March 2003 Newsletter
By BISHOP DR. MUNIB A. YOUNAN
Salaam
and grace to you from Jerusalem, the city of Christ's death
and resurrection.
The
world’s eyes are focused on the looming possibility of
war in Iraq and on the intense discussions in the United Nations
regarding this war. We in Palestine and Israel follow each detail
carefully, knowing that the conflicts in both Iraq and the UN
will have specific consequences for us – indeed, for the
entire world. We believe these to be negative consequences and
continue to raise our urgent voices to warn world leaders that
war in the Middle East will only serve to increase bitterness,
hatred, acts of war and religious and political extremism, rather
than deter them. Speculative promises of “positive breakthroughs
in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict following the war”
are minimal at best. We do not believe these promises, knowing
that the basic issues of the conflict will not have changed
and may have become increasingly worse during a war.
1.
The Rapidly Deteriorating
Situation for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza are no longer simply
facing a humanitarian crisis – they are now in the midst
of it. This economic, food, health care, education and social
service crisis has been produced by the relentless Israeli closures
of towns and villages, often keeping the entire population under
24 hour curfews. People are unable to get to work, to school
or to necessary medical care. All these facts are obvious to
us as a church because we see our own people and our communities
suffering; we see and experience the punishing, numbing Israeli
military occupation. The ELCJ church council meetings are sporadic
at best; the ELCJ synod has not met since Jan. 18, 2002, due
to closures and curfews. In the midst of our own suffering we
also condemn the acts of violence against innocent people, as
in the recent tragic attack in Haifa. We see the spiral of violence
and hatred increasing and want to do everything possible with
God’s help to stop it and build a reconciling peace.
Please note what other voices are also saying about this crisis.
A. From the World Bank, “Two
Years of Intifada, Closures and Palestinian Economic Crisis:
An Assessment,” March 5, 2003:
“The economic crisis has seriously compromised household
welfare. Many families have endured long periods without work
or incomes. . . Many now depend on food aid for their daily
survival. Coping with the situation has meant selling assets,
borrowing from families, neighbors and shopkeepers and cutting
consumption, including food.
“Using a poverty line of US$2.00 per day, the World Bank
estimated that 21 per cent of the Palestinian population were
poor on the eve of the intifada (third quarter of 2000), a number
that increased to about 60 per cent by December 2002. Accounting
for population growth, the numbers of the poor have tripled,
from 637,000 to just less than 2 million. The poor are getting
poorer. In 1998, the average daily consumption of a poor person
was equivalent to US$1.47 per day. This has now slipped to US$1.32.
More than 75 per cent of the Gaza Strip is now poor.
“The health status of the Palestinian population has deteriorated
measurably. Real per capita food consumption has dropped by
up to 30 per cent since September 2000. A recent survey indicated
that 13.3 per cent of the population of Gaza suffers from acute
malnutrition, similar to levels found in Zimbabwe (13 per cent)
and Congo (13.9 per cent).
“Adolescents are particularly vulnerable. Of an age to
understand the economic hardship that their families face, but
generally too young and inexperienced to be able to help much,
they are particularly susceptible to trauma and to feelings
of powerlessness and rage. Teachers are reporting an increase
in violent behavior at school; many adolescents see no sense
in continuing their education.”
(quoted from page 3 of the report, found on www.worldbank.com)
B.
From the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, noted
in the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre:
Regarding rampant unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
-In the fourth quarter of 2002, 36 per cent of the Palestinian
work force was unemployed, which amounted to 314,000 unemployed
people. Prior to the intifada, in the third quarter of 2000,
170,000 people were unemployed. (general information from www.jmcc.org).
C.
From Christian Aid, “Losing Ground: Israel,
Poverty and the Palestinians,” January 2003:
Christian Aid points to the key structures creating poverty
in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip:
Loss of land – After the Oslo accords, agreement
on Israeli military control meant that Israel controlled 82.8
per cent of Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli settlements – Almost 42 per cent of the
West Bank is controlled by Israeli settlements and regional
municipal councils.
