Recent News from Israel/Palestine

 

As the war in Gaza continues, much less time is given to news coming out of the region.   In case your preferred news channel isn't giving you as much info as you'd like, or if you don't know where to look, here is a playlist of recent news regarding Israel/Palestine.

Playlist of Palestine/Israel Coverage From Before October 7, 2023

 With everything coming out of the Holy Land right now, it is especially important to understand some of what led up to the current war in Gaza.  

These videos were created before there was such international attention on the Israel/Palestine conflict and can hopefully help one better understand how things could have escalated to their current state.

Let me know if you'd like to see any other types of playlists.  I have a lot.

A Playlist of Recent West Bank News

This is a playlist of recent news coming out of the West Bank in Palestine.  Much of what is happening is understandably being overshadowed by the horrible situation in Gaza, but it is worth paying attention.

Firstly, the West Bank is where the majority of Christian holy sites are (I'll emphasize that this matters little in relation to human life, but this is important to many people, including some of whom have little consideration for Palestinian life... *ahem* Christian Zionists).

Secondly, the West Bank is full of illegal Israeli settlements (these were expelled from Gaza a number of years ago, but they are still illegally taking Palestinian land with the protection of the Israeli military and government in the West Bank).  This means that these Palestinians are surrounded by the most extremist elements of Israeli society.

Thirdly, international media has much better access to the West Bank at this point (Israel is currently not allowing media into Gaza), which means the information is more reliable and it is much easier to verify facts on the ground.  That said, I reiterate that the situation in the West Bank is being overshadowed by the situation in Gaza, which means there is far less coverage than is normal coming from the territory.  Additionally, Palestinians in the West Bank are very afraid right now, which adds to the lack of information flow.  Palestinians in the West Bank are under the control of Israeli military, for the most part, and even areas that have "full" Palestinian control are subject to frequent military raids.  Basically, the fact that many are looking away from the West Bank right now is why it's so important to pay attention.

Anyway, here is recent news out of the region.  I update this playlist regularly.

Let me know if there are any other playlists you'd like to see.

A Playlist of Recent News on Israel/Palestine

This is a playlist that I regularly maintain of news coming out of Israel/Palestine.  

I source from American news sources, Al Jazeera (Qatari), TRT (Turkish), The Guardian (British), RTE (Irish), Virgin News (Ireland), DW (German), i24 (Israeli), Middle East Eye (based in Britain), and TeleSUR (Latin American).  I am a news junkie, for those who don't know, and I value looking at things from multiple angles.  I don't necessarily endorse all of of the coverage in this playlist, but I think all of it is worth looking at.  I think PBS' news coverage is of particular value.  All of these videos are for English speakers.

I encourage you to use this playlist to stay up-to-date on Israel/Palestine.  I update it daily (usually multiple times throughout the day).  You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.  I don't produce much original content, but I do re-post and make lotsa playlists.  

Let me know if you're interested in a playlist on a different topic.  I might have one for it.

The Role of Faith in the Struggle for Justice and Human Rights in Palestine

The Role of Faith in the Struggle for Justice and Human Rights in Palestine

Communities of faith have a responsibility to respond to injustice when they encounter it, but some injustices should hold a special place in conversations of faith.  The occupation of Palestine should be one such issue.  The Israeli/Palestinian conflict has touched international politics in a unique way that creates systems of resistance and complicity between many national bodies, not least of which is the United States of America.  As an American Christian, I must be aware of how the politicians who represent me engage in this conflict and whose governments they support.  Furthermore, the conflict is frequently framed within religious terms as a conflict between people of faith in the region of Israel/Palestine, in particular the Abrahamic faiths, which all hold scriptural and traditional relationships with the land.  I must also seek to provide a faithful voice of resistance against the injustices committed in the region against the people and tenets of my faith.  A faithful Christian response must resist violence and oppression in the name of our Abrahamic god by engaging in: biblical hermeneutics which resist oppression and violence, contextual political and economic advocacy, resistance to use of religion and scripture for violence, and solidarity with Christian and non-Christian voices in Palestine.

