Could it be that some who are labeled “terrorists” are fighting for good causes?
Is it possible that those in power, those who often control the press, are able to label as “terrorists” the ones who are actually the oppressed?
In my last post, I addressed the question of terrorism with respect to the recent military efforts of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin.
As I noted in that post, I myself do not support acts of violence. I see no way to reconcile violence and the teachings of Jesus.
NB: I have attempted to be very cautious over the years in my writing and teaching when it comes to Israel-Palestine. I believe that there are many good people on both sides of the literal and proverbial wall who simply want to live in peace.
Unfortunately, as I wrote in a series of posts last year, the status quo in the West Bank is not status quo. Instead, the Israeli government continues to advance by confiscating more and more lands in the West Bank. All the while the suffering of the Palestinians worsens by the day. It appears that soon there will be no Israeli-Palestinian conflict because it all be Israel’s.
This raises the question as to whether or not Palestinian resistance is understandable. (I almost wrote “justifiable” here. The problem is that I personally cannot affirm that violence is justifiable. But from a secular viewpoint, and even the viewpoint of many Christians, perhaps the word “justifiable” here is good).
Here are the links to my posts on why the status quo in Israel-Palestine is not status quo
My experience in the West Bank: Why I’ll never be the same: status quo: #4
4 Reasons why we should care that the status quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo: #6
Why the Palestinians are being slowly boiled to death status quo #7
The problems in the West Bank go well beyond the label “Terrorist”
The problems in the West Bank are not just with labels—such as “terrorists.”
If a Palestinian child throws a rock in protest against the injustices in which this child has lived his/her entire life, you can be assured that this child, and likely many others in his/her city, will be arrested and scurried off to prison for months if not longer. (see Defense for Children International-Palestine for more details).
The likelihood that this child will face torture in prison is very high. (Several years ago at a congressional dinner in Washington DC, I asked the director of Defense for Children International-Palestine, “What percentage of Palestinians children are tortured in Israeli prisons?” To which he replied, “Well, it depends on how you define torture.” He then added, “I would estimate it at around 90%.”
So, who is the terrorist? The child who throws a rock? Or the IDF and the Israeli justice system which collectively punishes an entire community and tortures children?
Walk a mile in my shoes: life as a child in Palestine
The poor child (and I am not intending to account for all kids who throw rocks here; nor am I condoning the throwing of rocks) has lived in hellish conditions under foreign occupation his/her entire life. The child likely has family members and close friends who have been killed.
Simple activities, such as walking to school, are often occasions of harassment by the Israeli military. Yes, young children are harassed walking to school!
That is why there is an organization that brings in foreigners to assist in walking Palestinian children to school!
NB: The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (see EAPPI) is an organization that brings foreigners to Palestine to walk kids to school in order that the children might not face harassment by the Israeli military: the idea is that the military is less likely to harass children when a foreigner present.
Last year we interviewed Jack Munayer one of the leaders of EAPPI on the Determinetruth Podcast (Here is a link).
Settler violence
As I noted in my last post, settler violence is a significant part of the problem in the West Bank. Settlers are Israeli civilians who live on land owned by Palestinians. That is, they do not live in Israel, they live in the West Bank.
Yep, insert here colonial “settlers” who steal land from the Native Americans or Australian Aborigines and then defend that land with arms.
These settlers are regularly armed (I am referring to the civilians). What is worse is that the settlers are able to act with virtual impunity against the Palestinians—the Israeli government virtually never prosecutes a settler for an act of violence against a Palestinian. And the settlers know this.
What often goes unreported in the Western world is that the armed settlers often enter a Palestinian village and set fires on Palestinian homes and fields, and kill Palestinians.
That sounds like terrorism to me. These acts rarely make Western news reports.
But when the local Palestinians respond to such acts of terror, they are branded as terrorists.
And when the Palestinians respond, the IDF acts swiftly against the Palestinians.
NB: Certainly, there are occasions when settler violence is in response to Palestinian violence. But there are also occasions in which settler violence is unprovoked.
Here is a report from the Israeli news source Haaretz:
“In recent days, there have been many violent incidents in which settlers attacked and vandalized Palestinian property throughout the West Bank. Last week, a day after the Eli terror attack, about 200 settlers– some of them armed – set fire to houses, fields and cars in the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank. After the rioters left, clashes broke out between Israeli forces and the Palestinians, and a Palestinian man was killed. Overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, settlers who arrived from the direction of the Yitzhar settlement set fire to a school in the Palestinian village of Urif, and – according to local residents – also tried to ignite houses and a mosque. On Thursday, Palestinians also reported casualties from an attack by dozens of settlers who rampaged in the village of Jalud, northeast of Ramallah, and damaged property in the village of Qaryut, east of Eli.”
Yet, this rarely makes news in the West.
What does make news is when a Palestinian responds.
Of course, when a Palestinian responds, the Israeli military moves in swiftly under the guise of “counter-terrorism.”
And this makes the news. But we are conditioned to think that Israel’s “counter-terrorism” is justified.
What is happening in Jenin these days?
Well, in sum, and perhaps it is a bit of all three:
Settlers attack and this constitutes “settler violence.”
Palestinians attack and this constitutes “terrorism.”
The Israeli military moves in and devastates a portion of a West Bank city, killing many, and displacing others and this constitutes “counter-terrorism.”
The US and the World’s response
The problem today is exacerbated even further by the fact that Israel’s government now consists of a coalition of far-right radicals who are demanding a more aggressive campaign against the Palestinians.
The fact is that this new Israeli coalition knows that the international community is either sympathetic to their actions or impotent.
As a result, Israel is largely impervious to criticism—especially criticism from the US.
Israel knows that the US—which annually sends $3.8billion to Israel “in aid”—is not about to rescind their “aid” (technically, the money is sent in the form of loans, but loans that are never asked to be repaid are not loans they are gifts).
NB: why is it that we give annually almost $4 billion to Israel in “aid” when they are a first-world country with one of the most advanced militaries in the world?
Recently the US government spoke against Israel’s inability to control settler violence by threatening to not grant Israel entrance into the US visa waiver program.
Really? That is the best we got?
Why does the US not step up and demand that Israel act justly toward the Palestinians?
The answer to this question is why this issue is especially relevant for the Church.
One of the primary reasons why the US does not stand up and demand justice is because there are too many Christians in the US that think that God demands that we bless Israel because they are God’s chosen people.
That’s right, our elected officials do not want to demand justice in the West Bank because we didn’t elect them to do so. We elected them to bless Israel. (see my post: Blessing Israel: 3 Reasons why I don’t think it means what you think it does)
My Response:
Even if you believe that the Bible says we must bless Israel, this doesn’t mean that we cannot criticize Israel (after all the prophets criticized Israel all the time; and so did Jesus), nor does it mean that we should allow them to continue to commit gross injustices. In fact, to allow them to continue committing injustices is not loving.
After all, friends of bullies are not friends they are accomplices.
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