Jerusalem: School of Peace and Justice

By Rev. Labib Kobti

The history of Jerusalem teaches us that several people conquered it, but the owners of the Land had never forsake it. Jerusalem should teach us to love each other, if Jerusalem wants to survive in Peace.

Prime Minister Netenyaho is a very good speaker, in his interviews all over his visit to the USA, February 1997, he did a very good job. We appreciate all what he said about the need of education for peace. We should absolutely EDUCATE our CHILDREN to love PEACE and JUSTICE. He spoke also about the involvement of Schools, Univeristies, Church and Mosques to educate their people for Peace, and love. This is wonderful, we do appreciate that and we agree on what he said.

But peace should start on facts in the land. It should be done by all parties in the land: Orthodox Jews as well as non-Orthodox Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. We do need to see it.

Usualy our main concern, as Arabs, is this:

Does the Prime Minister, that we really respect, know that the Church, the Mosques, the Palestinians and the Arabs are working for peace and JUSTICE, and that they do really want a COMPREHENSIVE JUST PEACE?

Does He really know that the CLAIMS OF THE PALESTNIANS are founded claims?

In history both old and recent history. Palestinians are not only the Arab speaking people of today, but are the descendants of those Canaanites, Amorites, Jebusites, Hittites, and these have a history of 5000 to 6000 years, and they never left Palestine?

And as the American scholar Charles Matthews says in his book "Palestine-Muhammedan Holy Land" (Yale Univerity Press, 1946) that the "Arabs" of Palestine are the historic people of the land, and the country has always been theirs.

Some of those Palestinians are also Israelites, they are Now ARABS, but they are before any thing Palestinians and OWNERS OF THIS LAND.

"There is natural tendency for history to be simplified by the concepts, Matthews writes, that all Moslems of the conquered lands came in, and assumed control from the outside: and it is an understandable fancy for most of the Moslem population to beleive that their ancestors were of the conquering race. Of course, considerable numbers of real Arabs from Arabia did settle in the new possessions, and there are in the voluminous general and local histories of history-minded Islamic-peoples's records of such settlements. But the conquerors and settlers who followed in the wake of military success and political control were only a small minority compared to the masses of continuing, historic population.

The designation "Arab" was gradually accepted by the majority along with the new religion, and the Arabic language was adopted by all". The Arab Christians of today's Palestine-Israel, with the Arab Muslims are the real owner of the Land. Christians come first because they are the first descendants of the Canaanites, Amorites, Jebusites, Hittites, conquered by the Israelites who took their Capital "Urusalem" (Urusalem is Amoritic; Salem or "Shelem" is the name of a Canannite-Amorite God, while "Uru" simply means founded by" K. J. Asali (Editor), Jerusalem in History, Essex, England; Scorpion Publishing Ltd. 1989, p.18).

In fact, "the Israeli historian Zev Vilnay, among other sources, in his comprehensive work in Hebrew" (same sources of Asali) gives Jerusalem 5000 years of age. The Bible narrates how David conquered Jerusalem. The Holy Land became, then the OCCUPIED-TERRITORIES. Jews lived with the Amorites in the Holy Land and especially in Jerusalem. The inhabitant of Jerusalem did not become Jews. (Ezekiel:16: 3) As they did not all become Christians when, the new religion Christianity started in the Holy Land seven centuries before Islam. They did not all became Muslims when the Arabs came to Jerusalem. In the history of the Holy Land and Jerusalem the land was occupied several times. But their real owners have never left it. They suffered the OCCUPATION and they still suffer.

The real owner of the land are those descendants of the Canaanites, Amorites, Jebusites, Hittites and other race, who some of them becamje Jews, other Christians and others Muslims, they are all Palestinians, sons and daughter of the same Father Abraham, they are all Semites. "NO RACE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DOMINATE THE OTHER AND NO FAITH SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO USURP THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER" (sources ASALI)

The Arab Christians, the Arab Muslims do want peace but they do not accept that anybody confiscate their lands and build settlements on their lands. They can live with Jews, as well with any other people, they lived with them for centuries. they do not want war, violence or hatred, they do want JUSTICE, equally for Israelis and Palestinians.

Only when the Holy Land was governed by one political authority corresponding to one religion, Christian, Muslem and now Jews that wars started. Because the one governement and the one religion will put outside the others, this what happened during the long life of the Holy Land and Jerusalem, and will happen always because the one who will remain outside or see that his fundamental rights are destroyed will nourish in his soul and heart the desire to come back and enter again even by violence, this is what happened in the past and will happen again.

We do beleive that Jews want peace. We do beleive that they are good people. We do want to love them. When Jews where in the Arabic Countires before the creation of Israel: Marrocco, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and especially in Palestine they were respected, loved and shared in everything. Just ask the old people. Or read the Book of Shahak "Jews History and Religion". We do not beleive some Jews are realy working for a comprehensive justice for all five components of the Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Chrisitans and Muslims. Those five components need to feel themselves in the Holy Land, especially in Jerusalem equally at home, equally sharing the same rights and duties. The Israelis are trying to tell the whole world that this land and especially Jerusalem is exclusively the HOME LAND of Jews, sometime they say that God gave it to them and some other times the U.N gave it to them and some other times that this is the land of their fathers and no one but them were there. History and reality contradict their claims. Looking to history and truth we have to be right and just.

We can educate our new generation for peace only if we stop making exclusive claims. The Son and Daughters of Abraham can live in peace. Yes the Semite Jews, Arab Christians and Arab Muslims can do that. They want that. Our relgion should not be a problem, they are a sign of cooperation, sharing and love under one GOD, Adonia Jaweh, Allah.

Start by educating yourself on those historical realities, try to love THE JEWS, THE CHRISTIANS AND THE MUSLIMS, the Israelis and the Palestinians, work for comprehensive and just peace. Do not make exclusive claims, do not nourish hatred, do not accuse the others.

Just try to change yourself and give chance to the others. They do want peace. Nobody loves violence and killings, they do ask for JUSTICE, they are humanbeings, they do have children that they do love and are afraid for them, they want for them the best. Our Jews, Christian and Muslim children should be educated to love and not to bear weapons.