| MENNONITE PALESTINE ISRAEL NETWORK |
| MennoPIN Update – May 26, 2023 In This Issue Is Israel Unraveling from Within? Forgotten Gaza A Learning Tour to Palestine – Peacemakers Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Washington Post Documents Extrajudicial Killings in Jenin Stay Informed on Palestine Is Israel Unraveling from Within?  A demonstrator with a sign against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a march against the government’s judicial reform bill in Tel Aviv, 1 April 2023 (AFP) Is Israel beginning to unravel from within? Jonathan Cook, award-winning British author and journalist living in Nazareth, thinks so. Writing in Middle East Eye, Cook boldly states: “As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, the state-building project it cemented into place in 1948 by expelling 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland is showing the first signs of unravelling.” Cook argues that Israel’s deep troubles arise not from external forces, such as pressures from the international community or military attacks, but from within Israel’s internal contradictions. The current divisions in Israeli society, evidenced by the massive protests again Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to overhaul and weaken the judicial branch of government, have roots, Cook contends, deep within the very founding of Israel in 1948. Netanyahu’s recent merciless bombing of civilians in Gaza is one example of how he is trying to bring about unity through war, killing dozens of Gazans. As always, Palestinians pay the price, but the Islamic Jihad within Gaza plays right into Netanyahu’s hands when they launch their own missiles into Israel, killing a few civilians. Violence always begets violence. Read more on why Cook believes that “[Israel’s] leaders have created a monster they can no longer tame,” click here. Forgotten Gaza  Crowding Around the Gaza Boarder (Public Domain) The recent daily bombing of Gaza by Israeli forces weighs heavily on the heart of Jonathan Kuttab, MennoPIN Steering Committee member and Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA). In addition to the horrendous pain and suffering caused by Israel’s eighteen-year-old blockade and periodic bombing of Gaza, Kuttab also laments the forgotten status of Gaza, even among supporters of Palestine: “It is truly tragic that much of the world, including those interested in Israel/Palestine, is only concerned about Gaza when there is actual fighting and deaths involved, but that as soon as a particular round of fighting subsides, it fades into oblivion…It is unconscionable how routine and forgotten Gaza has become.” He continues: “Yet, we only think of Gaza when, our of their utter desperation and, usually, as a response to some Israeli provocation, [Hamas of the Islamic Jihad] shoot some of the home-made futile rockets into Israel, which leads to a punishing response by a sophisticated Israeli army.” For Jonathan’s entire article, go here. Peacemakers Pilgrimage to the Holy Land  The Holy Land is rich in sacred history, a place where one can walk in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace; but it’s also a land rife with conflict and injustice, a place where people are seeking to make Christ’s message of peace, justice, and reconciliation a reality. The “Peacemaker’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land” will provide you with the opportunity to experience both the ancient stones of biblical history, as well as the “living stones” as embodied in the ministries of those working to promote Christ’s vision of peace with justice. Learn more about the pilgrimage here. Washington Post Documents Extrajudicial Killings in Jenin  (Washington Post) Slowly, if cautiously, the mainstream media are giving more voice to Palestinians and evidence of their suffering. In a May 26, 2023 Washington Post exclusive investigation, a careful and harrowing analysis by reporters documents the “war crimes” and “extrajudicial killings” of three people last March in Jenin, including a 14-year-old child, Omar Awadin. With graphic portrayal, the Post details every step of the attack by the elite Israel military unit known as Yamam, killing two unarmed “militants” amidst a crowded shopping area, filled with civilians, including the boy who was also killed. Yamam is under the control of Netanyahu-appointed right-wind extremist and Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir. Read the entire article here. Stay Informed on Palestine MennoPIN keeps you informed about Palestine through our monthly update, special alerts, calls to action, important resources and tour possibilities, all from an Anabaptist perspective. But there are additional excellent organizations and web publications that can keep you informed, some on a daily basis. We invite you to explore these groups and visit the web publications as another way to keep current and active for the people of Palestine. Here are some MennoPIN recommends: OrganizationsFriends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel)Mennonite Central Committee Palestine and IsraelChristian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights (USCPR)Kairos PalestineKairos USAAmericans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)Christian ZionismPalestinian Christian Alliance for PeacePalestine PortalWeb PublicationsMondeweissThe Electronic Intifada+972 MagazineB’TselemPalestine InSight— Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopinSteering Committee: Anthony Khair (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC) Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS) Dorothy Jean Weaver (Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA) Joe Roos (Peace Mennonite Fellowship, Claremont, CA) Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Manheim, PA) Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH) Rod Stafford (Portland Mennonite Church, Portland, OR) Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC) |
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