cornerstone, spring, 2015, towards jerusalem

8/20/2019 Cornerstone, Spring, 2015, Towards Jerusalem

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IN HIS ISSUE Jesus Sets His Face

Towards JerusalemSabeel Bible Study Reflection

What does it mean for Jesus to “set his face” towards Jerusalem (or,as stated in Luke 9:51 in the NIV, to “resolutely set out”)? What

is it about Jerusalem that makes it the focus of Jesus’ message anddestiny? What is it today that makes Jerusalem such a significantissue, perhaps the most significant issue, in resolving the PalestineIsrael conflict?

First, let us examine the context of this phrase as found in Luke 9.Tere are two significant events that need to be looked at. First,the transfiguration and second, Jesus’ foretelling of his sufferingand death.

A PUBLICAION BY SABEEL ECUMENICAL LIBERAION HEOLOGY CENER

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Towards Jerusalem

Te Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem

Jesus Sets His Face owards JerusalemSabeel Bible Study Reflection

Te Story of an Impossible Reality by Meir Margalit

An Excerpt from Pilgrims and Powerbrokersby Gregory C. Jenks

Existence, Presence and Steadfastnessby Nora Kort

Glimpses of Our Activities

For My Identity…I Sing by Al-Mada

Home Demolitions: A Discreet Displacementby EAPPI

One Sunday in Jerusalemby Najwa Kawar Farah

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ISSUE 71, SPRING 2015


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2 ISSUE 71, SPRING 2015

Jesus has just finished his three-yearministry in the Galilee. At CaesareaPhilippi, he asks his disciples, “Who doyou say I am?” and Peter makes his greatconfession: “You are the Christ” (Luke9:20). Jesus then warns his disciplesof his coming suffering and death andchallenges them “to take up the cross

and follow me” (9:22-23). A few dayslater, he takes Peter, James and John tothe top of a high mountain where hisglory is revealed to them in what werefer to as the transfiguration and a voiceis heard from heaven saying, “Tis is mybeloved son; listen to him” ( 9:35). Oncoming down from the mountain, theconfusion that the disciples experience when they are unable to heal a demon-

possessed boy is a foretaste of the paththey must now take. From this pointon, things are going to be more difficult.Reading the gospel, one begins to feelthe tension.

It is at this point that Jesus turns toward Jerusalem. In different versions, we aretold that he “steadfastly” or “resolutely”sets his face towards Jerusalem. Inother words, his whole being is involvedin this turning. We know that it is in

Jerusalem that he will be arrested andkilled.

Let’s now look at what Jerusalemmeans. It was considered, and still is, a“holy” city. At the time of the Roman

occupation, Jerusalem was a center opower, both political and religiou Jesus was heading straight into theye of power with a message about aalternative “kingdom,” a new “empirethat would turn the world upside downEven though he had spent three yeateaching his disciples and preparin

them for his death, it is obvious fromtheir reactions that they still saw himas someone who would confront powe with power, who would come as military liberator of the people whsuffered under occupation.

Instead, Jesus’ message and thkingdom that he would bring abou was one of justice, peace and love. T

Palestinian worshippers restricted from praying at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by Israeli soldiers often pray instead on the street nearby.


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3ISSUE 71, SPRING 2015

was the message he was taking to Jerusalem. As we say, he was going to speak truth, truth about the kingdom of God,to power. And power does not want to hear the truth. Poweris threatened by the truth. And Jesus knew that by speakingthis truth, especially in Jerusalem, he was risking his life.

Later on in Luke (13:33-34) we read about Jesus’ sorrowover Jerusalem as he looks down on the city from the Mt.of Olives. It is interesting to note verse 33 where he saysthat “no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Jesus comesto Jerusalem, knowing full well that his message, like themessages of the prophets throughout history who attempted

to speak the word of God, will not be received. And topersist in speaking his message of love, justice and peace willlead only to death.

What about today? What is the meaning of Jerusalem today?First of all, it is still considered a “holy” city, but now not justto the Jewish faith, but to the Christian and Muslim faithsas well. According to the Kairos Palestine Document, forPalestinian Christians Jerusalem “is the heart of our reality.It is, at the same time, symbol of peace and sign of conflict”(1.1.8). “Jerusalem is the foundation of our vision and ourentire life. She is the city to which God gave a particularimportance in the history of humanity. She is the city towards which all people are in movement” (9.5).

Jerusalem was meant to be accessible to people of all faiths. When the two state solution became part of the peace process,East Jerusalem was to be the capital of the Palestinian State. Jerusalem has become one of the most contested issues in thepeace process, but rather than being the issue that should beresolved first, it has been taken off the table and not open fordiscussion.

A section of the separation barrier and Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem © R e u t e r s

Jerusalem is one of the key issues in the Palestine Israelconflict. Part of Israel’s agenda is to Judaize the city bychanging the facts on the ground, whether through buildingillegal Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem or by tryingto change the cultural and national character of the city’sPalestinian neighborhoods. Despite these and numerousother documented violations of international law by Israel,the international community still does not have the political

will to confront the powers that be in this conflict.

Who, at present, is setting their face towards Jerusalem? Who is willing to take up the cross of Jesus and speak truth

to power? Who has the resolve to enter into the center ofthis issue, into the center of power and speak Jesus’ messageof love and justice and peace? Can the holiness of Jerusalembe retained apart from truth and justice?

