Dear KUSA - Holland Community, and FPI List-serve,
Friends, thank you for tracking with me in the light of the ferocious assault on Gaza (and Hamas' determination to fight fire with fire). In June, 2013, when I went with Paul Parker's group to I/P, I met many Israelis and Palestinians. Sheldon Schorer was one of them, a Jewish constitutional lawyer.
A few days after I forwarded the JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace) request to you for action, he sent me (and JVP) a strongly worded (but respectful) objection to the assertion that "the Occupation" was the source of the violence going on there right now. What follows is my response to his objection:
Dear Sheldon (copy JVP), Thank you for taking the time to respond to JVP's (and my) request for action.
You strongly object to the assertion that the "Occupation" is the root cause of violence in I/P. Sheldon, the occupation is a code word for what the Israeli State intended to do and has been doing to the people living on the land from the time the (mostly secular) European Jews arrived: Displace/remove them as though they never existed, had no rights and were a bothersome irritation. The Declaration of Independence (1947/8) says it wanted equality with the Arab population, but actions trumped any follow-through on this laudable ideal.
Let's take a look at your comments with comments from me (in red):
Sheldon: In a recent email, you [Jewish Voice for Peace] suggest that the root cause of violence in the Middle East is the occupation. This is utter nonsense.
JRK: The Occupation is indeed the issue when you consider that the express intent of "Zionism" from the beginning was the displacement of the native population. Here is a memoir from Nahum Goldmann who recalls what David Ben-Gurion said in the sunset years of his life:
One day, or rather night, in 1956 I sat up at his [Ben-Gurion's] house till three in the morning. That night, a beautiful summer night, we had a forthright discussion on the Arab problem. "I don't understand your optimism," Ben-Gurion declared. "Why should the Arabs make peace? If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it's true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? They may perhaps forget in one or two generations' time, [sorry, this has not happened!] but for the moment there is no chance. So it's simple: we have to stay strong and maintain a powerful army. Our whole policy is there. Otherwise the Arabs will wipe us out. . . .[Goldmann]:That was Ben-Gurion all over: he had told me that so as to show me how well he knew in his heart that Israel could not exist without peace with the Arabs, but his stubborn, aggressive unbending character prevented him from following what his own intelligence told him. . . .
Nahum Goldmann, in The Jewish Paradox : A Personal Memoir of Historic Encounters that Shaped the Drama of Modern Jewry (1978), as translated from the French by Steve Cox, pp 99-100 ISBN 0-448-15166-9 . One quote appearing here has sometimes been given erroneously as "That is natural: they think we have taken their country." The original "C'est normal; nous avons pris leur pays." is properly translated as "That is natural: we have taken their country" (taken from Wikipedia, Quotes, David Ben-Gurion)
Sheldon: There was no occupation in 1948, when 5 Arab countries attacked to destroy the fledgling state. [JRK: Zionist actions from 1934-1939, 1947-48, and 1967 especially, made it clear that Jews were coming to displace the natives, not live side by side in peace and equality with them. A Jewish State was to be formed on that land. There would be nothing left for the natives, who after all, didn't really exist as a people group anyway. So how can you say there was "no occupation"?].
Sheldon: Nor was there an occupation that inspired fellahin violence preparatory to the Suez Campaign of 1956. Nor was there an occupation prior to the Six-Day War of 1967, yet it [violence] happened anyway.[JRK: How can you say this? The whole post-1947 era has been to occupy all of the land!]
Sheldon: And there is no occupation in Gaza, Israel having fully withdrawn from there, [JRK: Come on, Sheldon, you know who really controls Gaza! It is now a prison run by the Israelis with Hamas as the warden]
Sheldon: and yet Gazans have kidnapped Jewish teenagers [JRK: Where is the evidence that [Hamas] Gazans were responsible for the reprehensible death of the three Jewish teens?]
Sheldon: and have sent thousands of rockets into civilian population centers in Israel. [Yes, huge mistake by "militants" in Gaza. It plays right into the hand of the Likud-led government, looking for any excuse to annihilate the enemy entities militarily, which is so futile, only contributing to more and more violence].
Sheldon: Of course, if you extend the word "occupation" to imply Jewish settlement in any part of Israel, and not just the West Bank or Gaza, then I stand corrected. [JRK: You imply it has been OK for "Jews" to "occupy" any part of Israel, but not the West Bank or Gaza. From meeting you, I know the settlement actions by the religious-inspired settlers is troublesome to many especially secular Israelis]
Sheldon: Since the root cause of violence is the steadfast refusal of the Palestinians and some other Arab countries to accept the existence of the state of Israel, in any form. [JRK: Sheldon, "to accept the existence of the state of Israel" is a code phrase for accepting the One State status quo. It implies no compensation for confiscating stolen land, no equal treatment as citizens of the State of Israel for Arab Palestinians, no right of return for those forcibly evicted. Why not admit it? Arab Palestinians are pests and should disappear. They are a nuisance, standing in the way of majority rule by a Jewish (theocratic) State, who has the God of Sarah and Isaac as "God" and makes no room for the God of Hagar and Ishmael.
Sheldon: Read the PLO and the Hamas charters, and you will learn the true root cause of violence in this region.
