Israel and Palestinians
John Michael Talbot - Friday, September 14, 2001

Brothers and Sisters,

Let me strongly suggest that we all cool off a bit on the issue of Palestinians and Israel. The issue is not as simple as it might seem from here. Take a few breaths and pray.

I have learned about this issue from my personal time in the Holy land, and through my involvement with Christian peace and justice groups trying to aid in peace for the region. Let me share a few things.

Israel is an ally of ours. But we should understand that this is for very political and military reasons. We need someone in the region to be a watchdog for our investment in, and dependence on oil. We also share a common religious heritage through Christ, who was Jewish. We also share culturally, for most Jews returned from a largely European experience, from which our founding people also came. American dollars have built their military into a major world power. We have much invested in them to this day.

But, from a justice perspective today we are not pleased with their continued persecutions and abuses of the Palestinians. Sociologists say "the abused has become the abuser." This is a major problem to our national conscience.

We are also not pleased with the continued use of violence by the Palestinians. As we have seen this does them no good in the arena of western public opinion.

The Church would teach that every people has a basic human right to have a homeland in which to live fully and freely. The Israelis have this right. So do the Palestinians. Both are guilty of seriously abusing the other at times.

In the beginning the Palestinians welcomed their Jewish "cousins" back into the Holy Land. After they were forcefully removed from their villages by Jewish military and terrorists, and their families were forcibly separated, they became violent. This is when the Palestinians vowed to push Israel into the sea, and when their use of terror really began. This violence was not condoned by the Church, or Christians in general. Few on the outside knew about the tactics of Israel at that time.

In latter years most Christians who live and work in the Holy Land believe that the Israelis have more seriously persecuted the Palestinians than vica versa. The fringe terrorist groups have never been condoned by Christian leaders.

Both have resorted to terror. The Israelis used it in the beginning, and still use it today. The Palestinians have also used it in ways more obviously seen by the world through the western press. Land is still being taken from the Palestinians through the efforts of the radical Settlements, made up largely of more fundamentalist Jewish groups. The radical fundamentalists of BOTH sides are experts in keeping things stirred up, and derailing the peace process.

The apparent support of the U.S. for Israel, even against more obvious acts of injustice, has worked against us with the popular opinion of the so called Arab world. The terrorism of the Arab world towards us would be seriously, if not completely, diffused if we continued on our current direction of a more equaniminous support for both sides of this issue. Despite their multidimensional religious and political make up, the fundamentalist's violence paints a very negative picture of the overall Arab world in the popular western mind. This makes this equanimity more difficult to accomplish.

Seen in the light of the history of things we can better understand the violence of both sides. We do not condone it, but it must be understood in order to helpfully be involved in this topic.

We are to pray for peace, understand both sides, and work for an equitable solution. The reactionary language of anger and violence is not a helpful contribution at this time. I know many of us are emotionally upset, and this carries us into behavior that is not normal. But this language is not the way of Jesus, the Church, and most especially of Brothers and Sisters of Charity.

May the Lord grant you all peace in this very disturbing time.

John Michael Talbot