A Just Peace in Israel-Palestine

Today a letter was posted in the British paper, the Independent, written by a group and signed by a group of Christian leaders, it both recognizes today's observance of Israel's foundation 60 years ago and the continued plight of the Palestinian people. They call on us to hold in tension these two realities, with the hope of peace in our time. I give thanks to Simon Barrow and the Ekklesia Think Tank for the heads up. I stand in agreement with this statement.

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Thursday, 8 May 2008

Sir: Today, millions of Israelis and Jews around the world will joyfully mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. For many, this landmark powerfully symbolises the Jewish people's ability to defy the power of hatred so destructively embodied in the Nazi Holocaust. Additionally, it is an opportunity to celebrate the wealth of cultural, economic and scientific achievements of Israeli society, in all its vitality and diversity.

This same day, millions of Palestinians living inside Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the worldwide diaspora, will mourn 60 years since over 700,000 of them were uprooted from their homes and forbidden from returning, while more than 400 villages were destroyed. For them, this day is not just about the remembrance of a past catastrophic dispossession, dispersal, and loss; it is also a reminder that their struggle for self-determination and restitution is ongoing.
To hold both of these responses together in balanced tension is not easy. But it is vital if a peaceful way forward is to be forged, and is central to the Biblical call to "seek peace and pursue it" (Ps. 34:14). We acknowledge with sorrow that for the last 60 years, while extending empathy and support to the Israeli narrative of independence and struggle, many of us in the church worldwide have denied the same solidarity to the Palestinians, deaf to their cries of pain and distress.
To acknowledge and respect these dual histories is not, by itself, sufficient, but does offer a paradigm for building a peaceful future. Many lives have been lost, and there has been much suffering. The weak are exploited by the strong, while fear and bitterness stunt the imagination and cripple the capacity for forgiveness.

We therefore urge all those working for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine to consider that any lasting solution must be built on the foundation of justice, which is rooted in the very character of God. After all, it is justice that "will produce lasting peace and security" (Isaiah 32:17). Let us commit ourselves in prophetic word and practical deed to a courageous settlement whose details will honour both peoples' shared love for the land, and protect the individual and collective rights of Jews and Palestinians in the Holy Land.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
The Right Rev Nicholas Reade, Bishop of Blackburn
Baroness Jenny Tonge
Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners
The Rev Joel Edwards, General Director, the Evangelical Alliance
Canon Garth Hewitt, St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem
The Rev Malcolm Duncan, Leader, Faithworks
Stewart Hemsley, Chair of Pax Christi British Section
And 140 others

Comments

Simon Barrow said…
Thanks, Bob. Keep up the good work yourself! :)

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