Going back to the Gospel of Luke we read that Jesus not onlypredicted his passion and death, he also predicted that on thethird day he would be raised to life (9:22). Jerusalem todayis suffering. Israel refuses to share the city. It is pursuinga policy of exclusion, making Jerusalem exclusively Jewish,and defying UN resolutions, international law and humanrights. It is time for the international community to “set itsface resolutely towards Jerusalem,” to raise its voice and speaktruth to power. Ten and only then will Jerusalem have theopportunity to experience resurrection.

Sabeel staff and volunteers contributed to this Bible studyreflection.


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Sabeel’s ecumenical prayer service for Jerusalem at the Dominican Church in November 2014

Searching for the Corner Stone

‘So then you are no longer strangers andaliens, but fellow citizens with the saints,and are of God’s household, having beenbuilt on the foundation of the apostles

and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself beingthe corner stone’ (Ephesians 2:19, 20).

Living in Jerusalem these days, it is hardto know where the ‘corner stone’ reallyis. As Sabeel Christians, building onthe ‘foundation of the apostles and theprophets,’ the ways forward hit morebrick barriers and walls. Te wellspringsof hope need yet more permits to access.Te Holy City increasingly surroundedby soldiers makes us feel like strangers

and aliens in our own sacred spaces.

In Jerusalem today and in this issue ofCornerstone , we confront these harshrealities. As readers, wherever you are,

you must know and learn about these‘sinful facts on the holy ground.’

Read the Sabeel staff’s reflection onthe Luke account of Jesus ‘turninghis face towards Jerusalem,’ knowing

that confrontation with barriers,betrayal and soldiers lay ahead. Readformer Jerusalem City councillorMeir Margalit’s description of the tenplagues that afflict the Old City andthe increasing divide between East and

West Jerusalem. Read about Palestinianfamilies losing their homes, and asEcumenical Accompaniers witness it, thedesperate measures taken by the AbdelHaq family with their five children inthe Ras al-Amud neighborhood of East

Jerusalem. Yet in the midst of this unrelenting way of the cross, this Good Friday Jerusalem, some still stand and sing

like the children of Al-Mada. Othelike Najwa continue to imagine anreimagine a Jerusalem with its windtrees standing steadfast - sumoud And like the Mary’s and John’s at thfoot of the cross, Nora Kort remains i

Jerusalem. Read her story of existencof Wujoud - and believe.

As an Easter people, you know some othese Jerusalems in your own life anexperience. As fellow citizens of Godhousehold, the stones of injustice mube rolled away, so together we can finthat ‘corner stone.’ Tis is the Sabepath we journey with you - working fo justice as the ‘corner stone’ for the peacof Jerusalem.

William Roberts, Interim Executive Director


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The Story

of an Impossible

Realityby Meir Margalit

Te disturbances that raged in East Jerusalem during last Julyand which sporadically continue to this day are unlikely tosurprise anyone following the situation in the city, and anyone who is attentive to the voices emanating from it. Tere areclaims that a small group of inciters is seeking political profit,

and that this group is behind the disturbances. However,this proves that people supporting such claims know next tonothing about the true situation on the ground. If they wereacquainted with events unfolding in the city’s backyard, they

would know that the eruption was predictable, and only itstime was unknown.

Much has changed in East Jerusalem over the past decade,to the point of becoming intolerable. When eddy Kollek

was Jerusalem’s mayor (1965-1993), Arab residents were disadvantaged, but their honour was scrupulouslydefended. Tey felt that at least they received civilizedtreatment. Recently though, several moves have made theirlives unbearable and, even worse, they feel their dignity isbeing trodden underfoot. In the spirit of Easter that we arecelebrating these days, I would say that ten plagues are beinginflicted on East Jerusalem’s Arab residents, and they cannotbe ranked by gravity.

School children in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem

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Israeli police spraying Palestinian houses with “skunk water” in East Jerusalem in July 2014.

Te first plague: Te option of lawfullybuilding a home has become almostimpossible for the city’s Arab residents.Te difficulties have been accumulatingfor years: requirements to proveownership (despite the fact that since

the Ottoman period Palestinians didnot normally register their properties inthe official state registry), the absenceof infrastructures required by law forconstruction (roads, water, sewage andelectricity), low building percentages(not being allowed to build on the fulllot of the property), the reducing ofareas permitted for new construction,and the high cost of taxes that arerequired to be paid in order to receive abuilding license. All of these facts do notgive the Arab residents many optionsother than to build without a buildinglicense, facing the risk that their homes

will be demolished by the municipality.

Te second plague: Te separationfence, built over the last decade, hasnot only created a wave of internalmigration, but it has cut the Arabmigrants off from their families,relatives, and loved ones. Matters have

become highly complicated. A familyvisit, which in the past entailed a short

journey of some minutes, has become a“journey into the unknown,” in whichno one can guess how long it will taketo reach a destination or to return fromit. Everything depends on the mood ofthe soldier standing at the checkpoint,

which they now must cross.

Te third plague: In tandem, theIsraeli Interior Ministry has intensified

its campaign of confiscating the Jerusalem identity cards from people who it maintains are living beyond themunicipal borders of Jerusalem. Many

Arabs with this “Jerusalemite ID” finthat one day their citizenship status habeen revoked without their knowledgand they must retain a lawyer’s serviceto get it back.