[JRK: I am aware that the HAMAS Charter states its goal is to end the Zionist monopoly of all the land and aspires to an Islamic State with all of the land under Islamic rule. This is surely a huge problem. But, as a constitutional lawyer, you know, Sheldon, that the Likud "charter" clearly states it is the goal of the party to colonize ALL of the land of Israel, including the Galilee, Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank"). This is "In-Your-Face occupation of ALL the land. The extremes seem to be driving the agenda now, Sheldon, with NO accommodation to moderates who want to make room for each other. I know Israelis feel that if they give an inch, Hamas will take a mile. The Arab Palestinians have gotten the unmistakable and correct notion that it is not and has never been the intention of the Israeli State to SHARE the land, especially under a Likud-led administration.
Sheldon: Take away the guns and ammunition from Israelis, and there would be a massacre of Jewish residents throughout the country. Take away the guns and ammunition from Palestinians and Arab countries, and there would be peace. [JRK: Trust-building exercises have failed to happen. Each side accuses the "other" of wanting the whole pie, and not wanting to share the pieces. Palestinians have pledged a non-militarized regime (which is disbelieved by Israel, who continues to hold all the earthly power). I remind you, Israel cannot extinguish the flame of self-determination, freedom from the Occupation, and equal treatment under one set of laws (which is set forth as the command in Deuteronomy 1:16).
With respect, and a deep desire for reconciliation and resolution of long-standing disputes. JRK
JRK: I and many others subscribe to the views of Jeff Halper (ICAHD founder, an American Jew, now living and working in I/P), whose comments follow:
Jeff Halper: The Kerry initiative may have ended with a whimper instead of a bang, but its impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was significant and fundamental nonetheless. The end of the political process, futile as it may have been, triggered the collapse of the status quo as we have known it for the past 47 years. It set in motion a series of events that will confront us with two stark alternatives regarding Israel and Palestine: either the permanent warehousing of an entire population or the emergence of a single democratic state.
Both the blatantly disproportionate response to the kidnapping and killing of the three Israeli boys and, as I write, the all-out air strikes on Gaza, have been cast by Israel as military operations: Operations Brothers’ Keeper and Operation Protective Edge. Neither had anything to do with the operations’ purported triggers, the search for the boys or rocket fire from Gaza. Palestinian cities supposedly enjoying extra-territorial status were invaded in Operation Brothers’ Keeper, more than 2000 homes were ransacked, some 700 people arrested. Who knows as yet the devastation wrought on Gaza – 100 dead in more than 1,100 air attacks so far, mostly civilians according to reports; deafening around-the-clock bombing of communities by American-supplied F-15 and artillery from the ground and sea that amounts to collective torture; Israel’s Foreign Minister calling for cutting off all electricity and water amidst threats to completely obliterate Gaza’s infrastructure; and the prospect of almost two million people being permanently imprisoned, reduced to bare existence just this side of starvation.
What is clear is that the military operations had a purpose of their own, that they would have been launched regardless, that they were merely waiting on a pretext. They had to come because the vacuum left by Kerry had to be filled. “Closure” was necessary – and it was clear that the Palestinian Authority, which had several months to take an initiative that would have bolstered the Palestinians’ position, would not do so, even though Martin Indyk, the American’s chief negotiator and former AIPAC leader, placed the blame squarely on Israel for talks’ failure.
In fact, the end of the Kerry initiative marked the culmination of a decades-old campaign, systematic and deliberate, of eliminating the two-state solution. From the start, in 1967, successive Israeli governments officially denied that there even was an occupation, claiming that since the Palestinians had never had a state of their own they had no national claim to the land. The Labor Party denied the very applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention that protects civilian populations finding themselves under hostile rule with no means of self-defense – and which had been formulated specifically with the intent of providing the protection denied to Jews during the Holocaust. It therefore embarked on a project of establishing settlements, now numbering some 200, in clear violation of international law that prohibits an Occupying Power from moving its civilian population into an occupied territory.
Indeed, Labor (the “Zionist left”) bears more responsibility for eliminating the two-state solution than does the Likud of Begin, Sharon and Netanyahu. It was Labor who ruled during almost all seven years of the Oslo peace process, and it was Labor that chose to double Israel’s settler population during that period. Labor fragmented the Palestinian territories into tiny and impoverished enclaves, Labor imposed the economic closure and impediments to Palestinian movement these last 21 years, and Labor – not Likud, which actually opposed the project – initiated the construction of the Separation Barrier, the Apartheid Wall.
The Likud, of course, was a willing partner, as were all the secular and religious parties from the center to the extreme right, but it has fallen to Netanyahu to kill the two-state solution for once and for all. The first step was to decisively end Kerry’s initiative and any that might follow it. This Netanyahu did by raising his demands to intolerable levels. He declared that the Palestinians must relinquish their own national narrative and civil rights by recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, and he held to the position that Israel would retain permanently East Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and Israel’s main settlement blocs (about a third of the West Bank), as well as the water and natural gas resources, the country’s electro-magnetic sphere (communications) and all of its airspace.
He left the Palestinians with less than a Bantustan, non-viable and non-sovereign, a prison comprised of the 70 islands of Areas A and B of the West Bank, ghettos in “east” Jerusalem, tightly contained enclaves within Israel, and he cage which is Gaza – half the population of the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River confined to dozens of islands on 15% of historic Palestine.
