Excerpts from my paper reviewing the Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek’s Work, Justice and Only Justice

Naim Ateek puts forth an account of the Palestinian struggle against the State of Israel from its invasion and establishment in the land of Palestine in 1948 to the struggle of current generations. He recounts the story of his own Palestinian Christian family as a way to introduce his experience with Jewish occupation and relates his story to the endless assaults on the Palestinian population at large, including Muslims, Christians and Druze. He also calls for an end to stereotypes that have been forged particularly in the psyche of the West, such as questions of how one can be both Arab and Christian at the same time (Note: All Muslims are NOT Arab and all Arabs are NOT Muslim; the country with the largest Muslim population in the world is actually Indonesia)….

Ateek argues that too many unjust actions have been taken against his people in order for the State of Israel to continue occupying their land. He shows how the interplay of politics and history brought rise to the establishment of the Israeli State in the first place. The Palestinian people have lived in Palestine for centuries; it is their home. Ateek explicates the unreasonable justification of Israeli occupation of their homeland, namely the argument that God promised the land to them several thousand years ago, and that it really belongs to them anyway. However, if such reasoning were used for the proposed establishment of all modern states, then the entire world would be in upheaval and disarray….

Ateek also shows how Zionism, which began as a secular political movement among Jews, gained support from Christian fundamentalists as well because of the biblical overtones carried with it in the deliverance of “God’s chosen people” and a call for immigration to their original homeland, Palestine. Essentially, this transformed Zionism from a strictly secular movement into one with an eschatological (end of days) religious tone. The anomaly resulting from such might be seen in the way in which both Orthodox and Reform Judaism rejected the movement, specifically because of its “antireligious” nature. Political maneuvers by the British, and Germany’s financial retributions for the atrocities committed against the Jewish people during World War II, paved the way for Jewish immigration and eventual forced occupation of the Palestinian nation. Of course, financial contributions and gifts of arms from USAmerica have also provided the military force needed to sustain the State….

According to Ateek, there was very little that the Palestinians could to do prevent a complete takeover of their land by the Jews. The United Nations intervened and called for partition of the land between the Jews and the Palestinian people. The Zionists accepted this plan, while the Palestinians rejected it as illogical and tragic. Ateek’s spin on this matter is very interesting in his evaluation of the plan, being reminded of the wisdom of Solomon when the real mother refused to sever her baby in two, which he believes gives credence once again to the true mother of the land of Palestine, the Arab Palestinian people. Regardless of whether they had agreed to the land division or not, as a result of the Israeli invasion, many Palestinians had already been killed, displaced or forced to emigrate….

I now realize that a discussion of this topic is crucial in today’s world of uncertainties, especially related to the subtleties and sensitivities that have led to and constantly revivify the conflict in the Middle East. Seminarians [and all Christians] need to be prepared to address this issue as it arises, especially concerning passages of the Bible that, without a proper interpretation, would otherwise appear to support Israel against the Palestinians. For example, the Christian fundamentalists in control of the Christian media in America have influenced and persuaded many that the events surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel are eschatological in scope and is a sure sign of the immanence of the second coming of Jesus. Today’s clergy, and specifically those in the mainline churches, must be knowledgeable enough about the real issues surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, in order to counteract this kind of fanaticism and extremism….

The plight of the Palestinians, and of particular importance to me, our Palestinian sisters and brothers in Christ, must be addressed by the world at large and the Church specifically. The Palestinians are a people who have been oppressed at the hands of the Israeli government and military for far too long now. This is perhaps the prime example of how the oppressed, once their oppression is over and they rise to power, become the oppressor….

This reveals the inherent nature of humanity as one that forgets its former suffering, especially if given the opportunity to taste power, and becomes the source of suffering for others. The text also shows that discrimination extends from race, sex, class and ethnicity to entire nations of people. Ateek’s work is a great achievement overall because of his insistence upon justice for all people. The spirit of his writing seems to be with the interest of all in mind. Yet, he also does not lose focus of his expressed goal, namely the freedoms restored to his very own Palestinian people….

Ateek is an Episcopal priest in Palestine and founder of the Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem which is working for justice, peace and reconciliation in Israel-Palestine