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Last update: 06 August 2009 19:50:59 -0700
 
 
 

2009 August 6

 

Lorin Peters writes from Palestine:

 

I do not enjoy being in Palestine.  It is almost always hot, someplaces have invisible misquitoes, and less than one gallon of water per day for each person.  I don't care much for the food (in my case, that could be a good thing).  I am busy 12 to 16 hours a day, sometimes the work is tedious, I am still not understanding most of the Arabic I hear.  We walk amidst poverty and squalor, we witness disrespect to Palestinians every day, sometimes our work is stressful and we are in danger of being stoned again by settlers.  I miss Lacksana and our grandkids and all my family. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to go.


 At our last affinity group, someone asked Wendy, who also volunteers in Palestine, how she felt about going.  She said ,”I’m not looking forward it.”  They then asked, “Then why do you go?”  Wendy immediately looked over at me, as if to ask for help.  I felt much of what was going through her mind. It’s hard to explain why we go.  But it’s important to try. 


The first time I went to Palestine, September 11th had just happened.  I had already lived long enough overseas to be aware of much resentment of American power and oppression and exploitation.  I audited Michael Nagler’s Nonviolence course for eight months. He assigned “Hebron Journal”, a description of CPT (Christian Peacemaker Teams) life in Hebron, for reading.  I thought, “Wow, maybe I could do that after I retire in ten years.”


In my several encounters with violence, over a period of three decades, I had always been delivered.  I had just realized, “You know, this is not random.  I am being trained for something.  I just don’t know what.”  One month later Prof. Michael said, “Lorin, there is an appeal for emergency delegates to Palestine on the CPT website…”

 

Why did I join CPT the next year?  Because I want to practice what I preach about nonviolence.  I want to make my teaching more authentic, with more personal stories that communicate the spirit of nonviolence.  I want to demonstrate, to all who believe war and violence are necessary evils, that there is another, better way.  We do not have to kill, ever.

 

Why did I go back to Palestine?  I am appalled by American ignorance and arrogance and self-righteousness.  As Walter Wink so eloquently explains, America worships redemptive violence.  “We will save the world from violence, by just violating (killing) the right people.”  Actually, long before America, redemptive violence co-opted the Church.  It was called the just war theory.  Again, as Wink says, the Church is broken, and needs to be redeemed.  So I began going back to the teaching of Jesus and rethinking Christianity.  The Church seems to have missed ‘love your enemy’. 


Why do I keep going back?  When we live with people for a while, a funny thing happens.  We bond.  We become human and real to each other.  The Palestinians feel profoundly abandoned by the world.  Because Lacksana has taught me a lot about abandonment, from her childhood, I do not want to abandon them.  I think of them throughout the year. I grieve for them in their suffering.  I write reflections to help me articulate and process my grief. 


The Palestinians are a resilient people.  Many, after 40 years of occupation, or 60 years of ethnic cleansing, have still not given up.  They are amazing.  As my understanding of this most complex and intractable reality grows, I suspect only God can untangle this mess.  But God needs many servants on the ground patiently sowing his/her seed.


Why might I go back again?  In the past year, I have begun to see that CPT may also need redeeming.  It seems to me that we (CPT) have become too partisan - we need to focus on reconciliation as well as condemnation of the occupation.  Our motto, ‘getting in the way’, focuses on obstruction - Gandhi insisted that constructive work is more important than obstructive.  Sometimes we displace our anger and the stresses of our work onto each other.  Sometimes we forget to listen and dialogue and reason together.  Sometimes CPT feels like a power-based institution, instead of a community of open, trusting, vulnerable persons.  There is much work to be done.

 

St. Francis prayed to be an instrument of God's peace, and went, unarmed, to the Sultan of Egypt during the fifth crusade.  I pray everyday to be an instrument of God's peace also.  I invite you to accompany me as you are led.  For some of you, consider visiting our website: www.cpt.org.  For others, consider signing up for a delegation.  For others, consider financial support for our work of loving our enemies, and ourselves (Christian Peacemaker Teams, PO Box 6508, Chicago, Il 60680, Chicago, IL 60680.  Including “For Lorin Peters' work” on your memo line helps with our accounting).

 

I would deeply appreciate your thoughts and prayers.  I am conscious that people pray for me.  It does strengthen my confidence and trust, especially when things get tense. 

 

Pace e bene (St. Francis')

Lorin

  

Blessed are the meek, the gentle, the nonviolent; for they shall inherit the earth.
 
