All quiet on the West Bank
Indeed, too quiet on the West Bank! I went on a three-week field study trip to Israel this summer, and it was quite an eye-opener. We (nearly 40 theological students from different denominations) stayed at the Tantur Institute, which overlooked the Bethlehem checkpoint in the security wall.In case you've got no idea what the "security wall" is, it's a wall, or sometimes a fence, that the Israelis built around the whole of the Palestinian West Bank in 2003, ostensibly to prevent the suicide bombers who were blowing up buses in Jerusalem almost on a weekly basis. The wall is typically 25' high, with searchlights and movement detectors every few yards.
I say "ostensibly" because many see the wall as an attempt to annex Palestinian land and control their territory. In many places the wall strays well over the "green line" (The 1949 Armistice demarcation line) into Palestinian territory, usually without any obvious military or security justification. In a country where good land and water are in short supply, any loss is serious, any gain is a benefit. To put it in perspective, Edwards Air Force base in California covers 301,000 acres, and the land was hardly missed; the whole of the West Bank is less than 5 times the size of the Edwards base.
Now it's important to note that Israel did indeed have a major problem with security, and the wall has indeed helped. If our own countries were faced with regular bombings we too would demand action and be less worried about human rights. But having seen the wall at first hand, I know that the way in which the Israelis maintain security is deliberately detrimental to the dignity and well-being of the West Bank Palestinians.
Bethlehem, a few miles to the south-west of Jerusalem, has a single checkpoint between the west Bank and Israel. Inside the grim building there are several booths where members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) can check documents, passports and permits. When I was there, only one booth was staffed, despite the queue of hundreds of Palestinians. A young girl of about 19-20 sat there eating a sandwich and drinking coffee, ignoring the queue completely. Feeling brave (or, more probably, being foolish) I rapped on the glass and waved my UK passport. She swung round with anger on her face but, recognising the passport, waved me through and resumed eating. The Palestinians waited resignedly. I saw the same or similar on other occasions, always the queues, always the indifference, the powerlessness.
Queues are not the worst of the problems. Palestinians do not have the right to travel into Israeli territory, and must obtain a permit. These are only granted where the applicant can prove that he or she has a bona fide job, and the employer vouches for them. In almost all cases, the Palestinians have to return before the checkpoint closes in the early evening; failure to do so risks arrest and loss of the permit. Permits have to be renewed every 1,2 or 3 months. Given that thousands of people from Bethlehem used to work in Jerusalem and can no longer do so, there is much unemployment. Restrictions on the movement of fresh food, ostensibly on food safety grounds, mean that Palestinians can no longer sell their produce in Israel, causing further hardship.
It seems to me that the wall, and these other measures, go beyond what is required for security and becomes a means of controlling and humiliating the people of an occupied territory.
The Israelis are enabled to do this because of the powerful political support they receive from evangelical Christians, particularly in the USA, who see the Jews as "God's people" and the Palestinians as "the enemies of God's people", usually assuming that all Palestinians are Muslims. This view is both simplistic and wrong. Around 12% of Palestinians are Christians, mainly Orthodox (Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Greek) or Roman Catholic, but with some Protestants. The percentage has been much higher, but forced population movements and high birthrates among the Muslim Palestinians has altered the balance. Certainly, the number of Christian Palestinians far outweighs the number of Christians or Messianic believers who are racially Jewish, so where should our loyalties lie? Time and time again the USA has prevented the international community applying political pressure on Israel to address these issues, by wielding its veto in the UN Security Council. What message does this send to our brothers and sisters in Christ in the West Bank? Life is difficult politically and economically; they are a religious minority; and to cap it all, they are disowned by the churches in the west.
If things are quiet on the West Bank, are we to blame?
posted by Neil @ 2:17 PM
4 Comments:
Now hold tight a moment, speaking from the US side of the "pond," I should probably say that though evangelical Christians believe that Israel should have the land, or at least that it should be "share and share alike" until Christ returns, there is a fair amount of indignation as to the way it is administered. There would be more outcry except for the fact that those suicide bombers do crop up at inconvenient moments. Just when people start feeling sorry for the Palestinian plight, some idiot appears and blows up a bunch of people, himself included.
Admittedly, absolute power corrupts Israel as much as everyone else, and this is one of the few areas where they have international support and free rein, so they feel they can take it out on the West Bank residents. The point is, they haven't grasped the idea that God can deal with things himself--the mentality that "I'll take vengeance for God until he returns to do it himself" doesn't exactly fit either Christian or Jewish doctrine.
What should we do about it? I suppose we COULD go in and dictate just how Israel will administer all the details. That might bandaid the wound, but it won't change the attitudes. Israel's citizens won't feel or behave any differently because they make the queues move faster.
