News, articles and documents from
the Holy Land
Issue No. 135 - Saturday, 9 March 2002
Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,
We just returned
from Bethlehem after a solidarity visit that the Patriarch wanted to do this
afternoon even if it is under siege and invasion. We felt that we are in a
ghost empty city, everything is closed and everybody in his house, fear is
everywhere because the Israeli tanks are in the streets and at the corners, the
soldiers are only the masters of the streets with their heavy weapons
controlling the city and the surrounding city of Beit Jala, Beit Sahour and
Camps of Deheished, Azza and Aida. We visited the Peace Center and met the
Mayor Hanna Naser and the governor Muhammad Al-Madani and the Head of the
Police.. They all told us a lot of dramatic stories because they were returning
from the funerals of the 8 martyrs who were killed in the previous day and
night. I was very touched of the story of Huda the 35 years old woman who was
killed in her house in front of her 5 young boys and girls. And in this meeting
came out the idea of holding a Mass tomorrow at the Nativity Church to pray fro
the martyrs, for peace in sign of solidarity with the scared people calling of
an immediate end of this invasion and a full withdrawal of all the soldiers and
military machines from that area which is an “A” zone which means under the
Palestinian Authority control according to the Oslo peace agreements.
I decided to
send you another Olive Branch today in order to update you about the situation
the Holy Land in general and in Bethlehem area in particular. You will find a
lot of important documents:
1) Especially A CALL FROM THE HEADS OF
CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN THIS HOLY LAND, PALESTINIANS AND
ISRAELIS. This strong message is signed by all the 13 heads of churches in
Jerusalem (An Arabic version is attached for those who can open and read it).
2)
Press
Release from Bethlehem University Attacked in Latest Israeli Incursion. We
visited the University today and saw the American high technology used by
Israel against civilians.
3)
STATEMENT
ARAB EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE: MESSAGE FROM BETHLEHEM
4) Press Release from GUSH SHALOM: these
courageous people are worried and concerned and dare to say the truth.
5) One of our priests thinking at a loud
voice, he is Fr. Iyad Twal, parish priest of Birzeit who is sharing with us his
concerns and asking for a miracle.
6)
My dear
friend Ghassan Andoni from rapprochement center in Beit Sahour wrote about the
massacre that covers the whole nation.
7) Also Dr. Maria C. Khoury wrote about The
Bloodiest Week in the Holy Land.
8) Marthame and Elizabeth Sanders the two American Presbyterians working
in the Palestinian Christian village of Zababdeh know very well how it is like
“When There's Nothing Left to Say”!
9) The worst is when you keep silent, but
Samia Nasir Khoury says in her article that “The
Silence Is So Loud”. The world should hear and see and say the truth if you
it is not deaf, blind or dumb.
I hope that you
at least will hear and speak because you see what is happening in the Holy Land
and can speak because you are not afraid to say the truth.
We do really
count on your prayers and support.
With my best
wishes from the Holy Unholy Land. Fr.
Raed Abusahlia
Short Note for the Press
Due to the dramatic situation in
Bethlehem, His Beatitude the Patriarch Michel Sabbah will make a solidarity
visit to Bethlehem area tomorrow, Sunday 10th of March, and will
celebrate a Mass at the Nativity Church at 11.00 a.m. which will be followed by
a field visit to some of the destroyed places in the city including a March
from the Church to the demolished Military Headquarter if the situation on the
ground will allow that.
You are cordially invited to join and
cover this event, which will deliver a message of peace for both peoples
A
CALL
FROM THE HEADS OF CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM
TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN THIS HOLY LAND,
PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS
“There is a time for killing, a time for
healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building; ... a time for throwing
stones away, a time for gathering them; ... a time for war, a time for peace” (Eccl. 3,3-8).
We, the Patriarchs and the
Heads of Churches in this Land, are concerned for the recent developments and
the spiral violence directly affecting the lives of the people. We are
distressed to find that the bloodshed is increasing in this Country. We are
saddened to see more widows, orphans, mourning fathers and mothers on both
sides. We deplore the increase of injured people because of killing, shelling
bombarding, violence and incursion. We ask “Is this the future that we all
want for our children?”
We believe that the key to a
just peace is in the hands of both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian
Authority. War shelling and destruction will not bring justice and security;
rather it will intensify hatred and bitterness.
