I was sitting in a sandwich shop in Bethlehem talking to three Palestinian young men (age 28-30) when I realized this cannot go on any longer.
They shared with me how they do not want to get married because they cannot afford to care for a family. And how they didn’t want to have any children because the world of their experience was not a place for children.
Is the status quo a good thing?
Well, it depends. Since peace is better than conflict during times of peace, we might consider the status quo a good thing.
But what if the peace is only a perceived peace? What if peace is peace for some but continued oppression for others?
When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict some suggest that peace is unattainable.[1] But is it that peace cannot be obtained, or is it that those in power do not care to obtain it?
Media
I have noted on a number of occasions that everyone seems to agree that we shouldn’t trust the media but at the end of the day, everyone seems to trust them anyways.
I am not suggesting that the media is willfully and intentionally deceiving us. I am confident that most reporters are good journalists who take their work seriously.
When it comes to the media, one of my primary concerns has always been with the corporate ownership of the media. These corporations not only have an agenda but their agenda is influenced by the mighty dollar (or the pound for our readers in Great Britain). Human dignity, human freedom, and human suffering succumb to the bottom line of making a profit.
An additional concern is the government’s influence on the media.
The Necessity of a Free Press
As much as we should distrust the mainstream media outlets, we must also recognize that free speech and a free press are necessary for the protection of the human rights of all persons within a state.
This is why the murder of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh should sound the alarm.
In case you haven’t heard, on May 11, 2022, perhaps the most respected Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed by the Israeli Defense Forces while she was reporting on the Israeli raid of the west bank town of Jenin.
It is one thing for a government to assert control over its media. It is another thing when the government murders reporters trying to investigate its actions.
Of course, many in the west remain unaware of her murder. You may also be unaware that the IDF also employed force in the midst of her funeral procession a few days later. The IDF unleashed its force against the Palestinians, including members of Shireen’s own family, while they were mourning her death and processing her body down the street.
Western media outlets by and large either ignored her murder or refused to acknowledge the role of the IDF in her murder. Unfortunately, we have bought a narrative spun by our media and our government.
But how can we recognize the problem when we don’t know?
It is time to speak up
Why do I share this on a site dedicated to challenging the church to be the church? I share this for a number of reasons.
First, I believe that the western evangelical church is complicit when it comes to some of the injustices in Israel-Palestine.
Secondly, I am speaking up now because it is time we[2] employ a different strategy for engaging the western evangelical church.
To be continued . . .
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[1] Let me state at the outset that I affirm:
- that a lasting peace in Israel-Palestine is possible, but it must be one that benefits both Israelis and Palestinians.
- that the Jewish people worldwide continue to face an existential threat: antisemitism is real; it is dreadful; and it is to be resisted and condemned.
- the human dignity of all persons in Israel/Palestine: whether they are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Druze, or any others.
- that the present occupation of the Palestinian territories and the oppression of the Palestinian people borders on and often crosses over the border of inhumane. Whether or not it is necessary is another question—though it cannot be used to justify the ongoing oppression of the Palestinians. After all, one cannot justify oppressing another because of the potential that you might be oppressed.
[2] Authorial “we” here. In other words, I mean “I”: and anyone else that has followed my old approach.
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