wfn.org | Ecumenical delegation exposed to complexity of Mideast issues

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Dec. 12, 2000 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.     10-71B{559}

NOTE: An ecumenical delegation is visiting the Middle East at the invitation
of Christian groups there. Accompanying the group is UMNS photojournalist
Mike Dubose. His photos may be found at the UMNS photo gallery
http://umns.umc.org/jerusalem/ online. UMNS sidebar story #560 gives a
complete list of delegates. For related coverage, see UMNS stories #561,
#562 and #563.

By James Solheim*

BETHLEHEM (UMNS) -- Shaking off the vestiges of jet lag, a delegation of 26
church leaders representing 12 U.S. denominations and organizations waded
into the thicket of Middle East issues December 8, talking with those who
are most directly affected by the increasing violence that has plagued the
area for the last two months. 

As the bus moved out of the gates of Notre Dame Center across the road from
the Old City of Jerusalem, Bishop Herbert Chilstrom of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America prayed for the safety of the people-especially
the children.

Headed for Bethlehem, the bus passed through an Israeli checkpoint and
detoured around the heavily fortified site of Rachel's Tomb, past the new
settlement of Har Homa, a highly controversial part of a belt of settlements
surrounding Jerusalem and effectively cutting off many of the Palestinian
territories.

Entering Bethlehem, now a closed military area, the streets were strangely
quiet and empty, highly unusual in the Christian season of Advent, which
draws tourist and pilgrim crowds to the city. The closed shops and hotels
cast a noticeable pall over the city when it should be entering its most
celebratory time.

The delegation stopped to meet with a family whose home and business had
been reduced to a pile of rubble by Israeli rockets and shells. "You have to
be our voice-we need you," said Vera Baboun in welcoming the group. In
explaining that the family would not be allowed to rebuild, in the name of
"security," she pleaded for help "to keep our identity."

Municipal leaders describe difficult times

Parking near Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity, the
delegation entered the Bethlehem Municipality Building to meet with
officials from Bethlehem and two adjacent villages, Beit Jala and Beit
Sahour.

"We are here to listen, learn and then interpret to our churches the
situation," said United Methodist Bishop William Oden who moderated the
conversation. He reported that many American churches had begun a "Vigil for
Peace" on Advent Sunday-and would continue until there is a just peace for
the area.

Deputy Mayor Ziad al-Bandak began by noting the irony of welcoming the
delegation to the city where the "messenger and prophet of peace was born."
The new Intifada (Arabic for "shaking off") began at the end of September
when it became clear to the Palestinians that seven years of negotiations
had not produced a just peace for them. 

He said that Palestinian trust for Prime Minister Ehud Barak had evaporated
because Barak had reverted to the militaristic thinking of his Army days. As
a result, "We are in a war," one fought against a highly sophisticated
Israeli military. "We want to live in peace with our neighbors but that is
only possible when Israel respects the rights of the Palestinians." Because
that is not happening, "The whole region is boiling," from both a political
and military viewpoint. "Christmas will be sad this year," he added. "The
religious ceremonies will take place, but there will be no joy."

Continuing threats

Mayor Fuad Kokaly of Beit Sahour echoed his colleague's sentiments.
"Palestinians thought peace was coming, that we would get justice in the
region," he said. "And we were looking forward to a prosperous future,
especially for the children." Instead the result was "despair and loss of
hope."

He said that Palestinians were convinced that the peace process was built on
security concerns only for Israel and that the emphasis that emerged was one
of process not a search for true peace. When Palestinians tried to change
the process, their efforts were rejected and "we realized that the process
was fruitless," he said. "And we were accused of being against peace."

Sammy Khalil a resident of Beit Jala, said the war is religious as well as
political.  The Israelis are tightening their grip and denying access to
places of worship in Jerusalem, he said, especially during the Islamic
observance during month of Ramadan. 

By targeting Christian homes and businesses in the area, said Kokaly, the
Israelis are hoping to encourage emigration.

Driving out Christians?

On the way to visit some of the Christian homes in Beit Jala that have
recently been bombed, the delegation was greeted by a sign that said, "Merry
Xmas America. Thank you for your Xmas gifts," showing helicopters and bombs
with Israeli and American flags.

Down the road, the delegation was welcomed into the heavily damaged home of
Nakhli Qaisieh and his family of 25, including 15 children. He said that the
first attack began in the early evening and the family fled to the basement.
As the attack became more serious, with heavier shelling, they fled for
their lives.

Their house is on a ridge across from Gilo, one of the older Israeli
settlements on the West Bank, leading some to speculate that the attacks,
blamed on snipers in the area firing at the settlement, may be an effort to
protect a by-pass road through the valley below. The road connects Jerusalem
and Hebron. And some are convinced it is still one more example of the
attempt to drive out the Christians.

On the way back to the bus, members of the delegation also tiptoed through
the shattered glass of an Arab Orthodox Sports Club and a neighboring school
for girls, also targets for Israeli shells and bombs.  Some members of the
delegation picked up shell fragments clearly identified as being made in the
United States.

Environmental persecution

As the delegation gathered at the Applied Research Center (ARIJ), a local
non-governmental agency that deals with environmental issues, the news came
that there were several more killings near Bethlehem, providing a grim
context to what would be a grim conversation about Israel's attempt to
isolate and strangulate Palestinian areas in the West Bank.

In a thorough and sobering presentation, Jad Ishac used a series of overhead
projections to illustrate how Israel was systematically creating "cages" for
the Palestinian population, surrounded by Israeli settlements.

One of the tactics is to take as much open space as possible, leaving the
Palestinians living in increasingly dense areas that won't be sustainable,
what he called "a recipe for disaster." He showed how that would affect the
Palestinian villages in the Jerusalem District-and how it might be applied
to Bethlehem.

He called the settlements "environmental disasters." Not one of them, for
example, has a waste treatment facility and they usually use Palestinian
land as dumpsites. He drew some direct parallels between environmental
issues and political issues.

Despite the gloomy predictions, he said, "everything is still achievable if
we find a way, and if Israel stopped dealing with us in a master-slave
relationship." But he is also convinced that "things may quiet down for a
while but will explode again because the peace efforts are not built on
pillars of justice."

Strangulation and isolation
 
In a wide-ranging discussion after his presentation, Ishac tried to respond
to the apparent frustration among members of the delegation in how to inform
people in America about what is really happening in the region. "The
Palestinian cause is not presented properly anywhere in the world," he said.
"And telling this story is a huge task but tell people to wake up."

While the Americans may pressure Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to make
some concessions, they can't expect him to commit political suicide, he
argued. "But we cannot accept the present situation," he said. "In the
meantime, encourage people to come here. Your presence is important."

"We are caught between our national and religious loyalties. And we are
getting close to extinction," he concluded.  The Christian population in
Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza continues to dwindle, now estimated at
less than 1.8 percent.

In a debriefing session later, Oden said that the presentation had been "the
most substantive, the most important one of the day, but overwhelming." He
was relieved that most of the information was available on the center's Web
site at http://www.arij.org .

Chilstrom said that the obvious attempts at strangulation of the
Palestinians, the attempt to tighten the noose, had disturbed him. Bishop
Edmond Browning, former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, agreed,
adding that he was convinced the Israelis had "a master plan" for isolating
the Palestinians. 

Patti Browning said that she was particularly upset that American tax
dollars were being used in persecution of the Palestinians. She said that it
is frustrating to try to tell the whole story to the people back home. "How
are we going to break through this barrier in our country?"
#  #  #

*Solheim is director of the Episcopal Church's Office of News and
Information and is serving as press officer for the peace delegation.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org