Mine, Yours, Ours: The Battle for Home and Safety in Israel and Palestine
Large-scale human conflicts (and many small-scale conflicts) inevitably arise around concepts of ownership: “This is mine…”
This desire for ownership could be about land, or water, or antiquities, or a variety of other tangible objects.
But what is at the heart of the concept of “Mine!”?
It’s a fear of loss.
But when we dig deeper, we see not just fear of a loss of land or other resources, but what they represent: a loss of identity, power, and autonomy.
When we have ownership, belonging, and agency, we feel safe.
The most vivid representation of safety is the concept of “home.”
I believe all of that is at the core of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Some things I thought I knew (and I recognize now that some of this is simplified, incomplete, or slightly inaccurate):
- The conflict has been going on for generations.
- Israel desired the biblical lands promised to Abraham in Genesis.
- The Holocaust made the need for a homeland for the Jewish diaspora more urgent, as anti-semitism seems always to rear its ugly head.
- After WWII, many nations came together and agreed on the need for a Jewish homeland as a way of providing reparations for the Holocaust.
- Israel was carved out of land that was already there and given to the Jewish people at that time.
- The Palestinians who were already living in that geographic region either fled due to fear, left amid the chaos of war, or were forcibly displaced. Many became refugees, and ultimately resorted to violence to reclaim their lands.
- Neighboring Arab countries have made “safety” for Israel an elusive target as nearby Arab states have waged war against Israel multiple times and have historically opposed its existence.
I’ve also been keenly aware of the recent events between Israel and Gaza, going back to October of 2023. The extremist group, Hamas attacked Israel in multiple locations last October and took many young people as hostages.
Hamas has been intent on the eradication of the Jewish state. Some Hamas leaders have also at times called for the “annihilation” of the Jews. (1)
As I write this today not all hostages have been returned yet, despite a continual, devastating attack by Israel on the Gaza Strip which has not only impacted Hamas, but killed and displaced thousands of ordinary Palestinians.
The conflict has become a political hot potato in the U.S. because there are so many Americans who are committed to supporting Israeli democracy, which is surrounded by undemocratic regimes.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response to the Hamas attack has been unyielding and unending, harming families of this generation well into the next generation because of so much death and destruction.
The depth of suffering on the Palestinian people has shifted sympathies. Which, it appears, was one of Hamas’s goals all along.
Centuries of struggle
I confess there is a great deal I didn’t fully understand about this centuries-old struggle until recently.
The book The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict; A Very Short Introduction and the New York Times Magazine article, “The Road to 1948”–based on a panel discussion–have provided many useful details on this complex history.
Martin Bunton begins his Short Introduction in 1897. The panelists in Emily Bazelon’s article place the start of the contemporary conflict in 1920. When asked why, Leena Dallasheh, a historian of Palestine and Israel referred to the Mandate for Palestine, a 1920 document from the short-lived League of Nations that gave Britain authority to govern Palestine and Transjordan after WWI. She replied,
The British mandate was crucial in laying the grounds for the creation of the state of Israel and the prevention of the creation of a Palestinian state. Zionism was only able to take root in Palestine because the mandate recognized Zionist organizations as representative of the Jewish population and as self-governing institutions, basically creating the structure of a quasi state. It did this by incorporating in its text the Balfour Declaration, which the British issued in 1917.
The mandate did not similarly recognize Palestinian organizations or representation. The majority, the Palestinians, were only mentioned in the negative, as “non-Jewish communities” given civil and religious rights. That meant the Palestinians were trapped, as the Columbia professor Rashid Khalidi says, in an iron cage. The structure of the mandate prevented them from being able to have national rights or sovereignty. And that set in motion the developments in 1948 and after. (2)
Nadim Bawalsa, a historian of modern Palestine, shared, “Any real discussion of what is going on today has to start with a century ago, with World War I, when Western powers redrew the Middle East for their own interests. We who live here are known as Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese and Israelis because of the war. And in so many other ways, we continue to feel its effects.” (3)
An important piece of the conflict’s background I didn’t know well was the key role Britain played in this contemporary version of the struggle.
I didn’t know about their conflicting promises following WWI and how they set up different Arab leaders to create internal conflicts.
And how eventually, growing weary of the intractable nature of the conflict, Britain washed its hands and sent the issue to the new United Nations.
Martin Bunton informed me that ultimately, the Zionists–the Jewish leaders in Europe who were calling for a Jewish homeland–were willing to forego lands of religious significance–called Eretz Israel–in favor of “land that held economic promise.” (4)
Throughout the twentieth century, various political entities–from Britain and the failed League of Nations to the U.S. and the United Nations–called for a solution to “the Palestiniain problem.”
