Israel, Palestine, and the elusive peace

I recently read this editorial in the Wall Street Journal by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. You should read it carefully, because it seems to reflect exactly what I saw on the ground there in the Holy Land when I visited over two years ago.

Both sides say they want peace, but neither seems to actually be willing to do the hard things that make for peace. Israel, being by far the stronger party, especially has hampered the process by continuing to build walls and settlements on the Palestinian side of the borders (that is to say, the state of Israel, despite repeatedly agreeing not to do so, continues to steal the best and most fertile of the precious little land left in the Palestinian territory).

It seems clear to me that the United States can and should apply far sharper pressure on Israel to end this process than we so far have done. Israel is, after all, dependent upon us for military support and aid. We should attach some more concrete conditions to our continuing to supply it. However, we do not yet have the political will to solve this thing - perhaps due to the wide influence of ardently (even blindly?) pro-Israel segments of our population (many are devout Christians and Jews). But what does it truly mean to be pro-Israel? To give the state of Israel support, even as it commits human-rights abuses, is not to truly help or care for that nation - since such actions must eventually have negative consequences of one kind or another for that people.

I must point out to my fellow believers in Christ the special consideration that we owe to our own family of faith: virtually all of the Christians in the Holy Land are Palestinians and we in the American Church have too often been willing to see them (and treat them) as enemies. And if one part of the body suffers, we all suffer - even if we don't yet percieve how.