{"id":37958,"date":"2024-08-26T22:33:17","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T05:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=37958"},"modified":"2024-08-26T22:33:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T05:33:17","slug":"who-are-our-brethren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/who-are-our-brethren\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are our brethren?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Jewish Community Chorale performs &quot;Hine Ma Tov&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MACgJRRThtA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Picture1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-37962\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Picture1-300x91.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Picture1-300x91.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Picture1-150x45.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Picture1.png 410w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Looking Back<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>Reading about life in Israel and Palestine over the past 100+ years evoked some diverse emotions. Firstly, nostalgia as I was taken back to my college Hebrew classroom where we began each class by singing, \u201cHineh ma tov uma na&#8217;im Shevet achim gam Yachad.\u201d\u00a0 How good it is for brethren to dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1). (I&#8217;ve posted a version of this song above.)\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Secondly, something between resignation and despair. Despite their ties of \u201cbrotherhood\u201d going all the way back to the story of Ismael and Isaac, the Palestinian and the Israeli people seem unlikely to dwell in unity anytime soon.<\/p>\r\n<p>Before the events of October 7, 2023 (or more accurately before reading <em>The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction<\/em>) I had a vague understanding rooted in childhood impressions and bits and pieces that I\u2019d picked up over the years. I would say that my perception was not misinformed, just very surface-level and incomplete. I don\u2019t know that I would have articulated it as such, but my impression was like there was a seemingly-eternal pendulum swinging between violent conflict and ongoing peace negotiations. Sometimes we would hear about outbreaks of violence or suicide bombers. Other times there were peace summits and church groups touring the Holy Lands. But eventually the pendulum would always swing back the other way.<\/p>\r\n<p>Reading this book certainly deepened my understanding and broadened my historical knowledge of the situation. I appreciated learning about the roots of the conflict that go back to Ottomon Palestine and then transition to British-controlled Palestine after World War I and later to United Nations control after World War II. \u00a0These were chronological details that definitely didn\u2019t register in my brain before this week\u2019s reading.<\/p>\r\n<p>As I read and simultaneously sorted out this new information, I was especially struck by the introductory statement: \u201cThe \u2018pressing and tangible\u2019 aspect of the conflict is how to share the land.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> While the issues are complex and intricate, yes, the conflict comes down to how to share the land to which both peoples lay claim. History has revealed time and time again a sort of \u201cfundamental colonial dynamic\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a> beginning with British rule<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a> and subsequently in the Israeli approach deemed \u201cconquest of land\u201d and \u201cconquest of labour.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a> This has led to a seemingly endless cycle of violence and failed peace negotiations. In the early 2000\u2019s the two-state solution seemed to be the way forward, notably with the UN\u2019s recognition of the Palestinian state in 2012. Now, in light of the most recent conflict, the two-state solution is increasingly being called into question.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Looking Forward<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>One survey of Palestinians revealed that About 62 percent believe the two-state solution is no longer possible.<a href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a>\u00a0 According to Samer Elchahabi of the Arab Center in Washington D.C., this is fundamentally because \u201cthe authority to define a Palestinian state has always rested with external powers, whether Israel, the United Kingdom, or the United States. This stems from a colonial legacy in which Palestinians are not included in the discussion about their fate, contradicting international principles of self-determination.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>But what would the alternative look like? If we listen again to Elchahabi, he suggests moving \u201ctoward a model of shared citizenship and equal rights\u2026. Israelis and Palestinians alike should imagine a unified state that upholds the rights and dignity of all its citizens, forging a shared identity from the rich tapestry of its diverse peoples. This vision, while challenging, holds the promise of a lasting peace built not on separation and segregation but on the foundations of justice and mutual respect.\u201d It may seem idealistic to expect these two people groups to put aside their differences to form a functioning government. But we do have precedent in countries like Belgium and South Africa where multiple ethnic and linguistic groups unite to form a democratic government.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Further Musings as I Navigate the Current Reality<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>Before this post draws to a close, I want to consider two further areas to ponder. We have all been formed by the narratives to which we have been exposed, and this certainly holds true in how we view the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. If the language of colonialism is shocking to some, it is banal and taken for granted by others. As I grapple with the current war, I\u2019m interested to see what parallels emerge later in the semester when we talk about colonialism and slavery in America\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Secondly, I wonder what lessons we can learn for our own divided society, where coexisting peacefully often seems impossible. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is ultimately an incredibly complicated situation with no viable solutions. There is no win-win resolution. There is no way forward that does not necessitate learning to coexist peacefully, and yet that is exactly what has been failing for generations. Looking at our own society, I fear we are headed down a similar path. What could we learn from the past 100+ years of conflict between Israel and Palestine about how to (or how NOT to) live in harmony with those who are different from us? How do we foster respect even when we disagree?<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cHineh ma tov uma na&#8217;im Shevet achim gam Yachad.\u201d\u00a0 How good it is for brethren to dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1).<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/palestinianisrae0000bunt\">Bunton, Martin. <em>The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction.<\/em><\/a> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.\u00a0Xii.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> https:\/\/arabcenterdc.org\/resource\/shifting-the-paradigm-the-one-state-solution-as-a-path-to-peace\/<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/palestinianisrae0000bunt\">Bunton, Martin. <em>The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction.<\/em><\/a> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.\u00a024.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">[4]<\/a> Ibid., 26-27.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/research\/2021\/05\/approaching-peace-centering-rights-in-israel-palestine-conflict-resolution?lang=en<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">[6]<\/a> https:\/\/arabcenterdc.org\/resource\/shifting-the-paradigm-the-one-state-solution-as-a-path-to-peace\/<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking Back Reading about life in Israel and Palestine over the past 100+ years evoked some diverse emotions. Firstly, nostalgia as I was taken back to my college Hebrew classroom where we began each class by singing, \u201cHineh ma tov uma na&#8217;im Shevet achim gam Yachad.\u201d\u00a0 How good it is for brethren to dwell in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[3227],"class_list":["post-37958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-bunton-dlgp02","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37958"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37965,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37958\/revisions\/37965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}