 
 

The Rev. Roy Hayes
 Priest-at-Large In Cyberspace
(Episcopal)

 

Uri,

 

      Greetings to you in The Other Israel.  You're aware that George Mitchell will reveal President Obama's Mideast Peace Plan "within weeks".  You're also aware that The Elders are scheduled to travel to Israel, to the West Bank and to Gaza at the end of August -- also within weeks.  Let's begin to look ahead and towards the future.  For time is of the essence.

 

      I write today with a question.  Please re-read the essay pasted below.  A Professor in the USA has proposed moving the United Nations to Jerusalem, and he makes an intelligent case for it.  The idea has been proposed at least once in the past.  Benjamin Netanyahu won't like the idea, of course, but most folks will be more interested in what you have to say on the subject.

 

      Victor Hugo wrote that the most powerful army cannot stop an idea whose time has come.  From my perspective, it's time for us to use the Internet to precipitate an international debate.  What do you think, Uri?  Please read on: Move the UN to Jerusalem

 

Peace,

Roy+ 
 
 

 

AT-TUWANI RELEASE: Israeli military blocks road and access to health, water services for approximately 700 Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills

5 August 2009

At noon on 5 August between the villages of Mfaggara and Jinba located in the South Hebron Hills an Israeli military bulldozer and a hummer with five soldiers created three earth mounds, blocking the road. In addition, the military damaged the road by digging it up to create the earth mounds.

The entire village of Kallet Adbea is now closed between the two of the earth mounds. In addition, the mounds affect villages south of Kallet Adbea. It is estimated that approximately 700 Palestinians living in villages in the area are affected by the mounds as they do not have access to the nearby village of At-Tuwani or north to the city of Yatta.

The earth mounds represent a serious problem to health needs of the local Palestinian population, because now the access to health services from the city of Yatta is not accessible by ambulance or car. Now, in the dry season, it is impossible for vehicles to deliver food and water to villages in the area, and for villagers to take products to the market to sell.

The Israeli military told international volunteers that the earth mounds are an attempt to close the border between Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel approximately 5 km south of the earth mounds t "stop terrorists." This road south to Jinba is one that is often used by Palestinian men traveling to work as migrant laborers in Israel (see release 12 Feb 09 AT-Tuwani: Soldiers kill Palestinian migrant worker, increase harassment of villagers in South Hebron Hills.)

 

Christian Peacemaker Team

 
 
 

August 5, 2009

Holy Days Turning into Fury

 

It is such a special month in the Holy Land especially for the Orthodox Church, although we start the fast thirteen days later, we turn our eyes and heart onto honoring the Most Holy Mother of God in this special 14 day Dormition Fast.  A few days before the Feast day of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch with a huge entourage of bishops, priests and faithful walk in a solemn procession from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre carrying the icon of the Virgin Mary to her empty tomb at the bottom of the Garden of Gethsemane.  People from all over the world come to celebrate this special occasion but Christians who are Palestinians are not allowed to enter Jerusalem unless they have special permits. 

 

I have often disobeyed the law, feeling sorry for people who want to pray and cannot get permits that I risk the high penalty of being fined and also thrown in jail to help people pray especially at the Life Giving Tomb of Christ since I find it one of the most precious and holiest of sites to venerate as a Christian.  But on Monday, when Elena, my daughter and my nieces visiting from Boston said that Fr. Jack, our local Melkite priest was willing to take them to the Holy City to pray I was relieved that he would be a better person than me.

 

Last Bright Week after the Holy Pascha, I got stuck at the checkpoint for over five hours when the Israeli soldier accused me of sneaking “illegal immigrants” into Israel.  The “illegal immigrants” were my Palestinian husband, whose American passport clearly states, born in Jerusalem and who by the way had a permit to enter but his permit was “not good” at that checkpoint because this idea of Jerusalem being freely open to Jews and not the rest is based on pure discrimination, unjust laws and total bias. And, the other “illegal immigrant” was my mother-in-law who was too elderly to leave home alone so we thought its better she comes to extend our good wishes to the Patriarch since he receives visitors for three days proclaiming, “Christ is Risen!”

 

It’s always frustrating at these checkpoints.  Fr. Jack was detained and interrogated for over four hours with Palestinian Christians who also hold a valid American passport that says “The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of the United Sates named herein to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful aid and protection.”  You might imagine after all of the billions of dollars that the United States sends to Israel they might avoid their outright prejudice. 

 

However, even this week, nine Palestinian families were evicted by Israeli police from two houses in occupied East Jerusalem .  I am outraged as an American citizen and as a Palestinian citizen that Jewish settlers moved into the houses almost immediately.  Does anyone out there behind this awful wall pay attention to the bias laws that Israel sets up to deny people born in Jerusalem the right to enter yet invite Jews born in Britain or Russia to freely live in homes previously owned by Palestinians. How long will this injustice continue because surely we will be on the verge of another civil uprising very soon.

