JERUSALEM (RNS) Churches in at least 20 countries plan to participate in the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel organized by the World Council of Churches and leaders in Jerusalem.
The fourth annual week of action, scheduled for June 4-10, encourages Christians from different denominations to work toward peace and justice in the Holy Land.
Participants are invited to pray, educate and advocate, inspired by the theme “it’s time for Palestine,” a WCC statement said. During the week the WCC is urging members to focus on Israeli settlements in occupied territory.
Various churches are planning events to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. One British church is urging people to bring a small stone to build memorials in places of worship. “Use the stone to remember those who have had their houses demolished by the Israeli military,” the WCC said.
Church-related organizations in Norway have scheduled a debate with politicians about ethical investment and the Jewish settlements, while Christians in the Philippines will send prayers and letters to Palestinian children living in a refugee camp.
Gerald Steinberg, a professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, believes that Peace Week sends a negative signal.
“It is one-sided in favor of the Palestinians and counterproductive to serious attempts between Israelis and Palestinians to come to a compromise,” he said.
By Michele Chabin
2009 Religion News Service
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
Beliefnet
Advertisement
posted May 11, 2009 at 6:00 pm
It shows they recognize there’s a problem but this and $1.25 might buy Palestine a cheap cup of coffee.
posted May 11, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Don’t be so cynical about this nnmns I think it is a start that could not even be imagined under the propaganda we labor with that drove millions to Israel for the slaughter. This is big for the church.
posted May 11, 2009 at 7:16 pm
oops that was me
posted May 11, 2009 at 9:37 pm
“Gerald Steinberg, a professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, believes that Peace Week sends a negative signal.
‘It is one-sided in favor of the Palestinians and counterproductive to serious attempts between Israelis and Palestinians to come to a compromise,’ he said.”
Why is it so wrong to support Palestinians? Supporting Palestine doesn’t mean you support Hamas. Being Palestinian doesn’t make you a terrorist. The Palestinians have as much of a right to freedom as the Israelis do.
posted May 11, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Amen to that Mordred08. I am very pro-Palestianian but am 100% against terrorism. The Israeli’s have been treating the Palestinians horribly for years and I think it is our duty as Christians to side with the oppressed. There must be justice for all.
posted May 12, 2009 at 1:31 am
The millions I referred to earlier is the dollars my group used to send to Israel blindly.
posted May 12, 2009 at 6:08 am
Ah, I wondered what that was about. I’m glad you cleared it up.
posted May 12, 2009 at 8:45 am
Not absolving Israel of their imprudence, but hopefully Palestinians will vote out cowardly Hamas next election, especially since they used innocent civilians as human shields same as Hezbollah. They wouldn’t keep doing this in an attempt to garner support if it didn’t keep working, so we need to hold their feet to the fire the same as Israel.
posted May 12, 2009 at 9:52 am
Your name (I see you got caught by the Beliefnet Gremlin too)… Maybe by engaging Palestinians as people and showing them we all don’t view them as terrorists and we do not all want them wiped out, it will convince them they do not need to have Hamas in power in order to be safe.
I’m sure by “holding their feet to the fire” you didn’t mean we should use force to make them vote the way we want, right?
posted May 12, 2009 at 12:30 pm
We need to support pro-peace Palestinians. Right now, any Palestinian who publicly espouses anything less that “complete victory” is at risk for summary execution as a collaborator. This struggle will be settled by the peace factions on both sides getting together, not by continuing the killing and vendettas.
posted May 12, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I’m ‘Your Name’ 8:45 AM. By ‘their’ feet I mean Hamas, not your average, run-of-the-mill, home-deprived Palestinian. With all the propaganda spread in that region I’m almost certain average citizens are unaware of the wily and cowardly tactics of Hamas, which is why they were voted in (in addition to making Israel the scapegoat for all of Palestine’s woes) in the first place.
posted May 12, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I understand Hamas is competent at meeting the Palestinians’ needs (food, meds, ???) far more than the Palestinian Authority, too. But I wouldn’t pretend to know why people vote the way they do. Well, sometimes I would.
posted May 13, 2009 at 2:04 pm
nnmns, I understand that Israel has in the pass blocked those items from making it to the people