Gaza: Where are the Peacemakers?

by Ali Elhajj 01-08-2009

It has been over a week now. Over 600 Palestinians and ten Israelis have been killed (seven of them soldiers), and 3,085 Palestinians have been injured. 25 percent of the dead are non-combatants: women, children, and the old. In the fog of war, the only certainty is these numbers will rise.

By now every major organization has issued a position statement on the recent outbreak of violence, and the pundits have been practicing their craft on the news channels for some time.

At the Christian-run Ahli-Arab hospital in Gaza, the wailing of the sirens is continuous, all the windows have been destroyed, the patients shiver in the winter air, and the hospital’s director is desperate for blankets. Fuel supplies are low, medicines and food are scarce, the equipment is antiquated, the patients are many, and the bombing never stops. It is cold and Gaza is in the dark.

In Sderot, an Israeli town not too far from Gaza, the lights are on but they do not extinguish the darkness. A 51-year-old resident of the city recently wrote these words:

People who don’t live in Sderot don’t understand the situation here, just as those who don’t live in Gaza don’t understand their situation. But I know they suffer and I know we suffer as well.

At the end of the day there will be an agreement, so why do we have to go through this process of killing and shedding blood first? Why can’t we stop? Why do we need for them to suffer so terribly, and I have no doubt that they are suffering more than us.

We in Sderot are so sick of this and they must be saying the same thing…

In Sderot, like in other cities in the Israeli South, the rockets fall as they have for some time now. The sirens wail at random, and residents are urged to run to their shelters in hopes they will make it in time. Sderot is 1.8 kilometers from Gaza. A rocket can reach Sderot in nine seconds.

Meanwhile, young Israeli men and women are on the way to Gaza. They are actors in a stage not of their making, victims of the past. The basest of them take vengeance in their anger, and the compassionate are caught between sympathy and duty.

In Gaza, hatred grows; the bombs cannot extinguish it. The old bury the young, the young watch the old whither, dignity is a memory, and peace but a forgotten shadow. The scale of the destruction and death is beyond imagination.

Hamas blames Israel for breaking the cease-fire by sending troops into Gaza on November 4th and for not complying with the conditions of the cease-fire or allowing significant levels of goods and humanitarian aide to flow into Gaza. How long, Hamas asks, can they show restraint while Gazans starve in the dark? Cease-fire or no cease-fire, the conditions are the same; what is the difference between a swift death or a slow one?

Israel cannot be asked to live with an organization whose history includes dispatching suicide bombers to kill its citizens. Israel blames Hamas for the blockade and points out that Hamas that has been firing rockets at civilians.

Around the world, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups echo these arguments louder and louder every day. No one ever wins the rhetorical battles because no one can. It is wrong for an occupying power to starve a population and force it to live in poverty, and it is wrong to fire rockets at civilians forcing them to live in fear. Deep down each side acknowledges its culpability, but cannot show mercy. Both are blind in one eye while the other eye only looks in the mirror to see its own pain. Each side claims it must act because it, after-all, is the victim.

Fear, hatred, death, uncertainty and fanaticism rule the day.

For all these reasons, and more, I beg my brothers and sisters in Christ to undertake a revolution in thought which extends beyond entrenched racial and political dogmas, one that is grounded in the gospel of peace in Christ and one which propels the body of Christ to care for the sick and dying, for the fearful, and for those whom we call friend or enemy.

We must act in compassion to heal the sick and have mercy on those who are suffering–be they Israeli or Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, or Jew. The very believability of the gospel of Christ is at stake.

The battle for Gaza is ongoing and it will continue after the last round is fired. When Gaza emerges from the rubble, Gazans will remember those who came to them in their time of need. Will it be the representatives of radicalization and hatred that will rebuild Gaza, or will it be the voices of reason and compassion? Simply stated: we cannot afford to abandon Gaza.

We must also not forget Sderot and the cities in the Israeli South. For in them, as in Gaza, hatred grows as the rockets fall. We must do everything we can to engender compassion and build bridges of understanding. We must also be there to mourn with those who mourn and care for those in need.

We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of assigning blame, washing our hands of the world, or placing ourselves above it. Nor can we allow ourselves to be held hostage by eschatological positions which offer no respite for those who bury the dead or care for the injured.

Now is the time to plead for peace and reconciliation, a time to end the madness and call for understanding. We may or may not be successful, but we cannot be silent. Our God was not silent in the face of our inequities, and while God could have judged us, instead he sent his Son to bridge the divide between God and humanity. If then we are created in God’s image and for God’s purpose, can we not then stand in the gap between Arab and Jew and beg for peace?

