That said, I did not envision the extent of the unrelenting cruelty inflicted on Gaza, an atrocity that undoubtedly gave rise to the nightmare scenario unfolding in Northern Israel, Lebanon, the West Bank and now Iran. The images of death and destruction, the voices of children crying out in grief and terror — it’s starting to feel hopeless and unresolvable. And yet Americans have more say in these conflicts than we may realize, or choose to accept.
This past month I once again traveled to the Holy Land, this time at the invitation of Palestinian church leaders. Four rabbis were part of our group, as well as persons of other faiths. While we did manage to hold an interfaith prayer vigil at the Gaza border, most of our time was spent bearing witness to the underreported and greatly accelerated annexation of Palestinian lands which is clearly exacerbating the situation. In the past year, over 3,000 acres have been seized in land that was supposedly set aside for a future Palestinian State. And settlers, and even the IDF, are using every conceivable means to drive out the people living there. We were therefore asked to provide “protective presence” in small villages under attack by Israeli settlers. This involved both peaceful protest and also simply showing up to offer our personal encouragement to Palestinians who, even if they resist nonviolently, can be beaten, imprisoned without charge, sometimes murdered with impunity. Nearly 700 West Bank residents have been killed since Oct. 7, including 158 children, according to Save the Children.
The positives: The steadfastness of indigenous Palestinian villagers. They’ve been farming and herding sheep for as long as anyone can remember, and most of them are determined to stay. It was inspiring. The other positive is that we routinely encountered Jewish Israeli citizens who were also supplying protective presence, and often staying overnight – the most risky time. Their help is precious to these imperiled families.
Israel endured the brutal loss of 1,200 of its citizens on Oct. 7, a truly horrifying ordeal that created a deep wound in that society, something brought home to us when we visited the Be’eri kibbutz where Hamas militants murdered many people. Yet even Avi Dabush, its Zionist rabbi, was passionate about getting an immediate ceasefire and establishing basic human rights for all people of the region.
The US is by far the largest source of military aid to Israel. As citizens, we can demand our country leverage that aid in order to obtain a regional ceasefire. We likewise need to raise serious questions about local involvement in Israel’s war efforts through our trade alliances and the defense technologies our community produces.
I am very much aware of the controversy that comes with sharing these findings, and that members of my own religious community will dispute them. But not very many people are going to the Middle East at this time, and even fewer into the conflict zones. I can testify that the personal stories we heard from all sorts of folks — Israelis and Palestinians — were consistent and moving. I now have a duty to share what we’ve seen and heard, and issue a call for addressing the fundamental injustices at the root of these conflicts as best we can.
John Wagner is a United Methodist pastor from Middletown.
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