Tikkun Daily Blog Archive (https://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/category/politics/peacemaking/healing-israel-palestine/page/13/)
“The settlement system of the West Bank is so interwoven into the fabric of Israel…that it is no longer feasible to imagine a separation that would enable the establishment of a territorially and economically viable Palestinian state.”
David Harris-Gershon offers a reflection on why he chooses to speak openly about Israel and Palestine, despite the negativity received.
When I think of most of my Jewish friends or the people I see at shul, I would be reluctant to voice my deep reservations about [Israel’s] justifications. On the other hand, I feel guilty even repeating them privately to myself. It feels like an act of treachery against my Arab friends.
Rabbi Michael Lerner appeared on CNN this morning Thursday, August 7th for a short interview. To hear his insights on the recent Israel/Gaza war, watch the full interview shared here.
After an unnecessary congressional vote regarding a $225 million appropriation to “replenish” Israel’s Iron Dome system, one thing is clear, the sole reason for the vote was to enable AIPAC and its House and Senate cutouts to demonstrate their support for the war and their unfailing loyalties to the Israeli government.
Yesterday’s (August 4th) conference call with Sami Awad, a Palestinian non-violent peace activist, was illuminating, informative and exactly what we need during this time of horrific violence. If you didn’t have a chance to listen in on the call, we’ve uploaded the entire recording to Tikkun Daily.
If we act from a loving and generous place, seeking to overcome behaviors that were previously perceived as disrespectful and humiliating, that the icebergs of anger and hate (some of which our behavior helped to create) can melt away and people’s hearts can once again turn toward love and justice for all.
Amidst this seemingly hopeless situation Sabine Lichtenfels, co-founder of a peace research center called Tamera in Portugal, initiated what she calls a “vision camp” in the West Bank. It had mainly one goal: to create and maintain humaneness, trust, and equal exchange between Israel and Palestine.
Watch the television coverage. For three weeks the killing of children and other innocents in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military has dominated the news. But it makes no difference to the United States government which can stop the slaughter with a few words. (Five of those words are “your $3.5 billion aid package.)
It is time, way past time, to lay down the weapons of war and to be about the business of sustenance and joy for the entire human family, for all the peoples of the earth.