 

My good friend Samia Khoury described this terrible news on August 2nd as follows:

“I could not go to church this morning;   I was simply too angry, and I felt like screaming and not pleading any more How Long O Lord How Long ?????  All the efforts of the local people and the support and solidarity of internationals; NGO’s and officials over and above the demand of the USA administration that Israel cease all settlement activity, and especially in Jerusalem , have failed.  The Hanoun and Ghawi families were evicted from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah area in East Jerusalem this morning to make room for Jewish settlers in that area.  The Hanoun family is next door to the YWCA and the Ghawi family is not far from it and very close to where the Sabeel office used to be before moving to Shufaat.  Helpless parents watched their traumatized children and a whole community stood around in solidarity while the onslaught on Jerusalem continued.”

 

It is not enough for the President of the United States to “urge” Israel to freeze settlement activity.  The United States government has the power to stop Israel .  Please let your representatives know that we have no basic human rights from what is suppose to be the only democracy in the Middle East, “ Israel .”

 

In the mean time we struggle to maintain our Christian values “You have heard that it has been said, thou shall love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy.  But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)

 

 “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.  The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”  (Psalm 34:14-15)

Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D.

 
 
 
August 2, 2009

 

Dear Friends:
 

I could not go to church this morning;   I was simply  too angry, and I felt like screaming and not pleading any more How Long O Lord How Long ?????

 

All the efforts of the local people and the support and solidarity of internationals; NGO’s and officials over and above  the demand of the USA administration that Israel cease all  settlement activity, and especially in Jerusalem, have failed.  The Hanoun and Ghawi  families were evicted from their homes in the   Sheikh Jarrah area in East Jerusalem this morning to make room for Jewish settlers in that area.  The Hanoun family is next door to the YWCA and the Ghawi family is not far from it and very close to where the Sabeel office used to be before moving to Shufaat.  Helpless parents watched their traumatized children and a whole community stood  around in solidarity while the onslaught on Jerusalem continued.

 

Once again evil and injustice win in the Holy city of Jerusalem from where the first message of peace was proclaimed.  Once again the word peace sounds hollow by actions that do not at all indicate intentions of peace. 

 

Once again Israel challenges the whole world with impunity.  Both the USA administration which has been the main supporter of Israel, morally and financially, and  the United Nations which gave Israel legitimacy  by partitioning Palestine into two states in accordance to the general assembly resolution #181 in November 1947,  stand impotent and are unable to take action against Israel for its continuous violations of human rights and international law.  Attached is the statement of the Civic Coalition for Jerusalem regarding this eviction.  The irony is that the area is to go to a settlement in the name of Shimon Ha Tzaddik ( known as Shimon the pious)  How pious can the eviction of people be.  It almost fits the same irony of building a reconciliation centre  on the remains of the Muslim cemetery in the Mamilla area in Jerusalem.  Is anybody out there listening??? 

 

Samia

 
 
 

Easter 2009

Dear Friends in Christ,

Happy Easter


Gaza is praying this year with Mgr Michel Sabbah. the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who came on Good Wednesday and remained till Easter Sunday. The new priest of Gaza, Father Georges, also shared the prayers with us.


In Gaza we tried to give hope to Christians. They came the whole week with great generosity of their faith.


We prayed for you. We thanked you.

God bless you,
Monsignor Musallam

 
 
 
 

9 April 2009

Good morning.

I am in Jerusalem today, and it is Holy Thursday. I am fortunate to be
able to be here with some of the Brothers from Bethlehem University as
we take a few days of prayer and reflection during these Holy Days of
the Triduim – leading us to the joy of Easter Sunday.

It is a blessing to have these few days of rest from work to reflect
and pray on the sacred mysteries and to be here in Jerusalem - the
place of the “original” Holy Week where Jesus was brought by the
leaders of his time before Pilate (the governor of the Roman Occupying
Forces of his time) to be condemned to death - here in Jerusalem -
and where the crowds were rallied against him and yelled "crucify him" --
which they did – yes, they crucified him here in Jerusalem along with
two repentant thieves alongside him.

All this took place here in Jerusalem, but it is not the WHOLE story.
Right?!

Here in Jerusalem is where this same Jesus was raised from the
dead -- as witnessed FIRST by a woman named Mary -- Mary
Magdalene -- a woman some say had a "past" reputation that might
not have been all so pretty.

