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Psalm
122:6-9
"Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper who love you,
peace be within
your walls and security within your towers. For my brethren and
companions’ sake
I will say peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the
Lord our God, I
will seek your good."
As we come together to address the issue of Jerusalem we remind
ourselves, first
that Jerusalem addresses itself millions of people throughout the
world.
Jerusalem surely has a place not only in the consciousness of
Christianity, of
which I am part, but of all monotheistic religions. Jerusalem in the
past, the
present and the future has been, is and shall be relevant for all
those who
believe in God across our global village.
In its statement on the status of Jerusalem, the World Council of
Churches 1998
Assembly in Harare reminds us that the focus of worldwide attention
has returned
to Jerusalem, where our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, died and
rose again.
Jesus’ death and resurrection started the beginning of the Church,
as the
outpouring of the Spirit on first Pentecost with the Arabs mentioned
at the tale
end of the list. I believe that at the threshold of the new
millennium,
Jerusalem requires the attention of all Christians in the world as
we celebrate
2000 years of Christ’s birth.
For Christianity, the event of Jesus Christ celebrates the glorious
unity of
humanity and divinity as revealed in Jesus. This celebration
excludes all ethnic
or territorial significance, offering salvation offered for all
humanity. For
this reason, the event of Jesus in history makes Jerusalem so
central as it
shows forth God’s action. It is not the ethnic framework of David’s
kingdom; it
is God himself as an incarnate reality showing, that which is true
to all
humanity. As Kenneth Cragg says "what began in Jerusalem must be
understood as
having begun in God."
Political developments of the last century and especially after the
establishment of the State of Israel caused the expulsion and escape
of the
majority of our people from Palestine, their only homeland. This has
been a
tragedy for the whole people at large but more specifically for us
Christians,
as our presence in the city has been slowly diminishing. Currently,
there are
9,00 Christians in Jerusalem representing all Christian
denominations. Whereas,
prior to 1948 the number of Christians was over 30,000. The creation
of the
State of Israel in 1948 forced many Christians to leave and settle
elsewhere. As
a result of the ongoing conflict, which created dire financial and
economic
situations in Jerusalem, and the rise of fanaticism, Christians had
to find
other means to provide themselves with a viable way of living. This
could not be
found under the circumstances of life in Jerusalem; therefore the
time has come
for all peace loving people as well as all Christians worldwide to
acknowledge
this reality.
Christians in Jerusalem have suffered not only from local
occupation, but also
from worldwide Christian indifference to their cause and history.
The Holy
Stones of Jerusalem receive greater attention than the Living Stones
who have
lived in the land since time immemorial.
Many Christian leaders in Jerusalem have repeatedly expressed their
ongoing
concern about the situation of the Christians as a result of the
exclusivist
Zionist policy, which bases its claims on God-given ethnic
territorial and
economic privileges. His Beatitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah already
presented the
Roman Catholic position on Jerusalem. The position of the World
Council of
Churches, whose December 1998 Assembly took place in Harare,
addressed the
question of Jerusalem. It sees Jerusalem at the heart of the
Israel/Palestine
conflict since the time of the League of Nations Mandate and
Partition in 1947.
The WCC expresses its concern: "the inability of the parties and of
the
international community to settle this question has left Jerusalem
vulnerable to
a series of unilateral (steps), which have radically altered its
geography and
demography in a way which violates especially the rights of
Palestinians and poses
a continuing threat to peace and security of all the inhabitants of
the city and
the region. Consequently, the Assembly affirmed that Jerusalem is a
Holy City for
three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who
share a
responsibility to cooperate to assure that Jerusalem be a city open
to the adherence
of all three religions." (Appendix I)
The Anglican Communion has also made an affirmative statement on the
importance
of Jerusalem for the three Abrahamic faiths referring to the city
'as a home equally
for Palestinians and Israelis." The 1998 Lambeth Conference in its
resolution V.20
expressed its concern about the serious decline of the Christian
community, as "a
substantial threat to the three fold presence in the Holy City." In
Addition the
conference affirmed almost unanimously that "East Jerusalem is an
integral part of
the Occupied Territories, and should be included in all political
arrangements
relating to those territories, including self determination, release
of prisoners,
right of return, and eventual sovereignty. (Appendix II) Hence its
calling for an
immediate work for a just and lasting peace based on a just solution
for the city
of Jerusalem.
In the same way, the Episcopal Church of the United States, has
affirmatively called
for an immediate solution of the question of Jerusalem; for "the
absence of such a
resolution will sow the seeds of new religious conflicts between
Muslims, Jew, and
Christians." The Episcopal Church of the United States in an open
letter to President
Clinton, stated: "The goal of "a warm peace" between
Israel and its
Arab neighbors
can only be achieved in the context of a shared city where the
interests of all the
parties are respected. It is essential that the two people who call
Jerusalem their home and capital openly negotiate its future."
(Appendix III)
"Jerusalem is an ancient Semitic word, which is derived from "Ur"
"Salem" meaning a
vision for peace. As a city, Jerusalem has been perceived as a
source for peace, "a
light to lighten the nations", as "the city of God" (Ps.46:4);"His
resting place"
(Ps.132:13-14). So the source of peace that comes from Jerusalem
derives in the first place from God. As I said earlier, for us
Christians this is revealed in the event of
Jesus as a person and not in the place as a place.
