Jerusalem Peace Activists On Quaker Tour

by Rev. L. Humphrey Walz

The American Friends Service Committee (Quaker) is among those concerned that Palestinian residency rights in Jerusalem have deteriorated to a very critical point. Thousands of forcibly separated Palestinian families have applied for family reunification permits there but very few have received them. Currently the Israeli authorities are instead confiscating Jerusalem ID cards from Palestinians who cannot prove that "their center of life" is in Jerusalem. The Israeli government policies of continuing land confiscation, refusing to grant building permits to Palestinians, expanding the building of Jewish settlements and revoking non-Jewish residency rights are aimed at encouraging Palestinians to leave Palestine, Jerusalem in particular. The resultant "facts on the ground," a reduced percentage of Muslim and Christian residents, especially in Jerusalem, are sure to be used by the Israelis when negotiating the final status of Jerusalem.

In order to bring to U.S. attention one of Israel's unjust policies toward Palestinians, the restriction of their residency rights, AFSC invited two prominent Jerusalem lawyers to speak in the United States from April 27 to May 4. They were Osama Halaby, an Arab, and Leah Tsemel, who is Jewish. Leah has defended Palestinian political prisoners ever since the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Osama worked as director of the legal department of the Quaker Legal Aid and Information Center in East Jerusalem for many years. Both are experts on Palestinian residency rights and have represented Palestinians who are seeking family reunification in the Israeli courts.

Three years ago Jennifer Bing-Canar, the staff person for Middle East issues in the AFSC Chicago office, began a campaign for Palestinian rights by encouraging persons in the United States to advocate for particular Palestinian families who were seeking family reunification. Now she and her colleagues believe more strongly than ever that Americans must become aware of Israel's latest policy of confiscating Jerusalem ID cards, which puts many Palestinians living in the United States in danger of losing their Jerusalem residency rights. "Opposing this policy must become an urgent matter for all citizens who care about justice for the Palestinians," the AFSC personnel insist.

During Leah and Osama's stay in the United States, they met with policymakers in Washington and at United Nations headquarters in New York, and with lawyers and human rights groups in both cities, plus Chicago, Detroit and Portland. They also conferred with Palestinian groups about the implications of Israel's new Jerusalem policies for the future of Palestine, Jerusalem and Palestinians living in the U.S.

Pope's Visit Reinforces Peace Hopes in Bosnia

The March bombings of five Roman Catholic churches and two mosques, and damage to Protestant, Orthodox and Adventist institutions in Central Bosnia and Sarajevo, have led to the hope that an increase of Christian unity will help put an end to such violence. Fr. Marijan Brkic, chief of the Bosnian Catholic news agency KTA, has expressed hopes that the April 12-13 visit of Pope Paul II to Sarajevo, with its outdoor Mass and its meetings with Muslim and Christian Orthodox leaders, will bear fruit in reducing the violence-related tensions. (A 1994 planned papal trip to Sarajevo had to be cancelled because of war-related fears for the Pope's safety, but NATO troops have since brought increased stability.)

Orthodox, Protestant and Adventist leaders with similar concerns for stability and peace are in consultation with key officials of the Conference of European Churches and World Council of Churches for guidance in developing a Bosnian Council of Churches and other means of organized Christian communication, cooperation and service. Meanwhile, President Alija Izetbegovic has publicly declared his conviction that NATO forces will have to continue monitoring the peace until the situation can be stabilized by the capture of war criminals and the safe return of refugees.

Albanian Church Leaders Press For End to Violence

The leader of Albania's Orthodox Christians, Archbishop Anastasios, issued an appeal on March 6 for an end to the violence gripping the country. "My prayer is simple and for all: No more blood. No to the fighting. No to the arms. No to the hatred. And the God of peace be with you," Anastasios declared. "It is only with self-control, repentance, truth, forgiveness and reconciliation that substantial peace can be secured and the way to a better future be opened."

His statement came as the country's embattled president, Sali Berisha, was holding an emergency meeting with opposition leaders in a bid to resolve seven weeks of violent unrest. The unrest followed the collapse in January of "pyramid" selling schemes, in which up to 25 percent of Albanians are believed to have invested and lost their savings. Berisha further blames "red violence" and "foreign secret agents" for the unrest. The opposition Socialist Party boycotted last year's elections and has accused Berisha of being implicated in the disastrous pyramid schemes. A state of emergency has been declared which prohibits public gatherings and gives security forces authority to shoot and kill civilians carrying arms.

