When will American Christians get more engaged by the occupation? Here is a great piece from Reuters on a new Israeli road in the occupied territories that encircles a small Christian community that is too darn close to the Israeli settlement of Har Homa (left). Reuters:
"With this situation they will put us in a cage, a zoo," said William Sahouri, 42, a resident and member of the project's housing committee. "We will not be able to expand."...
"It's not their property and they take it against your will," said Yassar Qumsieh, a 30-year-old Website administrator, who moved with his wife to their Beit Sahour flat in 2006.
"I don't know how to describe this feeling. To call it injustice seems stupid because it's not a big enough word."
Palestinians see the Jewish construction in Har Homa, which they call by its Arabic name Jabal Abu Ghneim, as the last rampart in a wall of settlements encircling Arab East Jerusalem, cutting it off from the rest of the occupied West Bank.
Ironically, the construction of Har Homa (the grotesque settlement the Israelis say the Orthodox housing complex is too near) was one of the main "achievements" of Netanyahu's first term as prime minister. Until 1997, the site, known as Jabal abu Ghnaim, was a sort of nature preserve. Netanyahu said explicitly they should build there to separate Bethlehem from Jerusalem. There was a pretty large grassroots campaign on the part of the Beit Sahouris, with support from some Israelis, in opposition to his plan – they even set up an "international peace camp" at the site for a while. There was even a lot of international criticism – in the UN the US had to veto two separate Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to stop construction. There were also two General Assembly resolution on the subject adopted by votes of 130-2 (US and Israel) and 134-3 (Micronesia came around that time).
There's a heartbreaking set of before-and-after pix at link to orienthouse.org
and more pix, including some of the Orthodox housing development, at
link to arij.org
I've never heard of any Christian spokesman or woman defending the Christian arabs' situation. It's like they don't exist. Yet I've often heard how this USA is way more religious than, say Europe…
I was editorial page editor of a large newspaper at the time Har Homa was initiated. remember thinking it was contrary to the spirit of Oslo, and I asked some of my smarter colleagues at the paper about it. They, Jewish of course, and fairly well informed, were pro-Har Homa. The paper was pro-Israel. To myself I thought, well there's going to be a two state solution one day anyway, so I let my pro-Israel staffers write what they wanted. I probably had no other choice. But thinking back to twelve years ago, I know what it feels like to be a Christian knowing vaguely something is wrong about an Israeli action, but not having the will to make a big fuss about it, which would be futile anyway.
Since then, I've been to Beit Sahour and understand the geography and the Netanyahu's purpose–severing Bethlehem from Jerusalem.
@ Scott
Is there any Christian spokesman or woman protesting the treatment of Christian arabs by the Israeli regime? I hear all the time how the USA is so rapidly religious, especially compared to Europe, but I see no evidence of this at all except in reference to the 30 million end-timers who all support Israel sans question. BTW, your own description of your POV and activity in the position you describe is hard to distinguish from what Arendt targeted as the banality of evil–Eichmann's most distinguishing characteristic was his careerism. Since the USA is not a police state on the caliber of Nazi Germany, Americans who go all with the program are more evil than Goldhagen's average Germans. Eichmann also stated at the trial that it would have been futile to do other than what he did as he would've simply been replaced, possibly with someone
less sensitive then himself–he did save jews from time to time to repay friends' favors, etc.
@Citizen
To answer your question re: Christian spokespersons speaking out against the treatment of Christian Arabs by the Israeli regime: yes, there are many.
I share Philip's frustration that there is not more U.S. Christian engagement against the occupation, but there there is some and it is growing. I recently returned from serving as a United Methodist mission intern in East Jerusalem, working with Sabeel (www.sabeel.org). Sabeel is supported here in the U.S. by Friends of Sabeel North America (www.fosna.org), which is one good place to look for U.S. Christians speaking out against Israeli policies.
In addition, representatives from the United Methodist and Presbyterian USA churches as well as several orders of Catholic nuns have been at the forefront of engaging corporations such as Caterpillar and Motorola who profit directly from the Israeli occupation.
Additionally, many of the member groups of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (www.endtheoccupation.org) are faith-based groups, including many churches and church-based organizations (the Board of Global Ministries and Women's Division of the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, and the Christian Peacemaker Teams, in addition to Friends of Sabeel, among them).
Many Christians return from trips or terms of service in Palestine and Israel in order to educate and mobilize church communities to oppose U.S. policy towards I/P. Continuing engagement with the Christian community and with other U.S. faith communities is a vital component of opposition to U.S. support of militaristic and racist Israeli policy.
Citizen,
There is Churches for Middle East Peace, and Robert Novak has written several columns about this. Of course comparisons to Eichmann are pretty stupid; my point was simply that most American gentiles are not very well informed about the geography of Jerusalem and its suburbs– and consequently inclined to take the explanations of hasbara spouting colleagues at face value.
When will American Christians get more engaged by the occupation?
Posted by Philip Weiss at 09:21 PM
When Palestinians stop murdering innocent people. Surprised you had to ask. Of course, IAW international law, there is no occupation there 9except Golan), just land waiting for negotiations.