Words from Martin Luther King, Jr; Call to Action for Ceasefire; Voices from Brethren Elders

 Reprinted with permission; first published for OEP (On Earth Peace) Newsletter Wednesday, December 6, 2023.  See https://www.onearthpeace.org/

 

“Peace is not merely the absence of some negative force—war, tensions, confusion, but it is the presence of some positive force—justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God… If peace means accepting second-class citizenship, I don't want it. If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don't want it. If peace means being complacently adjusted to a deadening status quo, I don't want peace.

If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated, and segregated, I don't want peace. In a passive, nonviolent manner, we must revolt against this peace. Jesus says in substance, I will not be content until justice, goodwill, brotherhood, love, yes, the kingdom of God are established upon the earth. This is real peace. Peace is the presence of positive good.”

-- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., When Peace Becomes Obnoxious, March 29, 1956 

On December 1, the “pause” in hostilities between Israel and Hamas ended, and since then, Israeli forces have continued to commit genocide against the Palestinian people. December 2nd was one of the deadliest days since the start of the attacks on October 7th, with over 700 Palestinian civilians being killed in just 24 hours. More than 1,200 Israelis and more than 15,000 Palestinians have been horrifically killed since October 7. On Earth Peace decries all violence and seeks a path toward peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.

On Earth Peace has joined a diverse coalition of Christian voices led by Friends of Sabeel North America, longing for justice and peace in the Holy Land and calling for a ceasefire.  As we enter the second week of Advent, Peace Week, we ask you to join us in calling for a permanent ceasefire.

 

A Reflection from Peggy Gish

(could be) read aloud in your church worship service this Sunday

 “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24)

 In the midst of unspeakable violence in the lands of Israel/Palestine, what is the faithful response?

As followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we are called to love all people. Our hearts break with each death, each home destroyed, each person displaced in Israel/Palestine. We don’t condone the violence of either side. We mourn the suffering of all. We are called to seek reconciliation, wholeness, and healing, knowing that the only solutions that can bring long-term peace and security to both Israelis and Palestinians must be rooted in justice for both.

 We are called to seek the truth and see through the lies told by governments to justify oppression and now the unspeakable violence that is an extreme overreaction to the violent provocation committed by weaker, desperate people. Those of us who have spent time in the Palestinian territories have witnessed the daily violence and suppression of life the Palestinians have lived with for these 75 years of Israeli occupation.

 I remember the warm hospitality of the Atta Jaber family, whose home in Israel had been demolished numerous times and who was continually attacked by Israeli settlers trying to get them to leave so that an Israeli settlement could expand. I think of the children we walked to and from school each day because settlers would throw rocks at them or beat them, and soldiers blocked their way or threw tear gas at them as they left school or into the school windows. We wept with the families terrorized in the middle of the night by settlers, with assault rifles forcing them out of their homes and taking them over.

We remember how the majority of Palestinians have not responded with violence, and creative groups have been working for nonviolent solutions. We worked alongside the Israeli peacemakers who opposed what their government was doing and courageously acted for justice and peace.

Seeking peace compels us to call for a full and final ceasefire to prevent additional suffering and to make space for healing and rebuilding to take place. This must then be followed by charting a concrete path to a just restructuring the physical and political situation there, the only path toward peace and security for sharing that land.

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Peggy Faw Gish worked with Community Peacemaker Teams since March 2002 in Palestine but mostly Iraq. Her first book, Iraq: A Journey of Hope and Peace (2004), covers the first year and a half of the Iraq War. She has been active in peace and justice work for the past forty-five years. Peggy is a mother, grandmother, community mediator, and member of the Church of the Brethren. She lives on a farm near Athens, Ohio.

 

CALL TO ACTION

On Earth Peace calls on the Church of the Brethren and on On Earth Peace constituents, either by themselves or with members of their congregations or faith communities:

 

Join with public demonstrations of solidarity with peace in the Middle East in your own area or region.

Create your own solidarity witness or action. Hold a sign on a street somewhere in your neighborhood. Invite your friends or neighbors to join you.

Take pictures of yourself (and members of your faith community if possible) holding signs that say “Ceasefire Now” and which include your location and name of your congregation or faith community.

Get the word out: For any action above, send pictures and stories to:

Your legislators

Your own local media

On Earth Peace at Palestine@OnEarthPeace.org

If you are part of the Church of the Brethren please also send to Newsline  at cobnews@brethren.org

Post pictures to any social media platforms you use. When you post, tag @OnEarthPeace and use hashtags #CeasefireNow, #PeaceInTheMiddleEast, and/or #EndTheOccupation

Sign up at https://www.onearthpeace.org/join and check the box for “Palestine Justice” to receive future updates

 

A Reflection from Bob Gross

 In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus announced to his ministry, “I have come to proclaim release to the captives.” [Luke 4:18]

 Jesus knew something about captivity. He was born in Bethlehem in Judea under Roman occupation. Soon after his birth, he and his parents were refugees, as they fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath.

 Today, in Bethlehem, the West Bank and Gaza are under occupation again; this time the occupying army is the Israeli Defense Force which has controlled these Palestinian areas for 75 years. Today, the children of Gaza and their parents are refugees again, fleeing the bombing that has destroyed their homes.

 Jesus’ call for “release to the captives” means release to the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and to the two million Palestinians who have long been confined by Israel to the tiny Gaza Strip which is about 20 miles long and 7 miles wide. Now, under Israel’s attack, 80% of Gazans have been driven from their homes. At least 1,200 persons were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack by Hamas and other fighters. More than 15,000 Palestinians, including 6,000 children, have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s continued attack.

 We who follow Jesus, the refugee, the Prince of Peace, must cry out for an end to the killing.

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 Bob Gross took part in a peacemaking delegation to Bethlehem during the heightened violence in 2002 and led three more delegations on behalf of OEP and Community Peacemaker Teams in 2004, 2006, and 2008. They met with Israelis, Palestinians, and Internationals working for peace in Israel and Palestine.

 

A Reflection from Cliff Kindy

I spent three months with CPT, living in the homes of Palestinians in Gaza and then taking CPT delegations there over the next years, but that was nearly thirty years ago. At the time, I cried deeper in my soul than I had ever cried before because of the overwhelming brutality and tragedy.

Death does not justify more death. The babies, children, and women who are being killed under the Israeli/United States assault on civilians across Gaza today are being gathered, as Jesus was, into the Creator's loving arms.

We call people of faith to cry out in prayer, to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israeli products and US militarism, and to interpret the scriptures and the media from the perspective of Jesus,   who lives at the pointed end of every gun.

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Clifford Kindy worked for thirty years with Community Peacemaker Teams (now Community Peacemaker Teams) in the conflict zones of the world. He and his partner, Arlene, operate an organic market garden in Wabash County, Indiana, which provides their income. Cliff is a member of the Eel River Community Church (Church of the Brethren)