Water – Israeli control over water access limits
Palestinian use … Israeli allocation of water is five
times that of Palestinians (with a contrast of 3.2 million Palestinians
in the West Bank and Gaza to 207,000 Israeli settlers in the
same areas, figures which do not include East Jerusalem –
population information from B’Tselem, The Israeli Information
Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. www.btselem.org).
Closure and curfew – Since the second intifada,
a tightening of the Israeli network of military checkpoints
and roadblocks has placed over three million Palestinians under
virtual siege. Villages are cut off from one another; it is
often impossible to travel from one part of the West Bank to
another, as well as between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Lack of strong self-government – The Palestinian
Authority has been unable to tackle poverty and develop accountable
institutions for a wide variety of reasons. Tax revenues for
the PA are withheld by Israel and this, coupled with the destruction
by Israel of much of the PA infrastructure, has contributed
to a breakdown in government functions.
(general information from p. 6 of the report, found on www.christian-aid.org.uk)
2.
ELCJ Preparedness for War
Bishop Younan describes the general attitude of Israelis and
Palestinians toward the possible war in Iraq:
“We
are living in a situation where people are divided in their
opinions and preparedness for possible war in Iraq. I see the
Israelis taking the threat of war so seriously that it seems
overstated. Every day there are predictions pinpointing the
day the war will start. Many precautions involving distribution
of gas masks, food and water are taking place; some Israeli
people are very frightened while others try to have a more calming
attitude. In the Palestinian society I see and hear a belief
that the war will not really happen. There is a kind of denial
among people, ignoring threats and not taking many precautions.
It is also part of the overall exhaustion of dealing with the
ongoing Israeli occupation.”
Bishop Younan believes the ELCJ must help its member families
and others who work for the ELCJ, particularly in the schools,
to be prepared for strict closures and curfews during a war
in Iraq. It is already apparent around Palestinian towns, for
example, that many roads in and out of the towns are being blocked,
leaving perhaps only one road available. It will then be easy
for the Israeli military to close the one road, keeping all
Palestinians closed in. A 24-hour curfew can then keep everyone
in his or her homes.
The
ELCJ wants to equip our people with material aid in this highly
dangerous time, particularly as it adds to the already devastating
humanitarian situation described in the first section of this
newsletter. Bishop Younan has made urgent appeals to Lutheran
church partners (COCOP) around the world for financial aid to
give even the minimum amount of help to nearly 500 families.
We hope we can give this help before the war begins.
Another
aspect of preparedness for war is happening at the ELCJ Lutheran
Good Shepherd Church in Amman, Jordan. The bishop offered the
Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Action by Churches
Together (ACT) the use of the Lutheran church guesthouse as
a center for the operation of ACT humanitarian aid to Iraqi
people. The Lutheran guesthouse has been refurbished and is
currently in use by many volunteers with various skills and
expertise who are in Amman to assist in humanitarian aid.
Many
expatriates and missionaries from various countries who serve
here have already left us during the wartime; very few remain.
We have been told this is because of insurance reasons. We want
to thank the individuals and their mission boards of various
churches who have decided to stay with us. Their presence is
a solidarity with the people and a strong witness in this time
of crisis.
3.
A Bright, Happy Spot in Lutheran Ministry in Old City Jerusalem
As was mentioned in the February 2003 ELCJ newsletter, the Lutheran
Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem has re-opened
the Day Center for the Elderly in the former Martin Luther School
premises, aided by a grant from the Commission of the European
Communities.
Monday, March 10, was the official re-opening celebration of
the day center and nearly 150 elderly people attended along
with the staff, volunteers and other guests. A noon meal was
served and a band provided music for listening and, in some
cases, for dancing! Conversation, arts, crafts and games were
enjoyed.
Rev. Ibrahim Azar, pastor of the Redeemer Lutheran Congregation,
is the director of the center. Abeer Rabady is the assistant
director. Also on the staff are a social worker, a nurse, a
physical therapist and various volunteers. Abeer states that
90 women and 78 men come to the day center during the course
of a week. The center is open from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, Monday
through Saturday. Another 110 elderly people unable to come
to the center are visited in their homes.
Various activities including fitness, medical tests and exercises,
handcrafts and games as well as classes in reading and writing,
newspaper reading, the law and legal rights, the Bible and First
Aid are offered during the week. Physical therapy is also offered,
and there is much opportunity for conversation, discussion and
interaction.
