What
can I do to help make peace?
You
can pray individually or as part of a vigil for peace. Try to get more
balanced information and write to people in power about your insights.
Some groups, such as the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and
Israel, sponsored by the World Council of Churches, and the Christian
Peacemaker Teams affiliated with the historic peace churches, are going to the
West Bank and Gaza and standing in solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis.
Others go as observers and report back in the United States and other
countries. Non-profit agencies have requested money to develop
small businesses and to provide work stipends for the unemployed and food for
the hungry. You can also join an advocacy network sponsored by your local
church, denomination, CMEP (Churches for Middle East Peace) or other
organizations.
Where
can I get balanced information if not from the media?
Some
of the media give balanced information but much of it is couched in terms that
bias the reader's perceptions of Palestinians and the occupation. For
example, Israelis who are killed are reported with names and data about their
families. Historically, Palestinians were reported as statistics unless
they were well-known persons. Incidents usually are reported out of
context and almost always Palestinians are described as instigators when they
respond to Israeli actions. Military actions and violent provocations by
Israelis are almost always described as retaliations. Few reports
show the great disparity in weaponry being used. More frequently now, the
media remind people that the Palestinians have been occupied by Israel for over
35 years and are resisting that occupation. Many people are now turning
to the Internet and emails from church representatives and agencies in the
Middle East for their information.
References used directly in text:
"The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict" third edition,
published by Jews for Justice in the Middle East, P.O. Box 14561, Berkeley,
California 94712.
Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999 by
Benny Morris (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999).
"Land for Peace? An Analysis of what went wrong" by Jonathan Kuttab,
The Witness, September 2001, Episcopal Church Publishing Co., Tenants Harbor,
Maine 04861.
Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, by Charles D. Smith, St.
Martin's Press, 1992 and Bedford Press, 1995. (Reprinted 2001)
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