Te fourth plague: Te InterioMinistry continues to prevent Ea

Jerusalem residents from uniting wittheir spouses who hold an ID fromthe West Bank. Terefore, Palestiniaspouses from the West Bank are forceto live in Jerusalem even if they donhave a permit to do so. Such permiare difficult to obtain. Te spouses staat home and live almost undergrounout of fear of being arrested by Israepolice.

Te fifth plague: Te Jewish settlehave lost all control and are trying ttake over every spot of land in the city


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eastern half. Tis is so given the factthat they themselves know that sooneror later the city of Jerusalem will needto be divided and therefore, they aremaking great efforts to prevent that byestablishing facts on the ground. Very

recently, and without any qualms, theyhave removed entire Arab families fromtheir homes, imposing fear everywherethey go. Tis happens very often bythe settlers using falsified documents.Other times, the “apothropous forabsentee properties” law simply assignsthe houses to the settlers, or in someinstances, Arab owners under severefinancial pressure sell their homes tosettler buyers.

Te sixth plague: Tousands of homesof Arab families in East Jerusalem areat risk of demolition. Tis is becausethe municipality is not capable ofdemolishing such a huge number ofhomes, so none of the thousands offamilies who have received demolitionorders know who will suffer this fate,and when it will be their turn to losetheir home. In this situation, everyfamily lives on borrowed time andthe stress of the unknown is a form of

torture.

Te seventh plague: Te economiccrisis has caused calamity in the easternpart of the city, with close to 70% ofall Arab families there now living belowthe poverty line. In the absence of anyprospects for improving their situation,they have very little to lose.

Te eighth plague: Te humiliatingattitude of the Israeli border police has

become unrestrained and ever moreviolent, gross and hot-headed. TeIsraeli soldiers disdain everything thatappears Arab, and injure the deepestsensibilities of Arab residents.

Te ninth plague: Te archaeologicalexcavations that the state of Israelis carrying out close to the Al Aqsa

Mosque (emple Mount), both in theGivati parking lot and in El Wad Street,are generating immense concern amongthose who believe they are intendedto cause the collapse of mosques,including the Al Aqsa Mosque. It is

a belief nurtured by their “intimate”knowledge of the Jewish settlers whoare conducting the excavations and thesettlers’ nationalist-messianic agendathat impels them. It may not be true,but in East Jerusalem even a feeling or arumour can ignite a conflagration.

Te tenth plague: Tere is a low levelof municipal services benefiting Arabfamilies, ranging from the collectionof garbage to the challenges to the

educational system which contributeto their inferior status. Tis is despitethe fact that they pay taxes to the city.Every time Arab citizens cross to the

western part of the city and see howgreat the divide is between their ownstandard of living and that of their

Jewish neighbours, this is seared intotheir awareness.

Moving Forward

Te only means by which we can freethe Arab residents from this nightmareis by dividing Jerusalem. Anyone whoseeks to promote peace in the MiddleEast must insist on bringing this issueto the table. Te issue of Jerusalem is,in fact, at the heart of the conflict. Peace

will remain unattainable until the cityis divided, and that within its territorialexpanse two capital cities for twonations rise: a West Jerusalem capital ofIsrael and an East Jerusalem capital of a

Palestinian state.

Looking toward division is, in fact, areflection of the realities on the ground.Te city is already divided by invisible

walls stretching higher than thoseerected between Israel and Jordan in1967. Arab and Jewish residents of thecity view one another with apprehension

and lack of trust. Despite 46 years ofIsraeli jurisdiction of Jerusalem, it isnearly impossible to find instances ofcooperation and coexistence betweenthe two communities.

A divided Jerusalem is unavoidable. Itis an indispensable reality if peace is tobe realized. Anyways, the city is alreadypolitically divided. Te internationalcommunity should pressure Israel toacquiesce the division of the city, andit must act quickly. It must use all ofits influence to apply heavy pressure inorder to prevent the Israeli governmentfrom creating facts on the ground that

will severely cripple any possibility for a just resolution to the conflict.

Tere is no time to waste. Teinternational community must takeevery necessary step to ensure Israelends the occupation of the West Bankand East Jerusalem. Tis is no easyundertaking, but in the end, history

will undoubtedly recognize such greatefforts.

Dr. Meir Margalit served as a memberof the Council of the Jerusalem Municipality representing the left-wing Meretz party from 1998- 2002 and 2008-2013 where he was in charge ofthe East Jerusalem portfolio. He is a co-

founder of the Israeli Committee AgainstHouse Demolitions (ICAD) and is thedirector of the Center for Advancement ofPeace Initiatives. He is also the authorof “Seizing Control of Space in East

Jerusalem” and “Demolishing Peace:House Demolitions in East Jerusalem.”


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2015 SABEEL WITNESS VISIT November 3rd - November 11th 2015

• Worship with Palestinian Christians

• Meet and reect with Palestinian Christians and Muslims as well as with Jewish Israelis and inter-

nationals who partner with Sabeel in non-violent resistance against violations of international and

humanitarian law

• Experience the realities of the Palestinian community living under Israeli Occupation: the Wall,

settlements, checkpoints, confiscated and demolished homes, refugee camps, and environmental

degradation• Learn about the loss of civil and property rights of Arab Israeli citizens

WHEN: November 3rd - November 11th 2015 inclusive (9 nights) WHERE: Nights in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth with side visits to other sites within the West Bank and to the Sea of Galilee holy sites

COS: $1600 per person in a double room $1900 per person in a single room

Tis cost includes a non-refundable registration fee of $300, all accommodations and meals for 9 nights,all transportation and honoraria during the visit. It does NO include airfare, transportation to and from the airport,

personal expenses and souvenirs, or travel insurance.