Operations Brothers’ Keeper and Protective Edge represent the imposition of a regime of warehousing, of outright imprisonment of an entire people. The seemingly blind and atavistic destruction and hatred unleashed on the Palestinians over the past few weeks is not merely yet another “round of violence” in an interminable struggle. It is the declaration of a new political reality. The message is clear, unilateral and final: This country has been Judaized: it is now the Land of Israel in the process of being incorporated into the state of Israel. You Arabs (or “Palestinians” as you call yourselves) are not a people and have no national rights, certainly to our exclusively Jewish country. You are not a “side” to a “conflict.” Once and for all we must disabuse you of the notion that we are actually negotiating with you. We never have and never will. You are nothing but inmates in prison cells, and we hereby declare through our military and political actions that you have three options before you: (1) You can submit as inmates are required to you, in which case we will allow you to remain in your enclave-cells. (2) You can leave, as hundreds of thousands have done before you. Or, (3) if you choose to resist, you will die. . . .
Friends: As I wrote to another friend recently, [The Ben-Gurion quote and Jeff Halper] lay out the implacable chasm between the two narratives. I really don't know what will bridge it, except showing humility, being willing to be vulnerable, realizing what is just, repenting (saying, "I'm sorry"), and finding new ways of living side by side with each other, which can only come about if we care enough to bridge the chasm [and tear down The Wall]. Faithfully yours, JRK for KUSA - Holland Community
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
First Gathering: Kairos USA - Holland Community!
Dear FPI - Holland Friend, (now, KUSA - Holland Community!)
AS you know, tensions are terribly heightened over the deaths of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers.
I think there is evidence that the kidnapping of the 3 Israelis teens was a rouge action, for the earlier death of two Palestinian youths, caught on security cameras along the street, which the Israelis have been hard-pressed to deny. The deaths of the Israeli teens is atrocious and unacceptable, as is the subsequent death of the Palestinian youth a few days ago. Matters seem to be escalating. We can no longer sit idly by!
Friends, we need a community of us to gather around in support of actions that will address the root causes of the I/P conflict. We need to join forces with grass roots growing up all over America, to get the attention of US governmental officials and examine our unqualified support of the Occupation, while mouthing platitudes about how "disappointed" we are over settlement activity without ever threatening the loss of financial support for going against US policies in the region.
Our topic Tuesday evening will be taking a good, hard look at Tent of Nations farm (Daoud Nasser) who had 1,500 + mature fruit trees uprooted by military forces against the court's jurisdiction. Dr. Ron Caldwell will show a power point program. We will clarify Israeli motivation for this kind of action. The meeting is in the Auditorium (lower level) of the Holland Public Library, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Mike Spath, an organizer with Kairos-USA, (the USA response to Palestinian Christians asking for help) will cast the vision of how we will be networking with "communities" all over the US from an ecumenical and evangelical background, joining the groundswell of opposition to present US/Israeli policies.
Here is part of a call to action by our friends in the Israel/Palestinian Mission Network of the PC(USA):
Despite the General Assembly’s prophetic actions toward bringing about a just peace in Israel/Palestine, we are reminded by recent atrocities that much work remains to be done.
. . . .In addition to Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, Israeli ground troops in the West Bank have killed twelve Palestinians and wounded 180. More than 500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been arrested over the past three weeks, close to 200 without charge or trial. Israel erected ten new checkpoints within the West Bank and approved $1.5 million for illegal settlements. The Israeli government has renewed its long dormant policy of retributive home demolitions against the families of Palestinian terror suspects. Southern Israel is subject to increased rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. . . . .
The Israel/Palestine Mission Network condemns the use of violence in every case and we mourn with the families and friends of all those who have lost their lives in this ever tragic situation.
We continue to seek resolutions to the root causes of this conflict, including an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory, equal rights for all Palestinians and Israelis, and the cessation of violence, whether it is used as a means of liberation, repression, or revenge. While the intensity of the bloodshed may leave us feeling helpless, there are some things you can do right now to help achieve these goals:
PRAY for Israelis, Palestinians, and all those affected by the conflict
SUPPORT the Palestinian economy by buying Palestinian products
CONTACT members of Congress to stop funding the occupation
BOYCOTT illegal Israeli settlement products
TRAVEL to the Holy Land
LEARN more about Israel/Palestine
JOIN one of our partners (like KUSA - Holland Community!) . .
SPEAK prophetic truth to entrenched power
Together, and through the grace of God, we can witness the empowerment of all oppressed people and the emergence of a just and lasting peace in Israel/Palestine.
Friends in Holland, we need "community" to move from advocacy to action. Many of us know the issues. It's time for concerted ACTION! JRK for FPI - Holland, now KUSA - Holland Community
John for FPI - KUSA- Holland Community ()
There is no PEACE without JUSTICE; there is no justice without LOVE.
AS you know, tensions are terribly heightened over the deaths of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers.
I think there is evidence that the kidnapping of the 3 Israelis teens was a rouge action, for the earlier death of two Palestinian youths, caught on security cameras along the street, which the Israelis have been hard-pressed to deny. The deaths of the Israeli teens is atrocious and unacceptable, as is the subsequent death of the Palestinian youth a few days ago. Matters seem to be escalating. We can no longer sit idly by!
Friends, we need a community of us to gather around in support of actions that will address the root causes of the I/P conflict. We need to join forces with grass roots growing up all over America, to get the attention of US governmental officials and examine our unqualified support of the Occupation, while mouthing platitudes about how "disappointed" we are over settlement activity without ever threatening the loss of financial support for going against US policies in the region.
