Category: Uncategorized

December 2022 Monthly Update

In This Issue

Christmas Greetings and a Request
Israel’s Election: Apartheid Unmasked
Norway Gets it Right on BDS
An Invitation to Engage with the Gaza YMCA
The Firing of Katie Halper
HR 2374 – Peace and Tolerance in Palestine Education Act
Stay Informed on Palestine
Prayer

Christmas Greetings and a Request

Well, maybe not everyone around the manger was filled with adoration, but all of us on the MennoPIN Steering Committee are grateful to walk with you as we together seek peace, justice and freedom throughout Palestine, that “peace on Earth and good will to all” the shepherds heard sung. We hope you had a blessed Christmas and that 2023 brings for you renewed energy and a sense of hope for all of the people of Palestine.

We rarely ask for financial support, but as 2022 comes to a close, please consider a gift to MennoPIN. In July of 2023 the Mennonite Church USA will hold a convention in Kansas City, MO. MennoPIN plans to have a strong presence at the convention in two ways: (1) through an exhibit booth in which we plan to raise up the realities and dangers of both Christian Zionism and Israeli apartheid and (2) through workshops that show what it is like on the ground in Palestine and how we can all contribute to and work for the end to the occupation and apartheid. We are especially hopeful to have present one of two people from Gaza, with whom we’ve developed relationships through the MennoPIN Gaza Twining Initiative, to help lead at least one of the workshops.

To have a successful presence will involve financial costs and that is why we are asking for your help. All members of the steering committee are volunteers, and we have no paid staff. So, every penny you contribute will go to our efforts at MennoCon23 and other projects during 2023. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please send a check, made payable to Peace Mennonite Fellowship with a notation in the memo line for MennoPIN, to Joe Roos, MennoPIN, 479 Crosby Street, Altadena, CA 91001. Thank you very much!

Israel’s Election: Apartheid Unmasked

Look who helped Netanyahu regain power – his new good friends Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Givr (credit Mondoweiss)
 

Last month Israel conducted its fifth national election in the past three years. Benjamin Netanyahu, under criminal investigation, won the election as Prime Minister, but only by bringing the extreme right-wing elements into his coalition. Itamar Ben-Givr, the leader of the Jewish Power party and Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Party, have teamed up with Netanyahu to form by far the most right-wing government in Israeli history. Finally, for Apartheid Israel, the masks have come off.

Both men and their respective followers are heirs and devoted followers of the late infamous Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach party was declared illegal in Israel since the mid-1990s. Now, Givr and Smotrich are bring Kahane’s racism and extremism to the center of Israeli politics under Netanyahu. Both have been granted significant governmental posts which promises to have dire consequences for Palestine. For example:

Givr wants to establish a “migration ministry” with the purpose of expelling Palestinians who he considers disloyal to Israel. Just after the election, Givr stated: “It’s time to show [Palestinians] who is master of the house here.” In October 2022, just before the elections, he pulled a gun and threatened to shoot nonviolent protestors in Sheikh Jarrah. In December 2021 he also pulled a gun on a Palestine security guard who asked him to move his illegally parked car. Over the years, Givr has been indicted by Israeli courts over fifty times and convicted a dozen times, including supporting a terrorist organization. And now he has great power over Palestinians.

Smotrich, with a racist history and as a self-described “proud homophobe,” has declared his commitment to formally annex the occupied West Bank and to expel indigenous Palestinians who do not accept permanent subjugation under Israeli rule. He told a right-wing religious gathering: “According to Jewish law, there must always be some inferiority.” He went on to explain that Palestinians who accepted this second-class citizenship would be considered “resident aliens.” And for those who resisted second-class citizenship: “The Israeli military will know what to do.”

The Biden Administration, which has publicly shown it wasn’t totally pleased with this situation, has not signaled any consequences for Israel. Netanyahu has tried to appease international opposition by claiming that there is no need to worry, that he will keep Givr and Smotrich under control. To think of Bibi as the adult in the room is laughable to the absurd.