A personal reflection
This post is not intended to lay out the timeline or history of this conflict.
But if we return to my opening statements, we can see how this conflict clearly illustrates some important–and often devastating–human behaviors.
I believe our ability to understand others comes down to a greater understanding of “home” as a place of “safety.”
Both peoples–the Palestinians and the Israelis–long for a safe place to live, raise their children, worship as they choose, without fear, and thrive by living into who God has called them to be.
Our natural human desire to claim land, resources, and other items as our own causes conflicts, both on the global level and on a family level.
While religious conflicts have been among the most brutal and bloody in world history, when we get it “right”… that is, when we remember from Whom all things come and to Whom all things belong…
All claim to owning anything at all disappears.
For that reason, I’m sorry religion has often been swiped aside in this conflict, for political and economic reasons.
All material and land possessions belong first and foremost to God, not to us.
When in the middle of our own conflicts, we do well to remember that Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies.
And yes, when it comes to such global conflicts, I know that’s easy for me to say, sitting here as an “arm-chair” analyst.
Even though our triune God knows that we fail at this, time and time again, I’m certain we make God weep when we continue to hurt and destroy each other.
Jesus taught us that even our birth families–and our nationalities–take a back seat to being part of his family.
So I can only do my best to learn from what is in front of me… and apply it to my own context.
Although we all long for identity, to belong to “our people”, we are truly safe and at home, only when we know we belong to God.
How would that deep knowledge begin to change our interactions with each other, both locally and globally?
- Anti-Defamation League, “Hamas in Its Own Words,” Jan. 10, 2024, https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/hamas-its-own-words.
- Emily Bazelon, “The Road to 1948,” Feb. 1, 2024, New York Times Magazine, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/01/magazine/israel-founding-palestinian-conflict.html.
- Bazelon.
- Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2013), 5.
About the Author
Debbie Owen
Deborah C. Owen is an experienced spiritual director, Neuro-based Enneagram executive and life coach, disciple maker, professional writer, senior librarian, and long-time church Music Director and lay leader. She has earned the award of National Board Certification for teaching excellence, and a podcasting award, and is pursuing a Doctor of Leadership degree through Portland Seminary at George Fox University. She lives in the backwoods of Maine with her husband and flat-coated retriever. She spends as much time as she can with their 3 grown children, daughter-in-law, and 2 small grandchildren. Find her online at InsideOutMinistries.info.8 responses to “Mine, Yours, Ours: The Battle for Home and Safety in Israel and Palestine”
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Debbie, thanks for your post. I appreciate how you’ve located the source of this unresolved conflict, and indeed all ongoing conflict, in the sinful human condition. How might you practically apply this the context that you’re in? Are there any situations that are brewing in your own world where these lessons can be applied? Feel free not to answer if you’d rather just ponder. Thanks again for your post.
Graham, it seems insignificant in comparison to the suffering and horrors of war, but in a microcosm, yes, I certainly feel some parallels.
Regionally, it’s hard to be in the US with the impending election and the divisiveness that causes so much polarization.
More personally, learning to get along with people who have a different vision for the way things are done… well, that just means I need to get better at dying to myself. I’m going to add a comment – a sort of addendum – to this post in a few minutes about that topic.
Thanks for your post, Debbie. I especially appreciate when you shared that, “Jesus taught us that even our birth families–and our nationalities–take a back seat to being part of his family. ”
How did Jesus navigate this in a middle eastern culture where families and national (or tribal identity) was what brings us a sense of safety and home? How could that be a roadmap for us today?
Ryan, that’s a very important question. I was in a class through the Renovare Institute this morning about “Listening to Difference.” I’m going to add a comment to this post as a sort of addendum, to address these questions.
Hi Debbie, How does knowing the imperfections of the different players in this Middle East conflict help you in the work you do with your clients? In your words, “It’s a fear of loss. But when we dig deeper, we see not just fear of a loss of land or other resources, but what they represent: a loss of identity, power, and autonomy.” My sense is that all the individuals you work with likely share those fears. Yes, Jesus is the answer but how do your clients or all of us for that matter get to the point to recognize that we all have those characteristics on some level. Not sure this is a simple question/answer but my own musings about the nature of people to war over them.
Thank you for your perceptive question Diane. Yes, that’s the core of it, I believe. Or at least a very important question.
