Let’s Consider a Palestinian Perspective about the Israel-Hamas War
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The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
Commentary by Susie Leonard Weller | FāVS News
In 1972, I lived for three months in Israel with a Jewish program called “Summer in Kibbutz.” As a Christian, I wanted to appreciate Jesus’ historical roots. I was assigned to live at Kibbutz Ein Harod for six weeks, about 25 miles from Nazareth. There, I met survivors from the Holocaust who had numbers tattooed on their forearms and heard about the atrocities they endured.
Afterward, I traveled with a Jewish group for two weeks from the Golan Heights near the Lebanon border to Eilat, on the Red Sea and border with Jordan. For the last three weeks, I lived for one week each on the Jewish side of Jerusalem, inside the Arab Market with a Palestinian Family and on the Arab side of Jerusalem.
Even though I appreciate how the Israelis have “made the desert bloom,” it has come at a great price for the local Palestinians. I heard first-hand the impact of how Jewish settlers confiscated ancestral lands and treated Palestinians as second-class citizens. As I prayed on the Mount of Olives overlooking the old city of Jerusalem, I also wept for both the Israeli and Palestinian descendants of Abraham.
When you’re reading about the current war in Israel, there are always two sides to consider about an event.
The Green Olive Collective Tours
Last Spring, my husband and I wanted to visit Jericho and Bethlehem. We booked a day tour with the Green Olive Collective, a tour agency and advocacy organization with Palestinian and Israeli partners, that is based in Jerusalem. They are committed to a democratic future for Israel, as well as the end to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians. We chose them because each of their tours included both an Israeli and a Palestinian guide to provide a balanced point of view.
We’ve remained on their mailing list, and I recently received two emails from them. I was curious to hear their perspective on current events.
What They Said
Here’s an excerpt of what their communications director sent to me on Oct. 9:
“We are writing today with grim hearts as we watch the escalating violence unfold in Israel and Palestine. We mourn the tragic loss of life, are heartbroken by the brutality, and stand with all those calling not for reprisal but a just and lasting peace.
We unequivocally condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas and the declaration of war issued by Benjamin Netanyahu. We also know that decades of occupation, apartheid, and closure in Gaza led to this moment. Walls, air strikes, ground invasions, and militarized border zones will never bring safety. Only freedom, equality, solidarity, and an end to the siege of Gaza can bring a future of dignity for all.
It is exactly in moments like this that we must insist that military rule by one people over another can only bring despair. As an organization committed to providing communities around the world with insights into the apartheid policies of occupation and the tools to engage in meaningful solidarity with Palestinians, we will continue to reach out with updates and opportunities for international engagement in the coming days.
We encourage everyone to participate in local mobilizations, actions, and demonstrations against collective punishment in Gaza. … We hope there is no more suffering and pray for peace and safety for everyone in the Holy Land.“
How to Learn More
The Collective will livestream their second “emergency” webinar, “Palestine Speaks,” Sunday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. (PST). You can register and access their Zoom link here.
It is a forum to hear directly from Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank about the escalating violence they are experiencing. If you register and are unable to join their webinar, they will send you a link to their recording.
I am neither minimizing nor condoning, the violent actions of Hamas. At the same time, the retaliatory actions of the Israelis to kill twice the number of Palestinians and to displace almost a million civilians in Gaza are also not acceptable.
Heather Cox Richardson, a Professor of History at Boston College, and author of “Democracy Awakening,” summarized on her Oct. 15 blog: “Hamas fighters, who crossed into Israel, have killed at least 1,300 people, mainly civilians. Retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza have since killed at least 2,670 people … Israel has stopped food, water, fuel, and electricity from getting to the people in Gaza.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently told reporters in Egypt, “There are two very different visions for the future and what the Middle East can and should be. The U.S. stands behind a vision that has countries in the region normalizing their relations, integrating, working together in common purpose, and upholding and bringing forth the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
I pray that wisdom and compassion will prevail to support this vision of mutual peace and respect in the Middle East.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
The region has seen too much pain and needs peace now. Ameen to your prayers.
Thank you for sharing this perspective. Palestine has an historically deep and diverse culture.–as Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish wrote, “Unfortunately it was paradise.” Hamas has brought terror upon both Israel and Palestine, and the Israeli state is not acting with the needed wisdom and compassion to make peace likely.