When you get right down to it, it wasn't the United States that tore down the Berlin wall-a similar if not parallel case. People from within saw the need (admittedly, the US added pressure) and determined to do something about it. (Yes, I realize that's something of an oversimplification, but going into European politics would make this too long.) Attitudes need to be changed on both sides of this particular wall in order for the operation to run well, and that's something no particular country can dicate. It will take Christians following the command of their Lord and Savior to "make disciples of all nations" for people to see the need.
Europe and the US, working together, might well succeed in making Israel change their policies. But only God is going to change their hearts and attitudes.
Hi Bryon
I seemed to have touched a sensitive spot by mentioning US foreign policy! There is certainly a difference in the way that the US and Britain approach these situations. (We can leave Europe out of this discussion, because their foreign policy is simply self-interest). As a rule, Britain doesn't support the idea of punishing the innocent for the actions of the guilty. Most Palestinians are not suicide bombers, so why make life difficult for them? Would you accept a curfew in Maryland because, say, crime rates were high? Israel does not, of course, admit that it is deliberately punishing or repressing the Palestinians, but simple actions, such as only having one checkpoint booth open, make this unequivocally the case. The issue is justice.
As for suicide bombers, attacks have all but ceased, partly because of the wall, partly because of the changing political situation. They are hardly a justification for the prolonged clampdown. One might also ask why someone would want to blow themselves up? Being an "idiot" is not a sufficient reason; if that were true, certain US presidents would not have made it to a second term. The assumption seems to be that suicide bombers are somehow "lazy", that they are not prepared to enter into the democratic process but just want "easy" gains. The reality is that Palestinians do not have access to democracy. Their land was taken without consent when Israel was formed, and agreements made with Israel have yet to be honoured by Israel.
You say that Israel has "international support", I don't think this is true. Israel is in breach of several UN resolutions, and when pressure is applied, the US uses its veto to prevent further resolutions. The US is Israel's only supporter of significance. The Berlin Wall is hardly similar or parallel; it is the opposite. The US opposed the communist wall-builders, so therefore supported those who opposed it. Now, the situation in Israel is similar, but instead of supporting the people who suffer unjustly, the US supports the wall-builders.
What is needed is NOT for the US to go in and "administer all the details" - what a frightening thought - but to demand justice for the innocent. It might be difficult to agree on who is "right" and "wrong" politically, but it doesn't take much to agree that innocent people are suffering.
If Israel needs a wall, that's fine, but they should build it on their own land. And is it asking too much for them to open more booths at the checkpoint?
If the US can't even open enough toll booths to prevent 10-mile backups on their own highways, I think they should be the LAST people to demand more checkpoint booths and humane personnel. Total hypocrisy can only go so far!
Considering the list of possible replacements for the current two-term president, it may be better if the US stayed out of it entirely. Things aren't looking up.
But you didn't address the main point--say they opened up 10 more booths per checkpoint. Wouldn't they also have to establish quotas to make sure that the right number of people are processed through per hour? Who is to handle snags? Since the Israelis are clearly much more interested in punishment than wisdom, how is another country's influence going to change the attitudes that make this kind of laxity possible? Opening more checkpoints won't do anything but bandaid the problem. In fact, problems could easily crop up in other areas.
Yes, you're probably right--it's wise to leave Europe out of it--at least France should be left alone entirely.
So you shouldn't intervene unless you are perfect? Commendable though such humility is, the White House has for decades operated a policy of "the less we know, the louder we shout". And if this "diplomacy" doesn't work, hey, you can always invade.
The point is, Uncle Sam is already intervening, and supporting Israel whatever they do. The US has made up its mind that Israel is good and the Palestinians are bad, shades of grey, no nuances. Now I'm not saying that the US shouldn't support Israel; Israel needs friends. But a true friend would be more discerning and honest.
Back to the booths. Why would you need quotas and other complicated management strategies? It's no different to the checkout at your local grocery store, you open enough booths to keep the queues down. You process each "customer" efficiently and politely, and say "have a nice day". The only difference is that the spotty teenagers sulking in the Israeli booths carry guns.
If you want an end to suicide bombers, why add to the list of grievances that cause people to do such things?
Of course, it is difficult for you Yanks to understand how the Palestinians feel, as you have little affinity with the tired, poor, huddled masses these days. You have learned to be strong, and to use your power and wealth to crush anyone who opposes you. One event - 9/11 - and you wage war against the nations to demonstrate your power. Less than 3,000 people died, yet you killed 100 times that number and spent enough to have kept millions alive. I'm reminded of the vengeful Lamech (Gen 5:23,24) and the destructiveness of Babylon (Jer 51:25). By contrast, the powerless Palestinians have been crying out for justice for decades, and you supported their oppressors. They have wept for many times the number you lost on 9/11, yet when they take revenge, you condemn them. And call them "idiots". Why does a nation that claims to be godly ignore what God has said through prophets such as Amos?
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