We all must learn to deal with loss in our lives. It shows up in so many ways. It’s the disappointment we experience when we expect things to be a certain way and they aren’t. That’s what causes us to suffer.
So how do we deal with loss?
In my coach training course this morning these were my notes:
===
Know these 4 things:
Life is full of pain and adversity; get over it. You will experience them.
The future is uncertain. There is no guaranteed outcome.
Any sort of success in relationship, life, career – needs discipline
You are not special. We believe we should be like Jesus, buddha, Abraham… should be exonerated from pain and suffering
We think the above 4 things will change but they won’t.
You become depressed because you believe your relationships should be awesome or you shouldn’t experience any pain and suffering, etc.
No one is guaranteed a certain future
None of us are special – when we believe we are, but we don’t experience it, we become depressed
===
It’s not very encouraging is it? “Just get over it” is the message I got.
My response was to suggest (in a non-faith-based course) that we do need to learn to identify the practices that sustain us and lift us out of that type of expectation. AND… we also need the fellowship of even just one person who knows us deeply and loves us unconditionally.
My coach/teacher explained that Jung said we need a combination of science (for understanding), art (for creative outlets), and religion (for an understanding of the soul).
So it’s not rocket science. We need intellectual understanding, creative expression, and deep community with God and others.
That’s how I help my clients begin to explore how to develop skills for the present that help them create forward momentum toward wholeness.
Here’s an addendum to this post, based on a class I had this morning with Trevor Hudson from the Renovare Institute. The class is Being a Listening Presence in Everyday Life. Today’s discussion was called, “LISTENING TO DIFFERENCE: From Polarization to Peacemaking.” So a propos to this week’s reading!
Trevor shared some wonderful insights that I’d like to summarize briefly here, because I think the P/I conflict is a kind of macrocosm for all the conflicts we deal with in our daily lives.
There are PLMs (People Like Me) and NLMs (Not Like Me).
The more time we spend with NLMs – people with whom we are less comfortable… the more understanding, compassionate, friendly we become as human beings.
How did Jesus transcend differences (eg, Jews and Romans; Jews and Samaritans; Pharisees and Saducees; male and female; tensions with tax gatherers and prostitutes; etc.)?
In the gospel stories we see the Jesus pattern of relating
He transcends those differences
He doesn’t worry about who he hangs out with, touching a leper, being with tax gatherers, Roman soldiers, a woman who is bleeding, etc.
He bridges differences
He seeks to understand where they are coming from; he helps them open to the pain that needs to be healed
Jesus saw every human being as a precious image-bearer – every human is fearfully and wonderfully made
He is deeply committed to the ultimacy and intimacy of the personal
We are all persons created by the personal God in God’s own personal image
When that becomes part of our faith imagination – it gives us intention, motivation to begin to listen to difference, to transcend polarization
It’s the vision that motivates me to follow the Jesus pattern – as Jesus would, if Jesus were in my shoes
Every person has the family likeness
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that unless we go beyond external righteousness (like the religious leaders) to a righteousness of the heart, we will never know the power of God in our lives.
Unless we discover the right ways of the heart, we will not learn the ways of the Kingdom
I must interrupt the fight/flight response to a perceived threat and commit to really listening.
I must learn to listen to difference as I practice the cross and resurrection – dying to myself with little resurrections – rebirths – every day.
I must learn to park my own views, then give myself to the other person, be fully present to them.
I must take a daily trip to the cross. Almost every conversation gives me an opportunity to do that.
Trevor is from South Africa. He explained that Desmond Tutu was a kind of mentor to him. From him Trevor learned to “listen to radical difference and still stand for conviction.”
“Without deep listening to difference, it is unlikely that relationship will move to reconciliation, healing, wholeness.”
The spiritual formation journey requires that daily trip to the cross
Make time in our lives to listen deeply – what are my convictions? Listen to them
For transformation from contempt to love we need awareness plus grace – leads to ongoing movement toward change
What are the practices of awareness?
Seeing others as fellow beloved image bearers, with the eyes of God, the eyes of my heart.
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for including supplementary information from the article “The Road to 1948.” I found the panelist, Leena Dallasheh’s perspective and response very interesting.
You bring up an excellent point that as followers of Jesus, even our birth families–and our nationalities–take a back seat to being part of God’s family. I have come to terms with this as someone who has left my family to work overseas, but sometimes I still forget. In what ways have you had to prioritize being part of God’s family rather than favoring your birth family or nationality? As you have grown as a follower of Jesus, does this get easier?