We believe that Israeli and
Palestinian peoples are called to be partners in an historic peace.
We would confirm that we care
for the security of both Peoples just as we care for the security of every
human being. But the way the present Israeli Government is dealing with the
situation makes neither for security nor for a just peace. We believe that the
Israeli security is dependant on the Palestinian freedom and justice. For this
reason, we join our voices with every Israeli and Palestinian seeking for a
just peace. We ask everyone to take the appropriate measures to stop further
massacres or tragedies for our two peoples. We want to say a frank, honest word
to the Israeli conscience and the Israeli Government asking that you stop all
kinds of destruction and death caused by the heavy Israeli weaponry. What
assurance can be offered to a people deprived of freedom, self-determination,
sovereignty and equality with every Israeli citizen?
To the Palestinian people we
urge an end of every kind of violent response.
We believe that the way of
peace is the way of negotiation. If there is a strong will for making peace all
the pending disputed problems will find a dignified solution.
We appeal to the Israeli people to work for their security in such a way that is just and in which the Palestinians may enjoy their rights as represented in the International Legitimacy. We ask you in the name of the Living God, Whom we all worship, to raise your voice for justice, peace, and reconciliation which are the cry of the soul of all peoples of the world.
Inspired by the words of King
Solomon in Ecclesiastes, We can say: “We have tried war, stones, killing and
destruction all the period of the conflict. Time has come for peace, justice
and the collecting of stones for building, reconciliation and healing”. Our
prayers for peace are more urgently needed than ever.
Know that we have contacted our
partner Churches abroad with their respective Governments to seek their
assistance in our quest for peace.
“I will hear what God proclaims; for He proclaims peace to
his people,
and to his faithful ones, and to those
who put in Him their hope”
(Ps 85,9).
+ Patriarch Irenios I: Greek Orthodox Patriarch
+ Patriarch Michel Sabbah: Latin Patriarch
+ Patriarch Torkom II: Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarch
Father Giovanni Battistelli, O.F.M.: Custos of the Holy Land.
+ Anba Abraham: Coptic Orthodox Archbishop
+ Swerios Malki Mourad: Syrian Orthodox Archbishop
+ Abba Cuostos: Ethiopian Orthodox Archbishop
+ Paul Nabil Sayyah: Maronite Patriarchal Exarch
+ Bishop
Riah Abu Al-Assal:
Episcopal Church Bishop of Jerusalem
+
Bishop Mounib Younan:
Lutheran Evangelical Bishop
+ Archimandrite Mtanious Haddad: Greek Catholic Patriarchal Exarch
+ Georges Khazzoum: Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch
Fr. Elias Tabban: for the Syrian Catholic Exarchate
Jerusalem, March 9, 2002
Press Release
Bethlehem University
Attacked in Latest Israeli Incursion
9 March 2002
The IDF fired a
wire-guided missile at newly-inaugurated Millennium Hall at about 9:00 last
night (8 March). It punched a hole through the stone-clad reinforced concrete
wall, blasting out windows and window frames on two floors, damaging Classrooms
302 and 402. The impact of the powerful blast spread to other parts of the
building, as well as to the nearby Institute of Hotel Management and the Social
and Cultural Center on campus. It is fortunate that no one was near enough to
be injured or killed.
This missile
attack, devastating in physical and psychological implications, is but one
result of unprecedented brutal aggression on the Palestinian people in recent days.
Statistics of casualties and damage continue to change, but at this writing seven
deaths and over a hundred injuries have been reported in Bethlehem alone in the
past two days. In addition, the entire city and surroundings has been
traumatized and terrorized as never before by the ominous sounds of helicopters
and drones and threats of gunship and tank attacks. Beit Jala, next to Bethlehem, is still under curfew with
over 40 huge tanks surrounding the village preventing movement in and out of
homes and on the streets. Deheisheh Camp, which has suffered extensive human
loss and damage, is also under curfew.
As a demoralized
and battered people braces itself for another night of trepidation and fear, the
following questions continue to remain unanswered:
How long will
illegal occupation and oppression of ft people struggling for freedom and basic
human rights be allowed to continue?
When will the
senseless sacrifice of innocent lives of both oppressed and oppressor come to
an end?