While there are too many injustices in the world for any single person to actively resist, by virtue of the religious framing of arguments and news reporting regarding Palestine and Israel, the conflict should merit our attention as Christians.  Biblically-justified historical narratives provide the reasoning behind much of Zionist rhetoric surrounding Jewish “return” to Israel.  As fellow “people of the book,” Christians should engage this use of our shared sacred scripture and resist lenses which justify displacement of people and politically-motivated violence.  The stories of Exodus and “promised land” can be read as liberation from an oppressive, violent government upon the people of its land, much like Israeli treatment of Palestinians today.  My readings before our class and experience in Palestine served to prove to me how real that oppression is.  Palestinians lack basic freedoms and rights to basic necessities like employment, land, water, uncensored education, speech, peaceful assembly, mobility, security, and shelter that many of us in the world take for granted.  These inhumane conditions are imposed upon the people by a government that prioritizes Israelis, most of whom are first or second generation immigrants into a land of the people their government oppresses.  

Any discussion of the holy land would be incomplete without mention of the anti-Semitism and genocide of Jewish people throughout the world that resulted in mass migrations to the land.  While we must be sympathetic to the experiences of Jewish people throughout the world and the weight of historical anti-Semitism, we must not understand Israel, as it exists today, as a nation of religious refugees.  Unlike many migrations, in which a people come to a land to share in its securities and resources in cooperation with its inhabitants and respect for their ways of life, the Israeli government does not share the resources or respect the ways of life of the Palestinian people, nor minorities of Reform and Reconstructionist Jews (although their rights and privileges far exceed those of Palestinians).  As people of faith, we must be concerned with “the least of these” (Matt. 25:40); in the case of modern Israel/Palestine, to mix a metaphor, Israel is clearly Goliath.  Freedom for some cannot be at the expense of others.

Christians today are also citizens of a modern world, and as such, we must engage the political realities of which we find ourselves a part.  As a Christian situated in America, I must be aware of and vocal about the kinds of support my political representatives give to Israel and Palestine, as should citizens of other countries of the world.  Since the U.S. supports Israel in both words and deeds, I must give Christian voice to the violence committed against Palestinians with this support by writing my representatives and speaking out against it.  I can try to offset this kind of political spending by being aware of how my personal spending has an impact on the ground.  By avoiding purchasing from Israeli companies and from companies that support Israel, Christians can help offset the massive resources of the Israeli government in its occupation of Palestine.  In encountering Christian voices who encourage national support of Israel, I must also raise up a Christian message against oppression and empire, which can be found in Exodus and on the cross.  

Since my scriptures and the stories they tell originate from this region of the world, I have a responsibility to engage how the scriptures are used to provide justification for violence and occupation.  As Israeli colonists continue to carve more land away from Palestinians and foment further hostilities, they justify such actions by claiming all the land of “Israel” as theirs.  Just as Christians should resist supercessionism, Christians must also resist forms of religious superiority in which scripture or other religious views are used to control populations, most especially when such populations do not hold in common a religious tradition or interpretation of scripture.  Our faith must be a reflection of God’s love for all people, no matter from which tradition or area of the world they come.  If, as Paul says, our faith dissolves boundaries (Gal. 3:28), we are called to recognize both the divinity and humanity in all people of earth, which mandates that we resist the abuses of the Israeli government, including home demolitions, collective punishment, unlawful imprisonment, land confiscation, apartheid walls, discriminatory allocation of resources and services, etc.

 These frequent actions of an occupying government upon a group of people which suffer from categorical oppression cannot be considered actions defending faith nor actions of faith.  Christians should provide a voice of witness against these kinds of human rights abuses and the notion that any biblical claim to land can justify such abuse of God’s creation.  Just as Christ was crucified for resisting an oppressive Roman empire, so today many Palestinians face similarly terrorist tactics in the face of their resistance.  We cannot let God’s children suffer so, especially not in God’s name nor on land we call holy.

