“What Makes This Land Holy?” That was the title of the Faith Commons tour to Israel/Palestine scheduled to begin on October 9, 2023. We had planned a dual narrative trip with two guides the entire time: one Jewish Israeli and one Christian Palestinian. Equal time would be spent on both sides of the Green Line, the armistice boundary drawn by Moshe Dayan at the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Our itinerary included many sites considered holy by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. But the focus was on people–Israelis and Palestinians from different backgrounds and religions who embody holiness through their work and their deeds, all of them motivated by faith. Our first nights were booked at the Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam hotel in the Oasis of Peace, a cooperative Jewish/Arab village located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The night before I was scheduled to leave, a friend asked me what I was most concerned about in anticipation of this trip.
“Nothing.” I answered, after thinking for a moment. “I am just so happy to be leading a trip that is centered on the shared humanity that is possible and present in a place so riven with strife. I am grateful to be part of an experience in Israel/Palestine where coexistence is featured as a prerequisite to a sustainable future, not a novelty or luxury.”
The next morning I woke up to a text from George, who had left the week before to attend a conference in Bethlehem and was waiting for our group to arrive at a hotel in Jerusalem. “Good morning, Nance. Imagine you are up and preparing to go to the airport. Lots of uncertainty here now. Both Israel and Hamas say they are at war. We are confined to the hotel more or less. Hearing loud booms, sirens. Mixed reports about whether the airport will close.” Shortly thereafter my flight was canceled, as was our tour.
A year has passed, and the war has continued and expanded throughout the region, its violence and destruction metastasizing throughout the world with each passing day. We are being asked, or required, to abandon hope for peaceful coexistence, or at best, to postpone it indefinitely. But is it really practical to give up on peace?
Two weeks before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Michael Koplow, Chief Policy Officer of Israel Policy Forum gave testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He reiterated the important role that investment in co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians plays in countering terrorism. He explained that “standing with Israel” cannot just be about military aid. He called for greater investment in peacebuilding capacity for Israelis and Palestinians. His words fell on deaf ears then, and they continue to fall on deaf ears now. We have arguably compromised our own security here in the U.S. by providing Israel with what has amounted to a blank check for its military response to terrorist attacks on Israelis, the antithesis of what Mr. Koplow recommended.
Military responses to terrorism may feel justified and satisfying. But they cause irredeemable consequences because they dehumanize anyone deemed a security threat, real or imagined. When Israelis and supporters of Israel conflate Palestinians and Hamas, they turn all Palestinians into targets for elimination. When Palestinians and supporters of Palestinian self-determination conflate Israelis, Jews, or Zionists with the current Israeli government, all of them become the enemy. The sad irony is that these solutions dehumanize both perpetrator and victim, leaving no space for the compassion, humility, or reasoned thinking that resolutions to conflict require.
The organizations and institutions that were on our What Makes This Land Holy itinerary are still bringing Israelis and Palestinians together to affirm and confirm the humanity of the other, in the face of greater barriers than ever before. The Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue makes the dream of a shared society a reality for students, teachers and parents enrolled in their programs. Emek Shaveh builds bridges and strengthens bonds between peoples and cultures through protecting the ancient sites of all communities and faiths. At the Sindyanna of Galilee cooperative, Jewish and Arab women remain partners in an ethical and sustainable agriculture business. The Polyphony Foundation continues to bring Jews and Arabs together to study and perform classical music. All of these organizations are healing trauma through building trust, fostering understanding, and setting and realizing shared goals. All of these organizations have figured out how to regroup and continue to fulfill their missions during the past painful year, exhibiting incredible courage and determination.
Yet when it comes to attention, and to funding, those who heal trauma are pushed to the shadows while those who cause it take center stage. We have allowed the terms “pro-Israeli” and “pro-Palestinian” to be equated with dehumanizing, demonizing, or, at best, ignoring, the other. Organizations that are simply pro-Human are seen as disloyal or dangerous.
The goal for our trip to Israel/Palestine was to strengthen our ability to be both “pro-Israeli” and “pro-Palestinian.” The tour was canceled, but we are more committed to our goal than ever before. To stand with Israel means to stand with Israelis and Palestinians who recognize each other as legitimate heirs to the same land and are determined to find a way to live together. To stand with Palestine is no different.
The horrors are real. The inhumanity is shocking. What can we do at a time like this?
We can hope to destroy our enemies, or we can work to make more friends.
We can invest in fear-mongering, or we can engage in thoughtful discernment.
We can withdraw and hunker down, or we can seek out individuals and groups who are willing to work and think creatively across differences for the benefit of all human beings.
If you wish to learn more about the way you can support peace in this time of enmity and hatred, here are some suggestions.
Read/Listen to this:
- Peacebuilding Amidst Ongoing Violence with Rev. Dr. Gary Mason | Rossing Center
- Nonviolence as The Path to Freedom for Palestinians and Israelis with Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin | Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
- Etgar Keret: “When you say Israel is committing genocide, it means you don’t want to have any conversation.” | K.
- The Dangerous Quest for Identity, Yuval Noah Harari | TIME
- Yuval Noah Harari Wants to Reclaim Zionism, Gal Beckerman | The Atlantic
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