Reflections on Jerusalem, West Bank, Occupation

Reflections on Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Occupation

Written by John H. Thomas
March 18, 2009

These reflections are based, in part, on a recent visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of a trip to visit partners in the Middle East and Germany, March 1-14, 2009. The delegation included the Rev. John Thomas, Peter Makari, Executive for the Middle East and Europe of Global Ministries, and the Rev. Lydia Veliko, UCC Ecumenical Officer.

The ancient tones of the Armenian liturgy echoed through the cavernous spaces of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem late Friday afternoon as the seminarians and priests of the Armenian Patriarchate moved through the final Stations of the Cross. Here in the old walled city the Lenten liturgy recalls more than one Calvary for this venerable community, survivors of the 20th century's first Genocide. Even before the Armenians had finished their devotions, a Greek priest began making preparations for the procession of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. Candles were hastily lit and pilgrims and tourists pushed to the side as the priests, bishops and Patriarch made their way to the tomb and then to a splendid adjacent room for their divine liturgy.

My colleagues and I waited for the procession to end, then left to follow the rush of Jewish residents and tourists heading toward the western wall for Sabbath evening prayers. They dashed through the narrow winding streets to be there by sundown, some dressed in Hasidic garb, others in western suits, still others in army uniforms. There, massed in the great plaza in front of the wall, they clustered in small groups, some at the wall, vigorously bowing their heads in prayer, others dancing in boisterous circles of ecstatic prayer, still others standing around large reading desks, their holy texts open before them for scholarly prayer.

Above the wall the Muslim holy sites were quiet. Muslims had prayed at the Dome of the Rock and al Aqsa Mosque earlier in the day under the watchful gaze of the Israeli Defense Forces. As is often the case, men under the age of forty-five were not permitted to pray there on this Friday, denied access to holy places that would be unthinkable for Christian and Jewish residents and pilgrims in Jerusalem. Apparently only Muslims are security risks in the Holy City.

Here is the Jerusalem that struggles to be home to the world's three great Abrahamic faiths, a multi-ethnic, multi-faith celebration of diversity yet a city where the slightest trespass on another's holy space or ancient privileges is likely to ignite violence between or among faith groups. For some this is a place of inspiration, the ancient stones of the city echoing with the footsteps of sacred ancestors. For some this is a place of religious encounter, the living stones of today's communities of faith striving to maintain ancient traditions. For others it is a kind of curiosity, a living and breathing museum complete with panoramic displays and replete with hawkers of religious trinkets and souvenirs.

But there is another Jerusalem rarely seen by tourists and pilgrims whose itinerary seldom extends beyond the Old City, Yad Vashem, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Israeli Museum and the holy sites in Bethlehem and Nazareth. This Jerusalem, and the villages and cities of the West Bank and Gaza, is the place where the Biblical and Koranic injunctions to love God and neighbor are challenged daily by the reality of Occupation.

On our pilgrimage we met many in Jerusalem and the West Bank who inspired us with their witness and their work:

The staff of B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories who document the violations and abuse that characterize the Occupation of Palestine.

Bernard Sabella, director of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees and a Christian member of the legislature of the Palestinian Authority who guides development and humanitarian relief work for the refugees who have lived without a home for sixty years.

Mona Zaghrout Hodali who supervises the counseling programs of the East Jerusalem YMCA in Beit Sahour. In her office adjacent to the Shepherds Field, a traditional site linked to the herald angel's message of peace in Bethlehem, Ms. Hodali supports efforts to address the emotional damage of the Occupation and, most recently, of the destruction in Gaza.

Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and of the International Center which is building a college to provide academic training and vocational opportunities for Palestinian young people.

The members of the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel we met in Hebron who provide a non-violent monitoring presence in Hebron and elsewhere on the West Bank where tensions between Palestinians and Israeli settlers and soldiers keep communities in a constant state of fear and hostility.

Naim Ateek of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center whose gentle but courageous spirit and persistent commitment to non-violence challenges the demonizing of him by some prominent pro-Israeli voices in the United States. His writing provides a powerful Biblical and theological framework for Christian perspectives on the conflict and the Occupation.

Mark Brown and the Lutheran World Federation program on the Mount of Olives. Here one sees plans for a housing development for Palestinian Christians to stem the decline of a Christian population in East Jerusalem. Here you see the Augusta Victoria Hospital, a primary source of medical care for Palestinians throughout Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, with its brand new pediatric oncology unit and construction that will double its ability to provide radiological oncology services.

Mira Rizek, General Secretary of the YWCA of Palestine, providing vocational training and economic development of Palestinian women.

Our friend Jean Zaru in Ramallah, Clerk of the Religious Society of Friends, known throughout the world for her commitment to justice and peacemaking and author of Occupied by Nonviolence, a collection of reflections and challenges published just last year.

Mission personnel of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who work on our behalf in Jerusalem and the West Bank: Samuel and Noemi Pagan, Ian Alexander and Lydia Bartholomew.

Yes, there are many whose persistent witness to justice and peace inspire our deepest admiration even under Occupation.

Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, UCC