Our topic Tuesday evening will be taking a good, hard look at Tent of Nations farm (Daoud Nasser) who had 1,500 + mature fruit trees uprooted by military forces against the court's jurisdiction. Dr. Ron Caldwell will show a power point program. We will clarify Israeli motivation for this kind of action. The meeting is in the Auditorium (lower level) of the Holland Public Library, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Mike Spath, an organizer with Kairos-USA, (the USA response to Palestinian Christians asking for help) will cast the vision of how we will be networking with "communities" all over the US from an ecumenical and evangelical background, joining the groundswell of opposition to present US/Israeli policies.
Here is part of a call to action by our friends in the Israel/Palestinian Mission Network of the PC(USA):
Despite the General Assembly’s prophetic actions toward bringing about a just peace in Israel/Palestine, we are reminded by recent atrocities that much work remains to be done.
. . . .In addition to Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, Israeli ground troops in the West Bank have killed twelve Palestinians and wounded 180. More than 500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been arrested over the past three weeks, close to 200 without charge or trial. Israel erected ten new checkpoints within the West Bank and approved $1.5 million for illegal settlements. The Israeli government has renewed its long dormant policy of retributive home demolitions against the families of Palestinian terror suspects. Southern Israel is subject to increased rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. . . . .
The Israel/Palestine Mission Network condemns the use of violence in every case and we mourn with the families and friends of all those who have lost their lives in this ever tragic situation.
We continue to seek resolutions to the root causes of this conflict, including an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory, equal rights for all Palestinians and Israelis, and the cessation of violence, whether it is used as a means of liberation, repression, or revenge. While the intensity of the bloodshed may leave us feeling helpless, there are some things you can do right now to help achieve these goals:
PRAY for Israelis, Palestinians, and all those affected by the conflict
SUPPORT the Palestinian economy by buying Palestinian products
CONTACT members of Congress to stop funding the occupation
BOYCOTT illegal Israeli settlement products
TRAVEL to the Holy Land
LEARN more about Israel/Palestine
JOIN one of our partners (like KUSA - Holland Community!) . .
SPEAK prophetic truth to entrenched power
Together, and through the grace of God, we can witness the empowerment of all oppressed people and the emergence of a just and lasting peace in Israel/Palestine.
Friends in Holland, we need "community" to move from advocacy to action. Many of us know the issues. It's time for concerted ACTION! JRK for FPI - Holland, now KUSA - Holland Community
John for FPI - KUSA- Holland Community (
There is no PEACE without JUSTICE; there is no justice without LOVE.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Jews and Christians in Dialogue
Dear Friend,
There have been many positive and negative reactions to the PCUSA divestment decision.
One of the best is from our friend, Rabbi Brant Rosen, whose synagogue is in Evanston, IL, He is aligned with Jewish Voices for Peace, progressive Jews who are working to End the Occupation of Palestinian land. He is a friend of KUSA as well.
In his blog, Rabbi Rosen summarizes the stiff opposition by mainline Jewish establishment organizations and leaders. He (and JVP) is being vilified by fellow Jews, yet is on the right side of God and history on this call.
To view his blog, go to Shalom Rav (your search engine), and read his post! Click on his link for the full message. Thank you Brant Rosen!
BTW, when Brant talks about a "new model", he means the end of the "old model" of relationships with Jewish neighbors, the model that permitted no criticism of Israeli State policies. That model is dead!
We will be working with KUSA to bring him to W. MI in the days ahead. Please put our first meeting on your calendar, July 8, 7:00 p.m. downstairs at the Holland Public Library. JRK for KUSA - Holland Commmunity
There have been many positive and negative reactions to the PCUSA divestment decision.
One of the best is from our friend, Rabbi Brant Rosen, whose synagogue is in Evanston, IL, He is aligned with Jewish Voices for Peace, progressive Jews who are working to End the Occupation of Palestinian land. He is a friend of KUSA as well.
In his blog, Rabbi Rosen summarizes the stiff opposition by mainline Jewish establishment organizations and leaders. He (and JVP) is being vilified by fellow Jews, yet is on the right side of God and history on this call.
To view his blog, go to Shalom Rav (your search engine), and read his post! Click on his link for the full message. Thank you Brant Rosen!
BTW, when Brant talks about a "new model", he means the end of the "old model" of relationships with Jewish neighbors, the model that permitted no criticism of Israeli State policies. That model is dead!
We will be working with KUSA to bring him to W. MI in the days ahead. Please put our first meeting on your calendar, July 8, 7:00 p.m. downstairs at the Holland Public Library. JRK for KUSA - Holland Commmunity
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Presbyterian Debate Divestment in Detroit
Dear Friend,
The Presbyterian Church (PC/USA) will be voting later this week on divesting Pension funds from Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar, and Motorola, companies profiting from the Occupation of Palestinian land.
Watch for results by this Saturday.
Here is an op-ed that appeared in today's edition of the daily newspaper in my hometown of Holland, MI, the Holland Sentinel.
Note that YOU are invited to the kickoff of the (new) KUSA-Holland community, on Tuesday night, July 8, 7:00 p.m. in the (lower) auditorium of the Holland Public Library. We will learn more about the destruction of the 1,500 fruit trees on the Nasser farm (Tent of Nations), in a national network of evangelical and ecumenical Christians, KUSA (the response to Kairos Palestine call for help.
