Author: Kairos Puget Sound Coalition

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No Bark, No Bite

Vice President Joe Biden in Des Moines, Iowa, May 3rd, 2019. (photo: Michael F. Hiatt via Shutterstock)
It appears the old rules governing the Israel debate in Washington—set by AIPAC and its allies—still apply.

By Peter Beinart | Jewish Currents | May 21, 2020

How could a letter asking Democrats to oppose annexation, which almost all of them ostensibly do, and pledging consequences no more severe than a decline in American public support for Israel—which AIPAC’s own Democratic front group has warned of publicly—still win so little support?

With each passing week, it becomes clearer that Joe Biden’s victory over Bernie Sanders is making it easier for Israel to annex the West Bank.

The latest evidence comes from the United States Senate. On May 1st, with the support of the pro-Israel, anti-occupation lobbying group J Street, three Democratic senators—Chris Murphy from Connecticut, Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, and Tim Kaine from Virginia—drafted a letter opposing annexation, which they asked their colleagues to sign. Murphy, Van Hollen, and Kaine are not Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s toughest critics in the Senate—in 2017, Kaine backed the Taylor Force Act, which cut aid to the Palestinian Authority—but this is precisely what made the three senators appealing messengers. “The letter,” one Senate staffer explained, “was designed to attract more moderate Democrats that don’t typically stick their neck out on these things.”

Continue reading “No Bark, No Bite”

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3rd Thursday Action Alert: Tell Congress: No to annexation, and no to continued occupation

Action request to tell Congress that now is the time for the US to oppose Israeli annexation.

By Global Ministries | May 18, 2020

Palestinians therefore refer to the ‘ongoing nakba,’ which has meant a de facto appropriation of Palestinian land and property, and denial of their basic human and civil rights.

Last Friday, May 15, Palestinians commemorated Nakba Day. “Nakba,” an Arabic word that means “catastrophe,” is how Palestinians describe what happened to them following Israel’s declaration of independence in May 1948 and the corresponding war. During the period, more than 500 Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed by the nascent Israeli state’s military, resulting in the forcible displacement and dispossession of more than 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and villages. Today, those still living and their descendants, comprise more than 5 million Palestinian refugees, whose rights of return and/or compensation for their losses as articulated in UN resolution 194 (1948) remain unfulfilled.

Continue reading “3rd Thursday Action Alert: Tell Congress: No to annexation, and no to continued occupation”

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Webinar: Tied in a Single Garment of Destiny: Black Christian Reflections on Palestine

Please join our brothers and sisters for a panel of leaders and activists who will reflect on how triple evils tie together Black and Palestinian stories, our past and present struggles for justice, and the role of the Church and liberation theologies in the march toward freedom.
Date: Thursday, May 21 2020
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm PT
Location: Webinar
Information: Event information here →
Tickets: Free, must register
Event Details

As people of African descent, our struggle against the racism, economic exploitation, and militarism of the United States, what Rev. Dr. King dubbed the “giant triplets,” ties us to the Palestinian people, as they face these giants as well, under Israeli occupation. And today those most harmed by the triple evils are disproportionately impacted by the giant of the COVID-19 public health crisis. It is more apparent than ever that Palestinians and Black Americans are tied in “a single garment of destiny,” what affects one directly affects the other indirectly.

The panel of dynamic thought leaders and activists will reflect on how the triple evils tie together Black and Palestinian stories, our past and present struggles for justice, and the role of the Church and liberation theologies in the march toward freedom. Our panelists include:

  • Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson is an Affrilachian (Black Appalachian), working class woman. She is the Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Research & Education Center in New Market, TN.
  • Erica N. Williams is an ordained minister, activist and organizer for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
  • Khury Petersen-Smith is the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at Institute for Policy Studies.
  • Nyle Fort is a minister, activist, and Ph.D. candidate in religion and African American studies at Princeton University.
  • Sarah Nahar is a border-walking scholar-activist working on a PhD in Religion and Environmental Studies in Syracuse, NY (traditional Haudenosaunee land).

More information here →

 

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Israel’s new government: scandalous by any definition

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Americans for Peace Now
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer.

By Americans for Peace Now | May 18, 2020

After nearly 18 months of transition government and three deadlocked elections, what has emerged, at a time of acute economic hardship brought on by the corona pandemic, is Israel’s largest and most financially wasteful government in history, a record 36 ministers-strong.

Q. What are the primary tasks that confront the new government of Israel that was sworn in on May 17?

A. Before discussing some very urgent tasks, the scandal involved in the emergence of this government requires that we start with its ugly aspect. Followed by the funny part. Then and only then can we get down to what’s urgent and important.

