ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My deepest gratitude goes to Omar Tesdell, an extraordinary
young man, whom I have been blessed to know. He took most
of two weeks to guide me around Palestine, giving me a
chance to meet his relatives and friends and to catch a
glimpse of the lives and struggles of the people there. Our
long conversations helped me to understand the reality of
the Palestinians.
I also want to thank the Israeli professor and his wife who
welcomed me into their home and showed me around parts of
Israel.
I want to thank all those I met during those twelve days
and shared stories, often over food. Their lives, their
witness, their resilience were a blessing. Many of them
will remain anonymous, but I feel free to share a few
names. Pastor Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran
Church and founder of the International Center of
Bethlehem, took out almost an hour from his busy schedule.
Maria Khoury guided us around Taybeh and insisted that we
join her for lunch: “I had to make lunch for my
family. What are a few more spoonfuls?” she insisted.
I want to thank Chris and Tim Seidel, Mennonite Central
Committee Peace workers in Palestine and Israel. The night
before I left we had a long discussion, sparked by
Tim’s all too poignant question. “What
theological questions has your visit provoked?”
I shared earlier versions of this work with a number of
friends, I want to thank Megan McKenna, Mary Swander, Jim
Forest and Anne Recker for their encouragement.
And most of all, I must say “Deo gratias” to
the God who has been so good to me and given me the
privilege to share in the lives of so many good people who,
in their dedication, show the glory of God.
The Western Wall of the
Temple
PALESTINE-ISRAEL
SOME INTERNET RESOURCES
http://www.nccbuscc.org/sdwp/international/mideast.htm
U S Conference of Catholic Bishops, Department of Social
Development and World Peace
Middle East statements, background, etc.
http://www.catholicrelief.org/get_involved/advocacy/grass_roots/peace.cfm
Catholic Relief Services
Educational
and advocacy information
http://www.bethlehemmedia.net/
Established
in the fall of 2003, the BMN is administered and operated
by the Bethlehem Media Center the goal of which is to echo
the “voice of the voiceless”, especially that
of children, the youth and women. By providing
training in journalistic skills and developing the
opportunities for people to say their opinion, Bethlehem
Media Center can offer a more exact and democratic voice to
the outer world.
http://www.annadwa.org
The International Center of Bethlehem; Dar Annadwa
Addawliyya
The ICB
is a Lutheran-based, ecumenically-oriented institution
serving the whole Palestinian community. The programs of
the Center serve the entire community from “the womb
to the tomb”, with an emphasis on children, youth and
women.
http://www.palestinenet.org/english/
Palestine News Network
http://www.hcef.org/hcef/index.cfm/ID/2.cfm
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical
Foundation
http://www.miftah.org/
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global
Dialogue and Democracy
http://www.sabeel.org
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology
Center
Sabeel
is an ecumenical grassroots liberation movement among
Palestinian Christians. It's an ecumenical center for
Palestinian Liberation Theologywhich seeks to make the
Gospel contextually relevant. In Arabic Sabeel means 'The
Way' and also a 'Spring of Water'.
http://www.afsc.org/middleeast/int/israel.htm
American Friends Service Committee
http://www.btselem.org/
The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the
Occupied Territories
http://www.holylandtrust.org/
Holy Land
Trust
http://www.openbethlehem.org/
Open Bethlehem is a civil society initiative
to support Bethlehem.
http://www.planet.edu/~alaslah/
Wi'am - Palestinian Conflict Resolution
Center
Wi'am as a
grassroots
organization, strives alongside other democratic forces
present in the larger Bethlehem community to build a
democratic and just society.
http://www.middleeastwindow.com/index.php
Middle East Window: Real People, Fresh
Perspectives
Articles
on the Middle East by a wide variety of authors, many
living in the region.
http://www.middleeastwindow.com/index.php
Walk the Road to Peace
A
multi
faith campaign organized to support the Road Map to Peace
in the Middle East, initiated by American Christian, Jewish
and Muslim leaders.
http://www.adifferentfuture.org/index.php
A Different Future
Affiliated
with Walk the Road to Peace.
The Dome of the
Rock