(The headline was "Church Should Divest from Israel" which totally missed the point of the article. Read it and you'll see!). JRK
Presbyterians Debate Divestment at General Assembly
A Brief Overview/Summary by John Kleinheksel, KUSA-Holland Community
I want to cut through the rhetorical clutter swirling around the debate to divest in Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, and Caterpillar. It’s going on now in Detroit at the biennial General Assembly meeting.
The Israeli/Palestinian Mission Network, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and MRTI (the church’s advisory group on Church Pension investments) are urging divestment of Pension Funds from these companies that are “profiting from” and enabling the occupation of Palestinian land.
That the PCUSA has a long history of making these moral decisions on investment monies and that after 10 years of meetings with the three companies, they have shown no willingness to end business dealings with the Israeli government.
On Friday, June 13, a letter was sent to each of the GA commissioners urging them to vote against divestment because such a vote would imply that Presbyterians would be denying the right of Israel to exist!
Kairos Palestine (KPalestine in 2009) got all the diverse Christians in Palestine to “call for help” in righting wrongs.
Kairos USA (KUSA) picked up that “Call to Action” and seeks to enlist evangelical and ecumenical Christians to join their Palestinian brothers and sisters, demanding an end to discriminatory actions by the Israeli government. (Disclosure: “Friends of Palestinians and Israelis”)-FPI will be forming a KUSA-Holland MI chapter on July 8, beginning in the Holland Public Library, at 7:00 p.m, as we learn more about the destruction of 1,500 fruit trees at the Nasser (Tent of Nations) farm on May 19, 2014 by government forces, illegally, (with help from a modified D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer!)
The PC (USA) came within two votes of passing a similar divestment overture/recommendation at their 2012 General Assembly. My sense is that the momentum to divest has been growing, not diminishing and that the so-called “moderates” will not prevail. Moderates claim the divestment proponents leave no room for the State of Israel! Divestment proponents claim they want an end to human rights abuses, not the end of the Israeli State!
By now, you can see where my sentiments lay. “Moderation” (all talk and no bite) has been going on for over 60 years and the Occupation has strengthened, not diminished. I came kicking and screaming into the BDS movement years ago, convinced that because it worked in South Africa, it can work in I/P in the face of conditions that rival what blacks and coloreds faced in South Africa.
Hearts and minds are on display in Detroit this week. What is the Spirit saying to the churches?
The Presbyterian Church (PC/USA) will be voting later this week on divesting Pension funds from Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar, and Motorola, companies profiting from the Occupation of Palestinian land.
Watch for results by this Saturday.
Here is an op-ed that appeared in today's edition of the daily newspaper in my hometown of Holland, MI, the Holland Sentinel.
Note that YOU are invited to the kickoff of the (new) KUSA-Holland community, on Tuesday night, July 8, 7:00 p.m. in the (lower) auditorium of the Holland Public Library. We will learn more about the destruction of the 1,500 fruit trees on the Nasser farm (Tent of Nations), in a national network of evangelical and ecumenical Christians, KUSA (the response to Kairos Palestine call for help.
(The headline was "Church Should Divest from Israel" which totally missed the point of the article. Read it and you'll see!). JRK
Presbyterians Debate Divestment at General Assembly
A Brief Overview/Summary by John Kleinheksel, KUSA-Holland Community
I want to cut through the rhetorical clutter swirling around the debate to divest in Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, and Caterpillar. It’s going on now in Detroit at the biennial General Assembly meeting.
The Israeli/Palestinian Mission Network, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and MRTI (the church’s advisory group on Church Pension investments) are urging divestment of Pension Funds from these companies that are “profiting from” and enabling the occupation of Palestinian land.
That the PCUSA has a long history of making these moral decisions on investment monies and that after 10 years of meetings with the three companies, they have shown no willingness to end business dealings with the Israeli government.
On Friday, June 13, a letter was sent to each of the GA commissioners urging them to vote against divestment because such a vote would imply that Presbyterians would be denying the right of Israel to exist!
Kairos Palestine (KPalestine in 2009) got all the diverse Christians in Palestine to “call for help” in righting wrongs.
Kairos USA (KUSA) picked up that “Call to Action” and seeks to enlist evangelical and ecumenical Christians to join their Palestinian brothers and sisters, demanding an end to discriminatory actions by the Israeli government. (Disclosure: “Friends of Palestinians and Israelis”)-FPI will be forming a KUSA-Holland MI chapter on July 8, beginning in the Holland Public Library, at 7:00 p.m, as we learn more about the destruction of 1,500 fruit trees at the Nasser (Tent of Nations) farm on May 19, 2014 by government forces, illegally, (with help from a modified D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer!)
The PC (USA) came within two votes of passing a similar divestment overture/recommendation at their 2012 General Assembly. My sense is that the momentum to divest has been growing, not diminishing and that the so-called “moderates” will not prevail. Moderates claim the divestment proponents leave no room for the State of Israel! Divestment proponents claim they want an end to human rights abuses, not the end of the Israeli State!
By now, you can see where my sentiments lay. “Moderation” (all talk and no bite) has been going on for over 60 years and the Occupation has strengthened, not diminished. I came kicking and screaming into the BDS movement years ago, convinced that because it worked in South Africa, it can work in I/P in the face of conditions that rival what blacks and coloreds faced in South Africa.
Hearts and minds are on display in Detroit this week. What is the Spirit saying to the churches?
