Seeds Will Grow

Cross-posting this blog written to Christians by Mercy Aiken, one of my Peace Catalyst colleagues on how it’s wrong to assume that being Pro-Palestinian means being Anti-Semitic. It is possible to be for Jews and Palestinians if we work for justice (source):

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I want to be super clear about something.

I do not see Jews on one side and Palestinians on the other, and I have chosen the “side” of Palestinians.

Such framing is very unhelpful. It is a false binary.

I am on the side of ending a system of oppression and inequality and injustice that has led to all this horrific violence and suffering. This requires it being exposed so it can be seen for what it truly is. It must be exposed so it can be brought to an end and something better take its place. For the sake of everyone.

This is the side that the biblical prophets (speaking for the Lord) are always on. Read the prophets. You’ll see what I mean.

There are Jews in Israel and even more Jews outside of Israel fighting much harder than me for these things. So this is NOT about Jew versus Palestinian.

Can you see that?

It’s not a matter of saying I love this group more than that group. Or I love both groups so I will say nothing.

That is completely missing point and drawing wrong conclusions.

It is about this type of system or that type of system.

Systems of supremacy and inequality produce violence and pain for everyone. It has never been otherwise. Regardless of the identity of the oppressor or the oppressed.

If you want to see Israelis flourishing, if you want to see Palestinians flourishing, please work for justice. Please don’t think that some supposed neutrality will help any one, any more than it would have helped during the days of slavery in the USA, or apartheid in South Africa, or any other numbers of examples. (The list is quite long, because we humans keep doing these things).

We need to reframe this whole thing in our minds.

Don’t choose the side of this people or that people. Love everyone. Love them truly.

And in love, choose the side of justice and righteousness, and mercy and truth. It is upon this foundation that the Throne of God — and all true authority — rests.

And it is only from these headwaters that real Life flows.

Everything else is an illusion and an idol. And idols produce nothing but death.

I think this quote says it well.

Selah.