In a recent letter addressed to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP) builds on remarks made by Blinken in Ramallah on May 25. During his press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken acknowledged Palestinians’ aspirations “to live in freedom; to have their basic rights respected, including the right to choose their own leaders; to live in security; to have equal access to opportunity for themselves, for their children; to be treated with dignity.”
The letter, written by the board of PCAP, acknowledges “that more positive cooperation has been taking place between the United States and the Palestinians.” While citing the reopening of the American consulate in East Jerusalem, the resumption of financial assistance to UNRWA, and the U.S. commitment to provide aid to the Gaza Strip, the letter states, “…we believe that much more than these limited actions and words must transpire for democracy, justice and peace to prevail.”
Specifically, PCAP calls on the administration to “reconsider its policy towards Hamas” and “to support fair and transparent elections for Palestinians including Hamas and their candidates, and voters in East Jerusalem.”
Asked why the interdenominational network chose to address the Biden administration now, recent PCAP co-chair the Rev. Dr. Alex Awad – former missionary with the United Methodist Church and former dean of students at Bethlehem Bible College – explained: “During the events last month in Sheikh Jarrah, around the Damascus Gate and at the Al Aqsa Mosque, followed by Israel’s bombing of Gaza, major media in the U.S. repeatedly described Hamas as a terrorist organization. That single description reported over and over justifies Israel’s asymmetric response to Hamas’s actions in the minds of many Americans. We wanted to reach out to American officials and the American public to help them see another perspective.”
“We believe that assigning the label of ‘terrorist organization’ to Hamas hides the more complicated truth that Hamas is a reflection and result of the untenable and unjust status quo in the land,” the letter reads. PCAP makes its case by pointing to the Palestinian Authority’s 2006 elections, held with the support of President George W. Bush and observed by the Carter Center. When Hamas received sufficient support to form a new government, PCAP asserts, “the U.S. backed away from its endorsement of the democratic process and halted aid to the PA” – a policy which PCAP states “contributed to the disastrous current situation from which the region, and the people of Gaza in particular, are suffering.”
As the governing authority in the Gaza Strip, the letter continues, Hamas provides “most everyday functions and services for its more than two million residents… In addition, many Palestinians support Hamas because they have seen little to no benefit from Fatah rule and what they have concluded are phony peace processes.” PCAP’s letter calls attention to a little-reported fact: “Hamas even has a number of Palestinian Christians among its representatives and constituents.”
Urging the administration to communicate with Hamas “in order to foster cooperation, facilitate humanitarian aid, and de-escalate violence,” the letter cites occasions when the U.S. has communicated with and recognized other groups it once considered terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the African National Congress.
“It is time for the U.S. to show leadership and take visionary steps to once and for all transform this conflict,” PCAP board members urge. “It is time to stop toeing Israel’s line on Hamas, which serves to keep the Palestinian people divided, thwarts peace overtures, and provides cover for [Israel’s] continuing occupation, illegal land seizures and systemic violations of Palestinian human rights.”
Awad added, “We encourage the Biden administration to include Hamas in future negotiations. It’s a legitimate political party, voted for by Palestinians. It won’t be possible to reach a peace deal without including Hamas.”
Awad continued, “As we say in the letter, we’re enjoined by Christ’s example of nonviolence and unconditional love. We practice nonviolent resistance to injustice. While we don’t condone any party’s violence against innocent civilians, we have to say that Hamas is responding to decades of Israel’s violence and to the over fourteen years-long land, air and sea blockade that has devastated the Gaza Strip.”
PCAP’s board is comprised of fifteen Palestinian American Christians representing seven denominations. Its supporters reflect an even wider base of U.S. Christians and ecumenical and interfaith partners.
The letter to Biden and Blinken ends, “By our faith, we are guided to value God’s presence within all people and to hold all with love, even our enemies. We ask no less of you.”
” “We believe that assigning the label of ‘terrorist organization’ to Hamas hides the more complicated truth that Hamas is a reflection and result of the untenable and unjust status quo in the land,”
By any reasonable definition of the word, Israel is committing state-sponsored terrorism on a regular basis: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israeli-settlements-amount-to-war-crime-un-rights-official-says-1.9985923
Israeli Settlements Amount to War Crime, UN Rights Official Says…’Israel’s defiance of international law and international opinion can and will no longer be cost-free,’ UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories says…“I conclude that the Israeli settlements do amount to a war crime,” Lynk said. “I submit to you that this finding compels the international community…to make it clear to Israel that its illegal occupation, and its defiance of international law and international opinion, can and will no longer be cost-free.”