Before the Archbishop issued his appeal, his aide, Justin Simleris, had reported: "The government has prohibited all public meetings, but religious services are continuing without problems. However, the whole population faces grave danger, not just Orthodox Christians. Our only chance now is to work together in resolving the problems peacefully." Orthodox Church leaders had worked out some ideas for helping calm the current situation, he added. "But in such an unclear situation we have no choice but to wait and pray before trying to help. Our possibilities to meet and discuss responses are limited by the new restrictions. The only realistic priority, which everyone must share, is to halt further bloodshed."

Simleris said the church had received "no verified information" about the fate of Orthodox Christians in Albania's strife-torn southern province, where most Orthodox Christians are concentrated. According to information from another Albanian Orthodox source, several cities of the south, including Vlore, Sarande and Delvine, were under rebel control. Government troops have blocked off roads leading into these areas but were described as reluctant to fight "against their own people," with a "large number" of troops going AWOL.

Meanwhile, said Ecumenical News International (Geneva) of March 12, Roman Catholic Archbishop Mirdita of Tirana had expressed hopes that Anastasios and Albania's Muslim Chief Imam, Sabri Koci, would agree to a joint interfaith peace initiative, a gesture yet to be fully implemented.

Orthodox Christians are believed to account for 20 percent, and Roman Catholics 10 percent, of Albania's 3.3 million population. Muslims nominally comprise 70 percent, although no figures have been compiled since the Communist-era ban on religion was lifted in 1991. The Archbishop said that his church's liturgical events had been unaffected by recent restrictive measures designed to "control suspicious anti-government meetings." He described the cause of the unrest as being "money," but added: "The opposition is now shrewdly using this human tragedy for its own political gains The government has taken severe measures to ease the consequences of pyramid financial losses and offer compensation. Our only chance now is to look ahead and try to make up for what has happened with hard, peaceful work. Events have shown that violence and destruction only lead to further sufferings."

Dean John Arnold, president of the Conference of European Churches, has told Anastasios of its concern about the "grave developments in the life of the people of Albania." In a letter sent on March 4, he and General Secretary Jean Fischer assured the Archbishop of "our prayers for you, the faithful, and all the people of Albania as you continue to witness to the Gospel of peace and justice during these critical times."

Christian Pacifists in Israel and Iraq

Jesus' statements that "peacemakers are blessed" (Matt. 5:9) and that "they who take the sword will perish by the sword" (26:52) have been basic to Christian pacifism over the centuries. In this light, Christian pacifists have been especially noteworthy for nonviolently confronting and resisting governmental misuse of power.

From his vantage point at Interchurch Center, New York, and on field visits to the Middle East, Executive Director John Mahoney of Americans for Middle East Understanding reports having become acquainted with and impressed by three specific examples of Christian pacifism in the region where Jesus originally taught.

The first example is provided by Christian Peacemaker Teams, a joint initiative of the Mennonite and Brethren churches in the U.S. CPT seeks nonviolent solutions to aggression all over the world. Invited by the Muslim mayor of Hebron to come to his Israeli-occupied city, CPT members, men and women between the ages of 25 and 70, have been pushed, spat upon and dragged by the hair by Jewish settlers there. They have been imprisoned and intimidated by Israeli soldiers. One CPT member's face was pushed into the ground by an Israeli soldier who told him to eat the dirt if he liked Palestine so much.

On March 20, five CPT members met with U.S. State Department officials in Washington. One of them, Art Gish, held out a piece of floor tile on which children recently had played. "I heard these children crying and their mother wailing as they waited for the bulldozer to destroy their home. We Americans help pay for this and our government clearly is not doing what it could to stop it," said Gish.

On Good Friday, the Christian Peacemaker Team, along with 30 Palestinians, several international people and Israeli citizens, cleared rubble from the demolished home of Waheed Zallum in preparation for rebuilding. Four of them were arrested, including Cliff Kindy of CPT, a rabbi and two Palestinians. On Easter, CPT members concluded a 700-hour fast in order to draw public attention to the 700 more houses that the Israeli government plans to demolish in order to facilitate Jewish settlement expansion and Jewish-only by-pass roads. Kindy concluded his fast in prison and has been deported by the Israeli government to the United States.