And then the other followers of Jesus witnessed this miracle -- this
mystery of his "new life" of the resurrection - - and still, some did
not believe his message.

What was / is His message?

There is a "new way" of being with each other - a way of forgiveness
(who of us doesn't need forgiveness sometimes in our lives) -- and a
way of faithfulness (who of us doesn't need and sometimes
actually "thirst" for the faithful support and companionship and love
of our friends) -- and a way of solidarity with the downtrodden and the
outcast (who of us would not appreciate and welcome the support of
others when we are down and out - and perhaps misunderstood)
– and an invitation / command to “love your enemies” (who of us
couldn’t both benefit from being on the receiving end of this love
from people who consider us “their enemy” and also who of us
doesn’t struggle with ‘loving our enemies” – really LOVING those who
persecute me!).

Yes, I am fortunate and blessed to be spending a few days here in
Jerusalem, just about 5 miles or so from my "adopted" home in
Bethlehem -- where many of my Palestinian neighbors (Christians
and Muslims) who were actually born here are not allowed to come to
Jerusalem because the current Israeli occupying military forces of
our time don't permit them to come to Jerusalem.

Maybe some things haven’t realty changed since Jesus’ time.
Perhaps we can say that yes, many of the historical happenings of
Jesus' time still happen – and some of these happenings are not all
that pleasant. Yet, we are called to be people of faith - and as
followers of Jesus, to take up his message as our own.

We still have crowds who get rallied to yell "crucify them" and
somehow the killing of thousands of people in Gaza is justified. Too
many have died on both sides of the Israeli- built prison / apartheid
/ separation / security wall.

But we also have people what are rallying in support of the Gaza
Student Initiative of Bethlehem University.

But is the persecution and killing only in Gaza?

No, right here in Jerusalem the Israeli occupying military forces are
bulldozing homes of Arab Palestinians – Christians and Muslims.

Why?

The Israeli system says that they don’t have “permission” to live
here! What? Who are “they” to say “this”? Let us not forget about the
“rule of law” – and let us not forget that the State of Israel is
actuality an occupying military force in Jerusalem. Yes, the world
community – including the US government - does not recognize
Jerusalem as “belonging” to the State of Israel proper. So, by what “right”
does this “occupying force” have to destroy the homes of people who were
born here?

Well, by what right did the Roman Occupying Force headed by Pilate
have in crucifying Jesus here in Jerusalem?

Was it the pressure of “the crowds” who yelled “crucify him” that
gave Pilate the “right” to take his action? Hmmm .. what about us today in
the world community? What can we do - and our governments do -
to bring an end to the Israeli military occupation and to have the
Israeli government return to recognize their own legitimate borders -
and the rights of others to have their legitimate borders?

What about our students at Bethlehem University?

How is it that the Israeli Occupying Forces have the “right” to
bulldoze the homes of our students and their families – who live not
in the disputed territory of Jerusalem – but who live in the
Palestine - in what is also known as the occupied Palestinian Territories --
parts of Beit Jala and Bethlehem?

May I share with you a description of what happened just a few days
ago – on Sunday, Palm Sunday, 5 April 2009. This is a description of
what happened to one of our Bethlehem University faculty members
– Dr. Muna Matar – a graduate of Bethlehem University who earned her
doctorate in Computer Information Systems at the University of
Ghent and then returned to Bethlehem to join the faculty.

Here is what she writes:

"I am not your friend" - the Israeli Solder Said

After a very long and busy weekend of celebrating Palm Sunday
with my family and then attending meetings with some of my academic
colleagues reviewing and planning our computer course
curriculum, I finally went to bed around 12 midnight - it was Palm Sunday,
Sunday April 5, 2009.

Then, in the middle of the night, at about 2:00 am, my brother
came into my room and woke me up. He and I were frightened. He
was whispering, "Muna get up. The soldiers are surrounding the house
and banging on the garage door".

What, I thought to myself as I awoke – Israeli soldiers here in
the middle of the night at my house in Beit Jala?

Waking up very frightened I ran to the front door of the house
and heard the soldiers banging on the main entrance of the house
shouting in their very broken Arabic "Open the door. Open the
door. Put the lights off".

My brother went into his room to put some clothes on and ran to
the main entrance. Four Israel soldiers with their guns stood at
the front door pointing their guns at us.

I asked, “What is happening? What do you want from us?”

One of them shouted “Go inside and do not say anything.”

“This my house. You are coming to my house. You cannot tell me
to go inside.”

The soldier answered, “I am not your friend. I do not come to
your house. This is Israel. Do you understand?”