May God help us make this stand and forgive us if we do not.

Ali Elhajj is an Arab Christian who came to Christ from a Muslim background in 1999. His ministry, The Bethlehem Christmas Project, brings together American, Israeli, and Palestinian Christians to deliver Christmas gifts to oprhans, children suffering form post-traumatic stress, and children with special needs in the West Bank.

Categories: Global Issues, Violence and Nonviolence, War & Peace

Tags: Arab, blockade, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Israeli, israelis, Muslim, Palestine, Palestinians, peacemakers, Poverty, reconciliation, Sderot, Violence, War, West Bank

Kevin Wayne

Don: I agree 100%! I guess when it comes to certain people's belieiving in thier own goodness, I tend to stand up and tweak noses a bit.

Ciao for now~!
http://members.soundclick.com/kevinwayne
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JamesM

"But even in learning other views here , they have been accompanied by sarcasm , and religious doctrinal assumptions of people we are discussing it with . " Littleroundtop

Your views, of course, as articulated, have not been an exception to what you are accusing other of.

Guest

" If I felt it was so bad, I probably would never come back." JMartin

I actually thought it was what brought you here . I like most Americans I guess consider Israel an ally . We share a similiar form of government , our value systems , and even share much of the same Bible that is primarily used in our places of worship . But even in learning other views here , they have been accompanied by sarcasm , and religious doctrinal assumptions of people we are discussing it with .

Jonabark examples of Israels calling for Palenstinian blood is not surprising . Wacth cartoons from the 40s of Superman and we do the same thing but for kids to hear .

Jonabark that is not surprising . War does this . Its the tradegy of war , just one tradegy of many .Have a family member killed , a friend , etc .

Watch a football game and root for one side , you see the penalties the other team does and believe when your side commits one and gets away with it, it is justified from PASS Penalties your side had been the receiptent of .

Thats why we need refs , and something is said for third party intervention here in Gaza also .

jonabark

Yesterday there was a rally in support of Israel in NYC. Max Blumenthal was interviewing people there and at least 5 advocated killing all the Gazans. "Wipe them all out ". Others said the Israelis were right to bomb the schools because Palestinians were building bombs under the desks. I grow weary of the argument that the desire to destroy is only on one side. How obvious must it be who is actually threatening the existence of the other, before America treats the Palestinians as a people with legitimate claims to a place in their historic homeland. Back to 67 borders, or no more weapons from US.

Naomi Klein is proposing anti apartheid style economic sanctions.

Nathan Bedford

The present conflict in Israel is just one place (of many) where conflict between people and governments (or between nations) is occurring. I think that the question that we must ask ourselves as citizens of the United States and as followers of Christ is, "What should be our attitude and response to the killing?" As Christians, should we be cheering for one side and rejoicing when innocent lives are lost in the pursuit of military objectives? Should we be supplying arms and technology to assist in the destruction of lives? As a major world power, how do we decide which conflicts to involve ourselves in and which do we simply let continue?

War is a terrible thing and is seldom the means of settling issues. The days when soldiers of competing nations are sent to the front and engage in battles in which only the combatants are affected is long gone. surely in the 21st century, we can find ways short of war to settle our differences.

BuckeyeDon

"Read it and weep and howl Kevin47, Jkc1945 and others of your blindsided ilk."

With all due respect, Kevin Wayne, I don't see how gloating like this will advance the cause of Middle East peace. The problem as I see it, and as I have tried to articulate here (you can judge whether I've been successful), is that both sides are convinced of their own righteousness and the other side's evil.

We can't afford that attitude any longer.

Peace

JamesM

"The best points here appear to be sarcasm, doctrinal contempt of dispensionalism, and a lack of speaking hat we do about people in control of " Littleroundtop

If I felt it was so bad, I probably would never come back.

T"he capacity to misinterpret is vast on the part of some here." PastorJeff

Pastor Jeff, you are in good company. You are kind to use the word "misinterpret"-- "misrepresent" would probably a more apt and accurate characterization of what took place.

Guest

Is weird Kevin . Had to investigate the reasoning for such contempt here . They Sounds identical to talking points of the secular left . Just nomally you would think a culture like Israel who had a represntative form of government , values systems closer to ours , western civilization . Even palentsinians have more freedoms in Israel then most middle east countries . Well another lesson learned of our ignorance and religion getting in the way of allowing people to understand . ;0)

By the way , your use of language was out of line , The comments and insulting remarks that were made personally to you were far worse . They were based on your support of a country being attacked and provoked to defend itself . The debate was on the response , was it too strong , not strong enough , and how to stop conflict again . Yet another example of fairness and contempt dished out by ideaology and not common individual dignity and respect ..

