Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere are speaking out on violence between Israelis and Palestinians. While the violence is not directed at Christians, many living in Israel and in Palestinian-controlled areas have been caught in the crossfire.
After the barrage of suicide attacks in late March aimed at common citizens, the Israeli government increased its military offensive against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and towns within Palestinian-held territories. During a televised speech April 1, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared that Israel was at war with terror.
“This is a war that was forced on us. It is not a war that we decided to embark upon. This is a war for our home,” said Sharon. “We must wage an uncompromising fight against this terror, uproot these weeds and smash their infrastructure because there is no compromise with terror. It is impossible to compromise with someone who is prepared — like the suicide-bombers on the streets of Israel’s cities and at the World Trade Center in the United States — to die in order to kill innocent civilians, children, women and infants, to die in order to cause fear and terror.”
Even as Christians of many ethnic backgrounds try to distance themselves from the conflict, they are nonetheless affected.
“The war on terror has never terrorized so many of us as currently in the Holy Land,” reported Maria C. Khoury, a teacher who regularly travels to the Palestinian-controlled territories to teach at a Christian school. “It’s difficult to even find the right words to describe the panic, the fear and the anxiety in the streets among the people. There is nothing like thousands of people looking for taxis at the same time to get home as soon as possible because the Israeli army is about to totally reoccupy the city. This means military tanks and armored jeeps on almost every street, house invasions and thousands of men 16–45 years of age collected and detained.”
At the same time, Palestinian fighters are using a predominantly Christian town as a base for launching attacks on Israeli troops, said Mark Snowden, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. When Israeli soldiers retaliate, their shells destroy the homes of innocent Christians.
Three Israeli shells struck the home of a Palestinian who works for a Christian Bible college, leaving the terrified family thankful they suffered only cuts and bruises.
“Palestinian believers want other Christians to pray that God will provide basic necessities like food and shelter that they can’t provide for themselves right now,” Snowden said. “Believers in Israel want us to pray that they would not succumb to a spirit of fear but instead would be sensitive to the opportunities God gives them to share Christ.
“And everyone wants us to pray for peace.”
Christian churches and traditional holy sites have not been spared from the violence. On April 2, scores of Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem when Israeli tanks began invading the city. According to Christian tradition, the church is built on the grotto where Jesus was born. Inside the church, wounded Palestinians were cared for by nuns and church staff.
Militant Palestinian groups had gathered outside the church in Manger Square almost daily before Israeli tanks surrounded the city.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan reported that the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem was hit by Israeli shells April 2. The pastor’s home and another structure owned by the church were also damaged. Mitri Raheb reported that tanks destroyed the first-floor entrance to his home and the doors to his garage. Tanks and soldiers were stationed immediately outside the church and parsonage. Many of the 110-year-old stained glass windows in the church were destroyed, said Raheb.
Sources in Jerusalem say that at least three church buildings in Bethlehem have been struck by weapons fire.
In Ramallah the Arab Evangelical Home and School, run by nearby St. Andrews Episcopal Church, was taken over by Israeli soldiers. The staff and students were told to move to another building. This is the third time since January that the school has been commandeered by Israeli forces.
Leaders of Christian churches have issued differing opinions on the conflict, but are united in calls for peace.
On April 3, Archbishop George Carey, head of the worldwide Anglican Church, called on both Israelis and Palestinians to cease hostilities. “As a Christian leader, this appalling wave of violence and bloodshed at Eastertide — enveloping as it has now the town of Bethlehem — is especially disturbing and will appall all people of good faith,” said Carey. “The time has come for an immediate cease-fire. It is imperative that all sides stop the violence and start again the search for a constructive and peaceful settlement. It is the ordinary citizens of both communities who are paying the price of political failure. This cannot continue. It is the duty of political leaders to work for a sustainable way forward, not toward a dead end.”
Both Jewish and Palestinian believers in the region are calling Christians to fervently pray that God would intervene in the crisis, Southern Baptist workers say.
“Easter attendance at churches in the region was far beyond anything they’ve ever had,” Snowden said. “In spite of this turmoil and incredible stress, Christian workers are finding that people are requesting ‘Jesus’ films and asking questions about Jesus more than they ever have.”
In one instance, an Arab man walked into an Israeli congregation — much to the consternation of members who didn’t recognize him, Snowden said. After a brief conversation revealed he had no ill intentions, however, the man joined the congregation for Resurrection Day worship.
“We praise God for that,” Snowden said. “Christians in Israel don’t want to alienate anyone, especially Arabs who are seeking answers from Christians.”
Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, also reflected on the conflict in the context of the recent Good Friday and Easter holidays. “In spite of the pain and suffering of Good Friday 2,000 years ago, as well as today, we continue to believe that good will overcome evil,” he said.
Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, also called on both sides to cease hostilities. In a letter to Sharon, Noko condemned the suicide attacks against Israeli citizens as “morally abhorrent,” but he also called for the withdrawal of Israeli tanks and soldiers from Palestinian-held territories. In a letter to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Noko asked him to commit to peace with the Israel’s government. He encouraged Arafat to denounce suicide attacks as an unacceptable means of resistance.
Christians in the region — 130,000 live in Israel, West Bank and Gaza — are calling for international intervention to stop the advance of Israeli forces into Palestinian-controlled areas. On April 2, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem sent a letter to President George W. Bush asking him to intervene. The letter reported “wanton indiscriminate killings,” shortages of food, water and medical supplies in Palestinian towns.
“We call upon your Christian conscience because we know you are the only one who can stop this tragedy immediately. We in return will play our part in mediating for the peace and security of all the people of this land, both Israeli and Palestinian,” the leaders of Jerusalem’s Christian churches told Bush. They also offered to serve as third-party mediators, but declared that intervention from the United States was required for peace.
“The impoverished conditions have impacted thousands of families, many of whom are in direct need of basic food security,” said Pamela Burdine, communications officer of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. The charity plans to ship more than 10,000 aid packages, containing supplies such as rice, cooking oil, powdered milk and tea, to the Palestinian territories. The Middle East Council of Churches is managing the relief effort.
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