While religion should never stand in the way of solidarity with a people who suffer from injustice, in light of how the conflict is often presented as one between Jews and Muslims, and also in light of rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the world, it can be useful to raise up the Christian Palestinian presence and voice in the region.  Through venues like the Kairos Document, Palestinian Christians have asked for Christians throughout the world to hear their cries for justice and witness.  None should equate Israel with Judaism nor Palestinianism with Islam, nor any religion with its most extremist factions.  However, Christians should believe in the spiritual power of Christianity as a force in our lives and protect its people and its presence as a source of hope and liberation in the world.  In so doing, Christians must stand with our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters who cry out into a seeming wilderness for support in standing against the injustices of the Israeli occupiers and the continuing oppression and dislocation of Palestinians.  As they hang onto God’s hope while enduring hardship that most of us can only imagine, we must be God’s hands and feet in the world, responding to their need and giving voice to their laments. Standing in solidarity with Palestinians asks us to be their voice in circles of faith, in our political systems, and in the media; part of engaging their hope is to continue in that faith and hope that people will hear their cries and their situation will change, despite the reality which suggests such change is in the distant future if it exists at all.

In pursuing solidarity with Palestinian Christians, we must also make sure to engage with Palestinian voices themselves.  Many Palestinians live in diaspora around the world.  In seeking understanding, we should find organizations or individuals who can help us better understand these issues from firsthand perspectives.  It is important to acknowledge that Western voices have been given priority for too long within our tradition; listening to Palestinians themselves is an important part of understanding Western complicity in this region and violence against people of color throughout the world.  Part of breaking down systems of empire and colonialism is to resist systems which prioritize voices of privilege, especially when such voices are tangential to or uninvolved in the realities being discussed.  In addition to our commitment to include Palestinian voices in our learning and conversations around the state of affairs in Palestine, those of us who have the financial, national, and ability privileges that enable us to see these realities firsthand should consider finding ways to arrange encounter with not only people from the land, but also the land itself and its physical realities today.  Many Palestinians encourage folks from outside the region to “see for yourself,” knowing that even the videos, pictures, and testimonies cannot convey first hand experience in the land, both as an experience of the preciousness of the area and its people, and as one of the oppressive nature of life as a Palestinian under occupation.

As people of faith, Christians have a responsibility to respond to injustice, most especially when such injustices are committed in the name of our God.  We must engage our involvement in Israel/Palestine both via the actions of our government representatives and how our personal spending does or can have an effect on the ground; practically, we can do this by writing our local and national politicians and by considering how we might participate in the BDS movement.  As a members of Abrahamic traditions, Christians must also speak out against uses of scripture which support political violence like that of Israel as well as promote biblical interpretations that resist empire and oppressive governments.  Lastly, we must stand in solidarity with Christians who are suffering in the region by lifting up their voices in worship and discussion in an effort to resist violence against Christians and provide a non-violent Christian voice.  The realities on the ground in Palestine speak for themselves.  The people are suffering categorically.  As followers of a man who was crucified for resisting an oppressive government, Christians must speak out against oppression in our world today, especially when it is defended in the name of our God and our scripture.

Recent Israel/Palestine News

So I like to try to stay informed about what happens in the Holy Land.  Here is a playlist of recent news videos, in case you also care to stay informed:

Israeli Settlements Explained

Jerusalem

@Regrann from @people.palestine - #Qalandia checkpoint from #Ramallah to #Jerusalem
Taken by: @celinejacq_photographe #Regrann

Post Palestine: Grief and Meaning

After returning from Palestine, I struggled with a sense of grief.  I felt like my heart and mind were still there.  The real world was hard to navigate and I sunk into a type of numbness.  I had little patience for the trivialities of life and could hardly take my mind away from the Palestinian struggle.

Above:  From the church where Jesus is said to have wept for Jerusalem. Trying to remember the difference between hope and optimism. (at Mount of Olives)

I think that many of us lack the background necessary to understand the hearts and minds of those who are tied up in the conflict for land.

One of our tour guides, whose name I cannot use, told us a little story:

A Palestinian man and an Israeli man were arguing about the land.  "This is my land!" said the Israeli.  

"Surely not!  It is clearly mine!" said the Palestinian land.  They argued endlessly over the land and eventually thought to ask the land itself.   