What can be done
to mobilize the international community, whom many see as the only potential
force capable of exerting legitimate influence, to assume greater moral
responsibility in resolving the situation?
We at Bethlehem
appeal to you, once again; to do whatever you can to put an end to this
escalating tragic situation. We urge you, in whatever forum you deem effective,
to:
1. Pressure
Israel to withdraw its military immediately from all Palestinian territories.
2. Push for
international intervention to help the two sides return to negotiation.
3. Insist that those responsible for inhumane
attacks on innocent persons be accountable and brought to justice.
4. Pray for just
peace for the Holy Land.
Brother Vincent
Malham, FSC
President - Vice
Chancellor
STATEMENT ARAB EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE:
MESSAGE FROM BETHLEHEM
Arab Educational Institute
While we are
writing you on Saturday afternoon 9/2, there is no let-up in the shooting
inside Bethlehem. There is information about killings today as a result of
Israeli gunfire in ‘Azza refugee camp and near the Church of Nativity. Like
yesterday, there are tanks inside Bethlehem on the Jerusalem-Hebron road, on
the southern side near Dheisha camp, inside Beit Jala, which is largely occupied,
and around the refugee camp Aida. People, including children, are afraid, as
they have been the latest days during the nightly bombings of the PNA military
headquarters.
Schools,
university, shops, and institutions are closed. The atmosphere inside the town
is terrifying. There is no way of entering or leaving the town. Surrounding
villages are completely cut off from Bethlehem town. Streets are empty. The
population is concerned about their medicines, food, access to hospitals and
care. The several casualties of yesterday include the head of the Yamama
hospital in a southern suburb of Bethlehem who was shot while on duty.
Especially the people in the refugee camps Dheisha, Aida and Azza are horrified
by the prospect of house-to-house searches.
There is no way
that the population should succumb to this terror. This applies to Bethlehem
and all towns, villages and camps in Palestine which face continuing and
unprecedented violence. We therefore make an appeal that the world acts now.
Press Release 8/3/2002
GUSH SHALOM -- http://www.gush-shalom.org/
A few days ago,
Prime Minister Sharon called upon the army to "increase the number of Palestinian casualties",
in order to "teach them a lesson". The army is doing its best to oblige. After an already bloody
week, today's figure of Palestinians killed - as given by CNN - stands at
forty seven. (The Israeli radio repeated from the morning to the evening the number fourteen.)
Sixteen alone got killed during a single hour of military rampage at a single Palestinian village
in the southern Gaza Strip, a place named Hirbat Ichtiza'a of which none of us heard until this morning, but
which the army now insists is "a major terrorist center". The raid on
that village was conducted last night as an immediate retaliation for the
killing of five young settlers at the settlement enclave of Atzmona in the Gaza
Strip. Colonel Imad Fares of the Givati Brigade, who commanded that raid and
who told Israeli Radio about it this morning, claimed that all sixteen
Palestinians killed had been armed militants killed in battle. Since no
journalists or other impartial observers were present, there is no easy way to
confirm or deny this claim - but in other locations where Palestinians were
killed and where the international media is present, there is clear evidence
that the Palestinian casualties included many civilians, part of them children,
that ambulances were targeted and doctors and medical crews killed and wounded.
Right now some of these facts were "explained" and thereby admitted
by a military spokesperson on the Israeli 1st Channel TV news. And still no end
in sight...
While we had to endure the army's self appraisal for their "great
successes" it is becoming clear that Sharon suffered a setback in the
diplomatic scene. President Bush seems to have at last realized that the
conflagration set off by Sharon may put vital U.S. interests at risk and
decided to send the US envoy back to the region.. The question is now whether
mediator Zinni be given this time a mandate sufficient to stand up to Sharon.
Meanwhile in the same broadcast appeared several former activists of the
Four Mothers' Movement which played such a crucial role in bringing back the
soldiers from Lebanon and who now work for withdrawal from the Palestinian
territories - under the name "The Seventh Day".
This morning members of the Women's Peace Coalition used the International
Women's Day to visit more than forty embassies in Tel-Aviv, delivering letters
calling upon the international community to immediately send an international
observer force to the Occupied Territories. This action had been prepared in
advance and was in the present circumstances extremely meaningful. From reports
which we got, the women's delegations were received most respectfully and they
got ample chance to emphasize the urgency.
