Palestinian Liberation Theology - Part IV
With Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek - March 23, 2006
The Christian Palestinian Community
In Israel, in 2005 the total population was about 6.9 million. This figure includes East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlements found in the West Bank. Of this figure, 5.26 million are Jews (about 76% of the population); 1.35 million are "Arabs" (about 20% of the population); .29 million are "others" such as foreign labourers, foreign clergy, those living in religious communities and comprise about 4% of the population. .12 million (120,000) are Christians.
In the areas considered to be "Palestine," those areas that are occupied by Israel since 1967, there are 1.5 million "Arabs" in Gaza; 3 million in the West Bank who are "Arab," with some 50,000 being Christian.
Five Major Historical Factors Affecting the Life of the Christian Community
1. Theological Controversies of the Early Church
Christians were of different ethnic backgrounds but were one entity until the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries when the Church Councils were held and resulted in splits over theological doctrine. These successive splits caused each group of Christians to see each other as heretical enemies. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
2. Islam’s Arrival in the 7th Century
Muhammad’s teachings about and against Christianity were ill informed by various Christian Arab tribes with their varying and usually opposing accounts of Christianity arising from the disagreements of the Church Councils of earlier centuries. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
In the 7th century Christian communities began to convert to Islam to avoid taxes that were imposed by Muslim rule and to make life easier socially. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
3. The Christian Crusades
These often violent and deadly campaigns of the 11th and 12th centuries pitted western Christians under Rome not only against the followers of Judaism and Islam but also against the eastern Christians under Constantinople. Muslims and Eastern Christians were seen as enemies which only furthered the split between eastern and western Christians. The Orthodox churches were divided with some followers converting to Roman authority and some remaining devout to Orthodoxy. This divided and weakened the Christian cause and witness.
4. Protestant Missionary Movement & Colonialism
In the late 19th century the Protestant missionary movement came with a view to convert people of every faith including those they believed to be of the wrong Christian faith to their own traditions. This coupled with the rise of empire building on the part of Western and European nations left a negative legacy of the Christianized world. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
5. The Establishment of the State of Israel (Zionism)
The effect of splitting the country of Palestine has resulted in the emigration of many Palestinian Christians to other countries, some to western countries, some to other Arab countries.
Concerns of the Christian Community Today
1. Emigration of Christians
The state of Israel always says that Christians are leaving Israel because of the Muslims. While there are some problems between Christians and Muslims, the main reason for emigration is the political instability of Israel.
In 1948 when Israel took 78% of Palestine many Christians left as many had lost their home and their land. The fear is that soon there will be no Christians left in Gaza and in the northern West Bank areas of Nablus and Jenin.
2. The Growing Fanaticism - Political and Religious
Islamic and Jewish extremism - extremism which always tends to negate "the other" is a growing threat. Christians feel the repercussions of extremism from both the Muslim and the Jewish sides. This leaves very little room for peaceful living.
3. No Peace
With no solution to the conflict in the Holy Land people leave having given up hope.
4. Democracy
Most Christians wish to live in a democracy based on peace and community. Most people who live in the middle east have grown up in a culture of violence. How do you influence large scale cultural change from violence to peace? Christians do not wish to live in an Islamic state nor a Jewish state, so they emigrate. The State of Israel has no constitution therefore the rights of the marginalized and of the minorities are unprotected. In the absence of justice people choose to emigrate.
One Position on the Resolution of the Conflict
Move toward a Two State Solution. Even though following 1948, the United Nations awarded 55% of the land to Israel, it has occupied 78%. It now proposes and is acting to confiscate an additional 12%. It is possible to halt the current expansionism and establish two states with Israel having 78% and Palestine having 22%.
One organization (Sabeel) further proposes that there be created two sovereign states that are interdependent, perhaps under a confederation so as not to live as enemies, but rather exist in a positive dynamic.
The city of Jerusalem which is claimed by Israel as the eternal capital of the Jewish people and is claimed by Islam as belonging to Muslims must be politically shared. East Jerusalem become the capital of Palestine, West Jerusalem become the capital of Israel, and the Walled Old City of Jerusalem which contains most of the Holy Sites become a separate international entity by special United Nations charter, thereby lifting it above the politics and developed as a place of pilgrimage for all.