Unfortunately, Jerusalem as a place has been also a source of
incessant conflict and a
battleground for nations. The Israelis continue to impose human
wills and superiority
over the city not regarding the significance of each human being in
their relationship
with what happened in Jerusalem. This relationship with Jerusalem is
vital, as we
mentioned, to Muslims and Christians and Jews alike. The Israeli
sole sovereignty
and imposition of its superiority over the city creates a lot of
dilemmas and
complicates an already complicated issue, making the search for a
peaceful resolution an arduous task.
The continuing ideology of Israel creates all sorts of dilemmas
making it difficult
to reach a permanent agreement on Jerusalem. Eetta Prince-Gibson
reports on November 19,1999 in the "Jerusalem Post" that the
Israelis and Palestinians have a critical choice to make: "A peace
process that includes compromises on Jerusalem or no peace process
at all."
The Israeli position, we are told by Gibson, articulated by Prime
Minister Barak
remains unchanged..."Jerusalem will remain united under the sole
Israeli sovereignty."
"There will be no negotiations over Jerusalem and if the
Palestinians think
otherwise-too bad." On the other hand, Faisal Husseini who holds the
Jerusalem
Portfolio in the Palestinian Authority has declared that the
negotiations over Jerusalem will include discussion of both East and
West Jerusalem. For Palestinians owned approximately 70% of the land
and property of West Jerusalem, which he considers to be part of the
Corpus Separatum-the separately defined territory of Jerusalem
described by the United Nations in its 1947 partition resolution.
Moreover, Gibson tells us that according to Dr. Riad Malki,
coordinator of the Palestinian team
dealing with Jerusalem in the negotiations "Israel must not only
return all properties
it confiscated in West Jerusalem, it must also compensate the
Palestinians for the
use of these properties since 1948."
Despite the obvious conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians,
President Yasser
Arafat states "we do not demand the impossible." In other words,
Jerusalem has to be
shared politically and religiously by both the Palestinians and the
Israelis.
Echoing Arafat's statement, Dr. Menachem Klein, a senior lecturer at
Bar Ilan
University considers Barak's position to be a catastrophe. He says
"they (the
Israeli government) don't know the facts, they do not have working
teams of experts
who can advise them, they have neither strategy nor tactics. It's a
disaster from
the Israeli point of view."
Unfortunately ,there are some Christians who seem to share the
Israeli government's
policy, giving more importance to the State of Israel than to the
story of Jesus
Christ. Many Christian Zionists in the West see the Palestinian
Christian presence
as both politically and theologically awkward. To them the return of
the Jews to
Jerusalem is the fulfillment of Old testament prophecy. Likewise, a
commitment to
rebuilding the city, and particular the Third temple, is seen to
hasten the Second
Coming of Christ. Local Palestinian Christians have no role in such a
theology, which
is inspired by the Old Testament and which holds the people of
Israel, the Jews, to
have a unique relationship with God. This attitude seems to be far
from being
Christocentric, it inevitably de-emphasizes Jesus. His death and
resurrection.
Instead, salvation and judgment are re-defined whereby Christians
will be judged
according to their actions on behalf of the State of Israel. Such a
theology often
explains why Palestinian Christians are forgotten, as their
co-religionist from the
United States, Europe and elsewhere pledge their financial and moral
support to the
Jewish State.
As we look back at this sketch of views considering the importance
of Jerusalem for
Christians, Moslems and Jewish with the belief that Jerusalem must be
a source for
peace and not for conflict, the Angelical Church in Jerusalem tries
to be a bridge
that can bring together both Palestinians and Israelis to live in
harmony. We are
committed to the Lambeth Resolution V.20, which supports the plea of
the Palestinians and their political rights in Jerusalem. As a local
church concerned about its future and witness to the event of Jesus
Christ, our position stems from what we believe to be the basis for
a peaceful resolution for Jerusalem, which in the words of many
could either be the key for peace or the source of conflict that
might bring the
peace process to an end.
We are aware of the fact that experts estimate that non-governmental
organizations,
academic groups, and think tanks have produced at least sixty
comprehensive programs and scenarios for the future of Jerusalem.
Most have been developed by joint Palestinian and Israeli teams and
almost all of them agree that Jerusalem must never be physically
re-divided, but this does not mean that Jerusalem must remain
politically or legally united. Jerusalem is a city for all and if it
is to be a model for peace, then we have to share it and make it a
true light for the nations.
As a church we are called to follow Christ with the condition of
taking up the Cross
and following Him. Such a condition has necessarily to mean coming
face to face with
Jerusalem and with Jesus. The Church witnesses and testifies to
that which occurred
in Jerusalem, mainly the reconciliation between God and humanity and
we have been
entrusted with that ministry of reconciliation. As Jerusalem denotes
the theological
significance of the visit of God in the life and death of Jesus, so
the Church is
related to that city in order to bring peace ans stability for all
peoples be the Jew,
Christian or Muslim, as Paul says, "God was in Christ reconciling
the world to himself... and he entrusted us with the task of
reconciliation." (II Cor 5:19) This is our
task and we call upon all people of good will to join in
accomplishing that which is
offered to us so graciously by God.
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