Peace Now

There's an urgency around events this month in Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel. The clip above describes just one way in which Israeli settlers are destablizing the West Bank and suffocating Palestinian statehood even before it's realized.

In yesterday's post, I reflected on the 'politics of polarization.' It seems to me that we've seen these politics, with purpose, here in the U.S. The purpose, as I suggested, is to make transparent the interests of different communities and coalitions. Either you favor a viable two-state solution - one that offers long-term economic and social opportunity to both states - or you continue to settle East Jerusalem and the West Bank, illegally.

It's been particularly painful to watch this polarization happening within the American Jewish community, one for which I feel deep affection. Polarized communities - churches, synagogues, neighborhoods - live with unimaginable tension. And the cost is significant. It's my deepest prayer that it's a moment that passes - soon, when peace and a successful two-state solution is in place. Until then, I'm in awe of the Jewish leaders - rabbis, prophets, secular visionaries - who speak and act courageously for peace, for the Palestinian people, and for a strong two-state future. They stand so boldly in the tradition of Jeremiah, and Isaiah, and Amos. Polarized politics are not simply a concept for these prophets, but a painful and consequential experience. I believe there's hope in this. But I can't pretend to understand what's at stake.

The idea, I think, is that polarization leads to transparency. I think we're there now. It's time to choose clearly and courageously the path to peace. Demonization of entire communities gets us nowhere. The proud politics of the past get us nowhere. There are clear choices now, and the urgency of the day demands choosing. Battering one another with blame and vitriol seems like so much wasted energy and time. It's time, at last, to identify the leaders with vision and the path that leads us into a future for children: Palestinian children in Hebron, Israeli children in Sderot, Arab kids in Nazareth, Jewish kids in Tel Aviv, all kinds of kids in Jerusalem.