Despite strong opposition from the US and several European countries, UNESCO has shown initial support for Palestinian membership.  The US has hinted at reprisals based on prohibitions on granting membership to those who do not meet certain requirements for a state.

Meanwhile, the drama of what will happen to the Palestinians bid for UN membership continues, as noted in the latest CMEP bulletin: 

What’s Next at the UN?
Congress Gets Serious
Tensions on the Ground
Settlement Expansion Announced
Calls to Annex the West Bank?
Happy New Year

 

The Palestinian UN bid has been sent to a UN committee for consideration, but the US has vowed to veto the proposal. For more on the UN statehood and analysis, see:

• BBC Article Overview
• An Israeli View (BBC)
• A Palestinian View (BBC)
• PJ Crowley Editorial

For a sampling of faith-related statements on the UN bid, see the following blog post from Ecumenical Accompanier Loren McGrail:

• Making Room For Justice

Meanwhile, the Israelis announced an 1100-unit expansion of the Gilo settlement, drawing criticism from most quarters, and a UN report released for September details the many restrictions on movement the Palestinians face daily, many up from this time a year ago.

• BBC article on Gilo expansion
• UN Report – Movement and Access in the West Bank

In this past week of tremendous political drama surrounding Israel and Palestine, it is tempting to forget that the entire region is in the midst of profound change.

NYT: Fearing Change, Many Christians in Syria Back Assad
This report in the Times highlights the complexities of Christian contribution to society inSyria, a context entirely different from Egypt, Jordan, or Palestine. Nevertheless, the difficulty of finding a clear Christian

position can help generate empathy for Christians seeking to navigate their communities’ evolving encounters with the various regional states.

NPR: Syrian Leader Digs In For A Long Battle
This very interesting report from NPR highlights the profound complexities of the Syrian manifestation of the Arab Spring. Most important for our interest in the ELCA is the record of Christian public support for the Assad regime, presumably following the previous day’s groundbreaking report in the Times.

AP: Egypt convicts Mubarak’s information minister
Egypt continues the long, slow process of ensuring accountability and constructing a new foundation for civil society. These sorts of convictions are important steps along the way. Until Mubarak is convicted, however, doubts concerning the next steps will remain.

Developments such as these have provided a new context for the tensions betweenIsraelandPalestine. It remains to be seen, however, if these regional changes will help or further hinder the cause of peace. As long as security is seen as incompatible with peace, and as long as the preservation of regimes at the expense of one’s own people, the goal of restoring and reconciling the region will remain elusive.

In a letter today, the Rev. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, urged President Obama not to block the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN.  US officials have vowed to use the US veto power to block the Palestinian initiative asking for full member status at the UN.  In preparation for a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a settlement freeze, one of the Palestinian demands for renewing negotiations, would not happen.  The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem recently issued a statement calling for two states having justice, peace and security, a shared Jerusalem and renewed negotiations to those ends.  They also urged restraint on both sides in anticipated protests after the bid is introduced.

Read Haaretz Article  | See more resources at Churches for Middle East Peace website

BBC Q and A about Palestinian statehood

The award-winning documentary “Budrus” will be made available for free online for 24 hours at http://mubi.com/films/budrus on September 21st, the International Day of Peace, accessible by anyone living in the US.

Budrus is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines.  Struggling side by side, father and daughter lead the local non-violent movement that wins a small victory, evidence of the strong and growing Palestinian non-violent movement.

Palestinian leaders are calling for non-violent protests Friday when Palestinian President Abbas is expected to present a bid for statehood  to the UN.  The IDF has been working with settlers and arming them with stun grenades and tear gas in preparation.   Some settlers are reportedly preparing to take the initiative and march on Palestinian towns   

We pray for this to be a peaceful time that moves the peace process forward and breaks the stalemate in the situation.

The September 9 bulletin from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) discusses developments surrounding the Palestinians’ UN bid, expected September 20; the IDF training and arming of Israeli settlers to prepare them for Palestinian protests, though the Palestinians are calling for non-violent protests; the high rate of settlement construction; and the release of the Palmer report to the UN about the Gaza flotilla.

 The Guardian says that the IDF is training and arming settlers with tear gas and stun grenades in anticipation of Palestinian violence that might occur this fall when the Palestinians attempt to become a recognized state by the UN. 

Residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal according to international law, are already often armed and/or have private security teams guarding them.  In addition, they are in constant coordination with the IDF.  Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups like Rabbis for Human Rights and BtSelem monitor Israeli settler violence against Palestinians as an ongoing problem that is not adequately dealt with by Israel.

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), a program of the World Council of Churches in which the ELCA participates, accompanies Palestinians and Israelis in nonviolent actions and carries out advocacy efforts to end the occupation. Participants monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. They offer protection through a nonviolent presence and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. Find out more about the US Ecumenical Accompaniers and how you might participate.

The plot is thickening around the Palestinian’s plan to go to the UN and ask for member status.  Israel’s ambassador Ron Prosor is reported to have stated that there is no way Israel will be able to block the UN General Assembly from recognizing Palestine.  Meanwhile, the US Consul General in Jerusalem Daniel Rubenstein says that the US will cut aid to the Palestinians if they continue on this path.

Although some predict that it will cause Palestinians some problems if Palestine becomes a member state in the UN, others disagree.

This page on the CMEP website has links to several organizations’ compilations of frequently asked questions and resources about the UN statehood initiative.   

 

In the August 26 CMEP bulletin, read updates on escalating violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Egypt/Israeli diplomatic tension, the continuing controversy about Palestinian statehood through the United Nations and other items.

Sharon is a Lutheran pastor currently serving as an Ecumenical Accompanier in the West Bank. During this time she is keeping a blog to share her experiences with others. One from this past week told the story of Siham and her family.

Siham’s family lives in the village of An Nu’man, just northeast of Bethlehem. This village was annexed by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967. Though the village was annexed, none of the villagers were granted Israeli citizenship. This has led to a difficult situation where their village is surrounded by a fence and only those who live there or carry an international passport can enter. This means that while Siham can leave to visit her mother, but her mother cannot come to visit her or the grandchildren in their home.

Part of the difficulty with this ambiguous status revolves around the construction of or addition to buildings. This situation led to Siham’s home being demolished, with only enough immediate warning for them to remove furniture from one room of the home. They are now currently renting a barn near their home, while the furniture they were able to save sits under a tent. They continue to hope for the time when they can move into a new home, and pray that it will be without fear of demolition.

To learn more about Siham’s story and Pastor Susan’s thoughts on the situation, read Pastor Susan’s blog post “Life in An Nu’man”.