The liberal American Jewish community, spokespersons and lobbyist are, however, taking the change in government seriously. Thomas Friedman, ever the Israeli defender, recently wrote in the New York Times that he thinks Israel is in serious danger of losing international support. And on the day following the election, Jeremy Ben-Ami, head of the J-Street lobby, stated bluntly: “Last night’s election results in Israel are deeply troubling for all who care about Israel and who care about liberal democracy globally…The likely formation of an ultra-right Netanyahu government should force a moment of serious reckoning for all American’s who care about the nature of the US-Israel relationship and about a just, equal and democratic future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

Even if the aftermath of the Israeli elections produces, in the long-term, cracks in the US-Israel relationship, in the much shorter term, Palestine will likely suffer greatly, and a violent response becomes an increasing possibility. Israeli apartheid is impossible to deny.

Norway Gets it Right on BDS

The Jewish newspaper Haaretz and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS) have just reported that Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, with assets valued at $1.3 trillion, will reportedly end investments in firms tied to apartheid Israel’s illegal settlement enterprises in Palestine. If Norway follows through, this will be one of the biggest victories of the BDS, initiated by Palestinians as one way to nonviolently oppose the Israeli occupation and violence inflicted upon Palestinians on a daily basis.

She was Just Looking for Her Cat – Now She’s Dead

Jana Zakarneh (inset) and her body being carried to her grave by mourners [Credit: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty]

16-year-old Jana Zakarneh lived with her family in Jenin, Palestine. Earlier this month she heard gunshots and climbed to the top of her home to look out for her cat. One moment she was standing on the roof, searching for the cat. The next moment she was lying dead in a pool of her own blood, shot by an Israeli sniper with four bullets, one in the head, one to her face and two in her chest.

At first Israel claimed she was an unfortunate victim of crossfire between Israeli military units and Palestinian terrorists. When it was later shown that the so-called “terrorists” were hundreds of meters away and out of the line of sight of Jana, the story changed to one of an unintended civilian killing. There will be no investigation, military forces said, and no one will be held accountable.

Jana was the 36^th Palestinian minor killed by Israel this year, and the 224^th Palestinian to lose their lives to Israeli gunfire.

An Invitation to Engage with the Gaza YMCA

Parents and visitors mill around at an art display from students of the Gaza YMCA

You are invited to a 1-hour conversation with leaders of the Gaza YMCA on January 14, 2023. Two years ago, the Fellowship of Hope in Elkhart, IN began a relationship with the Gaza YMCA through MennoPIN’s Gaza Twining Initiative.

Through bi-weekly Zoom conversations between the Fellowship of Hope and the Gaza YMCA, the Indiana Mennonite community has “enjoyed and been challenged by the relationship, according to David Janzen. Gaza YMCA leaders Suheil Tarazi and Hani Farah will talk about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the compelling work that the YMCA has been doing to support families in the midst of dire conditions caused by the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza and the frequent bombings of Gaza by Israeli military aircraft and drones.

During the Zoom conversation, you will hear directly from Christian Palestinians and get a better picture of what life is like on the ground in Gaza, a 2,000,000 person outdoor prison in which Israel allows into Gaza barely just enough food to meet the bare minimum daily nutritional requirements to live.

No registration is needed. Simply log into the Zoom meeting on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 10 am Eastern/9:00 am Central/8:00 am Mountain/7:00 am Pacific/5 pm Gaza. The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86324229910?pwd=emszSlJRQkprWnVJU0laQnZlekVpdz09

The Firing of Katie Halper

 In recent years the politics and civics around the concept of antisemitism have become more complicated. The organization International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) released a ‘working legal nonbinding’ definition of antisemitism in 2016. The working definition seeks to give a broad application of what antisemitism means. However, IHRA defines about half of their examples of antisemitic activity in connection with criticism of Israel. IHRA’s working definition has been adopted by the US State Department, The ADL and sum 20 U.S. states in varying degrees.