The coming days give peace activists many moments where they can join and
express similar demands - Yesh Gvul's demonstration outside Military Prison 4
(Athlit), in solidarity with four soldiers imprisoned for refusing to take part
in all this; the Arab Monitoring Committee Protest Demo at Shaknin; and the
Peace Now vigils in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, tomorrow night and during the
coming week.
One
of our priests thinking at a loud voice
Dear
brothers and sisters,
I would like to
share with you some ideas, reflections and thoughts that I have in my mind.
First of all, as you know and follow the news, the situation is escalated in a
dramatic way.
We are
absolutely forbidden to use the roads, a tighter siege...
I wish I just could find the words to express and its not a question of a
foreign language,...
Lately I was trying not to listen or watch the news, may be to hide my head in
the sand, as a way to focus more and stay away from all these political and
media presentation ... I'm trying to be more and more with my brothers and
sisters in the parish to share, listen and pray with them... But I feel really
helpless. If Our lord went through 14 stations before rising up again, I think
we are going through hundreds of thousands of painful stations to get risen and
nobody knows when we will finish this via dolorosa... I'm telling the people to
keep and live the hope and faith, but sometimes I doubt deeply... and keep
asking why and when????
The sufferings
and the pain are such a great blessing, a strong experience and lesson to live
and to learn but could you tell me until when that I can wait and survive... I
do believe that the cross that God sent for us is the same size of our
shoulders but until when could we just carry it...
When I was 12 years old, one of our neighbors went to jail for some reason, and
at that time I wondered what and how he felt there. Now I know what's a prison,
not because some one told me but because I feel
and live in a big prison.
The people think that I know many things and I can handle it, or at least know
the answers for all these questions, can anyone of you dare and tell me the
answers...
IF YOU ARE CHRISTIAN AND BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE YOU AND ME, WE SHOULD BELIEVE
IN MIRACLES... SO PLEASE THIS IS WHAT WE NEED AND WHAT WE WANT, A VERY VERY
BIG MIRACLE CALLED "PEACE AND JUSTICE" IN THE LAND OF ABSENT PEACE,
PALESTINE,,, PRAY WITH ME HARDER WITH MORE MORTIFIACTIONS AND FASTING...
Abouna Iyad Twal
Our Lady Queen Of Peace Roman Catholic Church- Birzeit
A massacre that covers the
whole nation
Written by: Ghassan
Andoni
Started
at balata refugee camp and still moving. Today it is Bethlehem. The message is
clear: if you do not accept our occupation and domination you will be
destroyed. Sir, we cannot accept your occupation and domination because it had
already destroyed us.
It is almost the same Scenario everywhere. F16, bombarding
the PA buildings and adjacent neighborhoods; Tanks invade cities and towns but
mainly refugee camps; dozens of innocent civilians killed and hundreds injured;
Ambulances are not allowed to evacuate casualties. 50 Palestinians killed in
one day and hundreds injured most of them were kept bleeding in the narrow
streets of refugee camps. Ambulances were not allowed to evacuate the
casualties. To encounter the seen of Israeli tanks hitting two ambulances in
the narrow streets of Tulkarim refugee camp, the army commander of the Tulkarim
area identified Palestinian ambulances and medical teams as legitimate targets
for the Israeli army.
The Israeli army generals are so proud of their ability to
move inside the Palestinian refugee camps through cracking down the cement
walls between the heavily crowded and adjacent Palestinian homes. Right now and
in Tulkarim refugee camp no family can close the door and shelter inside home.
The best that the Israeli foreign Minster and Nobel Prize
winner Shimon Perez could do was to refuse to comment. While he publicly
reminded Israelis that there is no need to reoccupy Palestinian areas because
already those areas are occupied, he failed to raise a voice against the war
crimes conducted by his Prime Minster and the elected leader of his Party,
defense Minster Ben Eliazer.
The calls from inside the Israeli society for more
Palestinian blood and the complete silence from the side of the International
community will stay for long deep inside Palestinians. Palestinians will trust
no one. Each mourning mother, each confused little kid, and each homeless
family will always ask: where were you when all of this happened?
Can any of you look directly to their eyes and provide an answer?
