Guarding Against Narrow Parochial Views

Sami A. Halaby

Raleigh: It is distressing to contemplate the situation of Jerusalem, my birthplace, and consider the attitude of our Government in respect to it, to Palestine, to the separation Wall and to the Mideast. As an example, consider the recent Congressional Resolution 460, which supports the Likud/Israeli government. It was passed and encouraged by a nexus of the Christian Right (including the self-styled Christian Zionist) and the Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC.) In the former case their interest results from the group’s peculiar interpretation of The Book of Revelation while the latter’s overiding interest is to lobby for the Likud Israeli government. Both wish to work their narrow parochial interest on the rest of us without regard to American values, historical precedent or simple justice.

This symbolic congressional action just encourages those in the current administration who have created a counter-productive Mideast policy based strictly on ideology and zealotry. It reverses and badly damages nuanced US policy carefully constructed under all previous administrations since WW II. Amazingly as a result, Sharon can now, with impunity, continue to violate numerous UN resolutions and international law including the latest International Court of Justice ruling. Worse still it gives the appearance of legitimacy to the acquisition of land by conquest, poisons our relationship with the Islamic world and violates the UN charter. Seldom has the common good been subordinated to such narrowly sectarian concerns.

Add to this the fact that our President and media incessantly beat the drums of war. We are frequently frightened with the possibility of being attacked by unreasoning evil doers who, it is said, envy our way of life. Although the rhetoric has pseudo-religious overtones, we are reminded that we are not fighting Islam but fight Muslim deviants that are often referred to as Islamists, Jihadist or Terrorists and a brew of racism and demonization often being thrown in for good measure. For our security and in order to protect Israel and our strategic interests, we are told, we need to respond to the Mideast by military force – "bring them on, " let's kill them before they kill us. There is no shortage of spin and some in our midst who would, for parochial reasons, want to incite a war of civilizations while we are at the height of our power, have an easier time persuading an indifferent public.

Not surprisingly, there is a mirror image to all this. Where we see Islamist, Jihadists and Terrorists they see Colonialists, Zionists and Muslim-haters. The ignorance of each other's culture is enormous. As things currently stand we supply the arms to an aggressive non-sectarian Jewish State bent on conquest and a Christian Army occupies Iraq, the most significant country in their midst. Furthermore we arm, support and ally ourselves with oppressive dictators while simultaneously expecting democracy and modernity from the oppressed peoples. This contradictory muddled policy will not succeed or provide us with security.

It does not have to be this way. Fortunately, better things are being done to improve the situation and influence policy. For example, quite a number of Jews insist that. AIPAC does not represent the wider American Jewish community and similarly millions of Christians proclaim that' the Christian Right does not represent them. Jewish opinion is historically liberal; locally for example there are several Jewish groups that are devoted to promoting a just peace in that region, including Tikkun and Jews for a Just Peace. Recently, they organized protests against the use of American-made bulldozers, which Israel uses to demolish Palestinian houses and Olive Groves by the thousands. This was cosponsored by the Coalition for Peace with Justice, a local multi-faith organization that is primarily interested in promoting a just peace in Israel/Palestine. Mainstream Christian churches on a national basis are conducting monthly prayer vigils. Each State has different assigned date. Services are held by participating North Carolina churches, on a rotating basis, on the fourth day of every month. Moreover, the elders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have announced that they will use a strategy successful against Apartheid to begin targeted divestment of companies invested in Israel, pressuring for an end to occupation. Many NGOs at considerable risk to the participants send delegations to the Mideast to lend encouragement to the Israelis and Palestinians, who have endured the worse under Sharon, yet persevere in non-violent resistance.

It is important that our government to recognize the danger of allowing narrow parochial ideologies to dictate major policies. We must work towards fairness for all in the complicated conflict between Israel and Palestine, a region whose wellbeing is crucial to us all.

The author was born in Jerusalem, baptized in the Presbyterian Church and comes from an ancient Easter Rite Christian tradition. He is a retired scientist who resides in Raleigh.