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Fragile peace, shattered buildings

25 Jan 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," the Lord warns Jonah in this Sunday's first reading. As Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza and an uneasy cease-fire between Hamas and Israel took hold this week, the world got its first close look at the destruction the three-week campaign caused in Gaza. In Gaza City, tank shells and aerial bombardment turned homes and office buildings into heaps of concrete. Orange and olive groves were flattened. The parliament building and other targets of Israeli warplanes and helicopter gunships were reduced to piles of debris. Destruction in some areas left streets that resembled a moonscape. With Israeli tanks now gone, donkey carts hauled produce and firewood through streets littered with rubble and broken glass. The Israeli offensive left a total of 1,284 Palestinians dead and 4,336 wounded, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. The rights group said 894 of those killed were civilians. The Palestinian bureau of statistics reported 4,100 homes totally destroyed and 17,000 others damaged in the offensive. The death toll in Gaza has provoked international outrage. In Israel, however, the war had strong backing and was seen as a legitimate response to Hamas militants who now have one-eighth of Israel's population within rocket range. At least 13 Israelis died during the 22-day conflict. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left the region early Wednesday after touring Gaza and southern Israel. He accused Israel of using "excessive force" in the conflict and called for an investigation into the Israeli shelling of U.N. compounds in Gaza during the fighting, which he termed "outrageous." He also called militant rocket attacks against Israel "appalling and unacceptable." Source: Articles by Amy Teibel, Ibrahim Barzak, and Christopher Torchia for the Associated Press and by Mai Yaghi for Agence France Presse

gaza strip hamas israel gaza city palestinians palestinian center for human rights ban ki-moon united nations

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Give peace a chance

17 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power," this Sunday's psalm intones. Pope Benedict XVI is calling for the power of peace and reconciliation on a tour of nations in the Middle East this week. In Israel on Monday he called on both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to work toward saving the fragile peace process. "I come, like so many others before me, to pray at the holy places, to pray especially for peace--peace here in the Holy Land, and peace throughout the world," the pope said. "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties, so that both peoples may live in peace," Benedict said. The pope's visit to Bethlehem Wednesday took on increased significance as he endorsed the idea of a homeland while standing on Palestinian soil. With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his side, Benedict said, "Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders." To get to Jesus' traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, the pope crossed through the towering concrete slabs of the separation barrier Israel has erected to wall off the West Bank's Palestinian areas. On a visit to a nearby refugee camp, he expressed regret over Israel's construction of the separation barrier. He also urged young Palestinians to "have the courage to resist any temptation to resort to acts of violence or terrorism." While Benedict's trip was intended to boost interfaith relations, it has been fraught with political land mines. Israelis have criticized the German-born pope for failing to adequately express remorse for the Holocaust, while Palestinians are pressing him to draw attention to the difficult conditions of life under Israeli rule. Source: Articles by United Press International and Mohammed Daraghmeh and Diaa Hadid for Associated Press

Peace israel palestinians benedict xvi middle east mahmoud abbas bethlehem

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Peace of two minds?

24 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Ascension reading from the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of the effort to preserve unity "through the bond of peace." Those working for peace in the Middle East hope that this week's U.S. visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would further the cause. Netanyahu spent three days meeting with President Obama and high-ranking members of Congress and the administration. Obama encouraged Netanyahu Monday to stop expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and to grasp the "historic opportunity" to make peace with the Palestinians. Thus far Netanyahu has refused to agree to the creation of a Palestinian state and has announced plans to continue building up settlements. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Tuesday she had reiterated the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution and its demand that Israel halt construction of settlements. After meeting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Netanyahu glossed over differences between his stance and Obama's, saying that the U.S. and Israel were working together to resume Mideast peacemaking and "bring other elements in the Arab world into the process." Source: An article by Amy Teibel for the Associated Press

Peace middle east palestinians israel barack obama Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

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To tell the truth

07 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"We are all children of God," Saint Paul reminds us this Sunday in the reading from the Letter to the Romans. In interviews previewing the speech he will make Thursday in Cairo to the Arab world, President Barack Obama suggested he will encourage Muslims, Christians, and Jews to work together to find common solutions to the problems in the Middle East. "I think the most important thing I want to tell young people is that, regardless of your faith, those who build as opposed to those who destroy I think leave a lasting legacy, not only for themselves but also for their nations," Obama said in an interview with Canal Plus, a French television station. In an interview with the New York Times, the president said another key part of his message would be to "stop saying one thing behind closed doors and saying something else publicly." The president said he hoped to persuade the Arab people and ultimately their leaders to work with the United States."There are a lot of Arab countries more concerned about Iran developing a nuclear weapon than the 'threat' from Israel, but won't admit it," Obama said. There are a lot of Israelis "who recognize that their current path is unsustainable, and they need to make some tough choices on settlements to achieve a two-state solution--that is in their long-term interest--but not enough folks are willing to recognize that publicly."There are also a lot of Palestinians, he said, who "recognize that the constant incitement and negative rhetoric with respect to Israel" has not delivered a single "benefit to their people and had they taken a more constructive approach and sought the moral high ground" they would be much better off today--but they won't say it aloud. "We have a joke around the White House," the president said. "We're just going to keep on telling the truth until it stops working--and nowhere is truth-telling more important than the Middle East." Source: An article by Reuters and a blog posting by Jeff Zeleny for the New York Times

