By Andrew Tucker
Last Friday 11th December 2009, a number of leading Arab Christians published a document entitled “A Moment of truth – a word of hope, faith and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering”. It condemns the Israeli “occupation” of Palestinian territories as ”an evil and a sin that must be resisted and removed”.
The website on which the statement is published states the background and purpose of the statement as follows: “This document is the Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about what is happening in Palestine. It is written at this time when we wanted to see the Glory of the grace of God in this land and in the sufferings of its people. In this spirit the document requests the international community to stand by the Palestinian people who have faced oppression, displacement, suffering and clear apartheid for more than six decades. The suffering continues while the international community silently looks on at the occupying State, Israel. Our word is a cry of hope, with love, prayer and faith in God. We address it first of all to ourselves and then to all the churches and Christians in the world, asking them to stand against injustice and apartheid, urging them to work for a just peace in our region, calling on them to revisit theologies that justify crimes perpetrated against our people and the dispossession of the land.”
This is a document which all Christians should take seriously. It is absolutely essential to recognise the suffering of so many Arab people in Palestine. As so-c alled Christian Zionists we have sometimes been guilty of overlooking the shocking circumstances in which these brothers and sisters in Christ find themselves.
However my concern is that the statement which has just been published contains far too many mistatements of fact, misrepresentations of opinions of others, and misunderstandings of what Jesus Christ taught us about Himself and His work of salvation. It condemns the Israeli “occupation” of Palestinian territories as ”an evil and a sin that must be resisted and removed”.
Somehow, there is a deep divide between the authors of this document, and those who believe that God is bringing the Jewish people back to this land. How can it be that Christians who profess to believe and follow the same Lord and Saviour can be so opposed to one another in their understanding of the Bible and of the facts on the ground? What are the differences? Where are the dividing lines? In the coming days we intend to explore these issues, give closer consideration to this statement, and the allegations it makes.
http://www.kairospalestine.ps/?q=node/1
Tags: 2 state-solution, anti-zionism, Jerusalem, palestinians
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