The Christian Palestinian Community
In Israel, in 2005 the total population was about 6.9 million. This figure includes East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlements found in the West Bank. Of this figure, 5.26 million are Jews (about 76% of the population); 1.35 million are "Arabs" (about 20% of the population); .29 million are "others" such as foreign labourers, foreign clergy, those living in religious communities and comprise about 4% of the population. .12 million (120,000) are Christians.
In the areas considered to be "Palestine," those areas that are occupied by Israel since 1967, there are 1.5 million "Arabs" in Gaza; 3 million in the West Bank who are "Arab," with some 50,000 being Christian.
Five Major Historical Factors Affecting the Life of the Christian Community
1. Theological Controversies of the Early Church
Christians were of different ethnic backgrounds but were one entity until the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries when the Church Councils were held and resulted in splits over theological doctrine. These successive splits caused each group of Christians to see each other as heretical enemies. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
2. Islam’s Arrival in the 7th Century
Muhammad’s teachings about and against Christianity were ill informed by various Christian Arab tribes with their varying and usually opposing accounts of Christianity arising from the disagreements of the Church Councils of earlier centuries. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
In the 7th century Christian communities began to convert to Islam to avoid taxes that were imposed by Muslim rule and to make life easier socially. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
3. The Christian Crusades
These often violent and deadly campaigns of the 11th and 12th centuries pitted western Christians under Rome not only against the followers of Judaism and Islam but also against the eastern Christians under Constantinople. Muslims and Eastern Christians were seen as enemies which only furthered the split between eastern and western Christians. The Orthodox churches were divided with some followers converting to Roman authority and some remaining devout to Orthodoxy. This divided and weakened the Christian cause and witness.
4. Protestant Missionary Movement & Colonialism
In the late 19th century the Protestant missionary movement came with a view to convert people of every faith including those they believed to be of the wrong Christian faith to their own traditions. This coupled with the rise of empire building on the part of Western and European nations left a negative legacy of the Christianized world. This weakened the Christian cause and witness.
5. The Establishment of the State of Israel (Zionism)
The effect of splitting the country of Palestine has resulted in the emigration of many Palestinian Christians to other countries, some to western countries, some to other Arab countries.
Concerns of the Christian Community Today
1. Emigration of Christians
The state of Israel always says that Christians are leaving Israel because of the Muslims. While there are some problems between Christians and Muslims, the main reason for emigration is the political instability of Israel.
In 1948 when Israel took 78% of Palestine many Christians left as many had lost their home and their land. The fear is that soon there will be no Christians left in Gaza and in the northern West Bank areas of Nablus and Jenin.
2. The Growing Fanaticism - Political and Religious
Islamic and Jewish extremism - extremism which always tends to negate "the other" is a growing threat. Christians feel the repercussions of extremism from both the Muslim and the Jewish sides. This leaves very little room for peaceful living.
3. No Peace
With no solution to the conflict in the Holy Land people leave having given up hope.
4. Democracy
Most Christians wish to live in a democracy based on peace and community. Most people who live in the middle east have grown up in a culture of violence. How do you influence large scale cultural change from violence to peace? Christians do not wish to live in an Islamic state nor a Jewish state, so they emigrate. The State of Israel has no constitution therefore the rights of the marginalized and of the minorities are unprotected. In the absence of justice people choose to emigrate.
One Position on the Resolution of the Conflict
Move toward a Two State Solution. Even though following 1948, the United Nations awarded 55% of the land to Israel, it has occupied 78%. It now proposes and is acting to confiscate an additional 12%. It is possible to halt the current expansionism and establish two states with Israel having 78% and Palestine having 22%.
One organization (Sabeel) further proposes that there be created two sovereign states that are interdependent, perhaps under a confederation so as not to live as enemies, but rather exist in a positive dynamic.
The city of Jerusalem which is claimed by Israel as the eternal capital of the Jewish people and is claimed by Islam as belonging to Muslims must be politically shared. East Jerusalem become the capital of Palestine, West Jerusalem become the capital of Israel, and the Walled Old City of Jerusalem which contains most of the Holy Sites become a separate international entity by special United Nations charter, thereby lifting it above the politics and developed as a place of pilgrimage for all.
posted by Philip | 4:55 a.m.
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