Capital Building
I spent the last three days in DC with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders from all over the world who are absolutely committed to a just peace in Israel and Palestine. We told stories, shared experiences, heard from experts, had a briefing at the White House conference room, met with 7 members of Congress on Capital Hill, watched films, and committed ourselves to do whatever we can to be agents of peace. It was overwhelming, often depressing, sometimes heart-breaking, but ultimately invigorating. By the end of the week, our rallying cry became very clear:
We are pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, pro-American, and pro-peace.
And this is more than just pie-in-the-sky idealism. In fact, here are three reasons that being pro-Israel, pro-Palestine seems right to me…
(1) Pragmatics. The evidence on the ground suggests and nearly every expert agrees that the two-state solution is the only solution. It will either work for both sides or neither. So the common approach of supporting one side while demonizing the other is specifically not helpful. In the words of Fr Elias Chacour, if we become “one-sided” we are simply “investing ourselves in the conflict.”
(2) Facts. The only way to be one-sided is to ignore half the story. Both sides have blood on their hands and both sides have taken steps toward peace. An honest person cannot reduce this conflict to “good guys vs. bad guys.”
(3) Faith. I believe that every single person on earth has been created in the image of God. We each have a fundamental dignity that must be protected and honored. And further, as a follower of Jesus, I am called to be a peace-maker. I am called to bless and pray for my enemies. I am called into the “ministry of reconciliation.”
Please join me. Please join us!
If you have always been pro-Israel, then great! Remain a strong friend of Israel. But please learn the Palestinian story. Open your heart to what life is like for them under Israeli occupation, and try to put yourself in their place. A great place to begin is by reading the wonderful memoir “Blood Brothers” by Elias Chacour. You will never be the same.
And if you have always been pro-Palestine, then great! Remain a strong friend of Palestine. But please learn the painful and beautiful history of the Jewish people, and compassionately put yourselves into their place. An important place to begin is by visiting a Holocaust museum. I’ve been to Yad Vashem, and each visit shook me to my core. We can’t understand the present without understanding and honoring the past. HERE is a list of all the museum/memorials in the U.S.
on the wall in Bethlehem
