In this blog post I will answer three questions.<\/p>\n
What did you know about Israel before October 7th<\/sup> 2023 and what was it based upon?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the formative years of third through fifth grades, I developed a best friendship with a Jewish peer. I remember that she was actively engaged in Hebrew school and other Jewish religious and cultural practices. At the same time, I was being brought up in a Christian household, where I regularly attended a Presbyterian church where my mother was on staff and where I participated in choir, Sunday School, and anything else that was happening at the church. Despite our differing religious backgrounds, I shared a kinship with my friend, acknowledging as best as a ten-year-old can, that our respective faiths played important roles in shaping both our individual lives and our family dynamics. This early interfaith friendship likely helped shape in me what I hope is an inclusive and respectful perspective on religious diversity, informing my approach to trying to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n While not necessarily helping me to \u201cknow\u201d much about Israel specifically, the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has significantly shaped my understanding of the complex issues between Israel and Palestine. Through various resolutions and study documents, the PC(USA) has emphasized the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2003, the PC(USA) published a resolution for the General Assembly called, Resolution on Israel and Palestine:\u00a0 End the Occupation Now<\/em> in which they acknowledge their protest of attacks on Jews in many parts of the world as well as their work on behalf of the Palestinian people.[1]<\/a> In 2014, the PC(USA) voted to divest its holdings from three companies, Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, and Motorola, because these companies supplied equipment used by Israel in the occupation of Palestinian territory.[2]<\/a> Then, in 2022, at the 225th<\/sup> General Assembly the PC(USA) voted to declare that the Israeli government\u2019s actions against Palestinian people met the legal definition of apartheid.[3]<\/a> In the 2024 General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to divest from financial bonds in Israel and denounced Christian Zionism, describing it as, \u201can ideological vision that it says links the State of Israel with biblical views of the \u2018promised land,\u2019 and therefore justifies taking land away from Palestinians.\u201d[4]<\/a> Admittedly, I have not been as attentive to the positions of the PC(USA) as others. (In my defense, I\u2019ve been raising children and working full-time during the years my denomination has been making these resolutions so have had little mental space for much else, though I should not use that as an excuse to look away from the conflict), however, what I did hear and pay attention to, shaped my opinion of the conflict.<\/p>\n Last spring I read the book, Salt Houses<\/em> by Hala Alyan which follows the story of four generations of a Palestinian family. Hearing their historical but fictional story, I gained insight into the impact of displacement and the ongoing struggle for identity and belonging. It was a beautiful book that I highly recommend to anybody wanting to learn more about what it is like to grow up in the Middle-East.<\/p>\n What does Bunton\u2019s book help you understand that you didn\u2019t know before?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>In so many conversations regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I would hear others say, (and admittedly probably said it myself), \u201cIt\u2019s an ancient religious conflict,\u201d as an excuse as to why we cannot fully understand nor do anything about it. Bunton, makes the claim that this is instead a \u201cterritorial contest: two nations, one land,\u201d with the \u201cmain challenge to resolving the conflict\u201d being \u201cone of drawing borders,\u201d[5]<\/a> or, \u201cthe mutually exclusive territorial claims of two competing nationalisms, Palestinian and Israeli.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n It is the effect of Jewish Zionist nationalism that I did not understand before, nor do I claim to understand it now, though perhaps I know a bit more than before reading the book. Because of my involvement in the PC(USA), I\u2019ve long held the belief that Israel was unjustly taking land from the Palestinian people, a point I think Bunton also makes when he writes, delegates to the Basel programee \u201cdefined Zionism as the creation of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine. Palestine, however, was already inhabited though many in Europe who hailed Zionism as a grand and noble project conceived of Palestine as empty.\u201d[7]<\/a> What I did not understand was that Jewish Zionism was not a religious but a political movement and while I might be quick to judge it as colonization of the Palestinian people, it is perhaps more complicated as it was hatched as a way to combat very-real anti-Semitism.<\/p>\n Something else to which I am beginning to draw connections is the link between Constantinianism and Christianity, Jewish Zionism and the Israeli\/Palestinian conflict, and America being a \u201cChristian nation.\u201d I don\u2019t have room to elaborate on this now but based on the reading selections for this semester, I think I will be developing those connections for the next several months.<\/p>\n Bunton\u2019s book underscores the importance of understanding the current situation in Palestine and Israel through the lens of the complicated historical context. This perspective is crucial to grasping the complexity of the situation as it highlights how past events continue to shape the realities of today.<\/p>\n How do you navigate the Israel-Middle East conflict?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It is important to recognize that navigating this conflict requires ongoing education and a willingness to engage in respectful dialogue with those holding differing views, including Palestinian and Israeli voices. An attitude of humility and prayer for understanding will play a vital role in my ability to navigate the conflict.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.pcusa.org\/site_media\/media\/uploads\/_resolutions\/endoccupation03.pdf<\/a>, accessed August 27, 2024.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Doug Stanglin and Niraj Warikoo, Presbyterians divest holdings to pressure Israel<\/em>, USA Today, June 21, 2014,<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2014\/06\/21\/presbyterians-israel-holdings-divestment\/11207459\/<\/a>, accessed August 27, 2024.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Rick Jones, Stated Clerk shares letter to church on GA decision regarding\u00a0Israel-Palestine<\/em>, July 11, 2022,<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.pcusa.org\/news\/2022\/7\/11\/stated-clerk-shares-letter-church-ga-decision-rega\/<\/a>, accessed August 27, 2024.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Anadolu, <\/em>Presbyterian Church (USA) Votes to Divest from Israel Bonds, Condemns Christian Zionism<\/em>, July 4, 2024, https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/presbyterian-church-usa-votes-to-divest-from-israel-bonds-condemns-christian-zionism\/<\/a><\/em>, accessed August 27, 2024.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction<\/em>, Oxford, England: Oxford University \u00a0Press, 2013, location 205 of 442 Kindle.<\/p>\n