Truth barack obama israel palestinians middle east arabs iran

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Study this war some more

19 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Christ brings peace and achieves reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles, the Letter to the Ephesians proclaims. But Israelis and Palestinians aren't there yet, as evidenced by last winter's Gaza War. Now, Israeli soldiers who fought in Gaza have testified that their army used excessive force during the three-week offensive, according to a report released Wednesday. Soldiers say the military used Palestinians as human shields, improperly fired incendiary white phosphorous shells over civilian areas, and used overwhelming firepower that caused needless deaths and destruction, echoing claims already leveled by Palestinian and human rights groups. The Israeli military disputed the report, saying the accounts were anonymous and impossible to verify. The accounts of 26 war veterans were collected by "Breaking the Silence," an organization of Israeli army reservists critical of their country's treatment of Palestinians. They described demolishing buildings, vandalizing homes, and using more than essential firepower, given the relatively light resistance they encountered. "There were no clear red lines," one soldier told the group. "If you're not sure, kill. Fire power was insane," said another. Military officers have acknowledged that rules of engagement were relaxed to minimize army casualties but insisted civilians were never targeted. Wednesday's report was sure to fuel a debate that still rages six months after the offensive over whether Israel violated the rules of war. International rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have said the degree of force and the heavy civilian death toll constituted war crimes, and the U.N. has launched a probe, headed by a respected war crimes prosecutor, into the actions of Israel and Hamas. Human rights groups also say Hamas committed war crimes by firing rockets at civilian areas in Israel. Source: An article by Steve Weizman for Associated Press

war hamas israel palestinians gaza rules of engagement human rights watch amnesty international civilians

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Unsettling news for Mideast peace talks

13 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in the reading from the Letter of James this Sunday that faith without works is dead. Those who had faith in fledging Israeli-Palestinian negotiations said Israel's decision this week to approve construction of hundreds of new housing units in the occupied West Bank could strike a death blow to the peace process. Israel officially approved construction of more than 450 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the first new government-approved construction project in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in March. The issue is expected to be discussed when Netanyahu's aides meet U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell later this week. But today's announcement can only complicate a possible resumption of meaningful peace talks with the Palestinians. A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace. "Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Erekat said. Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction. The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes that characterization. Source: Articles by BBC News

israel peace talks saeb erekat george mitchell settlements peace negotiations west bank benjamin netanyahu palestinians east jerusalem

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Unsettling developments in U.S.-Israeli relations

21 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Mount of Olives, where in this Sunday's gospel Jesus challenges the one "who is without sin" to cast the first stone, is located on a ridge overlooking Jerusalem. This week the city of Jerusalem--sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike--is front and center to a deepening diplomatic crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations.The conflict erupted last week after Israel announced during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that it would build 1,600 apartments for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem, the sector of the city Palestinians claim for a future capital.The Obama administration, fuming over what it called "insulting" Israeli conduct, has demanded that Israel call off the project. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, however, said such demands are "unreasonable" and predicted the row with the U.S. would blow over, saying neither side had an interest in escalation.But Washington notified Israel early Tuesday that U.S. envoy George Mitchell had put off a trip to the region indefinitely. Mitchell had planned on coming to wrap up preparations for relaunching Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Now it is not clear when the indirect talks will begin.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized for the timing of the project's approval, but he has not said it would be canceled. On Wednesday he praised President Obama and spoke by telephone with Biden. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cast more doubts on prospects for indirect peace talks with Israel soon, reaffirming a demand it first halt all settlement construction.In the heaviest clashes in the city in months, scores of Palestinians this week hurled rocks at police and set tires and garbage bins ablaze across the holy city's volatile eastern sector where the construction is planned. Source: Articles by Jeffrey Heller for Reuters, Andrew Lee Butters for TIME, and Amy Teibel for the Associated Press

israel diplomatic relations east jerusalem peace talks george mitchell settlements joe biden benjamin netanyahu mahmoud abbas united states jerusalem palestinians avigdor lieberman

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Bishop has some choice words for Israel