"Whose land is this?"  they asked.

"I do not know," said the land, "but I know one thing: you will both be in it soon enough."

It is difficult to understand the thoughts and experiences of Israelis and Palestinians.  In a sense, you feel deep sympathy for both sides.  But it is also clear, once one opens their eyes and starts talking to people away from watchful eyes of Israeli authorities, that there is a clear imbalance of power and rights.

Above:  Sometimes my brain feels about as chaotic and seemingly disorganized as children’s artwork. It is helpful to remember that sometimes disorder makes sense. Sometimes what appears as chaos is the forming of a more concrete reality. Just as a child’s artwork will mature and eventually better communicate their intentions, so will the chaos of unrefined thoughts and feelings settle into a message. On that day… 

Here is a good video series that is fairly short and attempts to break down to conflict between the two peoples into historical periods:

Israeli Settlements, Palestinians, and You (link)

Written by a woman who was doing a tour with Chicago Theological Seminary while we were in the Holy Land.  They visited many different groups than we did, but we crossed paths more than once.

Immersion Day 11: Last Day

On our last day, we began with a meeting at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  Some of the information we received from varying organizations was redundant, but hearing the same figures over and over impressed upon me the reality.  These were not skewed statistics molded by radical liberal groups.  Especially hearing this from the U.N., such a reputable source in our world.  

Above:  Briefing from U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). (at United Nations) 

We then headed to the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, a Christian Zionist organization.  Our meeting was a essentially a sermon full of proof-texting.  The man who met with us pulled biblical quotations out to prove that God wants the Jews to return to Israel and has a special love for them.  It was a string of proof-texting mental cartwheels that disregarded biblical context.  I suppose we expected as much.  Christian Zionism holds that the world's Jews must return to Jerusalem before the second coming.  It's a strange theology that essentially wants all the Jews in the holy land so they can die in the apocalypse (unless they convert).  It is a damaging theology based in supercessionist values and an ignorant reading of the Bible.

Above:  (at القدس - Jerusalem)  Met with a Christian Zionist organization today. I struggle with what to say about that other than: you can proof-text anything.

Our last meeting was with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib Younan, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land Free.  We had a conversation over a meal as he took a moment away from a conference he was participating in.  His holiness blew me away. I didn’t get a picture of him or the facility, but I was impressed by his commitment to justice. I am always uplifted by ministers who live the path of Jesus with such commitment.

Above:  "My dream is to have a summer school outside Bethlehem.  Every time we have a summer school, it's inside these walls.  I just want to go outside, be free, and have lots of room to play.  Just forget the wall, forget our prison.  When I grow up I'm going to be a creator.  I hope to have the power to change the wall and create it into something else.  Something that is harmless, that doesn't hurt people or imprison them."

In some of my communities, I often hear things like, “dream big.” It is such a tragedy to see what small dreams children in Palestine have. They dream of the simple things that many of us take for granted. So while we dream of peace, I hope that those of us capable of more than dreaming will do our part to make this world the kind of place where no child, no matter their religion, language, gender, or the color of their skin, has to dream of forgetting a wall.

Above:  Groupie with “the illustrious” Peter, our fearless leader, and some of the group.  (at East Jerusalem) 

After our final dinner, a few of us went to have a drink and Shisha:

Above:  Finally made it to “shisha.” Last night in the West Bank. (at East Jerusalem)

Google’s auto-awesome video of my trip to Jordan and Palestine. 

Immersion Day 10: Jerusalem

Our first activity on the 10th day was a meeting with a government official.  I am not going to say anything more about that due to safety concerns.

After that meeting, we went to Rawdat al-Zuhur primary school, which is a school for Palestinian youth, including many refugee children.  They work to create hope and opportunity in the lives of these children. 

Above:   (at East Jerusalem)  The “values tree” at Rawdat El Zahur, the school for Palestinian children we visited. Each graduating class (6th grade) adds another word to the tree. Such a lovely idea. 

 

Above:  Group Shot at the school with one of the teachers.  

