THE CONTRIBUTION OF JEWISH-CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM DIALOGUE TO PEACE BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Jerusalem, 22 – 25 June 2008

As some 180 participants. Jews, Christians and Muslims from 30 countries world-wide including Palestine gathered in the Yehuda conference centre on the western outskirts of Jerusalem for the International Council of Christians and Jews’ annual conference, hosted by its Israel member, the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI) and wide-ranging programme the words of the song Y’rushalayim Shel Zahav = Jerusalem of gold – with its lines

“as trees of stone slumber, so the city that dwells alone, whose heart is a wall. Is held captive by its dream”

sprang to mind.

At that venue, not only by looking out across at hills and villages that not so long ago saw violence, fighting and casualties, we realised how close we were to a reality that over past decades has touched all of us, no matter how far from that centre we lived, dialogued and hoped for a peaceful solution.

The main conference topic -with its emphasis on contribution to peace building – rather than to the more political concept of peacemaking – was addressed on Sunday while two major themes were addressed on Monday Theme I Reflections on the Alexandria Process and Jewish-Christian Relations; on Tuesday Theme II My Community and the Land.

There were 36 workshops

Under the expert guidance of our hosts a mixture of inter-active study outings and field visits to places and institutions of cooperation and education, relating to both Themes took place on Monday afternoon and throughout Wednesday.

This present conference overview can only give a taste of the sites visited and the issues dealt with in depth and with a commendable mixture of scholarly insights and questions touching the realities of those many little known encounter and reconciliation activities in the country. It is not all violence and strife as highlighted by the world’s press and media – there is much courageous personal commitment, much acknowledgement of the pain, the history and the different narratives but also hope for a peaceful future that requires nurturing, bridging and mutual understanding.

The Conference opening

was introduced by ICCJ President Fr Prof Dr John T Pawlikowski confirming the relevance of this year’s conference to the wider situation in the Middle East and to the need to understand that without dialogue among the three Abrahamic religions so manifestly influencing daily life the prospects of any peace were bound to recede even further.

Rabbi David Rosen then spoke in what he termed “a moment of brutal truth” of his long personal engagement in dialogue which made it clear that 90% of the population hardly took any notice of these encounters. Equally, mainstream religious institutions showed little interest in dialogue. It was marginal to the secular society reflecting also the reality and perceptions of political leaders. It was of utmost importance to get across to the public at large the fact that understanding the tradition and the narratives of the other can be enriching to one’s own religion. There were dramatic developments in Israel over the past 6-7 years, since during his historic visit Pope John Paul II had asked to meet with the country’s Chief Rabbis. This has resulted in regular exchanges between the Chief Rabbis and the Vatican, likewise between the Chief Rabbis and Anglicans, as well as meetings with Muslim and Hindu representatives. This brought about a fascinating yet still marginal dynamic in the impact of religious leadership on political leadership. Referring to the Alexandria Declaration he spoke of the inexorable connection between religion and human reality. The lessons drawn from the Alexandria encounter included the need for facilitators such as the establishment of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. While religion alone cannot bring about solutions, it will be at our peril if we fail to engage religions. Religion in this region must be part of the solution. Religious leaders have to be encouraged to continue engaging in diplomatic manoeuvres, unofficial, informal interaction between members of adversary groups or nations that aim to develop and agree on strategies, influence public opinion and help to create human and material resources towards conflict resolution, a concept that is gaining currency.

The Latin Patriarch Michel Sabah emphasised that while basically religion’s message is always one of peace and war and it is up to religious leaders to reconcile rather than incite. There was need to create a common vision of the human being created in the image of God. As a believer his vision for the region was one that put human dignity first. A religious leader needed to guide not to succumb to popular myths and prejudices. The main task of religious leadership in the Holy Land was to seek mutual respect, understanding of the other’s tradition and narrative. The present conflict was more than a struggle for land, it was a struggle for mutual recognition and trust, a struggle to make the other understand one’s narrative be it that of Jewish suffering, exile and persecution or the Palestinian one of nakba – the catastrophe of the Palestinian exile.

