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A thaw in Mideast relations?

04 Aug 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday calls on the Lord to "prosper the work of our hands" while encouraging all who hear the Lord's voice to "harden not your hearts." The first significant peace talks in years between Palestinians and Israelis began this week in Washington after Israel announced it will release 104 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. With U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry brokering the discussions, negotiators on all sides are hoping that hearts hardened by years of animosity can begin to thaw so that peace may prosper.In a brief appearance at the U.S. State Department on Monday, Kerry said his goal was to pursue “reasonable compromises” of some of the Middle East’s most intractable issues. “I know the negotiations are going to be tough, but I also know that the consequences of not trying could be worse,” he said.In making the revival of Middle East talks his top priority, Kerry is not only challenging the status quo in the region but also taking on the conventional wisdom in much of the American foreign policy establishment. The prevailing narrative among the skeptics, including more than a few experienced Middle East hands, is that while the Israelis and Palestinians may have sent their negotiators to Washington to placate Kerry, neither side appears remotely prepared to make the hard calls needed to cement a lasting peace.In recent weeks, however, Kerry and his aides have outlined several basic arguments for why his efforts might bear fruit. Perhaps the most important one, which Kerry advanced almost from the moment he was picked for the State Department post, is that the United States does not have the luxury of staying on the sidelines.Kerry extracted a commitment that the two sides would give the negotiations at least nine months, so at least there will be time to explore ideas without fears of a walkout. And more than 100 prominent Jewish Americans with varying religious and political viewpoints have thrown their support behind the Israeli government’s decision to participate in the talks.Homily hint: "Waging peace" is much more difficult for adversaries than waging war, but in many ways the activities require similar strength, focus, and perserverence. The Middle East has seen a lot of hostility in recent decades. Isn't it time all sides gave peace a real chance? Keep this peace effort and all who work for peace in your prayers and petitions this weekend. Sources: Articles by Michael R. Gordon and Isabel Kershner for theNew York Times and Michele Chabin for Religion News Service

mideast israel palestinians middle east peace talks john kerry
Mideast teens practice dialogue instead of destruction

27 Jul 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday praises kindness and compassion as central to fulfilling God’s law. These qualities are central to programs sponsored by Hands of Peace (HOP), an interfaith organization headquartered in Chicago that holds summer camps to develop peace-building and leadership skills in Israeli, Palestinian, and American teens through the power of dialogue.The structured dialogue process used in the encounters, in which the Middle Eastern participants, along with American teens of various religious backgrounds, present and defend their people's narrative before learning to listen to their peers and eventually, in most cases, coming to develop empathy and understanding for them is always a difficult one, HOP administrators say. But with deadly violence raging in the Gaza Strip and incoming rockets sending Israelis running for shelter, this year the tension has been made far more acute.When HOP's programs began on July 6, it was just a few days after Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s burned body was discovered in Jerusalem, and a week after the bodies of three murdered Israeli youths were found near Hebron.“Everybody did come with a level of intensity that we haven’t seen for a long time,” says Julie Kanak, the program’s executive director. “I really thought that we might get some Middle Eastern parents calling and thinking about pulling their kids out,” she adds, but that didn’t happen. “All of the participants are worried about what’s going on at home," and they are checking "more often” with their families.“There are Palestinian kids who have relatives in Gaza, Israeli kids who have brothers who are soldiers. So far, our kids’ relatives and friends are safe, to the best of our knowledge,” says Scott Silk, the program’s site director at the Pacific Ridge School in the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad, where he is also a teacher. Last Friday, the group attended services at both a local mosque and a Reform synagogue.Homily hint: Looking at the world’s conflict zones we find scant evidence for the saying that “cooler heads will prevail.” But far from the conflict zone, teens involved in the Hands of Peace program hold the promise of a better tomorrow for today’s war-torn Mideast. May they grow to lead their peoples to peace. Source: An article by Debra Nussbaum Cohen for Haaretz

mideast conflict
A lasting Mideast peace at last?

