Thouights on Today's Attacks and Retaliations
Violence is its own fuel, its own enemy and instigator. And today's violence (on every side) will, we can be sure, only stir the flames of hatred, blame and all-out war against the occupied peoples of Palestine. But the post below--from friends at FOSNA (Friends of Sabeel North America)--shows us that Palestinian families have been occupied, imprisoned, demoralized, attacked, beaten and violated for generations. And justice postponed is justice denied. The occupation that destroys their farms is violence. The occupation that shoots indiscriminately at their children is violence. The occupation that uses Western tools and resources to cripple economies and entire families is violence. Justice denied is violence of the meanest, surest sort.
We continue to pray for and with nonviolent practioners like the Burnats--because they alone are unmasking the powers of militarism, colonialism and organized brutality. We continue to act purposefully with Israeli and Palestinian activists, seeking peace with justice through campaigns like BDS--because they alone are walking a pathway into a world beyond rockets exploding in kids' homes and sophisticated missles destroying Gaza's hospitals, etc, etc, etc.
But it is no suprirse that some who've been oppressed (and impoverished) for decades, and demoralized by intensifying settler violence and nationalistic government action, are provoked to seek change through violence of their own making. It is awful. It is destructive. But it is no surprise. It is no suprise that the complicity of Western powers--and particularly American inaction--only discourages creativity and peaceful imagination, that it drives many to leave their homes entirely and seek shelter and refuge in other places. What's left? The language and logic of violence. The rage. The strategies of violence.
How very easily we muster sympathy and support for Ukrainians seeking to drive out Russian occupation from their homelands and villages, from their cities and institutions! Can we not--for the love of God--also see how crucial it is to support Palestinian partners and nonviolent communities as they encourage peaceful means (BDS, political pressure, the UN, the Apartheid-Free Movement) to ending the Israeli occupation of their homelands and villages, of their cities and institutions and orchards and ancestral lands?
We say no to war. We say no to violence and paragliding attackers and clandestine bombers. But we say yes to resistance and justice. And we say yes to nonviolence and solidarity. And we say yes to a people who only wish to live free and well upon the land they love.
DGJ 10.7.23
Solidarity With the Burnat Family
By Rev. Chad CollinsMany of you know my friend and brother Iyad Burnat and his family. Some of you may have visited him in his village of Bil’in, about 8 miles outside of Ramallah. Others of you have heard him speak or read his book, Bil’in and the Non Violent Resistance.
You also may have seen his brother Emad’s Oscar Nominated Documentary, 5 Broken Cameras.
As an Apartheid regime, Israel’s government not only systematically oppresses Palestinians (in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank) by “legally” discriminating against them because they are not Jewish (with different sets of laws and different court systems) but also terrorizes any Palestinans who resist such injust and inhumane treatment. By strategically making use of night raids, random administrative detentions, the imprisonment of children, torture, and violence, Israel tries to intimidate our sisters and brothers from resisting; silence their prophetic voice; and weaken the strength of their sumud(or “steadfastness”).
As you may imagine, because they have been on the front lines of this resistance, Iyad and his family have suffered and are still suffering greatly.
"This has been my life since childhood and this is how my children have grown up. We do not know how to give up. Since the beginning, the Occupation has been persecuting us and assaulting us. I have been imprisoned several times and wounded. The contents of my house have been repeatedly destroyed. The Israeli Occupation Forces have assaulted my wife and children several times.We all know that Iyad and his family are not alone in this unjust treatment and that every Palestinian family faces great injustices every day. But as things are getting harder and harder for my friend and brother Iyad, I write to ask for your solidarity in prayer, and as the Spirit leads you to act, please follow your heart. If you want to know how you can help, please reach out to me directly: chadcollins@fosna.org.
"A spiteful Occupation soldier shot my first born son Majd in his leg, which led to complete paralysis of his foot.
"Abdel-Khaleq, my second son, was shot in the head and during his treatment, he was arrested for two weeks. Shortly after his release, he was re-arrested to spend 13 months in prison and soon after that release he was detained for 60 days and tortured in the most difficult prison in the world, the Al-Maskubiya. He was then released but came out of this criminal investigation with a permanent backache because his torture on “The Ghost.” To this day his head is constantly in pain because of his injuries. He was detained again last week at a mobile checkpoint and transferred to Ramleh Prison. Up to this moment, we do not know what the charge is.
"As for my third son, Muhammad, he was wounded in the chest and hand and was arrested several times. For the past fifteen months and counting, he has been confined to prison without trial.
"Several other cousins and friends from Bil’in are also confined to prison without charge and trial.
"Since 2004, we have resisted nonviolently against Israel’s wall and settlements. The boys’ arrest is the price we are paying for this resistance. Our community in Bil’in needs your urgent solidarity and support. Archbishop Desmond Tutu once famously said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” It is high time injustice is ended! With your help and your solidarity, we can continue to stand firm."
