Posted on 05/17/2006 6:29:13 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
About 100 church-based, Muslim and secular activists gathered early this year in Pittsburgh for a conference devoted supposedly "[m]oving beyond the artificial polarization of 'pro-Israel' and 'pro-Palestinian' agendas." But the conference instead focused on harsh one-sided criticisms of the Jewish state coupled with defenses of the new Hamas regime of the Palestinians and plans to make Israel into "a pariah state."
The gathering was organized by the North American affiliate of the Jerusalem-based Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. This Palestinian Christian group has "Friends of Sabeel" networks in Australia, Scandinavia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.
Co-sponsors of the event included local agencies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the United Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ (UCC), as well as the far-left Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) caucus, the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, and several other religious and secular activist groups.
According to Sabeel founder Rev. Naim Ateek, the United States has always been aligned against the Palestinians. (File photo) Israel, the U.S., and the West were criticized at great length throughout the conference. Rev. Naim Ateek, founder and Director of Sabeel, declared to loud applause, "The United States has never been an honest broker in this conflict; it's always been … against the Palestinians!" Ateek also denounced the Western media as being mainly "against the Palestinians," a charge echoed by other conference speakers. Jean Zaru, a Palestinian Quaker leader from Ramallah who has been active in the World Council of Churches (WCC), blasted Israel for imposing travel restrictions on Palestinians, not more fully submitting to the U.N., alleged programs of intentional impoverishment and resource-stealing, and for the fact that with few exceptions, "most Israelis have made every effort" to ignore Palestinian grievances. Zaru blasted the "almost unconditional support" of the Israeli government by the United States because of the "right-wing Christian Zionists" in America, whom she denounced as "anti-Jewish theologically" and anti-Islamic. The Christian leader urged her audience to "affirm the equal value of all races, religions, and peoples."
Zaru and others blasted as "the greatest deception" the "false symmetry" drawn by some between the Israeli "oppressor" and the Palestinian "victim." Noting the argument that many of the measures she criticized at the conference were necessary for security, she asked if the Israeli security forces, "with all their technological sophistication," could not "see our hearts and minds." American-born Israeli Jeff Halper declared that "Israel's national existence and security concerns have been addressed adequately by the leaders of Muslim nations and the Palestinian people. "Certainly there's no existential threat to Israel today," he claimed, so such measures as home demolitions, restrictions on Palestinian movement, new Jewish settlements, the security barrier, and the occupation were nothing more than "expansionist designs of Israeli nationalists."
A main focus of the conference was encouraging "divestment" (which was also called "morally responsible investment") campaigns against Israel. Speakers stressed that it was "now more important than ever" for Western sympathizers to move from mere pro-Palestinian pronouncements to such concrete action. Ateek enthused that movements for Israel divestment were afoot in the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ (UCC), a couple Roman Catholic religious orders, the United Church of Canada, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, and the WCC. He reported that after the 2004 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted its controversial resolution to divest from selected companies doing business in Israel, Sabeel sent an appeal to other Western church leaders encouraging them to take similar action. However, Ateek admitted to being greatly worried that churches would back away from divestment under pressure from opponents, as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was already "under great attack" for its divestment measure.
In urging anti-Israel divestment, speakers repeatedly compared Israel to apartheid South Africa. Crediting divestment with toppling apartheid, they touted this as the model for compelling Israel to bow to Palestinian demands. Ateek said that "all" of Sabeel's South African supporters, including Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, claim that Israel is worse than apartheid South Africa. Huwaida Arraf, founder of a group called the "International Solidarity Movement," shared that Palestinians are "calling on us [Western activists] to isolate Israel" if it continues its current policies.
In a workshop on "divestment and boycott" efforts, Mohammed Abed, a Palestinian graduate student, and Ora Wise, a Jewish seminary student, detailed their vision. Abed suggested "excluding Israel" from the Olympics and other international exchange programs. He praised a British group of architects for refusing to participate in professional exchange programs with their Israeli counterparts. As evidence of the movement's growing strength, Abed boasted that the National Committee of the Green Party of the United States recently adopted a resolution he co-authored calling for comprehensive "divestment from and boycott of the State of Israel" by governments and "all civil society institutions and organizations." Abed approvingly noted that his party is already on record as calling for the suspension of all military and foreign aid to the Jewish state. Wise, a self-described "anti-Zionist Jew," appeared critical of boycott and divestment efforts that stopped short of targeting the Jewish state as a whole, noting that earlier international pressure campaigns did not boycott one specific South African policy but rather "boycotted the entire apartheid regime."
While "to a certain extent, [the Israelis] need to be coerced" as "they are a perpetrator society," Abed said that it was important to offer them a hopeful vision that they might ultimately accept willingly. However, Abed asserted that it was important not just to offer Israel "a carrot," but "a big, heavy stick" of "coercion" that would "hurt" Israel until it surrendered to Palestinian demands.