For more information please email [email protected] : +972 2 5327136

An additional 100$ for registration after the 20th of September 2015Te registration form is available on the Sabeel website (www.sabeel.org)

PLEASE NOE HA HIS IS A RIGOROUS RIP HA INCLUDES CLIMBING OF SAIRS AND MUCH WALKING,

SOMEIME OVER ROUGH ERRAIN.

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Teology Center invites you to join us for

9 nights to experiencethe reality of life

in today’s Holy Land:


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An Excerpt

from Pilgrims

and Powerbrokersby Gregory C. Jenks

Few places on the earth fit the criterion of “lands that bearthe marks of colonization” more strongly than Palestine. Tisphrase certainly fits with the present experience of Palestin-ians, as well as that ‘lust for Zion’ which has been a hall-mark of Christian claims to the land in the Byzantine pe-riod, during the Crusades, and by various European powersin the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a recentcollection of essays indicates(Ateek, Duaybis, & Whitehead,

2014)1, there is no lack of intersection with politics,scripturesand religions in modern Palestine and Israel.

Geography destined Palestine to serve as the great global in-terchange; the point where traffic from Africa, Asia and Eu-rope converges as humanity surges back and forth like waveson the beach. Adventurers, armies, merchants, and refugeeshave crossed the ancient land of Palestine since time beforememory. In the process they have conquered and colonized.Tey have killed and they have settled among the natives.Tey have lived in houses they did not build, drawn waterfrom cisterns they did not dig, and gathered harvests from

crops they did not plant (cf. Deut 6:10–11).

Tey have told stories about their gods, and claimed this land was given to them – and them exclusively – by their gods, who alone are true gods. In this land some of those storiesbecame the Bible, and from this land orah and Gospel havebeen shared with other parts of the world.

For some Christians in antiquity – and specifically Byzan-tine Christians after the merger of Christianity with imperialRome – Jerusalem had become the centre of the world; or,at least, the centre of their world. Te beautiful mosaic map

from Byzantine Madaba in modern Jordan reflects the posi-tion of Jerusalem in the religious imagination of the believer.

Te city had not always been at the centre of the world, eventhe religious world. When it first appears in our historicalrecords around 1,350 years before the Common Era, Jerusa-lem was a small settlement in the orbit of Egypt. In AmarnaLetter 287 its local ruler (Abdi-Heba) wrote to Akhenatonasking for a handful of archers to help with some local dis-turbances involving the ‘Apiru (Moran, 1992, pp. 327-328)2.

Te fortunes of Jerusalem were to change following the cap-ture of the city by David and its eventual transformation intoZion, “the city of the LORD of hosts, … the city of our God,

which God establishes forever (Ps 48:8 NRSV). It is possibleto sketch a series of historical periods that have especiallyimpacted on the fortunes of the city and its inhabitants since

Jerusalem became the leading city of the Israelite – and later Jewish – communities:

Judean Jerusalem 950–750 BCE Jerusalem as Zion, the sacred city under God’s protection750–600 BCEDestruction and exile 586–539 BCE

Jerusalem in the Persian period 539–330 BCE Jerusalem in the Ptolemaic period 300–200 BCE Jerusalem in the Seleucid period 200–140 BCEHasmonean Jerusalem 140–40 BCEHerodian Jerusalem (Early Roman period) 40 BCE–66 CE

Rebellions against Roman rule 66–73, 115–17, 132–35 CEByzantine Jerusalem 335–638 CE

Arab Jerusalem 638–1099 & 1187–1250 CECrusader Jerusalem 1099–1187 CEMamluk Jerusalem 1250–1517 CEOttoman Jerusalem 1517–1918 CEColonial Jerusalem 1700s & 1800s CEBritish Jerusalem 1918–1948 CEIsraeli Jerusalem since 1948

Each of these phases needs to be studied if we are to explorethe significance of Jerusalem as both a location and a meta-phor in world history.

o read more, see Gregory C. Jenks’ chapter “Pilgrims andPowerbrokers: Te Russian Fascination with Jerusalem” inPostcolonial Voices from Down Under: Aboriginal and MigrantRoots, Religions, and Readings , edited by Jione Havea, forth-coming, https://www.academia.edu/9937722/Pilgrims_and_Powerbrokers_Te_Russian_Fascination_with_Jerusa-lem.

Dr. Gregory C. Jenks is Senior Lecturer in the Charles SturtUniversity School of Teology and Academic Dean at St Fran-

cis Teological College in Brisbane, Australia, where he teachesBiblical Studies. He is also a co-director of the Bethsaida Ex-cavations Project in Israel and is Secretary of Friends of Sabeel

Australia.

_________________1 Ateek, N., Duaybis, C., & Whitehead, . (Eds.). (2014). Te Bible andthe Palestine- Israel conflict. Jerusalem: Sabeel Centre.2 Moran, W. L. (1992). Te Amarna letters. Baltimore: Johns HopkinsUniversity Press.