The Kadi of Jerusalem, Muhammed Zibdi spoke of his tradition which basically taught the importance of living in peace and understanding with the other people of The Book and the teaching of their prophets who all are seen as transmitters of true revelation. A conference like the present one was therefore of utmost importance because it allowed the parties to the present conflict to speak with and try to understand each other in an effort to live in peace in the land holy to all of us.

The Monday plenary session was addressed by Rabbi Michael Melchior, chair of the Knesset Education Committee who had just hat morning attended a meeting with Dr. Mahmud Abbas (Abu Masen). In fact, some meetings between representatives of main stream religions in the Middle East of which little is ever reported in the international press bordered on the surrealistic, such as Rabbi Jacob Ariel head of the right wing settlers (Gush Emunim) discussing the situation with Sheikh Faludja, born in a refugee camp in Gaza and co-founder of Hamas who had created a centre In Gaza for Imams and scholars working for religious dialogue and also involved in the peace process. Most people in the region defined themselves by their religious affiliation and he conflict basically had its root in religion. “We do not know each other” he said. “How do we get things across to the 40,000 pupils in the Jerusalem area?” There cannot be political peace without Israelis knowing that Islam is here, nor without Islam knowing that Jews are here in a small Jewish state with full rights for the other in respect and with dignity. Alexandria held the promise that despite all political problems created also by forces within the Arab as well as within the Jewish world, a sense of holiness of the land for all will in the end prevail. Politicians simply cannot ignore religion without which no peace building let alone agreement can be achieved. While there were many reasons why Oslo could not fulfil the hopes pinned upon it, a fundamental reasons was the total absence of religious voices. 

Tuesday’s Plenary lectures under the heading My Community and the Land were presented by Ms Hanan Abu Dalu, a teacher and interreligious peace activist and Dr Deborah(Debbie) Weissman, co-chair of the ICCI.

Hanan Abu Dalu stated that her participation in the conference was simply that of a human being. As a true Muslim she knew that she was no better than other humans who are all equal in rights and duties. Albeit that a good worshipper is an even better one. As a Palestinian woman she believed that it was up to her to create holiness in its fullest sense. Not to give in to weakness which creates the monster that will oppose change. Her situation in various respects involved indignities, but these could be overcome through good teaching and open discussion. Land belongs to a true believer, yet human life was dearer and more important than land.

Debbie Weissman setting the theological scene spoke of the Jewish connection of the Land we call Israel as an ancient ongoing and profound link between a people and its homeland, spiritual centre and land of destiny. Referring to the Protestant theologian Walter Brueggemann’s book subtitled “Place as Gift, Promise and Challenge in Biblical Faith” she agreed that the central theme of Biblical faith was the human pursuit of space may be a flight from history, a yearning to enter history as an identifiable people in an identifiable pilgrimage. Out of the 39 books of the Tanakh 36 have the drama of the relationship between the people and the land as one of their central themes. Yet the centrality of the Land goes beyond the Bible, Mishna, Midrash or Talmud. It underlies Jewish law, liturgy and philosophy throughout the ages. Jewish view of redemption involves return to the Land. In wishing for a secure future one could not ignore history. From that she concluded that mutual recognition of each other’s narratives of exile would be an important step towards solving the conflict even though the suggestion poses two basic difficulties: For the Palestinian side the difficulty to accept that the Jewish people had been exiled from the Land of Israel. The Palestinian narrative officially denies any historical pre-19^th and 20^th century ties between the Jewish people and the land. For the Jewish side recognition of the Palestinian narrative of nakba would entail at least partial responsibility for the Palestinian refugee problem. She believed that our religious heritage can provide us with a way of solving the conflict. The Book of Leviticus (25:23) has God saying to the children of Israel “And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is Mine for you are strangers ad residents with me”. Suppose, she added we began to view both ourselves and the Palestinians as both strangers and residents in the same land. The Land that belongs in perpetuity to God. Both the Jewish and Palestinian sides share a common experience of Exile. A basis that might develop a sense of empathy for one another. It was essential to listen and acknowledge each other’s narratives of our attachment to the Land. Collective memory in the region was a double-edged sword. It was only through recognition of memory and the role it plays that we could move forward. In pride in our narratives but without prejudice.

The full report by Ruth Weyl can be found on the IICJ website http://www.iccj.org/en/index.php?item=374