After nearly 18 months of transition government and three deadlocked elections, what has emerged, at a time of acute economic hardship brought on by the corona pandemic, is Israel’s largest and most financially wasteful government in history, a record 36 ministers-strong. It features the remarkable innovation of a prime minister and an alternate prime minister. Its leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, claims that the hundreds of millions of taxpayer shekels needed to pay for salaries, offices, drivers and all the other perks of useless ministries will come to less than the cost of a fourth round of elections.

Continue reading “Israel’s new government: scandalous by any definition”

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Webinar: Peace in the Holy Land, A Palestinian Christian Perspective

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Please join our brothers and sisters on the Israel Palestine Impact Team at Bellevue Presbyterian Church to hear Palestinian Christian Alex Awad delve into questions American evangelical Christians often have about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Date: Friday, May 29, 2020
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm
PST
Location: Webinar
Information: Event information here →
Tickets: Free with registration
Event Details

After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the webinar.

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Alex Awad spent much of his life in ministry in the Holy Land. He pastored an international church in East Jerusalem and also served many years at Bethlehem Bible College. During the webinar — titled “Peace in the Holy Land, A Palestinian Christian Perspective” — Alex will address questions evangelical Christians commonly raise about the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These include:

  • What prevents peace between Israel and Palestine?
  • What does the Bible say about the situation in the Holy Land today?
  • Who are the Palestinian Christians?
  • What are the challenges and opportunities for interfaith dialogue

An online question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Kyle Cristofalo, CMEP’s Director of Advocacy and Government Relations, will moderate the session and also address audience questions.

More information here →

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Church leaders oppose Israeli plans to annex unilaterally West Bank land

An Israeli soldier guards at the Gush Etzon Settlements junction near Bethlehem, West Bank, May 10, 2020.  (photo: CNS / Debbie Hill)
Church leaders call on the United States, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the United Nations to respond with a peace initiative of their own based on international law and U.N resolutions.

By Judith Sudilovsky | Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation | May 14, 2020

‘An array of plans for Israel to unilaterally annex West Bank land, backed mainly by right-wing factions, raises serious and catastrophic questions about the feasibility of any peaceful agreement to end the decades-long conflict, one that continues to cost many innocent lives as part of a vicious cycle of human tragedy and injustice,’
— Church Leaders in the Holy Lands statement

JERUSALEM – Moving forward with an Israeli plan to unilaterally annex West Bank land could mean the end to the already languishing Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, said the heads of the Holy Land churches.

“An array of plans for Israel to unilaterally annex West Bank land, backed mainly by right-wing factions, raises serious and catastrophic questions about the feasibility of any peaceful agreement to end the decades-long conflict, one that continues to cost many innocent lives as part of a vicious cycle of human tragedy and injustice,” the church leaders said in their statement.

Among those who signed the May 7 statement were Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land.

Continue reading “Church leaders oppose Israeli plans to annex unilaterally West Bank land”

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Webinar: Commemorate by Resisting: The Nakba and Indiginous struggles

Please join our brothers and sisters at Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) in a conversation with Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, Indigenous scholar-activist Melanie Yazzie and Nadya Tannous, a Palestinian activist residing in the USA. These powerful women will share past and present stories of Indigenous resistance to colonialism.
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
Time: 9am PT; 12pm ET
Location: Webinar
Information: Event information here →
Tickets: Webinar Registration
Event Details

Panelist Bios:

Ahed Tamimi is a 19 year old Palestinian, living in Al Nabi Saleh, Northwest of Ramallah. Currently she is a Law student at Birzeit University. She spent 8 months in Israeli prisons after being accused of slapping an Israeli soldier, and other charges. Her continual resistance to the Israeli occupation has earned her then nickname, the Lioness of Palestine.

Melanie Yazzie is an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and American Studies at the University of New Mexico. She co-founded and helps lead The Red Nation, a grassroots organization committed to the liberation of Indigenous people from colonialism and capitalism. She specializes in Navajo/American Indian history, political ecology, Indigenous feminisms, queer Indigenous studies, and theories of policing and the state.

Nadya Tannous is a passionate community organizer with a focus on refugee rights, transitional justice, youth education, and inter-community empowerment. She is a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement –USA and was previously on staff of Friends of Sabeel North America. Nadya holds an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA in Anthropology and Global Information and Social Enterprise Studies from UC Santa Cruz.

