builds non-productive “facts on the ground”. It is a fear that will only ever vanish when there is peace based on justice and reconciliation built on forgiveness. We proclaim that such a just peace is possible today. We pray that all political leaders will seize the opportunity before it is too late. The same message of the first Christmas rings true today, “Fear not!” There is a child who was born into a world of fear in order to take away that fear and to bring peace to earth and good will to humankind.

The Christmas message must speak loud and clear once again, “Fear not!” We are in need of a heavenly angel, a messenger of God, who says, “Do not be afraid.” “Fear not, Zechariah. Fear not, Joseph. Fear not, Mary. Fear not, shepherds. Fear not, Palestinian Christians. Fear not, Arab Christians. God hears you. God loves you. God empowers you. God calls you to be a vibrant and living witness in this place at this critical time in history.”

When the angels appeared to the Beit Sahour shepherds, the promise of good news overshadowed all their fears. The announcement of God’s love for them and the world cast out all the fear that might have prevented them from traveling to Bethlehem amidst the crowds and the Roman soldiers on that first Christmas night.

The announcement of God’s love for them brought them to the manger where they bowed in humble worship to the long-promised Christ-child, where they prayed, where they uttered songs of thanksgiving, where they were fed spiritually and strengthened in order to return to their normal, mundane, and sometimes exhausting tasks of daily life. Luke describes this return in such encouraging words, “The Shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

For the shepherds, the dangers were still there. The threats of violence were still very real and no different than before. The demands of making a living, of supporting their families, and sharing with their neighbors and communities, none of that was different from the day before. In many ways, their lives had not changed, but their spirits had. They went about their daily tasks glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. From the beginning of those two small words — “Fear not!” — the shepherds were called to witness, and sent out, unafraid, to share the good news with those around them.

Likely their home communities, their friends, and even their families met them with some reluctance, perhaps with skepticism and doubt. Those around them were still living in fear. I wonder how the shepherds began their stories about that first Christmas night? Most likely it was with those same two words, “Fear not!” And their witness would have provided a contagion that changed families, transformed communities, and encouraged others no longer to live in fear, but to share in that vibrant witness of the hope that came to Bethlehem in the child born in a manger.

Our task as a church is to be the salt of society, the leaven of the dough. Our task today is to provide education. It is also our task to provide our society with educated individuals who promote the values of human rights, freedom of religion and democracy. Our task is to train leaders who will become teachers, lawyers, and professionals who will contribute to the well being of society. Our task is to provide a witness of non-violent struggle against injustice, to promote religious toleration, to provide a model of peoples of different religious and ethnic backgrounds learning to see God in the other and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We can no longer be timid or afraid about our witness to the world. At this time of hopelessness, it is essential that we Christians develop a theology of witness and coexistence focusing on the reasons that the babe of the manger calls us — like the shepherds of old — to witness here in the Holy Land.

Today Christians in the Middle East are just a small minority, living in a world filled with danger and filled with what must seem to be insurmountable challenges. And so it was with those first shepherds of Beit Sahour, only three or four of them, perhaps one or two still children, all uneducated and untrained in speech. I could understand if they had been timid in telling the story. But Luke tells us they went home glorifying and praising God. And I could understand if today’s Christian community remained timid about its witness. But then I hear again those first two little words of the Christmas message: “Fear not!”

The angels call to us from the first Christmas.

“Fear not!”

They speak to us when we hear the Christmas story once again.

“Fear not!”

And from the manger in Bethlehem we continue to hear.

“Fear not!”

We wish you a Peaceful Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year 2011 full of a just peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Yours in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

Website: http://www.elcjhl.org/

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Bethlehem Prayer Service simulcast video available

2010-12-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

If you missed the 4th Annual Bethlehem Prayer Service, simulcast from the Washington National Cathedral last Saturday, you can enjoy the service courtesy of the cathedral's on-demand video:
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/exec/cathedral/mediaPlayer?MediaID=MED-3VUGK-O8001M&EventID=CAL-3V2P2-MT000O

The joint simulcast service joined the National Cathedral with Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.

Worshippers in the National Cathedral gathered with others in the USA and beyond who watched the service live. In Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians continue to bear witness to their faith this Christmas, as they have done for generations. Once again, voices were joined in seeking and offering hope for a better future.

Prayers, readings, and hymns alternated between Washington, D.C., and Bethlehem, bringing together people of different lands, languages and ethnic backgrounds in celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace.

