wfn.org | Lutheran Bishops Plant Olive Trees, Pray at Israeli Separation Barrier

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: Lutheran Bishops Plant Olive Trees, Pray at Israeli Separation Barrier
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>January 13, 2009  

Lutheran Bishops Plant Olive Trees, Pray at Israeli Separation Barrier
09-013-JB

BEDDO, West Bank (ELCA) -- North American Lutheran bishops
visited this small Palestinian village in the West Bank,
northwest of Jerusalem, an area where the Israeli separation
barrier cuts through Palestinian agricultural lands, making way
for Israeli settlements to be constructed.  Many of the bishops
helped plant olive trees near the barrier as signs of peace.

Forty-four bishops representing the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada (ELCIC) are participating in a weeklong series of meetings
with religious, political and community leaders in Israel and the
West Bank, and visiting religious sites. Their visit, concluding
Jan. 13, also focuses on support and encouragement for the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL),
which is timely because of the war in Gaza.

Some 500 trees are to be planted here eventually. Before
they left, the bishops visited a local Palestinian man's home,
now surrounded on three sides by a tall metal barrier. Newly
constructed Israeli settlements surround his home on the other
side of the fence on land that was once his, he said. The bishops
prayed at the barrier before leaving.

In remarks here, Adnan Husseini, governor of Jerusalem,
Palestinian Authority, said life in the area was difficult for
residents because of the barrier.  "We need permission to move in
and out of the wall," he said.  "If we want to build a
Palestinian state, we have to move in this state."

The bishops visited this area to do two things, said the
Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. "We will cry out
songs of lament for all people, and we will plant olive trees
here as a sign of commitment for the generations to come ... to
see olive trees, not walls."

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, ELCIC national bishop, promised
to remember the people.

"We promise we will return home and continue to accompany
you," she said. "We will speak to our governments, and we will
work for a just peace for all in this land."

Earlier in the day, the bishops visited the Evangelical
Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah, a coeducational school.  The
school is one of four schools and four educational programs
operated through the ELCJHL. The bishops and spouses were
entertained by the school's Al Raja Dance Troupe, and conversed
with several students.

Majdi Habash, an 11th grader, and Mohammad Omar, a 10th
grader, said they don't know whether they will leave the West
Bank once they complete school. They said their parents worry
that they won't return.

Omar said he hopes "the U.S. will look at us and Israelis as
equals" under the new Obama administration. He said he wants the
administration to help Palestinians and not give more weapons to
Israel.

People in the United States do not have a clear picture
about Palestinians, said Deema Beides, an 11th grader. "Please
tell the truth about us," she told the bishops. "We're not
fighting for something that is not ours (land). The conflict is
not about religion."

"Please let (others) know the truth," said Rana Burqan, a
10th grader. "Let them know that children in Gaza have a right to
live. There's no difference between Muslims and Christians. We're
all Palestinians."

The bishops concluded their day with dinner at the
International Center of Bethlehem.  Several local church
representatives attended.

>---

Information about the 2009 Bishops' Academy is at
http://blogs.ELCA.org/09cobacademy/ on the ELCA Web site.

Information about the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope is
at http://www.elcjhl.org/ed/schools/hope/hope.asp on the Web.

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog