Greetings from the people of the Diocese of Jerusalem, active clergy and laity alike, and special greetings from Bishop Riah-Abu Alassal.
The Church of Jerusalem, as well as the church all over the world, has just celebrated Holy Easter, the feast which assures us of the ultimate victory of truth, peace, and justice. The empty tomb is a continuous reminder to us all of the eternal hope that God's desire for peace with justice and dignity will ultimately prevail for all peoples.
We are called to discuss peace and justice in the world. Let me begin by making a statement. "He who lacks peace can not give peace to others." There are some people in the world who think they can contribute to the cause of peace by preaching about it. Let me remind you of what Jesus said, "Blessed be the peacemakers!" Thank God he did not say, "the peace-talkers!"
Therefore, those who claim to be contributing to peace, need first to have peace within themselves, peace with others, and peace with their church. Otherwise, without set goals, without grounding, there is the danger of running off in many directions at once and of accomplishing little or nothing.
The letter of St. Paul to the Romans 12:18 says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." The Bible teaches that God is deeply interested in peace from Genesis to Revelation, the prophets and apostles constantly urge God's children to seek peace. Nothing reveals God's concern for peace more vividly than God's decision to send his beloved son to guide our feet into the path of peace. From beginning to end, Jesus' mission was one of peacemaking. Throughout his ministry, he was constantly preaching and giving peace.
Jesus sacrificed his life so we could experience peace both now and forever. It is impossible to experience interior peace if you fail to pursue peace with God and peace with others. Interior peace comes from obeying what God commands. "And this his command, to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."(1 John 3:23)
The cause of peace in the Middle East is very important because of the centrality of the Holy Land, its importance to the three monotheistic faiths. Our principles for peace and justice are:
1. There will be no peace without justice; the peace process will have no success if it only concentrates on peace as an absence of war or on maintaining the status quo. I believe that the peace that will succeed is a just peace where both Palestinians and Israelis will have their national, civil, human, religious, and political rights. When Israelis speak of security and Palestinians speak of self-determination with freedom, the only way for a just peace is equal coexistence for both nations.
2. The just solution of the Middle East conflict is dependent on an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. This is the central issue. It is good that further steps toward peace were taken and treaty was signed in Oslo. But now, unfortunately, with a freezing of the peace process and an attempt to kill the Oslo agreement, the whole peace process seems to be on the brink of collapse.
Many of the initial hopes for developing new relationships of mutual trust and partnership have been fragmented over the last five years. Today, the most important factor seems to be that the Israelis and the Palestinians are almost further away from understanding, respect, hope, and peace than they ever before.
In making this assessment, we are aware that both parties face serious issues, concerns, and dilemmas that need to be addressed and resolved. These serious and difficult issues are:
A. Confiscation of Identity Cards of Palestinians who live in Jerusalem and the consequent revocation of their residency rights. The Israeli authorities demand that Palestinians prove that their primary residency in Jerusalem. This has affected many different groups who have had to leave the country for a period of years for higher education or employment, or those who have had to move outside the Israeli defined municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, due to lack of available housing. The result of such procedures is that Palestinians born in Jerusalem can lose their rights to live there.
B. Confiscation of land, expanded Jewish settlements in the West Bank and in Gaza. The most difficult and sensitive issue, and a road block to lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, is the presence of Jewish only settlements within the West Bank and Gaza. Over 60% of the West Bank and 40% of Gaza have been expropriated to allow for the construction of settlements, although this building is against international law and regulations.
C. Impact of the closure of the West Bank and Gaza on the Palestinian economy. Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza must get permits to enter Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. This policy of closure is a collective punishment and it is applied across the board-for employment, higher education, and healthcare.
D. The water issue. Water is a precious and limited resource, especially in the arid climate of the Middle East. Unfortunately for Palestinians and Israelis, water has become another chip to be negotiated within the framework of the Oslo accord. For years Israel has refused to provide an adequate amount of water to Palestinian towns and villages. Dr. Jad Isaac, director of the Applied Research Institute reported in 1994 that an average Israeli consumes 379 cubic meters of water annually, while Palestinians average only 107 cubic meters annually. The Jewish settlements consume most of the water that might supply the Palestinian towns and villages.
These are the main issues and main obstacles toward a just peace. And yet statistics indicate that a majority of Palestinians still desire a peaceful coexistence with their Israeli neighbors.
One of our concerns as a church is the issue of Christian rights in a multi-religious society experiencing the rise of fundamentalism, fanaticism, and extremism on both sides - Jewish and Muslim. The statement of the church leaders in Jerusalem of November 1994 states the Christian rights should be secured in Israel and Palestine.
The Christian communities of the Holy Land, the living stones that trace their roots to the Church of the first Pentecost, are facing enormous challenges. The freezing of the peace process and the rise of fundamentalism has affected the life of the Christian community. It is a struggle to be both Palestinian and Christian these days, and many ordinary men and women are being challenged in their faith-centered, as well as political beliefs. The number of Palestinian Christians is dwindling due to immigration resulting from the unstable political situation. A just peace with freedom and equal rights in the region will also help the Christian community to survive and to maintain a continuing presence. Jerusalem is a city of three faiths and two peoples; it must be a shared city.
Peace education and honest dialogue are important elements for coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and among the three faiths. Christians should be in a dialogue with Muslims and Jews that will allow all parties to be absolutely frank and honest in dealing with those issues that have real meaning for the three faiths. Because just peace means change of mind, metanoia, a lifting of prejudice and of stigmatization and demonization, one of the other. It means each being able to see God in the other and to recognize that all are equal in rights under God.
We Christians need to promote peace education in our schools and teach tolerance and moderation. We need to build relations between Christian and non-Christian schools in which we can prepare the ground for reconciliation. God destined the three religions to be together. We must find every way and means to combat fundamentalism, fanaticism, and extremism. These are the enemies of a just peace.
It is the call of the church in Palestine to be a catalyst for a just peace and to be bridge builders between the two nations and the three religions. And our evangelical doctrine prepares us for this demanding task of being ministers of reconciliation.
Finally, I shall say that we, as Christians, should not give in to despair or frustration. Faith endures even in the so-called Holy Land. Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem and wept. Two thousand years on, perhaps Jerusalem needs a new Jubilee. Perhaps it needs to experience the uplifting power of forgiveness, renewal. Perhaps it also needs to reconcile itself anew with God, and its people with each other.
There can be no peace without justice. Justice means freedom with dignity for all, peace with security for all. "That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18).