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
More Destruction
Dear Friends
Daoud Nasser is a friend at Tent of Nations, the West Bank, seeking to maintain a nonviolent presence in the midst of Israeli encroachment. Here is his message that came early this morning:
Tent of Nations / Nassar Farm
Today at 08.00, Israeli bulldozers came to the fertile valley of the farm where we planted fruit trees 10 years ago, and destroyed the terraces and all our trees there. More than 1500 apricot and apple trees as well as grape plants were smashed and destroyed.
We informed our lawyer who is preparing the papers for appeal. Please be prepared to respond. We will need your support as you inform friends, churches and representatives when action is needed. Please wait for the moment and we will soon let you know about next steps and actions.
Thank you so much for all your support and solidarity.
Blessings and Salaam,
Daoud
Dear Friend,
Soon, I will be issuing a call for a Kairos Community to be formed here in the Holland, MI area, for us to come alongside each other, to be part of a growing network of advocacy and action groups seeking justice for Palestinians and security for Israelis. We/I will be working with Kairos USA, the follow-up response to Kairos Palestine, the call from Palestinian Christians for support in their journey toward greater justice. I'm not content to continue with just a "listserv". We need to be linked with others, in churches and communities around the nation. KUSA is the vehicle I've chosen to allow this to happen.
KUSA now has a couple of organizers and will be working with so-called ecumenical and evangelical churches. Pray with me for this. JRK
Daoud Nasser is a friend at Tent of Nations, the West Bank, seeking to maintain a nonviolent presence in the midst of Israeli encroachment. Here is his message that came early this morning:
Tent of Nations / Nassar Farm
Today at 08.00, Israeli bulldozers came to the fertile valley of the farm where we planted fruit trees 10 years ago, and destroyed the terraces and all our trees there. More than 1500 apricot and apple trees as well as grape plants were smashed and destroyed.
We informed our lawyer who is preparing the papers for appeal. Please be prepared to respond. We will need your support as you inform friends, churches and representatives when action is needed. Please wait for the moment and we will soon let you know about next steps and actions.
Thank you so much for all your support and solidarity.
Blessings and Salaam,
Daoud
Dear Friend,
Soon, I will be issuing a call for a Kairos Community to be formed here in the Holland, MI area, for us to come alongside each other, to be part of a growing network of advocacy and action groups seeking justice for Palestinians and security for Israelis. We/I will be working with Kairos USA, the follow-up response to Kairos Palestine, the call from Palestinian Christians for support in their journey toward greater justice. I'm not content to continue with just a "listserv". We need to be linked with others, in churches and communities around the nation. KUSA is the vehicle I've chosen to allow this to happen.
KUSA now has a couple of organizers and will be working with so-called ecumenical and evangelical churches. Pray with me for this. JRK
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
US Caves In, Again
Dear Friend,
I'm asking you to read and ponder these wise words from Rami Khouri, a Palestinian Christian who writes 2x/week in the Daily Star, a Lebanese newspaper.
Sec. Kerry was caught in an unguarded moment, speaking truth to the Trilateral Council, movers and shakers in New York city. Word got out to our friends, the Israelis. "Don't you remember? You're not supposed to ever use the "A" word in public parlance".
Secretary Kerry: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We will continue to unequivocally support the Occupation. We will keep informing people that all is well. Israel is NOT moving in the direction of enthroning its JEWISH identity in all the land. There is NO danger of any further discrimination against the native inhabitants of the land. Please totally disregard what I mistakenly uttered to these folks in NY city."
Now read what Rami Khoury has written, and form your own conclusions:
Israel shows Zionism’s true colors
April 23, 2014
By Rami G. Khouri
The Daily Star
This week, the Israeli Transportation Ministry announced that it would establish designated bus routes for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, allowing Jewish Israelis to travel on buses without Palestinians.
Some months ago, the Israeli government started discussing a bill in parliament that would identify Palestinian Christians with Israeli citizenship as “non-Arabs.” These are among the continuing actions by the state of Israel that cause more and more people around the world to roll their eyes in disbelief – for they see Israel slowly turning into an apartheid-like state that plays with the demography of its citizens and those under its occupation, in order to enhance the well-being of the politically dominant Zionist and Jewish majority.
The Israeli government and others who support such moves offer various reasons to support them, claiming that they are in the best interest of the affected minority. The more logical conclusion that most people will reach, I suspect, is that five generations after its birth in the late 1800s, modern political Zionism is showing its racist roots, as it finds it increasingly difficult to keep working for its basic tenet of a Jewish-only state in a land that had been mostly owned and inhabited by Muslims and Christians for many centuries.
The consequence of trying to create a Jewish state in such an environment is that those millions of people who are not Jewish either have to be isolated and penned into restricted zones of residence, work and travel, according to apartheid-like rules, or else detached from their non-Jewish compatriots and enticed into the Zionist endeavor. The latter is what happened to the Druze population in Israel, which Israel has tried with some success to separate from the rest of the Palestinian population that ended up with Israeli citizenship after 1948.
The creation of bus routes for Palestinians alongside other routes that Jewish Israelis and settlers use will certainly strengthen criticisms of Israel and expand the circles of those who condemn it for conducting policies that are very reminiscent of how apartheid South Africa treated its black and colored citizens. The Israeli government argues that bus routes for Palestinians are for their own good and will ease congestion, while also lowering tensions between Palestinians and Israelis using the same buses.
This sounds alarmingly like what was said about separate services for American or South African blacks half a century ago. It was no accident that last year when some Palestinians in the West Bank wanted to challenge the practice of roads built in the occupied territories for use by Jewish Israelis only, they called themselves the Palestinian “Freedom Riders” – reviving the name of those American whites and blacks in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s who rode together on intercity buses that previously had refused to carry blacks.