===================================================
The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People
64 Star Street, P.O.Box 24
Beit Sahour - Palestine
www.rapprochement.org
The Bloodiest Week in the Holy Land
By Dr. Maria C. Khoury
As more Palestinian and Israeli blood waters this precious land, the international community continues their silence while the Israeli forces totally destroy the West Bank and Gaza killing as many innocent people as possible. More than 1400 people have died in the last 18 months because peace does not exist in the land of Christ’s Birth. Fifty Palestinians were killed in just 24 hours, it’s a massacre, and the worst week (March 9, 2002) we have ever experienced. The Israeli army began attacking the refugee camps and causing more than 150 people to die within approximately one week while denying entry to ambulances to help people that might be saved.
The refugees are already victims of 1948 and it’s a disaster to see them die so brutality as if human life has no value. It’s a shame to be abused, traumatized and invaded when they are already the poorest of the poor. Fr. Majdi Siryanni, the new Director of the Latin Patriarchate Schools of Jerusalem and legal advisor for the Patriarchate seemed frustrated at the Israelis as the tanks rolled in front of his office in Beit Jala and as he heard nightly shooting from his convent in Beit Sahour. “They are out of their minds…they are not complying with international laws, humanitarian laws, they are no complying with any laws…they are on top of the world, better than most people… they are above the law,” he told me as I called to find out if the bombing in his area had stopped. Mindful and thoughtful people across the world today should contact their government officials to help stop this bloodshed and cycle of violence! that has its roots in the military occupation of the Palestinian people and the confiscation of Palestinian land.
We thought we could live with the violence and the bloodshed by putting our
life in God’s hands but this policy of getting the terrorists is getting so
many people dead. The fear is so intense sometimes it just keeps me home. I’m
so scared to leave my house, if I drive the van registered under the
Palestinian Authority holding a white plate, the Israeli settlers might attack
in revenge. If I drive the black car registered inside Israel holding a yellow
plate, the Palestinian gunmen might shoot at random. Forgiveness and
reconciliation is not in anyone’s book. Psalm 23 somehow takes a deeper meaning
in my life as I drive down the Biblical valley of Judea to take the children to
school daily: “The Lord is my Shepherd…though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.” But, then again, it is faith that gets you killed in
this country. A young boy was crossing the military checkpoint with his school
bag and out of fear or faith cried out: “God is great” in Arabic, the soldiers
shot him to death thinking he might be a suicide bomber only to find books when
they opened his backpack.
As my children saw the Israeli settler holding a gun to the Palestinian taxi driver’s head probably telling him never to use that road again, they asked: “Mom, what gives them more rights to use the roads, why are the roads just for them?” This simple question open’s a Pandora’s box of the perplexing democracy of Israel. And I must tell you it is not the same democracy that my Greek culture contributed to humanity. The only thing I understand living in the Holy Land as a witness for Christ is that you can not have peace and occupation at the same time.
Sharon’s policy of political assassinations or as he calls them “target killings” blew five children to so many pieces on Monday in Ramallah that their bodies could not be appropriately identified. The first missile hit the mother and her three children and the second missile hit a sixteen year old picking up his small preschool cousin from school. Five children buried in one funeral. The Israeli government declared that it would continue the massive military assault on the Palestinian people as if 54 years of denying them a homeland has not been enough assault and humiliation. On the Palestinian side, especially the militant groups will continue the suicide bombings that tragically harm innocent civilians as a response to the military invasions. We are stuck with these insane people. The cycle of violence has reached its climax. Mr. Maher Al Atrash, managing the Latin Patriarchate Schools from Beit Jala, informed me that all Bethlehem area schools are closed today until further notice because of the great danger in the streets: “This is the mentality of Sharon…50 people dead in 24 hours, it’s never happened…it’s a real war...I have been experiencing the Intifada for 18 months…these past few days has been the most bloodshed...we are now entering a real war.”
Please help stop this war on the Palestinian people by contacting your government officials. As a concerned human being, show outrage that medical personnel like Dr. Khalil Suleiman would be shot and killed by Israeli tank fire as he tried to enter Jenin camp this week with his ambulance to help the wounded following a massive Israeli invasion and attack. “Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God. Defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloody men (Psalm 59)
When There's Nothing
Left to Say
http://come.to/zababdeh
Weddings and
funerals bring headaches for pastors. Every family goes through them, bringing
along (and often airing) their emotional baggage. Pastors must
simultaneously minister to and work with emotionally-charged families to create
a worship service. A difference between the two is that no one expects a eulogy
at a wedding. They may expect all kinds of things ("Wind Beneath My
Wings" as a congregational hymn, taking "that depressing cross"
out of the sanctuary), but no one expects you to lie about a family member.
