Dawning Awareness
What I knew about Israel before 7th October, and what it was based upon.
Before October 7th, 2023, I knew shockingly little compared to what I thought I knew. A few months ago, my sister asked me about the situation in Israel. She wanted to know why there had been conflict in the region for as long as we both could remember. As the big sister, I pulled on both my ‘smarty-pants’ and my ‘pastor hat’ to expound on regional history, as I understood it, from the Bible and seminary classes up to 70 AD and the fall of Jerusalem. From there, I concluded ancient religious history was the root of conflict in our lifetimes.
With respect to more recent history, I knew 1948 was the year that Israel became a ‘nation in a day’ and that there was a six days war in 1967. Those events were absorbed during past small group whose leaders connected these points of Israeli history to their own interpretation of biblical prophecy and “end times.” I believe the dates stuck because they correspond to the birth years of my father and me. I feel uneasy when current events in Israel are explicitly linked with biblical prophecy. It is not the portent of “end times” but the sense of proof-texting in service to a personal agenda which I mistrust.
I have always known that Palestinians live in controlled areas within the national border of Israel and that they want their own state, but I lacked context for the development of this reality. The newsreel in my mind contains a continuous loop of conflict “in the Middle East” and “peace talks” which never resulted in actual peace.
Until the events of October 7th, 2023, the last time Israel made a permanent deposit on my mental stage was when then President Trump announced that the US Embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to recognize it as the historical and true capital of Israel. I had no context for the ruckus around his pronouncement, neither did I investigate.
Things this book helped me understand that I did not know before.
The impact European Colonialism and corresponding practices long predated religious differences as a source of conflict in the Middle east.[1]A stand-off between Arab leadership and British colonial interests over Jewish immigration and land purchasing kept Palestine from having a self-directed legislative assembly following WWI.[2] An assembly was a key component to transfer power in the colonial system.[3] Without a central legislative body, Palestine never had a single, unified voice with which to negotiate for statehood. British colonial practices also included intentionally and strategically feeding rivalries between global Arab leaders as a means of protecting other interests in the region.[4]
Besides the external forces contributing to longstanding conflict, lack of unity among Palestinian leaders has long played a role in preventing a two-state solution.[5] Disunity among Palestinian leadership can be traced from elites with ties to European colonizers a century ago to the rise of Hamas in response to the weakened Fatah party.[6] In the wake of leadership suspicion and mistrust resistance to proposed solutions and reconciliation stalled the process. The result were special interest agendas driving wedges which made solutions even further out of reach. The impact of competing leadership interests is a topic I would like to explore further in terms of recognizing patterns consistent in both global politics and organizational leadership.
How do I navigate the Israel-Middle east conflict?
In a sermon last January, I included a mention of the Palestinian humanitarian crisis on a list of global tragedies. The passing comment was interpreted by at least one hearer as evidence that I was “anti-Israel”. I was reminded that even an innocuous comment, if anywhere in the vicinity of a controversial or polarizing topic, can press the buttons of someone who is committed to a ‘side’. I confess to have then stepped onto the path-of-least-resistance navigation style of “steering-clear”. The hazards inherent in a topic which mixes the inflammatory topics of both politics and religion felt too dangerous. I have been uncomfortable with the choice because I recognize it as selfishly protective measure and a “Failure of Nerve”.[7] The people I lead deserve better.
It turns out that congregants say they are hungry for pastors to introduce controversial topics, but not as a casual mention the way that I did. According to a recent survey of over 130 churches in USA/Canada, they want leaders to engage sensitive topics deeply, not superficially.[8] Corresponding to Bobby Duffy’s suggestion to pursue better and deeper engagement as a means of helping people overcome their societal delusions, it seems those surveyed want help navigating difficult conversations in their own everyday contexts. [9] This is an opportunity for pastoral leadership. Can I manage my own leadership anxiety to begin such an effort? Having read Bunton, I am going deeper into news sources of information about the current state of conflict instead of just glossing headlines. I interpret this willingness as a sign that I am becoming more comfortable with the material. As for engaging others, I could start with my sister. Does she want a more deeply nuanced discussion on the subject of war and peace in the Middle east or did she just need a sound a bite with which to align?
