Dear Friend,
Monday November 22,2010, the FPI - Holland group views and discusses half of WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE, produced by Porter Speakman in connection with "The Rev" Stephen Sizer. In it, the Christian Zionists get to espouse their view of unqualified support for the (ethnic) state of Israel.
People like Stephen Sizer, Ron Dart, Gary Burge and others counter these arguments with a different, (more accurate) interpretation of especially New Testament scriptures. It is a "must see" for those who want to argue that Israel has a special "right" to the "land" of Palestine.
In promoting this film, I attached the following "witness" from Deppen Webber, who recently returned from a trip to the "land" with the Interfaith Peace-Builders (Fellowship of Reconciliation). JRK
Settlements
It's my last day here. I will be sad to leave but miss my daughter immensely. I met a Palestinian professor yesterday, a former Oxford staff member, who now teaches at Hebron University. He thinks that I would have a good chance at landing a teaching position there. And if I wanted to bring my daughter, she could go to school alongside other American children with families at the University. Maybe for one year or two? We'll see!
I wanted to talk more about settlements here and how it works. There are two types of settlements of Jews in Palestinian Territory. One type is where very large developments of homes, malls, schools, etc. are built with money from the Israeli government. Roads are constructed to travel to and from Israeli proper. Palestinians are not allowed to travel on these roads that cut through their land. Many times the roads will cut through a farmer’s land, essentially cutting off large sections and making it impossible to farm because the Palestinian farmer is forbidden to cross the settlement road. His land, unable to be worked, is then confiscated by law by the Israeli government after two years of inactivity. Any Jew from around the world is welcomed to move to these settlements.
The second type of settlement is just as disturbing. This is when civilian Jewish settlers break into the existing homes of Palestinian families, throw them out, and claim the homes for themselves. I have seen this first hand in every Palestinian city I've visited. The homes can be easily identified in Muslim neighborhoods by the Israeli flags waving as to claim ownership.
Today (Friday) I will be attending a weekly protest in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem where Akrum's family has lost their home to young Jewish American settlers. In Al Khalil (Hebron), settlers have taken over the second story homes overlooking streets of Arab storefronts. There, they throw trash, dirty water, metal bars, feces, anything down onto the streets of the Muslims. Here, the settlers are protected by a large visible presence of the IDF; young, armed soldiers tasked with protecting the civilian Jewish settlers. Settlers behave as high school bullies, and much worse, and Palestinians cannot defend themselves. This goes on daily in the neighborhoods where the Palestinians were born and raised, yet they cannot fight back or will be shot, imprisoned, and tortured.
This ongoing humiliation of a proud, peaceful people is too much to stomach. Yet the US government stands behind Israel with little action to stop them. Please join with me in condemning these acts by writing your congressperson, or by supporting pro-Palestinian organizations in your communities.
- Deppen Webber
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