The term “terrorist” is usually used to justify Israel’s occupation, land grabs, and the consistent killing of unarmed civilians. Without Hamas Israel cannot justify its crimes against the Palestinians. The zionist media in the US and in other Western nations, keep using that word to keep that narrative going, so that citizens in these nations will sympathize with poor Israel, and support the aid and weapons going to the occupier, that is ranked high in having a trained military, and a nation that also SELLS WEAPONS, around the world. It never makes sense.
This letter is written so well, and describes the situation perfectly. Hamas is NOT a group that resorts to international terrorism. It never has attacked the US unlike Al Qaeda, and it focuses only on defending and fighting for their people. Israel and the US supported Hamas at the beginning, and seems to change their minds for reasons known to them. The US is responsible for all Israel’s crimes, and it is time we followed our own policies and worked to free the Palestinians from this collective punishment, being inhumanely kept in their open prisons, and be exposed to Israel deadly bombings, which always includes civilians structures, especially homes and power stations being wiped out. How much more children must die because of the excessive violence Israel has shown it is capable of? Violence that has been condemned by ALL human rights organizations?
If the US and the other Western nations genuinely want to end the Palestinians suffering and bloodshed, they must negotiate with Hamas, to succeed. The US cannot keep pretending that we don’t deal with “terrorists” when we are accused of supporting the bigger culprit by sending aid and weapons to them.
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Israel is a well documented serial violator of hard won international law, but the U.S. looks the other way:
Israeli settlements amount to war crime – U.N. rights expert | Reuters
“Israeli settlements amount to war crime – U.N. rights expert” July 9/21 GENEVA, (Reuters) –
“Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank amount to a war crime, a U.N. human rights investigator said on Friday, calling on countries to inflict a cost on Israel for its ‘illegal occupation’.
“Michael Lynk, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, was addressing a session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, boycotted by Israel which does not recognize his mandate or cooperate with him.
“‘In my report, I conclude that the Israeli settlements do amount to a war crime,’ Lynk said.
”He said the settlements violate an absolute ban on an occupying power transferring part of its civilian population into an occupied territory, thereby meeting the definition of a war crime under the Rome Statute founding the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“‘I submit to you that this finding compels the international community…to make it clear to Israel that its illegal occupation, and its defiance of international law and international opinion, can and will no longer be cost-free,’ Lynk told the Geneva rights forum.
“Many countries consider the settlements a breach of international law. Israel disputes this and cites Biblical and historical connections to the land, as well as security needs.
“Israel’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva, in a statement to Reuters, rejected Lynk’s report as ‘the latest one-sided and biased report against Israel’ and accused him of turning a blind eye to violations committed by the Palestinian Authority and Gaza rulers Hamas.
“Lynk said Israel’s demolition of Bedouin tent dwellings in a village in the West Bank on Wednesday left residents without food or water in the heat of the Jordan Valley, calling it ‘both unlawful and heartless’.
“‘Progressive seizure of Palestinian lands together with the protection of the settlements is a further consolidation of Israel’s de facto annexation of the West Bank,’ he said. (cont’d)
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“There are nearly 300 settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, with more than 680,000 Israeli settlers, Lynk said.
“The United States, Israel’s closest ally which has observer status at the council, did not speak at the council which it accuses of having an anti-Israel bias.
“Lotte Knudsen, the European Union’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said the settlements were illegal under international law.
“‘Such actions as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions, and confiscation of homes will only escalate an already tense environment.’
“Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, but the issue of Jewish settlements on land captured by Israel in a 1967 war has long been a stumbling block in the peace process. The last round of peace talks collapsed in 2014.”
Bloody hypocrites!!! Years ago Gaza people were given the opportunity to vote in a democratic process. Hamas was elected but since the West didn’t want Hamas – it wasn’t recognized and instead labelled a terrorist organization. Folks…we absolutely LOVE democracy as long as election results suit us. What a sham.