By Luis Fleischman and Rabbi Edward Bernstein
A very problematic document was published in February by the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The document, entitled Zionism Unsettled, includes a number of items that not only show a biased hostility toward the State of Israel but also against Judaism and the Jewish people. The Jewish community enjoys a positive relationship with the Presbyterian community, and we are disappointed with the publication and promotion of this document.
The pamphlet considers Zionism (the movement of national liberation of the Jewish people) as the principle instigator of the Middle East conflicts. Among the many disagreeable assumptions it embraces is that Israel intentionally displaced the Palestinians – that it is a racist and colonialist state.
Zionism Unsettled draws continuous comparisons between the fate of the Palestinians in 1948 and the Holocaust. It wrongly accuses Israel of having a calculated plan to expel the Palestinians and claims Zionists carried out ethnic cleansing. No serious historian of the period has ever backed such an allegation.
In fact, the complete opposite is the truth: As a result of the creation of the State of Israel, Arab leaders carried out a mass expulsion of some 800,000 Jews who had lived for centuries on Arab land. The Arab leadership themselves launched an explicit war of genocide in 1948 and again in 1967, pledging “to push the Jews into the sea.”
Zionism Unsettled accuses Israeli society of being one contaminated by racism. This accusation is simply not rooted in fact. There exists in Israel an array of voices embracing Arabs, as well as many avenues where Arabs and Jews seek a civilized dialogue.
Israeli-Arabs are citizens of the State of Israel with all the rights and protections of the rule of law. Israeli hospitals employ Arab doctors and willingly treat patients of all faiths. Arabs and Jews attend the same universities. Until the recent downfall of Arab tyrannies, Israel was the only country in the Middle East where Arabs had ever voted. An Arab justice sits on the Israeli Supreme Court. Even Arabs from the Palestinian territories appeal to Israeli courts to seek justice if needed.
No similar situation exists in the Arab world. Meanwhile, hatred and incitement against Jews and Israel is a growing subject in the Palestinian educational system. A recent Anti-Defamation League study shows that anti-Semitism in the Palestinian and Arab world is the worst across the globe.
The document fails to mention Israel’s genuine offers and clear concessions made to the Palestinians: The withdrawal from most of the West Bank, the division of Jerusalem and the co-administration of the Holy sites. These offers have been either rejected or ignored. Likewise, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza has been forgotten.
The Jewish community and the Presbyterian community enjoy a friendly, cooperative relationship. We frequently engage in interfaith discussions and programs together, such as the Jewish Christian Summit. We joined hands to commemorate the victims and heroes of the 9/11 terror attacks. We even traveled with Presbyterian leaders on an interfaith mission to Israel.
We know that many local Presbyterian leaders do not share the polarizing arguments brought by Zionism Unsettled. We hope the Presbyterian Church will reject any resolution that reflects a one-sided anti-Israel position during discussions at the upcoming Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly in Detroit.
Dr. Luis Fleischman is vice president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.
Rabbi Edward Bernstein is the rabbi of Temple Torah of West Boynton Beach.
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Again, give it a name, and that name is anti-Semitism. Call it out, and call out the PCUSA for its tendencies. The powerful thing about the truth is that it acts as light into the darkness, shines light where the darkness prefers the dark, and drives the offenders back into their racist holes.
The state of Israel is not Biblical Israel.
The state of Israel is not the same as the Jewish religion.
The state of Israel is not equal to Jewish ethnicity.
When the US invaded Iraq, the US was not making war on Islam. When people criticize the state of India, they are not criticizing Hinduism. When someone condemns the actions of Russia, they are not condemning Orthodox Christianity. Identifying criticism of the state of Israel with anti-Semitism is muddled thinking.
So am I to ask where is “X” and “Y”. Z whomever he or she may be is the perfect example of the pagan left, religious or secular. Hiding behind the anonymity of the net, spewing their hateful propaganda. Enjoy the darkness for the time being Z, the light will find you sooner or later.
We may then presume that Mr. Gregory believes that the modern state of Israel = Biblical Israel. And in fact we must conclude that he believes this passionately, since believing otherwise makes one a “pagan” promoter of “hateful propaganda.”
We have a contemporary political/ethnic conflict that was created as much by great power politics of the last century as it was by the actual participants. The belief that one side in this conflict is entitled by God’s mandate is a great obstacle to peaceful resolution, and especially the “two state” solution.
Anonymous posting appears to be the mode on this website.
I cannot support any government that purposefully cuts off water to its people. I have stayed with Palestinians, and experienced the water stoppage. I have seen Israeli bulldozers sitting on the rubble of homes that belonged to Palestinians. I don’t care how the Religion of Judaism is tied to the state of Israel- by all that we understand about humanity, no person should be denied access to water.
Therefore, until I see a stoppage of these decisions and actions by the Israeli government, I will continue to stand with Palestinian brothers and sisters…. so many of whom just want to be able to remain in the areas that Israel itself has said is there’s, and to get a drink of water whenever they need one. There is a reason you see a water tank on every single palestinian home, and none on the homes of Israelis.
When staying at a hotel in Tel Aviv I saw several apartment buildings with multiple water tanks on each building’s roof. Am I to assume that no Israelis live in those apartment buildings?