The growing analogies between Zionism and apartheid understandably anger Israelis, who understand very well that heretofore ironclad support for Israel in many countries would weaken. The growing criticisms in this respect have started to spawn political responses by foreign actors. Various governments, professional associations, churches, student groups and others have started to apply sanctions, divestment or boycott measures to Israeli or international institutions that can be verified as benefiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. This limited trend keeps growing and has increasingly penetrated mainstream institutions. It is no longer a fringe movement of Palestinian activists and their politically marginal colleagues here and there.
Separating Palestinian Christians from other Palestinians and operating bus lines only for Arabs will make it easier for people around the world, including Jews who feel strongly about Judaism’s ethical core, to speak out clearly, forcefully and in public in criticism of such Israeli actions. This will also spur greater examination of Israeli behavior in other fields. Some people who have no knowledge of Israel and Palestine or interest in the matter may speak out against Israel, because they feel powerful disgust and fear when they see people classified, separated and treated differently on the basis of religion.
A white South African rabbi who recently spoke at a Palestinian Christian liberation theology conference I attended in the U.S. eloquently recounted the precise moment when his previously total support for Israel transformed into criticisms of it. It was when he saw “Jews-only” streets in occupied Hebron that were cleansed of Palestinian Arabs and patrolled by the Israeli army. The sight reminded him of the horrors of his own South African apartheid years.
We will see more such reactions to these latest extreme Israeli moves in the months ahead. Some people will conclude that Israel is veering off into strange and dangerous paths, and others will suggest that it is merely showing the heretofore hidden true colors of Zionism.
Rami G. Khouri is published twice weekly by THE DAILY STAR. He can be followed @RamiKhouri.
I'm asking you to read and ponder these wise words from Rami Khouri, a Palestinian Christian who writes 2x/week in the Daily Star, a Lebanese newspaper.
Sec. Kerry was caught in an unguarded moment, speaking truth to the Trilateral Council, movers and shakers in New York city. Word got out to our friends, the Israelis. "Don't you remember? You're not supposed to ever use the "A" word in public parlance".
Secretary Kerry: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We will continue to unequivocally support the Occupation. We will keep informing people that all is well. Israel is NOT moving in the direction of enthroning its JEWISH identity in all the land. There is NO danger of any further discrimination against the native inhabitants of the land. Please totally disregard what I mistakenly uttered to these folks in NY city."
Now read what Rami Khoury has written, and form your own conclusions:
Israel shows Zionism’s true colors
April 23, 2014
By Rami G. Khouri
The Daily Star
This week, the Israeli Transportation Ministry announced that it would establish designated bus routes for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, allowing Jewish Israelis to travel on buses without Palestinians.
Some months ago, the Israeli government started discussing a bill in parliament that would identify Palestinian Christians with Israeli citizenship as “non-Arabs.” These are among the continuing actions by the state of Israel that cause more and more people around the world to roll their eyes in disbelief – for they see Israel slowly turning into an apartheid-like state that plays with the demography of its citizens and those under its occupation, in order to enhance the well-being of the politically dominant Zionist and Jewish majority.
The Israeli government and others who support such moves offer various reasons to support them, claiming that they are in the best interest of the affected minority. The more logical conclusion that most people will reach, I suspect, is that five generations after its birth in the late 1800s, modern political Zionism is showing its racist roots, as it finds it increasingly difficult to keep working for its basic tenet of a Jewish-only state in a land that had been mostly owned and inhabited by Muslims and Christians for many centuries.
The consequence of trying to create a Jewish state in such an environment is that those millions of people who are not Jewish either have to be isolated and penned into restricted zones of residence, work and travel, according to apartheid-like rules, or else detached from their non-Jewish compatriots and enticed into the Zionist endeavor. The latter is what happened to the Druze population in Israel, which Israel has tried with some success to separate from the rest of the Palestinian population that ended up with Israeli citizenship after 1948.
The creation of bus routes for Palestinians alongside other routes that Jewish Israelis and settlers use will certainly strengthen criticisms of Israel and expand the circles of those who condemn it for conducting policies that are very reminiscent of how apartheid South Africa treated its black and colored citizens. The Israeli government argues that bus routes for Palestinians are for their own good and will ease congestion, while also lowering tensions between Palestinians and Israelis using the same buses.
This sounds alarmingly like what was said about separate services for American or South African blacks half a century ago. It was no accident that last year when some Palestinians in the West Bank wanted to challenge the practice of roads built in the occupied territories for use by Jewish Israelis only, they called themselves the Palestinian “Freedom Riders” – reviving the name of those American whites and blacks in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s who rode together on intercity buses that previously had refused to carry blacks.
The growing analogies between Zionism and apartheid understandably anger Israelis, who understand very well that heretofore ironclad support for Israel in many countries would weaken. The growing criticisms in this respect have started to spawn political responses by foreign actors. Various governments, professional associations, churches, student groups and others have started to apply sanctions, divestment or boycott measures to Israeli or international institutions that can be verified as benefiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. This limited trend keeps growing and has increasingly penetrated mainstream institutions. It is no longer a fringe movement of Palestinian activists and their politically marginal colleagues here and there.