Textbook eulogies run along these lines: "John was a good man, a kind man,
a gentle man. [Imagining the preacher's drone helps.] We will always remember
him as a loving father, a doting husband, a faithful
son." The truth perhaps, but more likely kernels of truth strung together
with white lies; the person who actually walked on water comes by rarely. Such
hagiography is unlikely to be heard by, or console, the
alienated son, first wife, or estranged friend. To avoid this, some
pastors strip it down to a bare-bones biographical sketch. The reason
they are there, after all, is to lead a service that worships the divine, not
the deceased. The emotional details can be filled in by the admiring and
the estranged alike.
Others choose another way, one that ventures to find something about the person
that reflects the imago dei, the image of God, the divine spark - a moment in
John's life that tells of a truth beyond him, whether he himself was capable of
reaching it or not. Picking up on John's love of hiking and
bird-watching, the eulogy can point us toward the splendor of creation and
renewed awe for its Creator. A faithful eulogy can lead us beyond the example
of the deceased toward divine truth and grace.
Here in Israel and the Occupied Territories, the divine seems extravagantly
absent. In the past seventeen months, 300 Israelis have been killed by
Palestinians. For a population of five million, that's the equivalent of a
World Trade Center attack five times over. 1100 Palestinians have been killed
by Israelis - 37 WTCs. A lot of eulogies, but we hear very little truth or
grace.
"The Israelis shoot us with their helicopters and F-16s and tanks and
missiles, but we Palestinians don't have anything. We only have
stones." "The Israeli military actions are strictly in
self-defense. We never take the offensive but act only in response to
terror." Crumbs of truth, perhaps, but obscured by not-so-white lies. The
whole world sees nightly images of the latest Palestinian attacks, sometimes
aimed at soldiers, and sometimes not, killing and maiming civilian men, women,
and children. Here, we also get nearly hourly reports about victims of
the Israeli army - policemen and fighters, children in their classrooms,
doctors in their ambulances, pregnant women on their way to the hospital.
These people's deaths become justification for more killing, fueling the bloody
cycle of revenge. The violent response and re-response becomes a living eulogy
that points away from mercy and peace, towards hatred and pain. It's as if the
pastor said, "John's life stood for vengeance and blood-letting."
We might as well dance on his grave.
However, amid the bloodshed and lies, we continue to find that spark, that bold
soul willing to try to display grace and truth. Nearly one thousand
Israeli reservists have refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza, citing not
only the dangers of such service but its illegality and immorality. Thousands
of peace activists gathered in Jerusalem just hours after yet another suicide
attack. In contrast to Ariel's Sharon's commitment to "hit the
Palestinians harder," these Israelis proclaimed that enough is enough -
"get out of the Territories and back to ourselves," they cried.
Internationals and Palestinians bravely continue to join in non-violent actions
throughout the West Bank and Gaza, staying with families under siege, removing
the roadblocks that strangle Palestinian villages, standing in the way of
bulldozers poised to knock down homes, all in the face of tear gas, arrests,
and live ammunition.
These testimonies are a living eulogy that defies the cold logic of revenge. It
is here that we see the imago dei, a spark of hope so desperately needed in
this dark place. We pray that it is these words and actions of grace and truth
that will prevail. Then together we can finally bury this violent nonsense once
and for all.
Salaam al-Masih (peace of Christ),
Elizabeth and Marthame
Marthame and Elizabeth Sanders are American Presbyterians working
in the Palestinian Christian village of Zababdeh.
The Silence Is So Loud
by Samia Nasir Khoury
"You Can Hear the Silence; It Is So Loud!"
With these words my long time YWCA friend Elaine Steel wrote to inquire about all of us [in Palestine]. It is unbelievable how deafening that silence has been ever since Ariel Sharon allied himself with the USA in this "war against terrorism." How many more need to lose their lives? How many more homes need to be demolished? How many more fields and groves need to be bulldozed? And how many more pregnant women need to deliver at checkpoints — or get shot on their way to delivery — before the international community raises its voice and takes action to put an end to this brutal occupation?