Our last activity was time at Yad Va Shem:

Above:  (at Yad Vashem - The Holocaust Remembrance)  One of the other things we did today: the Holocaust Remembrance Museum. We were not allowed to take pictures inside.  

Above:  (at Bethlehem, West Bank)  In some of my communities at home, you often hear things like, “dream big.” It is such a tragedy to see what small dreams children in Palestine have. They dream of the simple things that many of us take for granted. So while we dream of peace, I hope that those of us capable of more than dreaming will do our part to make this world the kind of place where no child, no matter their religion, language, gender, or the color of their skin, has to dream of forgetting a wall.

Our trip is getting close to its end.  Our next day will hold meetings with the U.N. and a Christian Zionist organization.

Check out this half hour documentary:

Immersion Day 9: Refugees Since 1948

Our next day began with a meeting with the Y.W.C.A. in Palestine.  Their work is impressive.  They do much to empower young women in Palestine and work to create hope among Palestinian youth, who often feel like there is no future for them or their people.  After meeting with some of their leadership and learning about some of the work that they do, they took us to a preschool they operate in a refugee camp.

We next visted Jalazone, a Palestinian refugee camp.  The conditions there were terrible and they lacked basic infrastructure.  There was severe overcrowding and unemployment.  This, like many camps, has been here since 1948.  This community has been displaced for a very long time and has been living in poverty and under oppression the entirety of most of their lives.

In Jalazone, we visited a preschool started by the W.Y.C.A. in Palestine.

Above:  (at جلزون Jalazun)  Y.W.C.A. has created an oasis for children in the midst of the terrible realities of life for refugees. The bright paint against the backdrop of wires and dirty, falling-apart buildings illustrates how hope and determination are in and of themselves forms of resistance.

Above:  Hope inside the YWCA preschool (at جلزون Jalazun)

 Images from inside the camp:

One of the community leaders gave us a power point presentation on the experience of this community.  They offered us coffee and gave us a tour of the community, where we met many people and were followed by a group of children.  We were clearly the excitement for the day.  As you can see, the conditions here are terrible.  The air quality is noticeably different.  Homes are small and crowded and there is no community space.  Everything is taken up by buildings.  

Despite the oppressive conditions and political realities that face this group of people, they are trying their best to meet the community's needs while advocating for change.  The people are under constant threat of violence, lack basic necessities, and have few prospects for mobility or agency.

Much of Western news media paints communities like these as extremist and terrorist.  Nonviolent protests are often met with police violence.  People in these communities should have the right to resist this kind of oppression.  We encountered nothing but hospitality and kindness.

Above:  Clearly they are raising children to hate Americans, right? (At Jalazone Refugee Camp)

"Our religion teaches us not to kill. We don’t kill children,“ says the mother of a child who was shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces during a nonviolent protest (to be clear, Judaism also preaches the sanctity of life). All he had on him was bread and a bag of chips in a backpack. They say they "accidentally” shot him in the head when he bent down to pick up a rock– they were aiming for his leg. As if it somehow makes sense to shoot a child with a rock, even if it is true. Her son is lost. Her land is lost. Her everything is lost. They have no justice for any of it. 

Above:  (at Jalazone) This child was also shot, simply walking to his U.N. school for refugee children. His ear is also bandaged. He wants me to take a picture (though not of his face), to show people what it is like to be under Israeli occupation.

After our time in Jalazone and a lunch in Ramallah, we met with a Quaker leader in Palestine, Jean Zaru.

This was on the wall at their facility:

Above:   This imagery is so intense. Over the past couple of days, we have spoken with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim activists, all of whom are disappointed with leadership on both sides. What is clear, however, is that all of them believe, although they disagree on many things, that continuing expansion and human rights abuses must stop. 

Immersion Day 8:

The next day of our trip began with a 4-hour tour with ICAHD-USA.  Our guide showed us what tourists don't normally see and also pointed out the areas that are Israeli settlements.  It is difficult to discern whether you are in Palestine or Israel, whether you are in an illegal settlement or an area that is recognized by the international community.  This tour pointed out the disparity in living situations, the ongoing effects of occupation, as well as how invisible many injustices are.  It also pointed out how sprawling and unjust the illegal settlements are.