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Te outside entrance of the WUJOUD museum in the Old City near Jaffa Gate

Existence,Presence andSteadfastness by Nora Kort

Te Jerusalem population numbers815,310 (2012 demographic features)of which 515,160 or 63.2% are “Jewishand others” and 300,150 or 36.8% are

Palestinians. Muslims comprise 35% of Jerusalem and Christians comprise lessthan 2%1

Tis universal city of Jerusalem is theonly city in the world in which 15 dif-ferent Christian communities live. Temajority have long histories going backto hundreds of years. Each and everyone of the Christian congregations andChristian bodies that is present in thecity represents large communities com-prising millions of adherents, countries

and powerful international Christianinstitutions. Jerusalem is the only cityin the world in which nearly all Chris-tian churches and denominations seekto establish presence.

Despite the small proportion of Chris-tians among the city’s population – dueto emigration in search for a betterand more secure life and more stabil-ity – the Christian presence is physicallyand humanly prominent in Jerusalem,particularly in the Old City. Tere are180 churches in Jerusalem and some117 Christian institutions and sites.Te contribution of the minority Chris-tian population, the “Living Stones,”is quite significant at all levels whetherin the educational, cultural, medical orhumanitarian assistance realms, and hasbeen vital support to the Palestinians atlarge.

I come from a family that is deeplyrooted in Jerusalem, with a presencethat dates back to Pentecost. My familyexperienced dispossession and displace-

ment as well. Tey fled West Jerusalemand became refugees in the Old City. Allthe family’s property was lost in the first

Arab Israeli War, including St. George’sOrthodox Church in the Montefiori,

which my family established in the 15th

century. However, my family confront-ed all the challenges with steadfastnessand conviction to stay in the city.

I was brought up in a tolerant societthat accepted Muslims and Christianalike. Te Jerusalem families never diferentiated between people of differen

faiths. We were all one nation who woshipped one God. Te politicization oreligion and religious fundamentalismnever existed among us, unlike the situation in today’s world.

Christians and Muslims are part of th Arab Palestinian culture, which we arproud to hold inspite of our difference


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Te inside entrance of the WUJOUD museum where black and white photos of Jerusalem’spast and indigenous population fill the walls

P h o t o b y S a b e e l

As a Christian in the Holy City whobelieves in our witness and sharingour one culture, the climax of mysmall contribution to my society wasin the establishment of an ethno-

cultural museum in the Old City, called WUJOUD.

In Arabic WUJOUD means “existence,presence and steadfastness.” In Arabicit stands for “Te existence of the Pal-estinians, including Christians, in theCity since times immemorial.” Palestin-ian Christians have always been a partof the local community in the City since

the times of our Lord Jesus Christ.

WUJOUD is situated in an old Mam-luk building constructed 650 years ago(1365). In the Western world little is

known about the Mamluks, who werethe slave warriors of medieval Islam.Te Mamluks overthrew their masters,defeated the Mongols and the Cru-saders, and established a dynasty thatlasted three hundred years. Tey werethe ones who made Cairo the dominantcity of the Islamic world in the laterMiddle Ages.

Te Mamluks ruled Egypt and GreaterSyria (Jerusalem included) from1250-1517 when their dynasty wasextinguished by the Ottomans. Teymade craftsmanship, architecture andscholarship flourish. A good example

of their architecture can be seen at WUJOUD.

What makes WUJOUD special is itslocation in the middle of four Old Cityquarters. WUJOUD overlooks “TePool of Hezekia” for the Jews or what

we the local Palestinian community call“Te Pool of the Bath of the Patriarchs.”Prior to 1967, the second Arab-Israeli

War, the pool’s water came by meansof aqueducts from Solomon’s Pools inBethlehem and collected rainfall water.Between 1967-2009 and with total ne-glect, the pool became a cesspool and ahealth-hazard until the Municipality of

Jerusalem was compelled to clean it up.

WUJOUD is a museum which show-cases authentic life of Palestinians in

Jerusalem between the18th to the firsthalf of the 19th century and how peopleof different cultures, religions and eth-nicities accepted, respected one anotherand co-existed. We, as Palestinians,

believe that religions unite and do notdivide. Religions advocate and spreadlove and peace and emphasize respectand dignity of human beings – and sodo cultures that know no borders. Reli-gions and cultures are bridges betweenpeople and nations. Tey are tools of

peace and good will among people. Tisis the true witness of WUJOUD andthe “Living Stones” in the Holy City.

Nora Kort is President of the Arab Otho-dox Society and Atta Services, two Pales-tinian humanitarian and developmentorganizations in Jerusalem. She is found-er of WUJOUD museum of collectivememory in the Old City of Jerusalem.__________________

1 Passia- Palestinian Academic Society, JerusalemDiary 2015


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Glimpses of

Our Activities

Sabeel youth visit Christian families in isolated villages inthe West Bank.

Youth in Jerusalem meet to discuss different challenges:the political, the economic, the social and the spiritual.

Youth meeting in Nazareth to discuss Pope Francis’s new ways of fasting for Lent

Te Sabeel women gather for a brainstorming andiscussion session for programs in 2015.

Sabeel Nazareth and Jerusalem staff and volunteers mefor a retreat in Jericho.


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Te first meeting of the children’s program in Nazareth

Women’s meeting in Nazareth to document the memoriesof the 1948 Nakba

Women from Jerusalem and Nazareth meet in Jericho todiscuss “Te Role of Women in Church and Society.”

