I have been aware of the occupation of Palestinians for over 35 years. I learned about it while I was attending seminary in the United States. Following the wars of 1948 and 1967, the Israeli government took over land from the Palestinians, that was not theirs to take. The international community continues to see the occupation of Palestinian land as a breach of human rights law. There have been numerous U.N. resolutions telling the Israeli government to give back the land. Israel also have taken water away, limited imports, put up checkpoints , built a wall and arrested many children. These are all against accepted international law. The Israelis have all the heavy war equipment , guns, tanks, airplanes and bulldozers. It is unfair and unjust . They are the occupiers and the Empire. They are not going to give any of the land back, and they hope all the Palestians leave, so they can have all the land. They continue to build new settlements on occupied land. This kind of Israelis are called Zionists. It is a ethnic movement, and not a religious one. The Israeli state is not religious; it is a political organization. In the 1800’s, Theodor Herzl began the idea of a Jewish state, and the movement picked Israel as a place to settle. They feel that the land is theirs, and they have the right to occupy it. Any Jew in the world has the right to return to live in the political place called Israel.
What is anti-Semitism ? It is when Mr. Trump says, “ there are good people on both sides.”when referring to protesters who said that Jews are not going to be in control anymore. It is when someone refers to “ Jewish lightning “ as a way of talking about arson. It is when we say that we are going to “Jew” something down, to get a lower price. It is in the Chrsitian tradition when we have said that Jesus was killed by Jews. And the church had held it against the Jewish people for 2000 years. It is the Final Solution that was carried out by the Nazis in Europe from 1939-1945. It is when the Iranian President says that we want to push the Israel nation into the Mediterranean Sea. Anti-Semitism is trying to shame Jewish people, by saying they are bad persons in all things that they do. I believe Christian Zionism is anti-Semitic because, in the end it proposes that all Jews will be destroyed.
As a Christian, I would like the nation of Israel to act like the kingdom of God. But, the nation of Israel is not a religious entity. The state is not the same as the kingdom of Israel and Judah of the Old Testament. But, the people of God are only the people of God, if they act justly , love mercy and walk humbly with our God. It is when the kingdom takes care of the least of these, the widow, the stranger and the orphan. ( according to the Old Testament ). But, who is the kingdom of God in the Middle East and the world ?
So, as always, international peacemaking is complex. I believe the United States and Canada should pressure the Israeli government to live up to international human rights obligations. We must all treat the Palestinians with dignity and respect. That is not anti-Zionist or anti-Semitic. It is, I believe, the right thing to do .
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 