We Support Israel But Cannot Excuse Human Rights Violations
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Israel has a right to exist free from terrorism or fear of annihilation. Unfortunately, many of their neighbors and nation-states such as Iran have openly worked for their destruction. The Jewish people of Israel have every right to fear another Holocaust.
Our nation has a special relationship with Israel. We are their protector and benefactor. President Truman acted to make the United States the first nation to recognize Israel. He was right to do so.
But our support for Israel cannot blind us to their treatment of the Palestinian people. Nor can we ignore their continued violation of human rights any more than we can ignore the violation of human rights committed by the United States in recent years.
Israeli supporters and their American allies need to stop calling those that oppose their military policies anti-Semitic. Such rhetoric is meant to silence critics and inflame tensions. It is the equivalent of saying those who question American policies are unpatriotic.
The most recent incident under question has been the violent taking of a ship with humanitarian supplies to Gaza, a place left desolate by Israel's blockade and the corruption and incompetence of their own government.
In the wake of this incident, JStreet, the well respected American-based Jewish organization, suggested the following actions needed to be taken:
On June 3, 2010 the National Council of Churches USA also released a statement concerning recent events:The words of Israel’s national anthem speak of hope — a hope that one day the Jewish people would have a national home of our own. However far-off such a dream may have felt in 1878, when the original words of “HaTikvah” were composed, that hope was realized 70 years later. What had been only a poet’s dream became a reality.
Recent events off the coast of Gaza confirm for many the impossibility of speaking of peace, relegating it to nothing more than a poet’s dream. We feel deeply the sense of pain and anguish over the violence and insecurity wrought on Israel by Hamas through rockets and terror, as well as the ongoing suffering of Gilad Shalit and his family.
But we, American rabbis and cantors, assert that we have not lost hope. We are steadfast in remaining true to the vision of Israel’s founders in creating a democratic, Jewish state — a nation that upholds the highest human and Jewish values.
The international controversy surrounding the attack on the Gaza flotilla, the tragic loss of life, and the growing isolation of Israel concern us deeply. They reinforce our conviction that immediate efforts to finally resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are urgently needed to ensure Israel’s long-term security and to create a viable, just, and lasting two-state solution.
It is our hope that the rhetoric and actions that feed fear and violence, emanating from both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, will soon give way to bold leadership that makes way for the compromises necessary to bring the violence, despair, and terror to an end.
It is our hope that Israel will bring to an end what has become a counter-productive blockade of Gaza’s citizens, a policy which has only strengthened Hamas, while causing great suffering to many innocent Palestinians. The blockade as currently operated also undermines Israel’s long-term security and interests by increasing international hostility and isolation. We believe it is possible for Israel to ensure that weapons and materials intended for purposes of terror do not enter Gaza by screening humanitarian goods and materials appropriately to ensure they are intended for peaceful purposes.
It is our hope that the American Jewish community will become a positive force for peace, adding our voices to those in Israel calling for compromise and reconciliation.
It is our hope that the Obama administration will take this recent crisis as an opportunity to do all in its power to achieve a viable and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Hope is not lost, and we refuse to give up hope in the possibility of two states, Jewish and Palestinian, living as neighbors, in peace and security. Od lo avda tikvateinu.
New York, June 3, 2010 -- The National Council of Churches and other faith groups have expressed alarm and concern over the Israeli action May 31 against an international flotilla on the high seas that led to the deaths of nine persons and the wounding of many others.
"The National Council of Churches has strongly supported Israel's right to exist with peace and security, but this attack on an aid convoy contributes to neither," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary. "In fact, it undermines Israel's standing in the community of nations."
Kinnamon supported a statement released Wednesday by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) that said "the incident highlights the need for the United States to work for new, constructive Israeli policies toward Gaza that end the blockade and provide for the humanitarian need of those living there without diminishing Israel’s own security."
Kinnamon is a member of the board of CMEP, which is a coalition of 23 public policy offices of national churches and agencies -- Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. CMEP began its work in 1984 out of the conviction that the policy perspectives and long Middle East experience of our member bodies should be more widely known in the public policy arena. It maintains an on-going dialogue with Congress, the Administration and the diplomatic community, to advance such concerns, assessments, and advocacy positions.
Less than three months ago, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and the heads of many of CMEP’s sponsoring organizations wrote to President Obama urging him to use America’s unique relationship with Israel to persuade it to open its borders with Gaza now. CMEP said then, “We believe this policy is strategically unsound, harms Israel’s security, and exacts an unacceptable toll on innocent Palestinians.”
The letter also said, “The perception of U.S. support for or acquiescence in the closure challenges our reputation for upholding humanitarian values. It deprives 1.4 million Palestinians of a decent, minimum standard of welfare. It restricts the use of the $300 million the United States has committed to rebuild Gaza, is a serious obstacle to restoring hope and making peace, and undermines long term Israeli security.” Over 6,000 endorsements of this letter from CMEP supporters have been received and sent by CMEP to the White House.
The current Israeli restrictions on trade and movement of persons in and out of Gaza have been in place since Hamas took over Gaza by force in 2007. They have limited trade in food and medicines and led to worsening unemployment and poverty among Gaza's population of 1.4 million. Restrictions on imports of building materials have limited reconstruction of housing and utilities destroyed during the war. Travel restrictions have limited opportunities for education.
The restrictions were aimed in part at ending rocket attacks from Gaza and securing the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit. They also had the political goal of undermining Hamas' control in Gaza. "
The blockade has not had the desired results," CMEP said. " Hamas remains in power. Rocket attacks have not completely stopped. Smuggling of goods through tunnels under Gaza's border with Egypt has become an economy of its own. Paradoxically this underground trade is controlled and taxed by Hamas. President Obama has said that "the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security interests."
The Gaza flotilla incident also underlines the necessity of pressing without delay for a comprehensive agreement for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, beginning with the indirect talks now being brokered by the United States, CMEP said.
"This crisis and its tragic consequences must not be allowed to undermine peace efforts. The United States should seize this opportunity to push hard now for an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority has already said it plans to continue the proximity talks with Israel brokered by the United States. The United States should help Israel find better ways to enhance its security through negotiation and a comprehensive agreement for peace."Dr. Kinnamon is a long-time friend of Israel who studied there and has been an outspoken supporter of Israel's security. In fact, he spoke in recent years at a controversial "Stand With Israel" rally that was condemned by many peace activists, Jewish and Christian, who felt the rallies (sponsored in part by Religious Right organizations) inflamed tensions. As one of his students at Eden Theological Seminary, I questioned his participation in that event but have never once questioned his commitment to peace and justice. I mention this episode because no one should question NCC's commitment to Israel under his leadership.
In response to the international outcry concerning the blockade of Gaza there is been some good news this week:
"The Israeli Cabinet decision to ease the blockade of Gaza is a step toward ending a policy that amounts to unlawful collective punishment of Gaza's civilians, but fails to address severe Israeli restrictions on exports and freedom of movement," says Human Rights Watch. "Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision would allow the "expansion of economic activity," the Cabinet decision did not address Israel's policy of restricting exports from Gaza, which has crippled Gaza's economy and led to high rates of unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity. During the past three years, Israel has permitted the export of only a few truckloads of strawberries and cut flowers. Under international humanitarian law governing military occupation, Israel has an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of Gaza's civilian population."Jews, Muslims and Christians must all witness for peace during a time of increased extremism from people representing all our faith traditions.