Support justice that will lead to peace Israel, Palestine

In March, a group of Muslims and Christians, under my leadership, traveled together to Israel and Palestine. We share a common theological heritage, a common set of dreams for our communities, and a common commitment to the centrality of social justice in our faith traditions. These are our reflections.

What we witnessed in the occupied territories was appalling. We saw a Separation Wall four times longer than the Berlin Wall, inside the West Bank; we spoke with individuals who have suffered at the hands of Israel’s military; we traveled upon the separate and unequal road systems that Palestinians encounter every day; we witnessed illegal settlements gobbling up land and expelling families from their ancestral homes; we discovered how the expropriation of water benefits illegal settlements, while Palestinians live on rations.

All three Abrahamic faiths are rooted in a vision of social justice. In Judaism that vision is found throughout the Hebrew scriptures, especially in the prophets; in Christianity it is found in Jesus’ words: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed …” (Isaiah 61:1-2); and in Islam it comes from the Quran: “Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor … if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily God is well acquainted with all that ye do.”

During our travels, we met a Christian priest living in the occupied territories. To go to Jerusalem, he has to first obtain permission from Israel’s military and then wait in a long line, only to be told by a teenage soldier that he may not enter today. The priest persists, saying he only wants to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. All he gets is a shrug: “Not today.” The priest’s experience is shared by millions of Palestinians attempting to cross the Separation Wall every day.

We met a Muslim Palestinian teacher who used to pray at Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem every week, but has not been to Jerusalem for 22 years. He said, “God does not want me to be humiliated every time I go to pray.” It’s a heartbreaking statement, but one his occupiers would endorse.

We also met a former Israeli soldier who believes it’s against the Jewish religion to oppress another people. He makes it his duty to educate visitors on the horrors of the occupation. He showed us the town of Hebron, where the Israeli military has placed bars across the doors and windows of Palestinian homes. Residents can only enter and exit their homes through the roof. Chicken wire is hung above the marketplace to catch trash, bricks, and human refuse that settlers drop on Palestinian shopkeepers. Banners wave from walls, declaring, “PALESTINE NEVER EXISTED. AND NEVER WILL.” As we walked, soldiers mocked our guide, telling him to go live in Gaza. He ignored them. His was a remarkable testament to the power of the human spirit, a reminder of the costs that come from taking the ethical vision of one’s religion seriously.

Despite our government’s repeated efforts, Israeli officials have scoffed at and even insulted their peace-making efforts, while subsidizing the illegal settlements. Furthermore, while we were there during the Israeli election, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated that on his watch there will be no Palestinian State. He has since cynically “changed” his position.

Peace requires action. When governments are unwilling, other tactics become necessary. The United Church of Christ is about to consider a resolution concerning boycotts and divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. The Presbyterian Church USA and the United Methodist Church have passed similar resolutions. These are part of a wider campaign of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) that is gaining traction throughout the world.

Boycotts and divestments are not anti-Semitic. Those strategies are born from understanding the ethical dimensions of all three Abrahamic faiths and the experience of other historic movements against oppression that have used those methods to leverage social change. We support justice that will lead to peace.

Rev. Steven R. Jungkeit, Ph.D., is senior minister, The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.


http://www.nhregister.com/opinion/20150624/forum-support-justice-that-will-lead-to-peace-israel-palestine


More power to you Rev!

amen support justice give Isreal back what the palestinians took..

During our travels, we met a Christian priest living in the occupied territories. To go to Jerusalem, he has to first obtain permission from Israel’s military and then wait in a long line, only to be told by a teenage soldier that he may not enter today. The priest persists, saying he only wants to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. All he gets is a shrug: “Not today.” The priest’s experience is shared by millions of Palestinians attempting to cross the Separation Wall every day.


But some Christian Zionists are so bloody stupid they will back Israel doing that, against their own faith. How twisted is that!