Separating Palestinian Christians from other Palestinians and operating bus lines only for Arabs will make it easier for people around the world, including Jews who feel strongly about Judaism’s ethical core, to speak out clearly, forcefully and in public in criticism of such Israeli actions. This will also spur greater examination of Israeli behavior in other fields. Some people who have no knowledge of Israel and Palestine or interest in the matter may speak out against Israel, because they feel powerful disgust and fear when they see people classified, separated and treated differently on the basis of religion.
A white South African rabbi who recently spoke at a Palestinian Christian liberation theology conference I attended in the U.S. eloquently recounted the precise moment when his previously total support for Israel transformed into criticisms of it. It was when he saw “Jews-only” streets in occupied Hebron that were cleansed of Palestinian Arabs and patrolled by the Israeli army. The sight reminded him of the horrors of his own South African apartheid years.
We will see more such reactions to these latest extreme Israeli moves in the months ahead. Some people will conclude that Israel is veering off into strange and dangerous paths, and others will suggest that it is merely showing the heretofore hidden true colors of Zionism.
Rami G. Khouri is published twice weekly by THE DAILY STAR. He can be followed @RamiKhouri.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Revisiting Lydda: A Passover/Easter Story!
Dear Friend,
My 102 1/2 year old mother died on Thursday. I'm reflecting on family values to speak at her funeral this coming Monday, April 14, 2014.
A friend from I/P (Salim Munayer, from MUSALAHA), shares the attached story about his father, Yacoub, who was visited by Joseph Ben-Eliezer, part of the military detachment in 1948 that drove out the Palestinians who were living there, to make way for the State of Israel.
I'm attaching two things:
1) Salim Munayer's introduction to a 12 minute MUST SEE video of Joseph Ben-Eliezer's visit to Salim's father Yacoub, in Lydda (Lod) with the link to the YouTube video; and,
2) My review of Ari Shavit's chapter on Lydda in his book, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel. (For a copy, ask me for it atThe man who reached out to bless my father: The story of Joseph Ben-Eliezer
I recently wrote the forward to a book, which was translated into Arabic, about the life of Joseph Ben-Eliezer. This is a story that I have been asked to share many times. It is a story about an act of forgiveness and reconciliation. In his book, Ben-Eliezer, a Jewish follower of Jesus shares about his suffering at the hands of the Nazis during the horrifying events of World War II, his journey to the land and fighting in the war of 1948. His unit served in Lydda, where many atrocities were committed against the people of this town. Years later, Ben-Eliezer returned to the land to seek forgiveness from my father, Yacoub Munayer, a Palestinian from Lydda. These two men are no longer living with us today, but they are examples and role models for all of us. Their stories are not easy to tell because it speaks of the painful histories of our peoples in this land. Yet, at the same time their stories give a vision for the future, and hope and encouragement to those of us working in reconciliation.
I would like to honor both Joseph Ben-Eliezer and my father Yacoub Munayer by sharing with you the video Crossroads at Lod that Joseph Ben-Eliezer’s family has provided. May it be a blessing to all this coming Passover and Easter! [Salim Munayer, from MUSALAHA]
To view the short video clip about Joseph Ben-Eliezer and Yacoub Munayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQHyKY_Z-T4 (Don't forget my review of Shavit's take on Lydda, in the attachment below, to which the video is an illustration!)
John Kleinheksel for FPI (There is no PEACE without JUSTICE; there is no justice without LOVE).
My 102 1/2 year old mother died on Thursday. I'm reflecting on family values to speak at her funeral this coming Monday, April 14, 2014.
A friend from I/P (Salim Munayer, from MUSALAHA), shares the attached story about his father, Yacoub, who was visited by Joseph Ben-Eliezer, part of the military detachment in 1948 that drove out the Palestinians who were living there, to make way for the State of Israel.
I'm attaching two things:
1) Salim Munayer's introduction to a 12 minute MUST SEE video of Joseph Ben-Eliezer's visit to Salim's father Yacoub, in Lydda (Lod) with the link to the YouTube video; and,
2) My review of Ari Shavit's chapter on Lydda in his book, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel. (For a copy, ask me for it at
I recently wrote the forward to a book, which was translated into Arabic, about the life of Joseph Ben-Eliezer. This is a story that I have been asked to share many times. It is a story about an act of forgiveness and reconciliation. In his book, Ben-Eliezer, a Jewish follower of Jesus shares about his suffering at the hands of the Nazis during the horrifying events of World War II, his journey to the land and fighting in the war of 1948. His unit served in Lydda, where many atrocities were committed against the people of this town. Years later, Ben-Eliezer returned to the land to seek forgiveness from my father, Yacoub Munayer, a Palestinian from Lydda. These two men are no longer living with us today, but they are examples and role models for all of us. Their stories are not easy to tell because it speaks of the painful histories of our peoples in this land. Yet, at the same time their stories give a vision for the future, and hope and encouragement to those of us working in reconciliation.
I would like to honor both Joseph Ben-Eliezer and my father Yacoub Munayer by sharing with you the video Crossroads at Lod that Joseph Ben-Eliezer’s family has provided. May it be a blessing to all this coming Passover and Easter! [Salim Munayer, from MUSALAHA]
To view the short video clip about Joseph Ben-Eliezer and Yacoub Munayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQHyKY_Z-T4 (Don't forget my review of Shavit's take on Lydda, in the attachment below, to which the video is an illustration!)
John Kleinheksel for FPI (There is no PEACE without JUSTICE; there is no justice without LOVE).
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