Both Abed and Wise rejected a two-state solution because that would perpetuate "polarization" and Israeli "militarism," while not correcting the injustices committed in the original founding of the nation of Israel. Abed dismissed a perpetual divide between Palestinian and Israeli land as "inconsistent with human rights" since "nobody here would advocate that for South Africa." He faulted some of his allies for failing to be more specific in offering a "positive vision" of "a federal, bi-national state" that would not ultimately threaten the Jews.
Some at the conference appeared to not believe that a massive worldwide campaign of divestment and isolation was sufficient to force Israel into submission. Mubarak Awad, a leader of "non-violent resistance" against the occupation, shared his plan to have fellow Palestinians march back to occupy their ancestral homelands in Israel after burning their refugee camps so that the Israeli government will have nowhere else to send them. While he did not want "to push the Israelis into the sea" and realized that they "are more afraid than us," he stressed that "the [Jewish] occupier is not the victim." Furthermore, according to Awad, "Jews have to learn that they cannot always say, 'give me, give me, give me'; they have to give!"
Ateek acknowledged that accusations of anti-Semitism have hurt his efforts. Conference attendees were told to counter such charges by insisting that "it's a matter of justice" and by highlighting the endorsement of Israel divestment by several left-wing Jewish groups, including Halper's Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). In leading a workshop denouncing "Christian Zionism," Rev. Robert Smith complained that "most progressive Christians I talk to" fault Christian support for Israel on theological impurities from Judaism. Such a claim fuels charges of anti-Semitism, he warned. ELCA official Ann Hafften warned against alleging that the "Jews control the media," as that was "not true" and making the claim did not help the cause.
Ateek declared that Sabeel did not seek "to destroy Israel" but rather just to end its "unjust and illegal" policies and to find a "two-state solution" with shared control of Jerusalem. However, the "Jerusalem Sabeel Document" distributed at the conference described Sabeel's "vision for the future" as establishing a single "bi-national state … for two nations and three religions." It proposes "a constitutional democracy that protects and guarantees all [Israeli and Palestinian] rights, responsibilities, and duties without racism or discrimination."
The head of Sabeel admitted that his group was "shocked" by the Hamas victory in Palestinian elections. Awad was less surprised, asserting that since "nationalism in the Arab world is dead," Muslim "fundamentalists" would win elections held in any Arab country. Conference speakers urged their audience to "give Hamas a chance" to demonstrate goodwill. As for the current Israeli government, Halper exclaimed, "I wish they were as good as Hamas!" He portrayed "the Bushes, the Sharons" as sinister forces akin to Tolkien's fictional Mordor, bent on "domination, militarism, [and] empire" and opposed by brave "progressives," such as those at the conference, working for a world of "human rights and international rule of law." Conference speakers also denounced Western efforts to withhold aid from the Hamas government, suggesting the shortfall would be made up by Muslim countries who would attach fewer strings.
Zaru as well as Arraf bemoaned how Hamas had been "demonized" in the Western media. Zaru blasted the Jewish state's demands that Hamas simply recognize its right to exist before they negotiate. While conceding that "Hamas should recognize Israel," she complained about the lack of "reciprocity" when Israel does not "even recognize its own borders," but insists that "only the weaker party" (Hamas) was being asked to make concessions. Zaru had nothing negative to say about the terrorist group, praising it for its social service work and expressing her trust in its leaders to respect "pluralism" and not suppress women. In a similar vein, Arraf praised Hamas for how it "has always been" supportive of "non-violent resistance" efforts against Israel.
Ateek's subtly expressed uncertainty over whether Hamas leaders would keep their word and not establish Islamic law. However, he expressed little concern, repeatedly saying that if "we" became unpleased by the new government," "we" would vote Hamas out of power. Ateek did not explore the possibility of the tiny Palestinian Christian minority not having enough votes to thwart the re-election of Islamist leaders. The Sabeel founder also blamed Israel for using "the power of religion" to divide Palestinian Christians and Muslims who had previously been united by Palestinian nationalism.
The conference sometimes strayed into larger left-wing themes. Halper lamented that "Israel has put itself on the side of America's design for empire." Wise stressed the alleged importance of tying the Palestinian cause "to other forms of resistance to globalized capitalism." The pins and bumper stickers sold at the conference denounced such evils as President Bush, U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Exxon, while promoting abortion and third party causes. Literature distributed at the conference by sympathetic organizations blasted the Iraq War, "corporate globalization," capitalism, the existence of a U.S. military, "the Religious Right," the ministry of Promise Keepers, and "heterosexism." The brochure of one such sympathetic organization, the Pittsburgh Organizing Group, distributed at the Sabeel conference even boasted that at the 2005 Presidential Inauguration, their "well organized black bloc" had "shutdown (sic) two checkpoints and almost reached the parade route through heavy street fighting with the police."