And he pointed his machine gun to my chest.

My sister in-law, who was standing behind me, said to him, “I
have two small children in the house. Do not shout. You will frighten
them.”

The soldier replied, “I do not care” and continued shouting at my
brother to give him his ID.

Then they took my brother out of the house. I followed them. The
soldier pointed his machine gum at me again and forced me inside
the house.

They kept my brother in the street – in the middle of the night –
in the cold – for about two and a half hours.

Those were probably the longest two hours of my life.


When my brother finally came back home he told us that they took
him out in the fields. Apparently they were looking for somebody
and they wanted some “protection” – so they took my brother with
them.

After searching the fields and found nothing or no one (they
didn’t tell my brother who or what they were looking for), they
brought my brother back to the jeep and showed him a map of the
area. They had a laptop in their jeep with maps on it. They
wanted my brother to then take them to a house. They forced him to walk
with them – to “protect” them and to show them the house. Again,
they found nothing and no one. And brought my brother back to
our house – now at about 4:30am – just before sunrise.

In the morning, after the sun rose, we went out to check around
our house and neighborhood to see what happened. We found
that the soldiers broke the glass of the garage window and the

shutters ofone of the bedrooms of our house. That was the physical damage– there was other harm that they imposed upon us.

I am still haunted by the words of the soldier when I told him
“This is my house” – and he shouted back “I am not your friend.
This is Israel. Do you understand?”

Indeed.

But, I don’t have the luxury to dwell upon this now. I need to
get to the University – my students await me and I have classes to
teach.

Yes, here in Bethlehem and in Jerusalem in the past – and today –
there were and are contradictions of Jesus’ message and our reality.

This Holy Week, as I come apart a while to Jerusalem for the Holy
Triduim, I bring with me the experience of Muna and her family –
Palestinian Christians from Beit Jala and Bethlehem who are not
allowed to come to Jerusalem for these Holy Days – but who are
harassed and suffer the realities of the Israeli Occupying Forces.

I am hopeful that in due time the crowds will be rallied not to shout
"crucify him / them" -- but perhaps, just perhaps, the message of
Jesus for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for justice, for
solidarity, for faithfulness will grow and take root in our lives and
in our time.

Indeed we are all one family of brothers and sisters -- and we all
come from and will return to the same God -- who LOVES us
UNCONDITIONALLY and who invites us to do the same with each
other.

Just perhaps, the crowd who hear and take up the message of Jesus
today -- who take up his cross in solidarity with him -- will be a
little bigger this year than last year -- and we will see and realize
more of the justice and peace that we all deserve -- Jews, Muslims,
Christians, those of other or no faith tradition -- we all deserve
and are offered this gift of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE that led Jesus to
take up his cross and to lay down his life for you and for me -- his friends
-- no greater gift is there -- and God has raised this same Jesus --
all here in Jerusalem!

What a gift to be here -- and to have this time to reflect and pray.

Know that you are in my prayers these days in a special way.

Please remember Muna and her family – and the many other
Palestinian families who continue to suffer the effects of Israeli
Occupation.

I am thankful for you and your support of Bethlehem University – an
academic community committed to justice and peace, fostering
shared values and moral principles in an environment that is sometimes
challenging but is nonetheless the Holy Land.

Thanks for all you do for us and for others in bringing to light the
injustices that need to be righted.

Thanks for letting me take some of your time today to share with you
my morning reflection as I begin my these days of the Triduim here in
Jerusalem in 2009.

God bless you and us all.

Brother Jack

--------------------------------------
Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD www.bethlehem.edu
Vice President for Development Tel: 972-2-274-1241
Bethlehem University Fax: 972-2-274-4440
Location Address: Rue des Frères, Bethlehem, Palestine
Temporary Mailing Address: PO Box 11407, 92248 Jerusalem
USA Office Br. Dominic Smith, FSC, 3025 Fourth St, NE - Suite 330,
Washington, DC 20017-1102 Email: dsmith@bethlehem.edu

 
 
 
Dear Father Kopti, 

Please advise the Pope to be sure and visit Gaza and the Palestinian people there during his visit.  This will help a lot to let the world know what is going on there.  Thank you so much.

 William Baker

Phoenix, AZ USA

 
 
 
 
Dear Father Labib Kopti,
 
I join my friends and friends of Gaza to support encouraging the Pope to visit Gaza on his visit to the Holy Land in May. It would mean so much to these people and raise consciousness about their living conditions which are so sad.
 
Sincerely,
  
S A Stradling
 
 
 
     
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06 Aug 2009