10 Aug 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord—for he proclaims peace,” the psalmist asserts this Sunday. Middle East Peace negotiators hold their breath this week, hoping a truce will hold and Israel and Hamas will sit down and come up with a plan for lasting peace. Israel and Hamas began indirect talks on a new border deal for the blockaded Gaza Strip as a ceasefire ending their month-long war entered its second day Wednesday.Israel has said it wants the Islamic militant Hamas to disarm, or at least ensure it cannot re-arm, before considering the group's demand that the territory's borders be opened. Israel and Egypt imposed a closure after the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007.The indirect talks are being held in Cairo, with Egyptian mediators shuttling between the delegations. The Palestinian delegation is composed of negotiators from all major factions, including Hamas, and was to meet with Egyptian officials later Wednesday to be briefed on Israel's demands, said Bassam Salhi, a Palestinian delegate."The most important thing to us is removing the blockade and start reconstructing Gaza," said Salhi. "There can be no deal without that." He said the ceasefire, set to expire at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, would likely be extended if more time for talks is needed.Talks are still in the early stages, but the outlines of a possible solution have emerged, including internationally funded reconstruction of Gaza overseen by a Palestinian unity government led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Western-backed Abbas lost control of Gaza in the Hamas takeover of 2007.Both Israel and Egypt, its two neighbors, have made clear that they are unwilling to loosen the border restrictions significantly as long as Hamas is looking across from the other side. But ostensible control of Gaza by the new reconciliation government—which has renounced violence, recognized Israel, and embraced the peace process—could be more palatable.In a step toward reconstruction, Norway is organizing a donor conference, tentatively set for the beginning of September.Homily hint: “We fight in the name of God. The Holy can be found in the kiss of justice and peace,” Alice Camille reflects on this week’s Exploring the Word Sunday Summary. Only good-faith diplomacy can overcome the divisions that bad faith dealings created. Pray for peace Source: Articles by David D. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times and Associated Press

diplomacy and war mideast peace
Archaeologists not digging Mideast conflicts

31 Aug 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Do not conform yourselves to this age” Saint Paul urges in this Sunday’s reading from the Letter to the Romans. Far from conforming to the present age, archaeologists take pride in digging for secrets of past civilizations buried beneath the surface of current structures. The upheavals and conflicts sweeping the Middle East in recent years, however, have resulted in deep losses to the archaeological heritage of the region.In 2011, after three decades of working in Syria, the archaeologist Glenn M. Schwartz was unable to return to his dig at the Bronze Age city of Umm el-Marra. The intensifying civil war had made work in the country impossible.Like many archaeologists of the Middle East, Schwartz, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, is watching the news from the region with deep concern and, he said, a feeling of impotence. “It’s heartbreaking to see what’s happened in Syria in terms of cultural heritage and more so for the country at large,” he said.Scholars can do little to stop the fighting and looting, but they have created blogs, websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts to monitor the destruction and raise awareness about it. By sharing excavation records, scholars outside the Middle East have helped their counterparts in the Arab world to compile online lists of missing or stolen objects. The Middle East lost many of its ancient treasures in colonial times, when priceless artifacts were carried off to European collections and museums. It is now witnessing “a new wave of loss” associated with wars and conflicts, said Tamar Teneishvili, a program specialist for culture at the Unesco regional bureau in Cairo. Homily hint: Archaeologists are the unsung heroes who dig into our past in order to help illuminate the present. Much of what we have learned about our biblical heritage has come from the work of such researchers. Respect for our past, and its relics, is fundamental to a civilized society. Pray that such respect be universal. Source: An article by Ursula Lindsey for the Chronicle of Higher Education

antiquities mideast conflict archeology
Muddled Mideast relations

02 Nov 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist prays confidently to the Lord this Sunday, stating that even in dangerous times and places, “you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.” Anonymous White House critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently think he lacks confidence and courage in his dealings with Palestinians and Iran. Publication of the criticism has left international relations roiling. The Atlantic magazine quoted an unidentified Obama administration official who used profanity to assail Netanyahu and complained about his settlement policies in the West Bank. The official also questioned the prime minister's commitment to Middle East peace efforts as well as his resolve to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran to thwart its nuclear program. Publication of the comments put the administration on the defensive and prompted congressional demands for President Obama to repudiate the remarks. The incendiary comments come six days before elections with Democrats struggling to hold onto their Senate majority and taking steps to boost voter turnout in typically low-interest midterm contests. The remarks also come against the backdrop of negotiations involving the United States and other Western powers to secure a nuclear agreement with Iran. The high-profile diplomatic flap, all based on anonymous opinion, underscored the already tense relationship between Obama and Netanyahu despite decades of close ties between the United States and its Mideast ally. At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest insisted Wednesday that the remarks did not reflect the administration's view and were counterproductive. "The prime minister and the president have forged an effective partnership; they consult closely and frequently and did so as recently as this month right here at the White House in the Oval Office," Earnest said. "That close relationship does not mean that we paper over our differences. The fact is the United States has repeatedly made clear our view that settlement activity is illegitimate, and only serves to complicate efforts to achieve a two-state solution in the region." In Jerusalem, Netanyahu dismissed the comments and insisted he was "not prepared to make concessions that will endanger our state. Our supreme interests, with security and the unity of Jerusalem first and foremost, are not among the top concerns of those anonymous elements that are attacking us and me personally," he said. Homily hint: Name calling does not advance the cause of peace—among nations or within families, for that matter. Do not wait until tomorrow to reconcile differences with loved ones that need to be healed. Families at peace lead to nations at peace. Source: An article by Donna Cassata for Associated Press

peacemaking mideast politics Courage
O Jerusalem!