A second pacifist example is Sergei Ashin, age 19. He came to Israel from Russia with his parents in 1994. Born Jewish, he has become a Christian pacifist. His application for exemption from army service on conscientious grounds has been rejected. The judges, in fact, were furious that a Christian had dared to immigrate to the Jewish state, to remain Christian and to refuse to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. He has been arrested three times and on at least one occasion has been beaten by prison guards. St. Yves Catholic Legal Resource Center for Human Rights (P.O. Box 20531, Jerusalem via Israel 91204) has taken on his case.

A third example is set by Voices in the Wilderness, a pacifist group that draws heavily from the American Catholic community. On Jan. 8, several of its members stood up during the Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State nominee Madeleine Albright. One member, Kathleen Kelly, called out: "Ms. Albright, over half a million Iraqi children have died because of U.S./U.N. sanctions. In May 1996, you told "60 Minutes" that this was an acceptable price to pay to maintain U.S. interests in the region. Are you prepared to withdraw that dangerous statement?"

(Voices in the Wilderness members make regular trips to Iraq, in defiance of the embargo, bringing foodstuffs and medicine to dying children. For this they face stiff fines and imprisonment.)

Being stumbling blocks and contradictions to their contemporaries has landed many of these pacifists in Israeli prisons. For readers who may wish to contact them, the Christian Peacemaker Teams can be reached at P.O. Box 6508, Chicago, IL 60680 (tel./fax (312) 455-1199: e-mail kkelly@lgc.apc.org). Ashin may be reached through St. Yves Society, tel.: Jerusalem 912 2 628 6729, fax: 972 2 628 6339; e-mail: styves@netvision.net.il

Patriarch's Plea: Guarantee Jerusalem's "Holy Heritage"

As thousands of pilgrims from afar walked the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem carrying wooden crosses in preparation for the Easter celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, two senior Roman Catholic leaders criticized the fact that most local Christians still are denied access to their holiest places. These include the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows, a cobbled path through the old walled city of Jerusalem which, according to tradition, marks the route taken by Jesus on the way to his crucifixion. Thousands of pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem to mark the Western Easter on March 30. Another large group of pilgrims came for April 27, when most Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter.

For much of the period since Israel assumed control of the whole of Jerusalem following the 1967 Six-Day War, the city has been largely inaccessible to Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, resident in the West Bank and Gaza, although Jerusalem is a holy place for Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Custos of the Holy Land, Giuseppe Nazzaro, told ecumenical newsman Martin Bailey that the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had denied his request that Christians from Bethlehem and other nearby West Bank cities be permitted to come to Jerusalem for the Easter celebrations.

Nazzaro is leader of the Franciscans in the Holy Land who, since the 14th century, have been entrusted by the pope with the custody of the Holy Places. "Every ruler should be more understanding, and demonstrate that he would like to help," he said. "Our faithful are not terrorists, but they are treated as terrorists."

Most local Christians still are denied access to their holiest places.

Among the holy places under the care of the Custos is the archeological site of the monastery of St. Paola on Jabal (Mount) Abu Ghneim, a wooded hillside on which Israel has begun to build an illegal settlement to be called Har Homa. It lies within an area of Jerusalem confiscated from Bethlehem in 1967-68 and has been the source of intense dispute ever since. Violence broke out earlier this month when Israel began work on the settlement, which is to house 6,500 people.

The Latin Patriarch, Michel Saba, who is the Roman Catholic (Latin) archbishop of Jerusalem, said the "Holy City of resurrection and redemption is still the main cause for the absence of peace. Everyone believes Jerusalem is the city of peace, yet it remains the source of disputes. It is still, for 'security' reasons, forbidden for our believers." The patriarch and the custos agreed that the peace process was in trouble. "We encourage our faithful to pray for peace, but they see no evidence of peace," Nazzaro said. "Still, Christians must believe in peace and work for peace."

Saba commented: "The peace process is stumbling. Talks should be replaced by clear actions which give back freedom and dignity to every Palestinian and security to every Israeli. It is possible to stop this bloodshed if the leaders open their eyes and see that every human derives his dignity from God's dignity, Israelis and Palestinians alike. Israeli dignity will be confirmed with Palestinian dignity. There is no escape from equality among peoples if peace is to be reached. Those who are responsible for violence are those who use violence or provoke violence by unwise or unjust decisions."

He reiterated a plea for Jerusalem to have "a unique and special status which guarantees its holiness and sovereignty alike. God wanted this city to be a holy heritage for the three monotheistic religions. The principle of sharing the city is the only way to peace."