Launch of the book Non-violent Resistance in Islam andChristianity at Bethlehem University

Te community visits the elderly at an old age home in Jerusalem during Lent.

Glimpses of

Our Activities


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For MyIdentity…I Singby Al-Mada

We live in a world where some voicesare respected and listened to, whileothers are silenced or ignored. Tis isespecially true when it comes to thetopic of Palestine and to the voices of

young people. Al-Mada Center for Arts-Based Community Developmentis striving to make these voices heard.For this reason we developed “For MyIdentity, I Sing!” a unique cultural andarts education initiative.

Te first stage of this initiative was an18-month-long project that gave adiverse group of Jerusalem area youth

(ages 14-17) the chance to creativelyexplore their identities and challenges.Te initiative also attempted toovercome some of the social divisionsthat separate East Jerusalem area youth(and that are exacerbated by Israelioccupation policies) through creating

a space where the participants can beunited around their Palestinian identity,their love for the land and their people,and their dreams for a peaceful future

without conflict, injustice and violence.

Te project provided a much-neededplatform for youth who are struggling

with a unique set of challengingcircumstances. Tis is especiallyimportant for East Jerusalem youth

who do not have a nationality and arepulled between multiple and sometimescontradictory identities. Many East

Jerusalem youth are also impacted byan overall sense of insecurity and theunknown that comes from living in acommunity where homes are at riskof being demolished or taken overby settlers, and families are evicted.

Additionally, discrimination, poverty,the threat of raids and arrests, separation

of families and significant lack oeducational, recreational and sociservice infrastructure, are but some othe things that make growing up iEast Jerusalem particularly difficult.

Te initiative brought togethe

governmental (public) and privatschools and youth from differenreligious, social and geographicsegments of East Jerusalem. AMada’s staff worked with them oteam-building, creative expressionmusic making and an affiliated socimedia campaign, which engaged othePalestinian youth in different regionTrough an entertaining, educationaand dynamic process, the participant who have mostly never been exposeto any professional music trainingtogether created eight original song which they helped write and composIn addition to creating a professionallrecorded album of the songs, the youtperformed the songs in two concerts fothe community, one in Jerusalem anone in Ramallah.

Palestinian youth from East Jerusalem perform original music at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society Teater in Ramallah on December 2, 2014 aspart of “For My Identity, I Sing!”


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Palestine’s population, including thatof East Jerusalem, is very young. Youthmake up nearly 50% of the Palestinian

population; however there is a lack ofsafe spaces for them to express them-selves, to be creatively engaged andto develop their leadership potential.“For My Identity, I Sing!” was createdto fill this void. In a place where youthare constantly impacted by politicsand violent surroundings, the need forsuch creative spaces is great. Al-Mada’sunique approach of art education andtherapy, which emphasizes the specificneeds of each participant, creates op-portunities for youth to be involved intransformative experiences, to strength-en themselves and for them to usethese experiences to creatively work forchange.

Te songs talk about Israeli occupation,harassment, checkpoints and separation,the challenges of adolescence and thepressures of being ‘cool,’ and even about

Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk camp,Syria. Tey are honest, beautiful and,sometimes, heartbreaking. Te initiative

breaks down the stereotype that thecreation of art and cultural production,specifically music, is only the realm ofthe elite and those who have access totraining. Rather, music making can beseen as central to popular grassrootsresistance and identity building. Music,cultural work, and creative expressionare powerful forces for social changeand have played a central role in socialmovements around the world. We view“For My Identity, I Sing!” as being anessential and positive contribution forfreedom and justice in Palestine and a

way to centralize youth voices at theforefront of this movement.

We should not undermine whatchildren and youth have to offer;instead we should work to create spaces

where they can express themselvesfreely and where their ability to create

Between Jerusalem and Ramallah

Between Jerusalem and Ramallah And the checkpoint,

God knows whatever will happen on the way between Jerusalem andRamallah....and the checkpoint Nowadays we need a permit just to live We’re so exhausted from the continuous inspection..Name of your father?Name of your grandfather? Put your leg in...Raise your hand Whatever you wear won’t help....Cameras above you, and cameras underneath you....Inspection from top to bottom

And still it’s the beginning of the day Inside the wall....outside the wall....

Me to the right and my sister is to the left

Tis song was written and composed by the youth. It is about all checkpointsand the feeling of constantly being watched.

and lead is nourished. Now, more thanever, we believe that the children ofPalestine, and especially in Jerusalem,have a right to heal from trauma andto live dignified lives and must havespaces to tell their stories to the world.

Despite the barriers that divide us, Al-Mada hopes to make “For MyIdentity, I Sing!” a national campaignthat will expand nationally, to includePalestinians in the West Bank and theGaza Strip, and regionally. We inviteyou to join us as we embark on this

journey, to bring this campaign to therest of Palestine and beyond.

Al-Mada for Arts-Based CommunityDevelopment is a development organiza-tion which specializes in the applicationand proliferation of music and expressivearts therapy to support and address theneeds of a diverse community. Te multi-

faceted benefits of this established field ofhealth care, makes it particularly suitableto effective community development.Trough direct interventions and thetraining of community workers in the

fields of health, education, human rights, gender, advocacy and culture Al-Madaworks to advance self expression, inclusion,therapy, and social justice in Palestine.