"But the conference instead focused on harsh one-sided criticisms of the Jewish state coupled with defenses of the new Hamas regime of the Palestinians and plans to make Israel into "a pariah state.""
Any "church" that sides against Israel must have a few pages missing from their Bibles........
I knew there was a reason I left the Methodist Chruch and became Catholic.
In the end, their machinations will come to nothing..
ping
Make no mistake, Sabeel, which calls itself a "liberation theology movement" is Marxist-driven and another aspect of the insidious political Far Left/Islamist union. Among its supporters in the United States is Pax Christi USA, and Sabeel links to the most radical groups around and works through such outfits as Indymedia Israel. When you see the acronym FOSNA check to see who is funding the movement.
Yet more evidence of the Alliance of Convenience between the hard core Marxists ("liberation theology") and the IslamoNazis. Think of the growing anti-semitism and chronic anti-Christian bigotry in the democrat party.
A couple of weeks ago the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program sponsored a trip to Palestine for 100 Presbyterians. Here is the biased, inaccurate, and propaganda laced report from Rev. Arthur Suggs a PCUSA pastor and one of the group.
http://ktheory.com/archives/2006/05/03/the-palestinian-experience-an-americans-perspective/
"The plight of the Palestinians is heartbreaking. The Israeli’s murder somewhere between 1 to 2 per week, usually young males. This last week, they stripped the dead body and dragged it completely around the city behind the jeep. You can imagine. The also tend to arrive around 11 p.m. and randomly break into homes yelling and trashing, all with machine guns pointed in the faces of the family. Sometimes just out of raw terror in the middle of the night one of the family members does something stupid like running or hitting the soldiers, which then gives then the excuse to shoot. Its usually the father or the teen kids. Moms and the younger children handle it better.
The Palestinians are caged animals. They literally have no political, or economic, recourse. Hence, the radical expression - what they call “wearing the belt.” When a young person decides to be a suicide bomber, they use the undergound channels (much theway a teen knows how to get drugs in the US) and then in time they are supplied with the belt, which they wear under their clothes and have the trigger in their hand.
As I said, its heartbreaking. Some other time I’ll tell you about what it is doing to the souls of the Israeli’s as well. Militarism is hard wired into them at a tender age, such that in dealing with a problem thats the solution they choose first. Also the level of spousal and child abuse is one of the highest in the world. One can imagine why.
And back to the Palestinians, because they are so walled off from therest of society, they are literally beginning to exhibit more birth defects because people are marrying closer in the families."
It's hard to break through what is true and what is not. But the Israelis are not entirely blameless either. My sympathies lie with Israel, but I want to see them do what is right. They don't always. Christians, I think, are right to hold one another accountable for their actions--it's one of the strengths of the church. I think that we should be doing the same with Israel, the people who God chose to reveal Himself.
How many Israelis have strapped on a bomb belt, walked into a Palestinian bus, cafe, or school, and blown themselves up for the purpose of killing as many innocent Palestinian bystanders as possible?
If Palestinian Christians are being treated so poorly by the Israelis, then why are the number of Christians residing in Israel itself growing?
Here is a pdf from the Israeli Census Bureau.
http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton56/st02_01.pdf
In 1996 there were 122,000 Christians living in Israel. In 2004 there were 143,400 Christians living in Israel.
It is common knowledge there has been a decline in the absolute numbers of Christians living in the Muslim dominated Palestinian territory.
What has been underreported is the steady increase of Christians living in Israel itself.
There is a tremendous ministry going on there, so I shouldn't be surprised. Christians often flourish when oppressed. The light of God refuses to go out, and I imagine that is especially true in the land of His Chosen People. Thanks for the info.
"Christians often flourish when oppressed"
I am confused by what you wrote. Are you saying the Christians in Israel are flourishing because they are oppressed?
I don't know enough of the situation to know that. But historically, Christians have often flourished when they are persecuted and oppressed. I believe that is because of God's grace--that he especially strengthens His people in times of trial. It was a general statement. I learned from Chacour's book (and Brother Andrew's) that there are a handful of Christians who could have gone to the West but chose not to because they felt called to minister to their own people. That is true both in Israel and in the Palestinian areas.
Incredible that a Palestinian "Christian" started this organization. The Muzzies don't have much more use for Palestinian Christians than they do Jews as evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of the Christians have been forced to flee for their lives. The rest survive by living under the state of Dhimmitude.
If historically, Christians have often flourished when they are persecuted and oppressed, then the Muslim dominated countries of the world would be the great growth centers of Christianity.
The data shows the exact opposite. Christians are being driven from the Muslim dominated countries.
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