People here tell the story of someone who came here intending to write a book about the current political situation in the Holy Land. The person stayed two weeks and decided to write an article instead. After a month the would-be author returned home without writing anything. In other words, the political situation here is so overwhelmingly complex that the better part of wisdom is to keep silent. But I’ve never been wise enough to keep my mouth shut.
I’d like to share some of my thoughts based on our experiences here over the last four weeks, admitting that new ideas may still emerge in the days ahead. I surely have learned some things, but previous impressions have also been reinforced. I want to share some general perceptions that I think most observers here would agree to (although expecting general agreement is usually an unrealistic hope here). I may feel more strongly about some of the points below than my words reflect, but I am trying to be fair.
We have heard repeatedly — from Jews and Palestinians alike — that the majority of people here — Jews and Palestinians both — want peace. 60% is a figure we’ve been told. Now it may be true that a good percentage of this majority simply want to live a decent life without fear or harrassment and are not necessarily eager for dialogue and reconciliation with someone of a different religion or ethnic group. But I have met several people — both Jews and Palestinians — who are examples of people seeking in various active ways to build bridges and achieve peaceful reconciliation. I fear that in the United States we don’t get this message; we may well get the message that Palestinians are terrorists and Jews are religious fanatics who are building settlements in the occupied territories. There may be some small percentage of the people here who reflect these stereotypes, but it is by no means commonly true. I wish that our media would do a better job of covering the full range of political positions here in the Holy Land.
What kind of peace? The favored position is the 2 State Solution with Jerusalem as a shared city. The woman who presented Jewish beliefs and practices to us quoted a Palestinian woman who has been her counterpart in peace activities (and said that she could say the same): “This land will always be my homeland, but for the sake of peace I will be content to live in half of my homeland.”
The separation barrier/wall is surely controversial. We can see it from here at Tantur; in fact we have to go through it every time we pass through the Israeli checkpoint on our way into Bethlehem. Israelis claim that terrorist attacks have decreased markedly since the wall has gone up. Others criticize it for making the daily movement of ordinary Palestinians unreasonably difficult and for being another “land grab,” since it has been built further into Palestinian territory than previously accepted boundary lines.
One of our speakers distinguished between “the land of Israel,” “the nation of Israel,” and “the government of Israel.” She claimed that all Jews feel an attachment to the land of Israel; the promise of the Promised Land after the Exodus was and surely remains a deeply significant part of Jewish religious faith. Not all Jews, however, are committed to the nation of Israel, but Zionists and others who support the idea of a homeland for Jews are. The government of Israel is a different matter, however; even Jews criticize whatever government is in power. Criticizing the current government of Israel is not necessarily anti-Semitic — even though one is given the impression sometimes in the United States that it is.
The situation here is complicated by the pain on both sides. I visited Yad VaShem, the Holocaust Memorial. I know that there were “righteous Gentiles” who helped save Jewish lives during World War II, but I also know that Christians and Christianity bear some responsibility for the anti-Semitism of the Nazi state. I also see the oppressiveness of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and I have observed the difficulties faced by ordinary Palestinians. Even though the Israeli government gives a rationale, the unprovoked demolition of ordinary Palestinian homes appears so unjust to us. These experiences of being victims, even though quite different, make achieving peace difficult.
Perhaps our ELCA connections with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land have made me more aware of Palestinian concerns, but I do feel that the American public and our U.S. government do not give fair attention to legitimate Palestinian concerns for justice. I was disappointed — and so were Palestinians and others concerned for peace here — that during his one day here this week Barack Obama spent 45 minutes visiting with the leader of the Palestine National Authority and the rest of the day with Israeli leaders and at Jewish sites. If he had time to go to the Western Wall and pray with Jews, could he have walked the Via Dolorosa with Christians? (Actually, I admit that would be unrealistic; the security arrangements through the narrow streets of the Old City of Jerusalem would have been an absolute nightmare.) Now, I’m not being partisan political; if John McCain would have been here, I would probably be making the same comments.
What shall we do? Find ways to support those who are working for peace. And pray — follow Psalm 126 and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