Te CD of original songs (in Arabic) canbe purchased from the Al-Mada office inRamallah. All proceeds go to build theinitiative. www.al-mada.ps

“…We believe that the

children of Palestine, andespecially in Jerusalem, havea right to heal from traumaand to live dignified lives, andmust have spaces to tell theirstories to the world.”


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HomeDemolitions:A Discreet

Displacement

by EAPPI Te Abdel Haq family in the Ras al-Amud neighborhoodof East Jerusalem consists of a mother, a father, and fivechildren. Recently the family took it upon themselves todemolish their children’s bedrooms, forcing all five childrento share one remaining room. According to the family theyhad to do it to avoid a 20,000 NIS fee, and to save theyounger children from the psychological trauma of havingarmed riot police forcibly evacuating them from the home.

According to Huda Abdel Haq, the mother, “We discussthe reasons with the children why we need to do this. I think made it easier for them to accept the situation. Tey have nbeen angry. It took three to four months to build the rooms, anwe demolished them in only two days.” When her oldest soMohamed was asked how he could not be angry, he replie“If you want to be able to live in this country, you have to fenothing.”

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordinatioof Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 601 Palestinian-ownestructures were demolished in the West Bank in 2014; asresult, 1,215 people were forcibly displaced – this is a six-yehigh. Te majority of these demolitions took place in Area

of the West Bank [493], and in East Jerusalem [98] so as accommodate settlement expansion in these areas.

Area C consists of 62 percent of the West Bank and is thonly geographically contiguous area of this territory. Yeonly 1% of Area C has been designated for Palestiniadevelopment. Similarly, over one third of East Jerusalehas been expropriated for construction of illegal Israesettlements, while only 13 percent of the city is zoned fPalestinian construction.

A home demolition in the Shuafat neighborhood


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Te remains of the Abdel Haq children’s bedrooms

Te permit application process forbuilding in these areas is deliberatelyboth complicated and expensive forPalestinians. Tus, the number ofpermits granted per year to Palestiniansdoes not meet the existing demand forhousing. Due to these difficulties anddue to the lack of feasible alternatives[i.e. relocation to other parts of the West Bank], many Palestinians in AreaC and East Jerusalem risk building ontheir land without a permit in order tomeet their housing needs.

For example, at least 28 percent ofPalestinian homes in East Jerusalemhave been built in violation of Israelizoning requirements, meaning thatsome 60,000 Jerusalemites are at riskof having their homes demolished.

Tough the Israeli judicial system

has sought to legitimize demolitionsvia domestic law, according to theHague Regulations and the FourthGeneva Convention, it is illegal for anoccupying force to damage, destroyand/or confiscate private property in theoccupied territory unless such actionsare warranted as a ‘military necessity,’something that administrativedemolitions [i.e. demolitions due to a

lack of building permits] and punitivedemolitions cannot be categorized as.

In fact, even when Israel has triedto legitimize house demolitions inrecent years for the sake of militarynecessity, as in last year’s ‘OperationProtective Edge,’ the destruction of40,000 Palestinian homes in the GazaStrip in less than 50 days of conflict

could not be justified. Tis is becausethe International Committee of theRed Cross’s (ICRC) commentary onProtocol I of the Hague Regulationsdraws attention to the fact that theoccupying power must interpret thisclause in a reasonable manner, keepinga sense of proportion in comparing themilitary advantages to be gained withthe damages done.

Te confiscation and demolition

of private Palestinian property hasincreasingly incurred political andeconomic costs for Israel, in the formsof condemnations by notable figures,investigations of grave human rightsviolations [i.e. Goldstone Report], anda general loss of European mainstreamsupport coupled with tighter traderestrictions pertaining to settlementgoods. Tese repercussions have

mobilized Israel to create a system ofpolicies that encourages Palestinians toproactively leave the areas noted aboveon their own and move into Areas A& B, or to even demolish their homesthemselves, saving Israel the controversy

and costs associated with demolitionsand forced displacement.

Te number of self-demolitions andrelocations is a figure that is difficultto track. Tere is no comprehensivedata on this phenomenon, but it iscertainly a trend that is on the rise inEast Jerusalem, where residents areforced to pay hefty fees for the cost ofthe demolitions.

It is widely understood that Israel’s

policy of systematically refusingplanning permission to Palestinians,

while giving Israelis permission tobuild settlements, is a tactic to changethe facts on the ground, by makinga viable Palestinian state impossiblevia annexing Area C, and securing

Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by reducingthe Palestinian demographic as aminority within the city.

It is vital to raise awareness about the

families who regrettably take it uponthemselves to demolish their homes andleave their land due to fear of greaterconsequences, so as to limit Israel’smaneuverability to escape responsibilityfor this discreet form of displacement.

Te Ecumenical Accompaniment Pro- gramme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)is a programme coordinated by the WorldCouncil of Churches founded in responseto a call from the local Heads of Churchesin Jerusalem that brings internationals to

the West Bank. Since 2002, over 1,500volunteers have come for 3 months to beEcumenical Accompaniers (EAs).Te EAsoffer protective presence to vulnerablecommunities and monitor and report hu-man rights abuses. Tey join Palestiniansand Israelis who work in nonviolent ways

for peace and support the local churches.