Here is a Palestinian neighborhood we drover through.  The area is dilapidated; things are made of trash; the roads are terrible; there is trash everywhere (there is no trash pick-up).

In the middle of this area is an illegal Israeli settlement (below):

Among a clearly impoverished community of Palestinians is this illegal Israeli settlement that the military has built walls around and protects with cameras and military servicepeople.  

They have trash bins with recycling and compost bins.  Fifty feet away are Palestians who have no trash service and are forced to burn their trash.  Their community now has higher cancer rates because of this kind of thing.  The Israeli government says they don’t offer trash service because the roads are too bad.  Then build roads!  They have built new roads to and from the walled settlement.

Hopefully you watched some of the videos I have posted about the illegal settlements and how extreme the Israeli settlers often are.  As you can see, this settlement looks quite different than the majority of the community it is built within and has very different levels of support from the Israeli government, who is in control of the area.  

We also saw another wall built to separate communities:

Above: (at East Jerusalem)  "We are humans.“ On the wall built straight through Jericho Road, which had been open for 4000 years prior. Much of the grafitti ("Free Palestine” and such) is scribbled out. The disparity between Israeli living areas and Palestinian living areas is striking. It is clear who the tax money is supporting and who is actively being neglected and oppressed. We must stand with our Christian and Muslim (and Palestinian Jewish! They exist, too. And non-religious) brothers and sisters in this place. They are suffering. They have no agency. Israel must be held accountable for its human rights violations. 

Demolished homes.

Homes are demolished for a variety of reasons.

Under Israeli occupation, homes of those who commit violence (as we might call “terrorists” or “violent resistance”) are demolished– and the homes of their families, whether or not they were involved or knew.

If you build without a permit, your home will receive a notice for demolition.  The problem is that only 1.5% of permit requests are approved for Palestinians, who are constantly growing in population and constantly losing land.  Where are they supposed to go?  Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it?  When the people can’t get permits to build, they often do anyway, because what else can they do?

If you build above 4 stories, you will receive a notice for demolition.  It is Arabic custom to add more stories to a home for more generations.  Also, it makes sense to build up in Palestine since, as mentioned, they are a growing population on shrinking land.  Nope, Israel says your tall home is a security threat.

Homes are demolished for other reasons, too, like Israel determining to use an area as a nature preserve or to build more apartheid wall.

There are many reasons.  

It’s also worth knowing that one has to PAY FOR THE HOME DEMOLITION and clean-up. This leads many to simply demolish their own homes, because at least then they have more control over when it will happen and the cost.

This is the world we are funding.

This is how you create terrorism, not fight it.  This kind of stuff IS TERRORISM.  

Above:  (at East Jerusalem)   Demolished homes in Palestine. I can’t even begin. When South Africans tell us this is worse than apartheid, we have to know something is gravely wrong. When Israel plans to erect a “center for tolerance” on top of a Muslim cemetery, how do we not detect the disingenuous sentiment? These are the not front lines of terrorism, but of human rights violations.

After our tour with ICAHD, we had a briefing with B’Tselem—the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.  We discussed further how the State of Israel abuses Palestinians and continues to violate human rights and expand land.

After this, we headed to a university to speak with a Rabbi there who I will not name.  This Rabbi talked to us about their vision for Israel and the type of Zionism they invisioned.  I had some trouble imagining this vision realistically, but I suppose it is hard to imagine much other than the kinds of hostility that currently exist.

After this conversation, we made our way to a place I will not name to meet with  Mr. Omar Barghouthi, a leader of the Palestinian Civil Society BDS Movement.  I was very impressed with his vision and message.  The BDS Movement (which stands for Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) is one that attempts to impact change in Palestine through economic pressure on Israel by private citizens who object to Israel's human rights abuses.  There are different levels of BDS.   Some folks boycott all things made in Israel, others only items from settlements, for instance.  Check out this interview with Omar Barghouti for more information.

That wrapped up Day 8.  Day 9 soon.

Above:  This is the version of history that many Zionists believe.  It is a misrepresentation and hardly a balanced look.