In Bethlehem, participants includes The Right Reverend Suheil Dawani, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the Right Reverend Munib Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and President of the Lutheran World Federation, and the Rev. Mitri Raheb of Bethlehem's Christmas Lutheran Church.

Participants in DC included: The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church; The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington; The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III, Dean of Washington National Cathedral; and The Reverend Richard H. Graham, Bishop, Metropolitan DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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Highlights from the ELCA Peace Not Walls newsletter

2010-12-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

It's late in the month for me to be sharing the Dec. 2 ELCA Peace Not Walls newsletter. The complete newsletter is at this link: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls/Resources/Newsletter.aspx

Here are some highlights:

Join CMEP's new national Christian campaign; send Christmas greetings to the President
“For the Peace of Jerusalem: Christians for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Now” is a year-long effort of 26 (and the number is growing) Christian churches and organizations to engage Christians across the country in the pursuit of a just and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land.

The initial campaign action is to send thousands of Christmas greetings to President Obama as a way to show him and all those who hear of our ecumenical efforts that we expect peace with justice and security for all Palestinians and Israelis; and, in the spirit of Advent, we expect it soon.

How you can help:
• Sign and send an online card at http://www.peaceofjerusalem.org/.
• Organize a card-mailing campaign in your synod or congregation. Cards should be signed and mailed (in one big envelope) to CMEP before Wed. Dec. 22 for delivery to the White House. Find planning advice and sample messages by clicking on the Take Action tab.

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The final entry in “Prince of Peace” 2010 Advent/Christmas Sunday Reflections from Christians in the Holy Land (this one by Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD, Bethlehem University): http://www.cmep.org/sites/default/files/advent2010_4_0.pdf

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Journey to Bethlehem in Advent by ELCA Denver lay leader Jan Miller is at her blgo: http://adventjourneybethlehem.blogspot.com/

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Churches for Middle East Peace has a completely new and updated website. Find Christian and Interfaith Statements, news, resources, photos and more at http://www.cmep.org/.

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Film, “Budrus,” expands theatrical release
“Budrus,” the award-winning film about Palestinian non-violence, is expanding its U.S. release. See a trailer and find showings: http://www.justvision.org/en/budrus

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New Gaza report published
Amnesty International and 21 other human rights and aid groups published a November 30 report on conditions in Gaza, titled, “Dashed Hopes: Continuation of the Gaza Blockade.” The 12-page report outlines the struggles which the people of Gaza continue to face and states, “Lifting the blockade of Gaza remains a legal, economic and political imperative for those seeking a lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The time for credible and effective action is now.” Read the full report: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/ngos-gaza-civilians-continue-suffer-2010-11-30

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Litany for Bethlehem from Bright Stars

2010-12-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

Bright Stars of Bethlehem shares this litany for Advent

Litany for Bethlehem Sunday (Advent 2010)

Voice I -
With Christians around the world, we are traveling to the little town of Bethlehem to see the child whose face reflects the face of God.

Voice II
By the light of a star, we travel to see what God has done and is doing for us, among us, within us.

I - We remember the story of a star-lit stable and an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. In our memory we smell the hay and hear the bleating of sheep as shepherds approach and wise men come bearing gifts.

II - With hope born of memory and faith, we also come to the stable to give thanks to God for the birth of this child whose life bears witness to God’s presence among us.

I - And in the little town of Bethlehem this day the miracle continues in the faith and lives of God’s people who live behind a wall that separates neighbor from neighbor and farmers from their fields. In the witness of our sisters and brothers of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, the light of that ancient night still shines transforming humble stables and ordinary lives into places where God can be seen and experienced.

II - Let us continue to believe in the miracle of Christmas and the transforming power of God’s love made known to us in a tiny baby born in a manger. Let us join with Christians in Bethlehem, asking God to be born in and through us this year that our lives might also be bright stars of hope in our world.

Sing: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

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Bright Stars of Bethlehem: http://www.brightstarsbethlehem.org/

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Dar al-Kalima College was dedicated Tuesday

2010-11-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

Dar al-Kalima College campus was dedicated Nov. 30, 2010 in Bethlehem

The Mount Murair campus of the Dar al-Kalima College in Bethlehem, Palestine, was dedicated Tuesday, Nov. 30. Video is at: http://www.diyar.ps/media/dak.wmv

“Dar al-Kalima College is a direct answer to the current shortage of higher education institutions in Palestine and a beacon of hope for future generations,” said Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and president of the Diyar Consortium. More than half of the Palestinian population is under the age of 19, with current projections predicting further growth. "With no expansion of the current educational system to absorb these growing numbers, a significant number of gifted young people in Palestine will have nowhere to further their education beyond the 12th grade and will have extremely limited opportunities in finding employment.”