P h

o t o b y T i n a W h i t e h e a d


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One Sunday in Jerusalem

Why is it after so many yearsMany eventful years

Tat one day is singled out?For nothing happened then.

It was Sunday afternoon A wind blew

And the beloved trees of JerusalemSwayed and bent,

Teir dark foliage engulfed me withmysterious joy;

Ancient trees, standing there yearsBy a hospital, an embassy, a church,

a mosque.Something about them was deeply

profound.

Many winds had visited those treesTose Jerusalem trees.

Did the winds tell about their

birthplace, their journeysOver rocky mountains and deep

scented valleys? Yet , this is where they want to

linger,o rest and belong.

And why, after so many years,Does my soul journey to that Sun-

day in Jerusalem, And why do memories, so vivid, so

inexplicable,Overwhelm me?

Is this eternity unraveled?Is this where our spirit resides?

Najwa Kawar Farah was born in Nazareth and was trained as a teacher in Jerusalem before 1948. She contributed to the Arab literarymovement for many years, writing several collections of short stories, novels, plays and poetic prose. Tis poem is from her publication,o Palestine with Love. She also recently published her autobiography in Arabic and a book on folktales. She currently lives in oronto,Canada. For more information on her work, go to http://www.najwafarah.com

East Jerusalem – Some Facts

Tere are only 5 welfare offices in East Jerusalem, compared to 18 in West Jerusalem.

Only 53% of Palestinian students attend official public schools.

Tere is a shortage of over 2,000 classrooms in the local school system.

Only 6% of East Jerusalem children between the ages of 3 and 4 attend public kindergartens, as there is a shortage of400 kindergarten classrooms.

36% of students in East Jerusalem do not complete 12 years of schooling.

Tere are only 4 mother-and-baby centers in East Jerusalem, compared to 25 in West Jerusalem.

Tere is a dire shortage of sewage pipes – 50km in all. Without appropriate sewage, residents are forced to use septictanks that repeatedly flood.

From 1967-2013 Israel revoked the residency of 14,309 East Jerusalem Palestinians.

Source: the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), found athttp://www.acri.org.il/en/2014/05/24/ej-numbers-14/


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Sabeel-NazarethPO Box 50278 Nazareth 16120 Israelel: 972(4)6020790Email: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Scandinavia and FOS SwedenMarianne Kronberg Hjortnäsvägen 27S-79331 Leksand - Swedenel: (+46) 706 095010

Email: [email protected] www.sabeelskandinavien.org

Friends of Sabeel Scandinavia in Norway Hans Morten HaugenHaräsveien 2e0283 Oslo / Norway el: (+47) 47340649Email: [email protected] www.sabeelnorge.org

Friends of Sabeel Oceana Inc. (FOS-AU)Gregory C. JenksSt Francis Teological College

PO Box 1261Milton, QLD 4064 Australia www.sabeel.org.au

Friends of Sabeel FrancePasteur Ernest Reichert12, rue du Kirchberg F- 67290 WINGEN S/ MODER- FRANCEel: +33 (0)3 88 89 43 05Email: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Germany Canon Ulrich KadelbachHappoldstrasse 50D-70469 Stuttgart / Germany +49 (0) 711 857841Email: [email protected]

Visit our newly revised website at: www.sabeel.org

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Teology CenterP.O.B. 49084 Jerusalem 91491

el: 972.2.532.7136 Fax: 972.2.532.7137

General Email: [email protected] Clergy Program: [email protected]

International Programs: [email protected] Youth Program: [email protected] Media: [email protected] Visiting: [email protected] Cornerstone: [email protected]

INERNAIONAL FRIENDS OF SABEEL

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)Rev. Dr. Don Wagner, Program DirectorPO Box 9186,Portland, OR 97207 / USA el: (1)- 503-653-6625

Email: [email protected] www.fosna.org

Canadian Friends of Sabeel 3 Sandstone CourtNepean, Ontario/ Canada, K2G 6N5Email: [email protected] www.sabeel.ca

Friends of Sabeel United Kingdom (FOS-UK) Anne Clayton, Coordinator Watlington Rd.Oxford OX4 6BZ / UK el: (+44) 1865 787419 or 787420

Email: [email protected] www.friendsofsabeel.org.uk

Friends of Sabeel Ireland (FOS- IR)Rev. Alan Martin9 Sycamore RoadDublin 16 / Irelandel: 00-353-1-295-2643Email: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Netherlands (FOSNL)Vrienden van Sabeel NederlandHettie Oudelaar

Jan ooroplaan 34-26717 KJ Ede Te Netherlandsel: (+31) 6 488 09 550Email: [email protected] www.vriendenvansabeelnederland.nl


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PURPOSE SAEMEN SABEELof Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theologymovement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by thelife and teaching of Jesus Christ, this liberation theologyseeks to deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, promote

unity among them, and lead them to act for justice and love.Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on justice, peace,nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the differentnational and faith communities. Te word “Sabeel” is Arabicfor ‘the way’ and also a ‘channel’ or ‘spring’ of life-giving

water.

Sabeel also works to promote a more accurate internationawareness regarding the identity, presence and witness Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concernIt encourages individuals and groups from around the worl

to work for a just, comprehensive, and enduring peacinformed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.

For more information on Friends of Sabeel groups in youarea, please contact our international representatives or thSabeel Center in Jerusalem.

cornerstone, spring, 2015, towards jerusalem

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