4.
Bishop Younan at the Lutheran World Federation Pre-Assembly
in Asia
From March 2-6, 2003, the leaders of the 46 Lutheran church
bodies in Asia (with a membership of 7½ to 8 million
Lutherans) gathered in Medan, Indonesia, for the Asian LWF Pre-Assembly.
The upcoming international LWF Assembly will take place in July
2003 in Winnipeg, Canada. Bishop Younan gave the keynote address
at the Asian asembly: “For the Healing of the World: What
is the Role of the Church?” (See the ELCJ web site, www.holyland-lutherans.org,
for the text of the bishop’s address.) Ms Dahlia Habash
of the ELCJ also attended the pre-assembly as a delegate.
The
Lutheran churches in Asia are the result of Lutheran mission
work done in the nineteenth century and are both sending and
receiving churches. The Christian people in Asia live as a minority
in societies that are multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-racial.
The Lutheran church witness has survived all sorts of turbulences
and difficulties, continuing their witness to Christ. In Indonesia,
for example, there are twelve Lutheran church bodies; the largest
is the HKBP with three million members.
“I am encouraged by their fresh witness,”
Bishop Younan stated. “When I hear how the Asian Lutherans
cope with their problems, I am encouraged to continue ministry
in my own context. These Asian churches have a future for mission,
for proclaiming the Word of God, for diaconia. They teach us
about the pluralistic nature of the struggling church, the church
of martyria. We thank God when we see it – how God is
working in God’s own way in Asia. The 46 Lutheran churches
in Asia, including the ELCJ, have pledged ourselves to pray
for one another.”
Also,
Bishop Younan related how his Old Testament reading and blessing
in Arabic at the Sunday worship service in the Asian LWF Pre-Assembly
Consultation in Medan were carried on Indonesian television.
Bishop Younan had been surprised and pleased to be invited by
the HKBP bishop to give the closing blessing in Arabic because
it is proper for the bishop of the indigenous church body to
give this blessing. All the Lutheran churches in Medan were
present at the service as well as all twelve Lutheran bishops
of the twelve Indonesian church bodies. Over television the
largely Muslim population of Indonesia was learning, perhaps
for the first time, that there are Arab Christians and not only
Muslims and Jews living in Israel and Palestine. It was also
a surprise for them to realize there are Arab Christians who
speak in the language of the Koran, who praise and bless God
in Arabic. The Indonesian Christians felt this was a big encouragement
in their own witness and struggle in their society. “I
had simply spoken in my mother tongue,” Bishop Younan
stated. “It was another example of how a Christian’s
mere presence is a vital, living witness.”
5.
Reflections on “War? Or No War?”
Certainly we are in no position to predict whether there will
or will not be a war in Iraq. It is questionable whether the
world leaders and politicians are decided. Bishop Younan states,
“The divisions regarding the threats of war are a
matter of concern to us. Are those opposing the war in fear
of their own interests or are they in fear of the dangers of
the war itself and the post-war situation? The actual war undoubtedly
means bloodshed, catastrophe, bitterness and hatred. Every person
is valuable; every drop of human blood is too precious to waste.
“Those who say ‘no war’ see the world being
in a worse condition if there is war, with the international
will flaunted. Those who say ‘yes’ to war apparently
believe the violence and extremism will end by attacking and
bombing Iraq. But isn’t it true that if we give in to
war that we will simply create another platform on which violence
and extremist will proliferate?
“I am here to tell you that Palestinians are exhausted
from oppression and injustice that take the form of war right
here in Palestine and Israel. We of all people know war’s
terrible toll and the consequences of violence and extremism.
We plead with the world not to try to solve one problem at the
expense of another, leaving only a bleak future for everyone.
May God give us strength and courage to work for truth, justice
and a genuine peace through peaceful means.”
“Let justice roll on like a
river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
(Amos 5)
Lord God, let justice stream forth for every nation in
the Middle East.
|
Noted
by Rev. Dr. Mary E. Jensen
Communications Assistant to Bishop Dr. Munib A Younan, ELCJ