The college, which opened its doors Sept. 15, offers 2-year degrees in the arts, multimedia, communication and tourism studies and in other major academic disciplines. Dar al-Kalima College offers majors and courses not offered elsewhere in Palestine, which can mean new jobs and opportunities for graduates. More than 200 full-time students will attend classes there and more than 1,000 people will participate in continuing education classes this academic year.

“Our mission is to, through education, build a culture of democracy, critical thinking and free expression,” said Dr. Nura Khoury, Dean of Dar al-Kalima College. “As the first Lutheran college in the Middle East, we hope to contribute to the strengthening of civil society in Palestine.”

Bright Stars of Bethlehem, based in the United States, has played a large part in fundraising for the college. The group organized a five-day trip to Bethlehem for the dedication.

Bright Stars of Bethlehem asked congregations and chapels across North America to pray together in Advent for peace in Bethlehem.

For more about Dar al-Kalima College, check the Bright Stars newsletter: http://www.brightstarsbethlehem.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=0&Itemid=82

(Bright Stars of Bethlehem, NFP, a 501 (c) (3) charity in the United States, was founded in 2003 to support educational, health and wellness, cultural and arts programs in the Holy Land. Our mission is to ensure that Christianity survives and thrives in the Middle East and to bring hope and healing to people in need. For more information on its mission and ministries, visit http://www.brightstarsbethlehem.org/)

Contact: Beth Nelson Chase
Vice President Bright Stars of Bethlehem
vp@brightstarsbethlehem.org

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Send prayers and wishes for Advent and Christmas

2010-11-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

The Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum of the World Council of Churches writes to invite you to send your prayers and wishes for Advent and Christmas in Bethlehem 2010.

For some, Christmas means spending time in a warm, safe atmosphere with family and friends. In a call for prayers that Pax Christi has initiated, they remind us, however, that this happiness cannot be shared by all people around the globe. Pax Christi notes that "Christmas celebrations in Israel and Palestine occur in a very difficult and instable climate". The call goes on to describe how "hope remains a keyword in the life of the citizens of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, city of peace" and how "individuals and groups keep up the search for non-violent routes that lead to peace and justice for both peoples".

Since December 2000 Pax Christi has been sending out peace messages to friends in Bethlehem. PIEF endorses and joins this call and hopes member churches of the World Council of Churches will send out wishes and prayers for justice and peace to Bethlehem.

Messages can be e-mailed to the Arab Educational Institute at the following address: aei@p-ol.com

Read all messages at http://www.aeicenter.org/ and http://www.paxchristi.net/ [You can read the 2009 messages here; some might provide ideas for use in your own congregation or group's prayer vigils.]

With prayers for a just peace in Palestine and Israel,

Yours in Christ

Michel Nseir
Programme Executive
Public witness programme
Special focus on the Middle East
World Council of Churches

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PIEF: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/public-witness-addressing-power-affirming-peace/churches-in-the-middle-east/pief/pief-home.html

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Notes while traveling in Palestine and Israel

2010-11-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

Since I'm traveling, I've been posting occasionally to Facebook friends. Here's a running list of those posts, offered here because they contain some good links.

