Praying for peace in the Middle East
15th August 2024
ON October 07 2023, a contingent of Hamas militants broke out of the Gaza strip and went on a murderous rampage in southern Israel. The gunmen horrifically killed 1,200 people in their homes or at a dance party, and took around 250 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel’s military response to the attack has been devastating. The Israel Defence Forces’ retaliatory bombing campaign has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children; 70 percent of the buildings in the coastal enclave have been destroyed, including homes, businesses, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques and churches.
And now, as the conflict moves into its tenth month, around two million Gazans are displaced from their homes, and - because aid is being blocked from entering much of the strip by the Israeli government - hundreds of thousands of refugees are on the brink of starvation.
How can Christians in Sheffield process what is going on in the Middle East, and how should they pray, and act, in solidarity with the victims of this brutal war?
Phillip Dolby spoke to Jenny Bywaters, a Methodist local preacher and member of the city’s campaign group Kairos-Sheffield to find out more.
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What is the historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict - how did it all start?
The state of Israel was established in 1948 as a secure homeland for Jews after the horrors of the holocaust as “a land without people for a people without a land”. In fact about 900,000 Palestinians were living there, of whom about 750,000 became refugees in what they call the Nakba - the Catastrophe. In 1967, Israel crossed the internationally agreed boundaries and occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since then, many Israeli settlements have been established in the occupied Palestinian territories which are deemed to be illegal under international law.
What has the lived experience and struggle of the people of Gaza been like in recent years, in the run up to October 07?
In 2005 Israel withdrew its forces and settlers from Gaza, but kept it under blockade. People and goods cannot enter or leave Gaza without Israeli permission. It has been described as “the largest open-air prison in the world.” Hamas was elected in 2006, and has launched multiple indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israel. Several times in recent years Israel has responded by bombing Gaza resulting in many deaths of civilians including women and children.
How has the West been complicit in the injustice befalling the Palestinian people?
Western countries, including the US and the UK, have largely supported Israel over the years. The USA provides almost $4bn. per year in aid and is a major supplier of armaments. The UK too continues to sell arms to Israel, despite having stated in 2019: “We urge Israel to halt its settlement expansion, which is contrary to international law and promotes the effective annexation of the West Bank.”
Why do Christians in the West tend to blindly side with Israel when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Some misinterpret the Bible and wrongly identify Old Testament references to Israel with the modern political state. However many others take seriously the views of excellent Palestinian theologians such as Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and tutor at Bethlehem Bible College whose powerful sermons are easy to find on YouTube.
What should the Christian response to the war in Gaza be?
Christian pacifists will of course oppose any war at all. Others say that the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 2023 constituted a just cause for war according to the traditional criteria. However even if that be accepted, the response has been disproportionate. The slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinian non-combatants and starving a whole population surely cannot be justified in any way. There must be a ceasefire, restoration of food aid, and negotiations for the release of the hostages.
Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers." Are there any good examples of peacemaking groups working in Israel-Palestine today?
When I went to Israel-Palestine as an Ecumenical Accompanier with the World Council of Churches, I met many peacemaking groups including Breaking the Silence (former members of the Israeli Defence Force), B’tselem (an Israeli human rights group), Rabbis for Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights. It is surely a sign of hope that there are good people on all sides who see one another as fellow human beings.
Tell us about Kairos-Sheffield...
Kairos-Sheffield is the local group of the national organisation Sabeel-Kairos, a Christian charity committed to supporting peace and justice in the Holy Land. It takes its name from Kairos Palestine: a word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering published in 2009 by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.
The Sheffield Kairos group has a core membership of about twelve, including Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Methodists and Quakers. We issue a regular newsletter to those who wish to be on our mailing list with news of local events, including marches, demonstrations and vigils. We meet for a shared meal every few months, and exchange news about what we are doing in our own denominations, such as working to promote ethical investment or raising issues about Israel-Palestine at our national conferences.
How can Christians in Sheffield best pray for the people of the Holy Land?
During Holy Week Kairos Sheffield organised a prayer vigil for the Holy Land at the big cross in front of the Town Hall. We concluded with this prayer, part of a liturgy you can find on the Christian Aid website:
Pray not for Arab or Jew,
for Palestinian or Israeli,
but pray rather for ourselves,
that we might not divide them in our prayers
but keep them both together in our hearts.
Amen.
What further practical steps can Christians take to advocate for the people of Palestine?
We can all try and educate ourselves about the situation. Christian Aid has a great publication called “Where is Palestine? A story of loss, inequality and failure.” We can respond to the appeal from the Palestinian Christians to boycott Israeli products and divest from companies which profit from the occupation, and ask our churches to do the same. We can write to our political representatives, and in this election year we can ask those seeking our vote where they stand on these issues. We can donate to aid organisations working for the relief of suffering in the Holy Land.
In what ways can readers connect with or support the work of Kairos-Sheffield?
Readers who would like to support Kairos Sheffield can join our email circulation list to be kept in touch with what is going on. Email: kairossheffield@gmail.com