31 Oct 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday promises to bless God’s name forever and ever, and Jesus points out in this Sunday’s gospel that despite his less than reputable profession, Zacchaeus, too, is a “descendent of Abraham.” Whether God still considers descendents of Abraham to be the "chosen people,” however, has been called into question by a U.S. bishop in controversial remarks. Presenting the final document of a month-long Vatican synod of Middle Eastern bishops, Greek-Melkite Bishop Cyrille Salim Bustros of Newton, Mass. rejected the idea of a biblical rationale for Israel as a Jewish state, sparking immediate criticism from Jewish spokespersons. Speaking at a news conference last Saturday, Bustros said that for Christians, “The concept of the promised land cannot be used as a base for the justification of the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of Palestinians.” The advent of Jesus, he said, meant that Jews “are no longer the preferred people, the chosen people; all men and women of all countries have become the chosen people.” Bustros added that “sacred scripture should not be used to justify the occupation by Israel of Palestine.” Bustros’ remarks sparked condemnation from Israel and Jewish organizations. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) protested what it called “shocking and outrageous” comments. “By stating that God’s covenantal promise of land to the Jewish people ‘was nullified by Christ’ and that ‘there is no longer a chosen people,’ Archbishop Bustros is effectively stating that Judaism should no longer exist,” ADL National Director Abe Foxman wrote in a letter to the new Vatican official in charge of Catholic-Jewish relations, Cardinal-elect Kurt Koch. “This represents the worst kind of anti-Judaism, bordering on anti-Semitism.” The Vatican’s chief spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, responded to the criticism by distancing the synod from Bustros’ remarks. He said Monday that personal comments by individual synod participants “should not be considered as the voice of the synod in its entirety.” The final document, or “Message,” was the only text that expressed the approval of the full synod, Lombardi said. The Message mainly dealt with the plight of Christians in the Middle East, but it devoted a section to Israel and Jews. Calling for a furthering of Jewish-Catholic dialogue, it condemned anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism, noted “the suffering and insecurity in which Israelis live,” and affirmed Israel’s right to live at peace within its “internationally recognized borders.” But it also noted “the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the whole region, especially on the Palestinians who are suffering the consequences of the Israeli occupation. It went on to say that “. . . we see that a just and lasting peace is the only salvation for everyone and for the good of the region and its peoples.” Source: An article by JTA.org

israel chosen people cyrille salim bustros promised land anti-defamation league abe foxman christians middle east federico lombardi jews palestinians synod of bishops

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Palestinian plan divides United Nations

25 Sep 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul wants nothing more, we hear in the second reading this Sunday, than that the members of the church at Philippi be “of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” The United Nations appears to be anything but united this week with member nations deeply divided over a Palestinian plan to apply for recognition as a member state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to formally submit the bid Friday. The United States has promised to veto the application should it reach the Security Council. In an address on Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama told the U.N. General Assembly: "There is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations." Obama’s speech came midway through a week in which U.S. officials have aggressively worked to head off a U.N. Security Council vote on Palestinian status. And if the Palestinians submit the application for statehood Friday, U.S. and European officials have said they are working to delay a vote on it in the 15-nation Security Council for weeks, if not months. The U.S. is straddling a difficult line with the international community, where support for Palestinian aspirations is strong. In his address the U.S. president celebrated democracy movements in the Middle East and Africa this past year and acknowledged that many think that the Palestinian cause deserves similar support from the world community. Sources: Articles by Laura Meckler and Jay Solomon for the Wall Street Journal, Helene Cooper for theNew York Times, and Mohammed Daraghmeh and Tarek El-Tablawy for the Associated Press

barack obama palestinians united nations mahmoud abbas un security council

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"What price, freedom?" Israelis ask

23 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist offers praise to the Lord for being “safe from my enemies.” There were celebrations in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip Tuesday as a complex exchange of prisoners brought safety and freedom to kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit as well as to hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Not all observers were pleased, however, with the deal Israel struck in order to obtain Shalit’s release. Israel had agreed to release 1,027 Palestinians in exchange for Shalit’s freedom, including nearly 300 who were serving life sentences for murder or terrorism. Although polls showed public support for the deal, members of victims' families said they felt betrayed. A subdued Israeli homecoming ceremony for Shalit stood in stark contrast with the mood in the Gaza Strip, where buses carrying the first freed Palestinians were escorted by heavily armed Hamas fighters. A spokesman for Hamas’s military arm suggested that the group would continue to seek opportunities to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said signing off on the deal had been “a very difficult decision,’’ and he alluded to possible challenges ahead. “I would like to make it clear: We will continue to fight terrorism,” he said. “Any released terrorist who returns to terrorism” will be dealt with. After the family had landed in Shalit’s hometown, his father, who became a familiar figure over the years of fighting to keep national attention on his son’s plight, said he sympathized with the bereaved families, adding, “We feel the pain for the price they paid for Gilad’s freedom.” Shalit, 25, looked frail and dazed five years after Hamas fighters ambushed his tank, killed two of his comrades and dragged him into the Gaza Strip in 2006. The captive soldier has had little contact with the outside world, his father said. Each side accused the other of mistreating its prisoners. Shalit, who was denied Red Cross visits during his imprisonment, was pushed into an uncomfortable interview on Egyptian television before being handed over to Israel, and Israelis watched his measured responses and labored breathing with fury. Hamas officials said their members had been subject in Israeli prisons to “torture, compulsion, and revenge.” Sources: Articles by Ernesto Londoño for the Washington Post,Ethan Bronner for the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times

gaza strip hamas palestinians prisoners benjamin netanyahu gilad shalit

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