Nov. 23
Jim Wall's analysis is completely chilling. We are dupes, and it feels awful.
US Offers Bibi 20 F-35 Bombers, The Jordan Valley and a Free UN Pass
http://wallwritings.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/us-offers-bibi-20-f-35-bombers-the-jordan-valley-and-a-free-un-pass/
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been meeting with his seven-member inner cabinet. They are discussing the offer Hillary Clinton made as an incentive to Israel to “freeze” settlement construction for 90 days.
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Nov. 24
Looking forward to another yummy Middle Eastern breakfast and really good coffee. Think I'll try a fresh persimmon as they are in season.
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Nov. 24
Cool event this afternoon in Beit Hanina: http://www.diakonia.se/documents/public/IHL/IHLsessions/IHL_session_Invitation_IHL_and_Corporate_Accountability_24_Nov2010.pdf Corporate accountability for International Crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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Nov. 24
"Who Profits ? Exposing the Israeli Occupation Industry." Www.whoprofits.org
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Nov. 24
Wow fascinating stuff at this symposium at Diakonia in East Jerusalem. Check out all the cool info at www.alhaq.org - Al Haq.
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Nov. 24
Here's a good example of a successful op ed project. Good job Portland folks.
http://mobile.oregonlive.com/advorg/pm_29237/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=ReCAIySc
OregonLive : Boycott: Put more pressure on Israel to change
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Thursday
‎"That year the first snows came heavily, big flakes falling into the lake like words into memory, heavy, irreclaimable." Rhoda Janzen, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.
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Thursday
Having an espresso in the Golden Walls hotel lobby bar. Used to be the Pilgrim's Palace, first hotel I stayed at in Jerusalem 1977.
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Thursday
Ann Hafften Is sitting in a meeting of the Jerusalem municipal council. We're here at the invitation of a member of the Meretz party; he's part of a coalition advocating on behalf of Palestinian homeowners in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood ; their homes have been taken over by extremist settlers.
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Thursday
Ann Hafften Just arrived atop the Mount of Olives for Thanksgiving fellowship and dinner at the "Stone House" at Augusta Victoria. Eager to see Mark & Susanne Brown and other friends. EAPPI meetings completed.
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Yesterday
When you're sick and someone sets a bowl of soup down on front of you, don't you just lean into that first spoonful with a tangible rush of gratitude!
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Yesterday
Historian Rick Perlstein ("Nixonland") applied himself to one recent example: polls showing that most voters in the last congressional election believed President Obama had raised their taxes, although he'd cut them. Led by Rush Limbaugh, "conservative commentators told them Barack Obama was a tax-mad lunatic. They lied....
The mainstream media did not do their job and correct them. The White House was too polite -- Who will smack down all the lies? http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2010/11/17/democrats_mainstream_media/index.html Over the past few decades, America's "mainstream media" has been hornswoggled by one big falsehood after another
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Last night
Trying to sleep through the worst part of the front end of a cold. I think I'll eat something and sleep some more. Tomorrow, got to be on my feet for church at Redeemer Lutheran in Jerusalem's Old City.
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TodayGlad to have met with both EAs from the USA, Clark serving in Hebron and Donna in Jerusalem. Bless their hearts! Check for their blogs here... www.eappi-us.org
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Now
It's almost twilight in Jerusalem; there's just enough daylight for one more walk down the block.

Israeli settlements remain an obstacle - LA Times

2010-11-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

Last week, a pretty good editorial about settlements in the Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-settlements-20101111,0,727949.story

Nov. 11, 2010
Settlement fatigue
Four decades is enough. If Israel wants peace, it must stop building in the occupied territories.

"This tiresome controversy has been raging ever since Israel captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (along with the Golan Heights and the Sinai peninsula) in the 1967 Middle East War. The first settlement was built in the Golan a month later. That's four decades ago. Four decades during which the international community has been demanding that Israel step back to the pre-1967 lines, four decades during which Palestinians have called for an end to Israeli efforts to redraw the political map. It's been 35 years since the first Los Angeles Times editorial on the subject called the settlements an `obstacle to peace.'

"At the time that editorial was written in 1975, there were fewer than 5,000 settlers in the West Bank. Today there are nearly 300,000. That doesn't count those living in the Golan Heights or the 190,000 Israelis who have moved into traditionally Arab East Jerusalem."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-settlements-20101111,0,727949.story

[I've just pulled the concluding paragraphs since they provide such a good summary.]

"If Israel were serious about negotiating a peace deal, wouldn't it stop building? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that a segment of the Israeli political establishment simply refuses to accept the new reality — and that segment, mostly made up of right-wing and religious political parties, is crucial to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's delicate coalition government. Truthfully, the settler movement's political power extends beyond the right wing; that's why settlements have grown steadily regardless of what government was in power, including those of Labor Party Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak.

"This page continues to believe, as it did in 1975, that settlements are an obstacle to peace. There's plenty of blame to go around, to be sure, for the absence of a final deal, but on this issue, the Israelis are squarely in the wrong. As long as they continue building in the occupied territories, the world will continue to question the depth of their commitment to peace."

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Naim Ateek at Guilford College: the view from a Christian Palestinian

2010-11-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

The Rev. Naim Ateek made a presentation at Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C., and the school's newspaper wrote up a very fine report.

Use this link to the The Guilfordian article: http://www.guilfordian.com/news/dr-naim-ateek-sharing-the-view-from-a-christian-palestine-1.1772231

Here is the story:

Dr. Naim Ateek: sharing the view from a Christian Palestine
By Victor Lopez, staff writer

On Nov. 3, the Reverend Dr. Naim Stifan Ateek, a Palestinian Christian, visited Guilford for a luncheon speech in the atrium of the cafeteria.

