Israel

We are Exiles Who Follow an Alien, Undocumented, Migrant Messiah

Debra Dean Murphy 5-03-2010

There's a scene in the film Food, Inc. that reveals the hypocrisy at the heart of U.S.

'Tear Down This Wall'

Jim Rice 5-01-2010

Sami Awad’s vocation is to tear down walls in the Middle East. As executive director of the Holy Land Trust, based in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Awad works to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis—and between Christians, Muslims, and Jews—as a necessary path to peace in the region. He was interviewed by Sojourners editor Jim Rice this winter while Awad visited Washington, D.C., to address a gathering of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding.

Sojourners: What is the role of nonviolence in the liberation struggle and search for peace and security in Palestine and the broader Middle East?

Sami Awad: Nonviolence is the only option that Palestinians should engage in and the only option we have, in terms of resisting occupation. At certain points, I could have seen it as a strategic option, where people look at it and say, is it the right way to engage in or not to engage in? But now, I have come to the conclusion where I see it as the only option that Palestinians should engage in. It’s very important for us to realize this and focus all our efforts on nonviolence.

From a strategic point of view, we understand our strength. The strength of the Palestinians is in the people. We don’t have weapons. We don’t have armies. We don’t have training in military warfare. But we do have the power to unite the community, and the struggle for liberation and the struggle to end occupation is something that people can be united around.

What are the foundations for your philosophy of nonviolence? I grew up in a Christian family, which always said that reconciliation and seeking peace is the way we should go. The struggle for me was balancing my upbringing with an occupation that was treating us as Palestinians in a very unjust way. The question “How do you resist this injustice but not engage in violence” was always a challenge for me.

My uncle, Mubarak Awad, established the Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence in the mid-’80s. As a teenager, I started finding myself in that center, where I could really be engaged in standing up and saying no to the occupation and no to injustice, but in ways that also addressed my own faith-based background, which is not to engage in violence toward those who do this to us.

Dialogue at the Demonstration: Risking Conversation with the Face of Occupation

Gary M. Burge 4-26-2010

Bethlehem, West Bank. Evangelicals have never been keen on political protests. Especially the sort that includes rifles and grenades -- in the hands of your opponents.

Who Speaks for American Jews?

Isaac Luria 4-16-2010

It's the age-old question. Who can claim to speak for American Jews on Israel?

World Jewish Congress president Ron Lauder seems to think he's found the answer. It's him.

This Palestinian Life: Stories of Nonviolent Resistance

Ryan Rodrick Beiler 4-14-2010

Last weekend I was at a family reunion where I had been invited to show pictures from my sabbatical in the Middle East last spring.

Can Petraeus Push the U.S. Toward Peace in the Middle East?

4-13-2010

The taboo was finally broken and the genie is out of the bottle, despite some attempts to force it back.

Enough Jawboning: A Bold but Hopeful Proposal for Middle East Peace

Arthur Waskow 4-12-2010

There is a biblical story in which Samson used the jawbone of an ass to defeat his enemies. Today some politicians seem to think "jawboning" -- talk and more talk, whether sweet or angry -- can actually win peace in the Middle East. But it will take much stronger action.

Nonviolence: What About Hitler?

Rose Marie Berger 4-12-2010

In any in-depth conversation about the effectiveness of nonviolence as a strategy, this question always comes up: Would these nonviolent strategies have worked against the Nazis?

Presidents' Plans and Precedents for Peace in the Middle East

Ryan Rodrick Beiler 4-09-2010

Several sources have recommended this commentary by M.J. Rosenberg at Media Matters as a helpful analysis of the new "Obama Peace Plan" for the Middle East.

The Inevitable Results of War: Sins as Well as Crimes

Arthur Waskow 4-08-2010

The end of Passover is said to mark the anniversary of the moment when Pharaoh's imperial horse-chariot army met disaster in the Red Sea.

What Our New Nuclear Policy Really Means

David Cortright 4-07-2010

The new U.S.

(Some) Palestinians Allowed to Travel to Jerusalem for Easter

Rose Marie Berger 3-31-2010

The Israeli Embassy has confirmed this afternoon with Sojourners that travel re

A Palm Sunday Procession to Jerusalem Ends in Arrests -- Including the Donkey

Rose Marie Berger 3-30-2010

Protesters crossed the main gate in the separation wall between Bethlehem and Jerusalem on Palm Sunday 2010.

Passover for Non-Jews and 'the Bread of Affliction'

Roi Ben-Yehuda 3-29-2010

In preparing a Passover seder in which many of my guests are first-timers and non-Jews, I am challenged by a number of factors: There is the barrier of language -- some of the texts that we read ar

Finding Watchtowers and Blind Spots in Bethlehem

Troy Jackson 3-26-2010

From the window of my hotel room in Bethlehem, I could see the "security" wall that separates the West Bank from the rest of Israel.

Ruth Was a Moabite 'Illegal' Immigrant

Aaron Taylor 3-23-2010

Every once in a while I get an "aha" moment and I can't turn my mind off, thus preventing me from a good night's sleep. Last night's "aha" moment came as I was reflecting on the issue of comprehensive immigration reform.

Jesus-Focused Conversations in Occupied Bethlehem

Lynne Hybels 3-19-2010

I arrived in Bethlehem last Sunday evening to speak at a conference called "Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice." I'm not a theologian or an expert in anything.

The Lens of Justice

Tom Getman 3-01-2010

With God on Our Side, directed by Porter Speakman Jr. (Rooftop Productions)

Palestinian Christians, Israeli Allies, and Nonviolent Resistance

Ryan Rodrick Beiler 2-23-2010

National Catholic Reporter has an important article about the Kairos Palestine Document endorsed last month by the leaders of 13 Chr

A Profound Choice for Israel and the World's Jews

Jeremy Ben-Ami 2-22-2010

I've just returned to the U.S. following an exhilarating week leading a delegation of five members of Congress to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.