09 Nov 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Letter of Ezekiel describes a Jerusalem in which an angel brings the prophet “back to the entrance of the temple,” while Jesus reminds the people of Jerusalem in this Sunday’s gospel that he is the living temple. The parents of an American child born in Jerusalem want his passport to say he was born in Israel. Long-standing U.S. foreign policy has been to maintain strict neutrality over the disputed status of Jerusalem. Under U.S. policy, the passport of a citizen born in the city shows the place of birth simply as “Jerusalem,” with no mention of Israel or Palestine. In 2002, Congress sought to change that, in part by passing a law that gives the parents of U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem the option of having the place of birth listed as “Israel.” The provision was part of a bill designed to encourage the U.S. government to jettison its neutral policy and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Shortly after the law was enacted, Menachem Zivotofsky was born in Jerusalem to American parents. When they applied for a passport for their son, they asked that it reflect the place of birth as “Israel.” Consular officials denied the request, listing “Jerusalem” instead. The Zivotofskys sued, arguing that the executive branch of government was ignoring a valid law passed by the legislature. Now the issue is before the Supreme Court, where the justices must decide whether Congress was operating within the scope of its constitutional authority or interfering in the president’s exclusive power to recognize foreign governments and speak with a single voice in foreign affairs. “The question of the status of Jerusalem is the most vexing and volatile and difficult diplomatic issue that this nation has faced for decades,” U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli told the justices during the hour-long argument. He warned that if the court upheld the law, it would sharply undercut the credibility of the president and of the ability of American diplomats to serve as honest brokers in Mideast peace efforts. In urging the justices to uphold the statute, Washington appellate lawyer Alyza Lewin said the passport requirement does not amount to a formal recognition of sovereignty over Jerusalem by Israel. “What goes on a passport as a place of birth is not tantamount to recognizing foreign sovereignty,” she said. Justice Elena Kagan suggested that the U.S. government would not allow the parents of a citizen born in Northern Ireland to list “Ireland” as the place of birth even though that might be their preference. “This is a very selective vanity plate law,” she said, comparing the passport issue to drivers seeking to display messages on their car registration tags. Homily hint: Some have suggested the solution to conflicts over Jerusalem is to declare the entire city a world heritage site since it is revered by followers of all the “religions of Abraham”—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Let us all live in peace with the city of peace. Source: An article by Warren Richey for Christian Science Monitor

jerusalem diplomatic relations mideast relations
Israel pressured to end occupation

21 Dec 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from 2 Samuel this Sunday, the Lord promises the people of Israel a secure place where they may dwell “without further disturbance.” The history of strife and territorial disputes between modern-day Israel and its Palestinian neighbors paints a different scenario. This week, increasing pressure was brought on Israel in Europe and in the United Nations to cease building settlements in Palestinian territories it has occupied for nearly 50 years, and to cease its occupation of those territories by the year 2017.In Geneva, the international community delivered a stinging rebuke to Israel's settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, saying the practice violates Israel's responsibilities as an occupying power.The declaration adopted by the conference of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the rules of war and military occupation, emphasized a prohibition on colonizing occupied land and insisted that international humanitarian law be obeyed in areas affected by the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. It called for "all serious violations" to be investigated and those responsible for breaches to be brought to justice."This is a signal and we can hope that words count," said Swiss ambassador Paul Fivat, who chaired the one-day meeting. The U.S. and Israel did not take part.Israel's U.N. Mission blasted the gathering, saying: "It confers legitimacy on terrorist organizations and dictatorial regimes wherever they are, while condemning a democratic country fighting terrorism in accordance with international law."In New York, an Arab-backed draft resolution on ending Israel's occupation of lands captured in 1967 was submitted Wednesday evening to the U.N. Security Council for a possible vote, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said.However, Mansour said the Arab-backed resolution does not close the door on further negotiations on the issue, including with the United States, "if they are ready and willing." The U.S., as a permanent council member, often has vetoed measures targeting Israel in the past.And Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki earlier said the actual vote might be put off, suggesting a compromise is in the works to avoid a clash in the council. The resolution also welcomes the idea of holding an international conference to launch negotiations on reaching a peace agreement.Homily hint: Palestinians and Israelis alike must not allow the past to dictate the future; otherwise, the cycles of animosity and violence are doomed to continue. The same holds for our own lives, where past hurts can limit future health unless we find a way to let go of the past and move on. Source: An article by the Associated Press