Ateek, founder and head of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem, met and spoke to members of the Guilford community.

Ateek discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the effect of Israeli's occupation on Palestine - and also the challenge of inter-faith discussions within the province.

"I know Naim personally from our annual summer work/study trips to the Middle East and have met him many times," said Director of the Friends Center and Campus Ministry Coordinator Max Carter. "I support the theological work he is doing on the conflict and appreciate the work of Sabeel in asking the tough questions that need to be asked in applying Christian principles to the conflict."

Ateek's work centers on finding common ground between Christian and Jewish believers in a largely Jewish province.

"During vigorous inter-faith discussions between the 1960s and the 1980s, the Palestinians remained invisible," said Ateek in Cornerstone, Sabeel's quarterly publication. "They were hardly mentioned in the dialogues. The agenda was pregnant with Jewish-Christian concerns."

Ateek pointed to the Third Arab-Israeli War which was fought in June of 1967 between Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.

According to Ateek, the 1967 war opened many people's eyes to the existence of Palestinians as refugees who were removed by despots.

Ateek expressed support for a two-state solution, the rejection of violence, and held both Palestinians and Israeli Jews accountable in a commitment towards peace.

Carter was pleased by the turnout for the discussion and the mixture of off-campus, faculty, students, and members of the Jewish community who attended.

"It was important especially, I believe, for members of the Jewish community to hear a Palestinian articulate a Christian position on the conflict," said Carter.

Some, like junior and vice president of Hillel, Benjamin Macdonald (who spent last semester studying in Israel), was not as receptive as Carter regarding Ateek's message.

"Ateek shied away from talking about Palestinian accountability in the conflict," said Macdonald.

Macdonald said that he thought Ateek oversimplified the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian divide.

"Ateek suggested once Palestine is recognized as a sovereign land, there will be no problem," said Macdonald. "He did not address Israeli fear. It's more complicated than that, there were a lot of things he left unsaid."

Michelle Grisaffi, a junior and peace and conflict studies major, said attending the luncheon helped leaven her education about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"There was a great deal of discussion about the importance of ending the occupation and creating a space of understanding and love in which Palestinians and Israelis can come together," said Grisaffi.

Grisaffi said she was exhilarated after the discussion and felt called to action.

"Being in a room filled with intelligent, knowledgeable people who care passionately about the Israel and Palestine issue was moving," said Grisaffi.

"It was the kind of experience that makes you want to jump out of your chair and rush out and do something important."

Macdonald cautiously agreed with Grisaffi: he, too, was glad for Ateek's visit.

"Ateek's visit was good," said Macdonald. "I wish there could have been more of a discussion. There's a line between having a debate and hearing him speak. The conversation didn't develop that much and it makes me want to bring in more perspectives."

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For more about Sabeel, see the US friends' website: www.fosna.org

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2011 Sabeel International Conference set for Bethlehem

2010-11-08T19:18:00.001-08:00

From Friends of Sabeel--North America, this announcement regarding the 2011 International Conference.

Sabeel's eighth International Conference will be held in Bethlehem Feb. 22-28, 2011, under the theme: Challenging Empire: God, Faithfulness and Resistance

You can download a conference flyer here: http://fosna.org/files/fosna/2011_Conference_Poster_Update.pdf
Register before Dec 1 for a $200 discount. Register before Jan 1 for a $100 discount.

The conference begins in the evening on Feb. 23 and runs through dinner on February 28, 2011, at the Bethlehem Hotel.

Conference cost: $1,050 ($950 double room; includes the night of the Feb. 23).

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:

- John Dear S.J. is a Jesuit priest, pastor, peacemaker, organizer, lecturer, and retreat leader and the author/editor of 25 books including Living Peace.

- Richard Horsley is the Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and author of Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Order.

- Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town since the end of 2007.

- Ched Myers is an author, organizer and advocate. He has worked with peace and justice organizations and movements, including the American Friends Service Committee, the Pacific Concerns Resource Center and the Pacific Life Community. With Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries he focuses on building capacity for biblical literacy, church renewal and faith-based witness for justice.

For more information please email: conf2011@sabeel.org or call 972-2-532-7136 (in Jerusalem)

The cost includes a non-refundable registration fee of $300, all accommodations and meals for 6 days, all transportation and honoraria during the visit. It does NOT include airfare, transportation to and from the airport, personal expenses, souvenirs, or travel insurance.

Registration deadline: January 25, 2011. Find the form at this link: http://www.fosna.org/files/fosna/2011Conf_RegistrationForm.pdf

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