More information here →

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Annexation & What it Means: Part 1 – U.S. & International Views

The US administration's Middle East plan would let Israel illegally annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank [File: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images]
The US administration’s Middle East plan would let Israel illegally annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank. (photo: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images]
Please join our brothers and sisters at The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) and the Middle East Institute (MEI) for this 3-part webinar series: “Annexation & What it Means: Views from the Ground & Around the World.”
Date: Wed, May 13, 2020
Fri, May 15, 2020
Mon, May 18, 2020
Time: 11:30 – 1:00 pm
EST
Location: Online Webinar
Information: Event information here →
Tickets: Free, Must Register for each webinar
Event Details

Israel has been de facto annexing land in the West Bank since the inception of its military occupation of Palestinian territories following the 1967 war. Now, under the new Netanyahu-Gantz government and in close coordination with the Trump Administration, the Israeli government is poised to formalize and massively expand the extent of that annexation. What will this mean for Palestinians and for Israelis? What does it mean for the international community? And what happens next – in Israel, Palestine, the region, and the world?

This three-part webinar series, co-moderated by FMEP’s Lara Friedman and MEI’s Khaled Elgindy, will engage leading voices from Israel and Palestine, in addition to U.S., European, and Arab perspectives.

Part 2 – Palestinian Perspectives (Friday, May 15, 11am-12pm ET)
Part 3 – Israeli Perspectives (Monday, May 18, 11am-12pm ET)

More information here →

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Mideast Focus Online Film Series: Voices Across the Divide

Please join our brothers and sisters at St. Mark’s Cathedral Episcopal Mideast Focus Ministry group for a video showing and discussion of  Voices Across the Divide, an award-winning film by Dr. Alice Rothchild, exploring the thinking of Jews who support the Occupation and settlements in the West Bank, and those who do not.  Discussion with Dr. Rothchild will follow.
Date: Friday, May 15, 2020
Time: 7:00pm: Film
8:15pm: Discussion
Location: Zoom on-line
Information: Event information here →
Tickets: Request for zoom access
Event Details

On Friday, May 15, the Online Film Series continues with Voices Across the Divide, an award-winning film by Dr. Alice Rothchild, exploring the thinking of Jews who support the Occupation and settlements in the West Bank, and those who do not. A live discussion with Dr. Rothchild will follow the screening. The purpose of the film, as explained by its directors, is to open a space for honest dialogue:

“The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is one of the most prominent, hot button debates in the US today. There is often little space for compassionate listening or deepening awareness. Access to information about the conflict is shaped by powerful forces and organizations. We believe a better future is possible based on mutual respect and knowledge.

We hope Voices Across the Divide will contribute to an open dialogue grounded in mutual respect, understanding, and political activism that leads to justice for all people in the region. Narrated by Alice Rothchild, an American Jew raised on the tragedies of the Holocaust and the dream of a Jewish homeland in Israel, Voices Across the Divide follows her personal journey as she begins to understand the Palestinian narrative, while exploring the Palestinian experience of loss, occupation, statelessness, and immigration to the US.”

More information here →

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Who matters? Pandemic in a time of structural violence

Palestinian workers disinfect the Gaza seaport, as a preventive measure amid fears of the spread of the coronavirus, in Gaza City, on March 24, 2020. (Photo: Ashraf Amra/APA Images)
Palestinian workers disinfect the Gaza seaport, as a preventive measure amid fears of the spread of coronavirus, in Gaza City , on March 24, 2020. (Photo: Ashraf Amra / APA Images)
A combination of structural racism and apartheid, reliance on military solutions, and a disregard for the health and lives of Palestinian people create a pre-existing condition in this pandemic public health crisis.

By Alice Rothchild  |  Mondoweiss  | May 5, 2020

One of the critical points to this discussion is that the occupation and underlying racism and discrimination in Israel/Palestine persist unabated despite the public health emergency and the interrelatedness of communities and shared risk.

Focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic as it impacts Israel/Palestine provides us with a unique case study of the realities of health care and public health in a racialized and unequal society.

Israel reported its first case of the coronavirus on February 21, a woman returning from a cruise.* In the second week of February, the coronavirus was found in Bethlehem in the West Bank, introduced by foreign tourists, with another wave brought in by day laborers returning from Israel and Jewish settlements. Gaza’s first two cases were noted on March 22, two men returning from Pakistan. The data from East Jerusalem is difficult, partly because Israel considers East Jerusalem part of “unified Jerusalem” while the Palestinian Authority maintains that East Jerusalem is in the occupied West Bank. That said, on March 10, six East Jerusalem Palestinians were quarantined and the first death was reported April 18. The acclaimed world map and dashboard by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering initially erased the Palestinians altogether, then acknowledged the occupation, and finally changed their “country, region, sovereignty” to the West Bank and Gaza, with no separate designation for East Jerusalem.

Continue reading “Who matters? Pandemic in a time of structural violence”