"The Occupation Is Killing Us All" has been the main slogan of the Israeli peace activists and women coalitions. Indeed it is taking Mr. Sharon a long time to realize that all this brutality will eventually boomerang and nobody will be spared. Indeed, during the last few days noon has been spared, for Palestinians were bound to retaliate to the brutal incursion of the Israeli military into the refugee camps. We were hoping that the voices of the Israeli conscientious objectors (known as the "Refuseniks") would prompt the Israeli military to stop and think before bulldozing through those camps and inflicting so much suffering and devastation. On the contrary; it seems that the more coverage those "Refuseniks" get in the media, the more repressive the regime becomes. It is as if the Israeli government is trying to race with time for fear that the conscientious objectors movement will grow out of hand, and split the people of Israel and its government. According to the latest statistics every 53 minutes a new Refusenik is added to the growing list of conscientious objectors.
In his February 21, 2002 address to the nation Mr. Sharon was very adamant about the need to stay united, and he referred to the Refuseniks as a "national weakness" and said he refuses to give them "a stage to express themselves." He certainly did not sound like he was going to be tolerant with these conscientious objectors, for they are interrupting his agenda. It is amazing how, after all this silence, the voice of conscience could not be suppressed any longer. This voice is now being heard loud and clear. The Israeli people should be grateful to those men whose conscience is still alive and who will eventually help resuscitate the conscience of the whole nation, which seems to have been doped by the grandeur of power and the spoils of the Occupation.
Those brave men have mothers or wives with whom they were bound to share their dilemma, so I would imagine that many of these women must have had an influence on those soldiers one way or the other. In fact, it was the womens’ voices that were crying out much earlier, but nobody bothered to listen; their voices remained "voices in the wilderness". But now along with these Refuseniks and all the peace movements, the Israeli government will have to reckon with the women and many others from inside Israel who are calling for the end of the Occupation. These "Jewish voices" are the first sign of hope for a breakthrough.
Not only must the Israeli government look at this phenomenon very seriously, the USA administration also needs to question its blind support to Israel, since the plea is coming from inside Israel — from Israelis themselves. How ironic that it is much easier to criticize Israel in Israel than in the USA. It would seem to me that the supporters of Israel in the USA are more "royal than the king." No wonder US senators and congressmen find it necessary to launch their election campaigns in Israel. If I did not know any better as I listened to Mrs. Hillary Clinton speak last week, I would have thought she was a member of the Israeli Knesset rather than the US Senate.
I remember when I was young and my mother would rebuke me for something, she was always sure to let me know that she was doing that for my own good. It seems very logical that if one cares about someone else, one needs to be honest and frank enough to guide them into doing what is best for them. But when your vested interests lay with someone, you end up being a hypocrite in trying to please that person in order to achieve your ulterior motive. If the USA administration really cares about the welfare of Israel and its people, it will help them pull out of the swamp of occupation rather than supporting them as they sink further in the quicksand.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged the full participation of Palestinian women in the conflict resolution initiatives. The Palestinian women cannot handle this challenge alone. So it would be only natural and much more fruitful to form an axis of women — both Palestinians and Israelis — to work for justice, security and peace. Such an axis would be an axis of wisdom, rather than an axis of evil which will achieve nothing but devastation. Who else is more qualified to realize the importance of justice than women? A woman who gives birth to a new life truly appreciates the importance of justice to ensure the security of this precious life and to guarantee peace for her home and her community.
How very appropriate it is that Mother’s Day was initiated by women against war. This is a long forgotten fact due to the commercialization of this very meaningful day. It was first observed in Boston in 1873 when Julia Ward Howe organized a day for mothers and children to come together to speak out against war and to work for peace. March 21 is Mother’s Day in the Arab world. Could this be a beginning of a new dawn when both Palestinian and Israeli women can change the course of history and bring about justice, security and peace to the whole region, sparing its people further suffering? For, truly: The Occupation Is Killing Us All.
Samia Khoury is a regular contributor to A Globe of Witnesses. Her monthly column is Justice & Liberation. Samia may be reached by email at samia_khoury@hotmail.com
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