From Overture 04-03 to the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA from the Presbytery of Grace:
“2. Respect the human rights of the Israeli people and oppose all forms of anti-Semitism, and deplore the violation of the human rights of Palestinians by the government of Israel, which includes but is not limited to
a. systematic expropriation of Palestinian land and water for Jewish-only settlement colonies;
b. deportation and forcible transfer of Palestinian populations;
c. imprisonment and torture of Palestinians;
d. construction of a separation wall/barrier deep into the militarily occupied Palestinian territories;
e. building Israeli-only bypass roads to connect the Jewish-only settlement colonies together and to Israel;
f. destruction of Palestinian agricultural lands and homes and expropriation of Palestinian property not justified by military necessity; and
g. daily humiliation at numerous checkpoints deep within the Palestinian territories.
Let’s pray that the promise of Hosea 1:9-11 be fulfilled:
“9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Hamas.”
Dear Andrew and Donna,
I am glad you are raising all these issues as it provides me with an opportunity to rebut.
I do not consider myself among those who believe that Israeli policies should not be scrutinized like any other country’s policies. Likewise, I do not intend to interfere in what I consider to be an internal Presbyterian dialogue. Yet, I believe that it is important to clarify some issues.
Peace with the Palestinians is important to the majority of Israelis and to us Jews from the diaspora.
Most of us support a two-state solution based on reconciliation, mutual recognition, and permanent peaceful co-existence between the two nations. The formula clearly should be a Palestinian state for the Palestinians and a Jewish state for the Jews. The major guiding principle is that two nations aspiring to self-determination need to have a separate state. One state would only lead to civil war. Given the animosity and tension between the two, it is not likely that one-state will lead to peace. Particularly since, even those Palestinians who advocate for one state are nationalistic themselves.
The current situation between Israelis and Palestinians is a tense one; a relation of distrust that raises anxiety among Israelis who are increasingly concerned about their security.
Whereas I agree that the checkpoints are uncomfortable to the Palestinians we cannot deny the fact that those measures have taken place because of the presence of suicide bombers and terrorist attacks. They exist, not because the Israelis want to make the lives of the Palestinians miserable but because they are protecting their own citizens. The same applies to the fence erected between the West Bank and Israel. Before those measures were in place, more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered by the terrorist organization, Hamas. Now, those attacks have been considerably reduced.
The “Freedom House” reports “Freedom of assembly and association is generally respected (by Israel) in the Palestinian territories. There are many Palestinian nongovernmental organizations and civic groups, whose activities are generally not restricted by Israel. Freedom of movement improved measurably in 2005, especially with Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Reduced security checkpoints in the West Bank, especially around the time of Palestinian elections early in the year, also contributed to an easing of Palestinian mobility, as did Israel’s handing over security control to the PA in the West Bank town of Tulkarm and its dismantlement of four settlements in the northern West Bank.”
I take this opportunity to remind you that violations of Palestinian human rights are carried out by the Palestinian Authority itself and more so by the Hamas government in Gaza. An independent Palestinian organization reported early this year about mistreatment and torture in Palestinian prisons, unlawful seizing of money, arbitrary arrests and assaults, on freedom of expression, and repression of peaceful protests. You may still remember the pictures of Palestinians tying other Palestinians, who were accused of treason, to moving vehicles until they perished.
“Freedom House” also points out that “Rape, domestic abuse, and “honor killings,” in which unmarried women who are raped or who engage in premarital sex are murdered by a relative, are not uncommon. Since societal pressures prevent reporting of such incidents, the exact frequency of attacks is unknown. According to media reports, an average of one honor killing a week takes place in the West Bank and Gaza. These murders often go unpunished, or perpetrators serve extremely short prison sentences”.
In terms of water supply the issue turns more complicated. The distribution of water resources between Israel and the Palestinians was agreed upon in the framework of the Oslo Accords.
According to a very detailed report issued by the Israeli Water Authority “The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, signed in September 1995, stipulated that the water supply to the Palestinians would be 4,167 million cubic feet (118 million cubic meters (MCM)) per year. The agreement over water resources was to have lasted five years. However, both Israel and the Palestinians have continued to work within the parameters of the agreement ever since.
Israel’s multiannual average, per capita consumption of fresh water is 5,403 cubic feet (153 cubic meters); for the Palestinians that number is 3,708 cubic feet (105 cubic meters).
Because of poor management by the Palestinians, water losses in the Palestinian water network amount to 33 percent of their total supply. In addition, the Palestinians rejected, on political grounds, a proposal which would have created a water desalination plant in Israel specifically to meet Palestinian needs. The U.S. had set aside $250 million for the project which could have yielded a huge increase in the amount of available water for the Palestinians.”
In fact every issue is complicated. The problem when you place documents on the table that are based on propaganda, there is no way to achieve any peace.
We are not looking to downgrade the Palestinians but vilifying Israel does not serve any purpose.
I hope the Presbyterian Church finds the right balance when the issue comes to a vote.
All the Best,
Luis Fleischman, Ph.D.
Vice President
Jewish Community Relations Council
JEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
4601 Community Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33417
phone 561.242.6670 | fax 561.681.3571
http://www.jewishpalmbeach.org
http://www.facebook.com/jewishpalmbeach