With recent elections in Israel and peace talks with Iran, talk has been in the news once again about the Israel and Palestinian conflict. I’ve also been hosting conversation here on the blog about errant pro-Israel theology that we are taught by fundamentalism, and which encourages us to support the oppression of our Palestinian brothers and sisters- many of them Christians living under oppression of the Israeli occupation.
Debate, as usual, has been heated. Those still stuck in the blind pro-Israel theology we were given without question often respond with anger and accusations of ignorance to those showing sympathy for Palestine, or simply label them “Semitic” and move on (which is kinda funny, since Palestinians are Semites as well, making the hard-line pro-Israel side anti-Semitic itself).
I’ve been told more than once that Israel is the oppressed and Palestine is the oppressor– but is that true? To carry this conversation further, I thought it would be a good idea to sit down with a Christian missionary living in Palestine to tell us about her experiences over the past 11 years living in Palestine. I think it is crucial in this conversation to listen to the voices of those actually living in that area, instead of simply arm-chair quarterbacking the whole thing based on whatever our pastor taught us as kids.
So, please join me for a very special episode of That God Show, where I sit down with Anne from Palestine to ask about her ministry there, and her experiences living under the Israeli occupation for the past 11 years. Of course, you can download it from iTunes, or for ease, I have embedded this special episode right here:
6 Responses
Your article gave me a lot of inspiration, I hope you can explain your point of view in more detail, because I have some doubts, thank you.
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Reading your article helped me a lot and I agree with you. But I still have some doubts, can you clarify for me? I’ll keep an eye out for your answers.
Living in southern Israel for the past year and a half has reinforced what I already expected, which informed people can figure out without being here, that the situation not only in Israel, but throughout the Middle East, is far too complicated for simply analyses, or solutions. My only concern about emphasizing the injustices of the Israeli occupation — in isolation — is if it reinforces the moronic tendency among Americans to figure out who’s wearing the white hats, and who the black. We understand nothing if we simply put black hats instead of white on Israelis. I fear there is a depressing truth here that optimists refuse to acknowledge, that to hope for human resolution is vain, and that the only real “cure” is time.
Thank you. If only there wasn’t this kneejerk prejudice from so many Americans, and international fundies…
Maybe you should ask how it is living as a Christian in Gaza, Syria and Iraq. POOR CHRISTIANS! How dare you put lies about Israel when you have Christians being slaughtered in every Muslim country including Coptic Christians in Egypt. How is love you leftist activists-total silence on the butchery occurring all over Africa and the ME, as well as Pakistan where Christians are being burned alive. Typical Jew hating in disguise. You are a bunch of racists who are so obsessed with one small corner of the world while the rest of the worlds burns down-lets see-Ukraine, Tibet, Nigeria, the Congo, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. How about starting churches there? Cowards.