Israel in the Spotlight
Deal Hudson on InsideCatholic once again wrote a good piece on Israel entitled, Remember the Palestinians. He relates in it how his trips to Israel has led him to change his opinion on the situation in the Holy Land:
Even visitors have their stories — not about death but about their encounters with Palestinians and Israelis, who sadly become the occupied and the occupier when you arrive there. For the past 43 years, Israel has exercised a military occupation over much of what we call the Holy Land. When visitors take the time to learn about the lives on both sides of the walls, barriers, fences, roads, and settlements that now separate the peoples, their stories will change — just as mine did.
He explains that there needs to be a change of heart from both the Israelis and the Palestinians in order for a secure peace to be established in the region. He understands how both sides have helped continue the cycle of violence, but he also explains quite well the context of the violence:
As I consider how my attitude toward the Israel-Palestine conflict changed, the reasons all arise from the fact that Palestinian lives and property are completely subject to the designs of the Israeli government and the force of the Israeli military. There is no rule of law in the occupied territory — men and women are taken into custody in the middle of the night, houses and land are confiscated, centuries-old olive groves are cut to the ground.
Sadly, it is difficult to achieve peace, to get a change of heart in the region. There is a great amount of distrust. When a mosque in the West Bank goes up in flames, Palestinians immediately suspect arson. It is understandable, because mosque and church alike have been harmed by Jewish settlers in the past. Even if this turns out to be an accident, as suggested by Israel, what we see are the undercurrents which hinders cooperation between Jews and Palestinians.
But there is hope. Things can change. There are Jews and Palestinians who want change. They might not have the hearts of their people yet. They need our support. They need to be heard. They need to get the recognition they deserve. It is in this light which I like to report about the Peace Run for the John Paul II Games in Israel. As Linda Gradstein reports on AOL News:
For the first time this year, since the games began seven years ago, Israel allowed Israeli participants to enter Bethlehem, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority, to begin the race from the traditional birthplace of Jesus, the Church of the Nativity. Since the second intifada began in 2000, Israel, fearing for its citizens safety, has not allowed them to enter Palestinian-controlled cities including Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus.
While I am ordinarily not a fan of sports, this is one sporting event that I hope will continue to have success like this for years to come.
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I am sorry to see another Catholic blogger taking up the anti-Israel attitudes of Dean Hudson. I am very sorry, but Hudson and you are just wrong on this subject. I have visited Israel four times. I am deeply familiar with the situation there.
Here are the facts. The vast majority of Israelis want peace. The vast majority of Israelis would accept a two-state solution in a heartbeat. The vast majority of Palestinians reject any peace, not based upon destroying Israel.
It is particularly pernicious of you to perpetuate this myth about the Israeli “occupation” of the innocent Palestinians. First, every inch of land now held by Israel, beyond the pre-1967 borders, was conquered in a just war. Why was it just? Because the Jews fought ONLY in self-defense. The united Arab sought to destroy Israel in the 1967 attack.
Second, the Jews are only too happy to give the Arabs control over their own land, but look what happens when they do. The Jews voluntarily withdrew from Gaza. Every single day since then, the Arabs have launched rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. Why do the Jews keep the West Bank under military control? To prevent attacks on Jewish civilians.
The situation is very simple. The Jews of Israel desperately long for peace. The Arabs of the area dream only of destroying Israel and throwing the Jews into the sea. The “even-handed” approach that you urge is urging neutrality between good and evil.
Rick
Many Jews and many Palestinians want peace, but the political structure and settlers do not. The military have engaged in many crimes against humanity; soldiers have protested and been thrown in jail for doing so. I again state the answer is for Israel to move beyond racial politics and the 19th century, and to engage the people within as equals, without restrictions. We must remember the path for Israeli occupation included all kinds of terrorism; Gandhi had to tell the Palestinians not to respond in kind — they of course failed, and the cycle continues. But when churches are harmed, when Christians, including priests and bishops, are attacked, there is something wrong. If what was done to Christians had been done in the US, you can be assured of the stink; if they were done in Iraq, you would hear how evil Muslims are. When Israel does it?
It is hard to say how many Palestinians want peace. Why? Because a Palestinian who openly says that he or she wants peace is very likely to be dead by the end of the day. Remember how Arafat put it, when he refused Bill Clinton’s entreaty to him to make peace? Arafat said that he would not compromise, because “You are not going to walk behind my coffin.”
It is simply not true to say that the Israeli Defense Forces have engaged in crimes against humanity. The Arabs routinely violate every law of war. They love cute tricks like firing missiles at the Jews, from hospitals. Why? So, when the Israelis return fire, they can scream “Look at the evil Jews, shelling a hospital.” Take a look at Gaza, my friend. It is run by the Arabs. There are no human rights there.
With all due respect, you are living in fantasy. The Jews have bent over backwards to make peace. The Arabs simply do not want peace. How many times do the Arabs have to say that they want to destroy Israel before you can hear them?
As for what you are saying about Israel attacking priests and bishops, you are again living in fantasy. Yes, Arab Christians have a difficult life, caught between the Jews and the Muslims. But it is not the Jews who are violating Christian human rights; that is simply not true.
Israel is a good and decent nation, surrounded by violent, totalitarian regimes, bent upon wiping it off the Earth. You are trying to be neutral between good and evil. That is shameful.
One clarification, which you may need. When I said that a Palestinian who admitted to wanting peace would be dead by the end of the day, in case you did not understand, I meant that he or she would be killed by other Arabs.