reconciliation mideast conflict mideast peace
Israel pressured to end occupation

21 Dec 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from 2 Samuel this Sunday, the Lord promises the people of Israel a secure place where they may dwell “without further disturbance.” The history of strife and territorial disputes between modern-day Israel and its Palestinian neighbors paints a different scenario. This week, increasing pressure was brought on Israel in Europe and in the United Nations to cease building settlements in Palestinian territories it has occupied for nearly 50 years, and to cease its occupation of those territories by the year 2017.In Geneva, the international community delivered a stinging rebuke to Israel's settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, saying the practice violates Israel's responsibilities as an occupying power.The declaration adopted by the conference of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the rules of war and military occupation, emphasized a prohibition on colonizing occupied land and insisted that international humanitarian law be obeyed in areas affected by the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. It called for "all serious violations" to be investigated and those responsible for breaches to be brought to justice."This is a signal and we can hope that words count," said Swiss ambassador Paul Fivat, who chaired the one-day meeting. The U.S. and Israel did not take part.Israel's U.N. Mission blasted the gathering, saying: "It confers legitimacy on terrorist organizations and dictatorial regimes wherever they are, while condemning a democratic country fighting terrorism in accordance with international law."In New York, an Arab-backed draft resolution on ending Israel's occupation of lands captured in 1967 was submitted Wednesday evening to the U.N. Security Council for a possible vote, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said.However, Mansour said the Arab-backed resolution does not close the door on further negotiations on the issue, including with the United States, "if they are ready and willing." The U.S., as a permanent council member, often has vetoed measures targeting Israel in the past.And Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki earlier said the actual vote might be put off, suggesting a compromise is in the works to avoid a clash in the council. The resolution also welcomes the idea of holding an international conference to launch negotiations on reaching a peace agreement.Homily hint: Palestinians and Israelis alike must not allow the past to dictate the future; otherwise, the cycles of animosity and violence are doomed to continue. The same holds for our own lives, where past hurts can limit future health unless we find a way to let go of the past and move on. Source: An article by the Associated Press

reconciliation mideast conflict mideast peace
For December 25: Let there be peace, Mideast

28 Dec 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Preaching the News will not be published on January 1. Look for the next issue on Thursday, January 8. Enjoy this week’s edition covering Christmas to Epiphany, and have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!The prologue to John’s gospel this Christmas Day stirs the heart with its promise that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This level of optimism is sorely needed in the Mideast at the close of a year that even by this embattled region’s standards was extreme in the level and severity of its violence and bloodshed. Another year has passed in Syria, with no end in sight for a three-year conflict that has claimed 200,000 lives, injured a million, and displaced nearly half the population. As well, the year saw the rise of ISIS, or the Islamic State, a Sunni extremist group and self-proclaimed caliphate that stunned the world this summer with a quick sweep from western Syria into northern and central Iraq before its momentum was slowed by U.S. airstrikes. The first Western journalist in the world to be allowed extensive access to ISIS territories in Syria and Iraq returned from the region with a warning: The group is “much stronger and much more dangerous” than anyone in the West realizes. Jürgen Todenhöfer, 74, is a renowned German journalist and publicist who traveled through Turkey to Mosul, the largest city occupied by ISIS, after months of negotiations with the group’s leaders. Todenhöfer said his strongest impression was “that ISIS is much stronger than we think here.” He said it now has “dimensions larger than the UK” and is supported by “an almost ecstatic enthusiasm that I have never encountered in any other warzone. Each day, hundreds of willing fighters arrive from all over the world,” he said. Valerie Amos, the U.N.’s top relief official, recently told the Security Council that she had “run out of words” to fully explain the “brutality, violence, and callous disregard for human life” witnessed in Syria today. “The parties to the conflict continue to ignore the most basic principles of humanity,” Amos said. “In many parts of Syria the level of violence has worsened, with civilians continuing to pay heavily with loss of life, serious injuries, psychological trauma, ongoing and recurring displacement, and massive damage to property and infrastructure.” Add to this ongoing violence in Iraq and Lebanon, and the volatile state of Israeli-Palestinian relations. While Palestinians push for U.N. recognition of statehood, a seven-week battle erupted in Gaza this summer with rockets fired from Gaza into Israel and Israeli bombardment and ground fighting that killed more than 2,200 people, the vast majority of them Gazans. Four months later, upwards of 50,000 Gazans are still homeless, many still living in the U.N. schools in which dozens were injured and killed by tank shells and missiles during the conflict. There has been virtually no reconstruction, little by way of new jobs. And the fundamental sources of resentment between the parties continues unabated. Homily hint: Peace on earth? Not this year. Perhaps not completely in any year. But that should not stop us from hoping for it, praying for it, and working for it, locally and in far-off places. Today let us dedicate ourselves anew to serving the Prince of Peace in the coming year. Source: Cecily Hilleary for Voice of America, The Daily Star (Dhaka), and Kim Sengkupta for The Independent (UK)

mideast conflict war and peace islamic extremism

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