[1] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction. 1. ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 28.
[2] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 60.
[3] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 53.
[4] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 58.
[5] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 58.
[6] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 92.
[7] Edwin H. Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix (10th Anniversary, Revised Edition) (New York: Church Publishing, 2017).
[8] Linsey Mather. Preaching Collaborative Survey Data Summary. (Lenexa: Church of the Nazarene, 2024).
[9] Bobby Duffy, Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding, First US edition (New York: Basic Books, 2019), 239.
About the Author
Julie O'Hara
10 responses to “Dawning Awareness”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Thanks, Julie. How will this experience help you lean into other courageous conversations (and leadership) in the future?
Hi Jennifer,
I realize how critically important it is to do my own reading, my own work on a topic. It is so easy and tempting to be superficial. I had better have done some amount of critical reading before engaging others. I guess leading contributes to conversations and moves them forward – compared to just repeating what everyone else is saying.
Hey Julie! We are back! Thank you for sharing this because there are many complexities when addressing an audience on this sensitive topic. Many will not even broach the subject. Are you more comfortable in addressing the conflict after reading Bunton’s writing?
Indeed we are! Five years and counting. Reading Bunton was like turning on the lights in a room full of resources. I already ‘know’ there is more to the story, more to the headlines. I ‘know’ that there are complex and competing factors, but I just didn’t have an ‘entrance’ to the material. Now I feel like I can participate/facilitate in conversation bringing forth illuminating nuggets.
Julie, thank you for your willingness to admit the tendency to “the path of least resistance” and your courage to find ways to navigate against that. If you could go back to the sermon in January where you mentioned the Palestinian humanitarian crisis, how would you address it differently publicly? How would you respond to the people who found your comment and thus you, “anti-Israel”? I am eager to take notes!
Hi Kari, Thanks for your question. So, I was guest preaching in a rural area. If I were doing it today, I would frame up the “world events” with emphasis on their complexity. I would also take a few sentences to pre-empt being on sides by emphasising the ‘human’ nature of global catastrophes. Things that are so large scale push us to the edges, but when we think of individual persons it can soften rhetoric. These are my ideas for today. As for answering the person (who did not tell me directly, but it came via an unsigned note…) I would ask questions about why they felt that was my view. I would ask them about their view. And, again, I would place the remarks with in the context of the sermon/humanity.
Hi Julie,
I echo Kari’s comment. Thank you for sharing your experience about steering-clear of controversial topics from the pulpit. I have often felt disappointed with myself for withdrawing from more contentious issues in my context (e.g., the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and gospel conversations).
You provided interesting survey results. It’s good to know congregants are ready to learn more and to be equipped to engage in harder subjects. Are there any controversial subjects, besides the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, that you are gearing up to journey through with your church?
Hi! See above that I was guest preaching. I am not a lead pastor. For the last three months and until November I have been doing interim, though. My last Sunday is before the election. I have been doing sermons to keep the group in unity (the last pastor did not end really well) and to encourage trust. I often mention the idea of polarity, news, elections and try to use the sermon to help people think “Christianly”, not about their “side”, but about the process and the ways that people interact with each other. Thank you for your question!
Julie thank you for your post. I found it encouraging and engaging because I can relate to your experience of having someone take something I have said in passing for more than intended. Somewhat related to Jennifer’s and Daren’s questions, do you have plans to re-engage this topic with your congregation after reading Bunton? If so, what is your strategy?
Hi Chad, I don’t have specific plans to re-engage the topic, but I do plan to encourage the congregation I am temporarily leading to reconsider being a follower of Jesus above their politics. I hope to help them break just a little free from the idea that one side or the other is somehow ordained as the correct side. Jesus and the Powers is looking helpful in this. The place I’m doing interim is culturally quite like your area.