Guest

I was surprised . Usually notice Don on the far left and very supportive of the people here . But when he commends a persons comments I actually thought it meant something , despite dome common bias that most most hav from either side of the political spectrum . I saw Don support his statements and sources of information , But stating that a country be evacuated for thegood of the people who have soverignity of it sounds obviously bizare . Indeed that did happen at one time , the folks who did not evacuate were killed .
I suggest that the problem is the people demanding the evacuation and killing .
.

The best points here appear to be sarcasm, doctrinal contempt of dispensionalism, and a lack of speaking hat we do about people in control of Hamas who use their own citizens , women , children and even schools to hide their military hardware . one person even told me that it was not considered terrorism because they use missles and topped using suicide bombers . Was a good conversation , especially important pointsabout the casualities and innocent victims in Gaza and elsewhere .

PASTOR JEFF

JamesM: I'm the ignorant poster whose unaware of Israel's CIA. My post was intended to point out the fallibility of such agencies (WMDs notwithstanding) by questioning how the oft repeated claims that Israel was "targeting Hamas" could be verified. The capacity to misinterpret is vast on the part of some here. It's almost like they want to misunderstand. It's a good thing that these people are not negotiating for the peace in the Mid-East. Oh wait, they are!

JamesM

"One poster here was apparently unaware that Israel has an intelligence agency (or, at minimum, ignorant of how one functions). Others assume that Israel is indiscriminantly killing civilians, which is far from reality." Kevin47

Yeah I remember one poster who once thought that the UK was using the Euro as its currency. Ignorance abounds, right Kevin?

"I do think the phenomenon is part of a reflexive tendency to favor the darker skin color. This is undertstandable, given that the contemporary liberal worldview is steeped in the civil rights movement. As such, it is very difficult not to view this conflict through the lens of the movement. " Kevin47

That is a plausible explanation. An equally plausible explanation is that many who post here have gotten beyond the lower instincts inflamed by fundamentalist religion (such as tribalism) and they see Palestinians as image-bearers of the living God who are worthy of life and respect.

JamesM

"Wow, JamesM, 1Grace really has our number. We better all just go home, now that our true motives have been found out you leftist, you. They have the drop on us."

Oh no! My true motives have been revealed. Like the wicked witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz...."I'm melting!...I'm melting... " as I descend into that abyss where 1Grace would just love to see me go!

BuckeyeDon

"You're an adult with internet access. You can do your own research."

That's a copout. Remember, my students have to supply their lists of source material for the essays they write. My guess is that you did as well.

BuckeyeDon

"Who gives any country the "right" to administer a foreign land?"

Well, if you don't respect the authority of the negotiated international treaties that ended World War I and that established the British mandate, then I can't say anything more about it. Don't forget that the Palestinian lands were under the authoritarian Ottomans before the war. It just might be possible that the residents there didn't have much experience with self-rule.

Kevin Wayne

For those who are surprised at my realistic assessment of the problem in Israel/Palestine, as to wherein I recommend that the Jews leave and Israel be dismantled for the sake of the safety of Jewish People, I offer the following resources:

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com
http://www.nkusa.org/
http://www.jewsnotzionists.org/
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/jews_...
http://www.inminds.co.uk/jews-against-zionism.html

Now I should note in fairness that not all the above groups support the same solution, but all are in fact opposed to Zionism. If Israel continues to exist at all, their best bet would be to repudiate Zionist ideology. I'd be perfectly open to that, but it will take a complete reversal of the policies of the past.

erbe

You're an adult with internet access. You can do your own research.

"neither Israel nor Palestine has the moral high ground"

No, but we know the United States, thanks to our glorious politicians and illiterate electorate, helps them wallow in the slime.

erbe

"If we follow your logic, then North America should probably be returned to the Native Americans."

That would be the right approach. At least offer to buy it (lease it?) from them and make all of them multi-millionaires.

erbe

Who gives any country the "right" to administer a foreign land? I guess the poor dumb Palestinians couldn't figure things out for themselves.

I think if you're interested the information is right at your fingertips. Start with the Balfour Declaration, Chaim Weismann, Zionism, British Mandate, Irgun, Ottoman, Sykes-Picot Agreement, etc and you will find more information than you can digest. But you know all this.

Of course you must beware of any website with any Hebrew inscriptions as that will more than likely be presenting the Israel/Zionist point of view, not that all of it will be wrong.

Kevin Wayne

And THAT- is the exact thing we are decrying- and that you won't allow as legitimate- that the old way of an eye for an eye leaves both sides blind.

erbe

Right on Kevin!