This language has been, as Rebecca Ruth Gold states, an intervention, “in public discourse by way of obfuscation. Defining and adopting this definition in a broad way allows for the muddling of that public discourse. This could be in part why Katie Halper, a Jewish political commentator for The Hill, was fired. In September of 2022 Katie Halper was let go due to her approval of Rashida Tlaib’s description of Israel as an apartheid state. This approval of criticism was labeled antisemitic. Unfortunately, Halper being fired from The Hill is not an isolated event. Recently the new UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, reportedly was deemed antisemitic by Israel and ‘one-sided’ by the US’s representative to the Human Rights Council at the UN.

What makes the public discourse around the firing of Katie Halper contentious is there has also been an increase in antisemitism within U.S. society. The most prolific example of this would be Ye (Kanye) West’s recent unearthing a slew of antisemitic talking points across many platforms. This language is harmful to Jews and ought to be condemned. Yet, antisemitism and critique of a nation-state’s actions are not one in the same; even though there can be overlap in some cases. However, Jewishness is not intrinsically tied the nation-state of Israel. For some tying Jewishness to the current state of Israel is seen as antisemitic itself because it renders a Jewish identity as monolithic, as are Jews who support Israel as Medinat Yisrael.

Within this contention however, we should recognize the firing of Katie Halper is a signal that antisemitism is being used to divert culpability from Israel. Efforts to call attention to a rise of antisemitic actions can coexist at the same time of denouncing the actions of Israel against Palestinians. We ought to be able to condemn both types of actions within public discourse if we want to bring about a more peaceful world. In many ways the Mennonite commitment to peace building requires us to span multiple arrays of injustice and have a prophetic voice towards it. Bridging a place of division for reconciliation is a place that Mennonites have historically held. But, as Desmond Tutu argues, true reconciliation of people is through the proclaiming of sin or injustices, and the healing that comes from rehabilitating each party to themselves which will bring about a new way forward from the ashes of conflict.

HR 2374 – Peace and Tolerance in Palestine Education Act

On April 5, 2021, Democratic Representative Brad Sherman introduce to the House bill H.R. 2374. The bill is entitled Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act and seeks to surveil Palestinian education in Palestine Authority governed areas and Gaza. Through this surveillance the U.S. government would be required to not fund or support any education that they deemed harmful to the state of Israel.

What the bills defines as harmful education is wide, but these are some of the topics: (1) maps that are misleading or include Jerusalem as the capitol of Palestine; (2) using math of the deaths of Palestinians during the First or Second Intifada, (3) portraying violence or aggression against Israel or Israelis, and (4) that no language or definition Israel as an apartheid state should be included. If this is not upheld in the event of the Bill being passed, the U.S. would withhold funds from the UNRWA budget or any other organization that supports education in Palestine receiving U.S. government funds.

The fight for peace and not further harm is the goal in any conflict, however, this bill raises some concerns. The first is the push for the US to control Palestinian education in respect to the State of Israel. At the moment Palestinian civil society has been constricted heavily by the sanctions coming from Israel. This would further limit that space by disallowing Palestinians from determining their own story and politics through their shared history; especially after the Department of State’s adoption of IHRA’s definition of antisemitism. The second is while Palestinian education is brought under suspicion, Israeli education gets a pass. Often times, Israeli Hebrew texts books participate in similar dehumanizing rhetoric that could be found in Palestinian educational materials. A third way forward would be to not only call to reform of one side of educational materials but all.

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:

Organizations

• Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
• Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel)
• Mennonite Central Committee Palestine and Israel
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
• U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights (USCPR)
• Kairos Palestine
• Kairos USA
• Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
• Christian Zionism
• Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
• Palestine Portal

Web Publications

• Mondeweiss
• The Electronic Intifada
• +972 Magazine
• B’Tselem
• Palestine InSight

Prayer

 The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos, III spoke out at a Christmas tree lighting at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate on Saturday, the 17^th of December. Addressing the crowd from the balcony of the Imperial Hotel in the Old City, he warned that Christians in the Holy Land have become target of repeated attacks by radical Israeli groups in a deliberate attempt to expel them. Lord, we echo the words of the Patriarch in our prayer: “We long for peace and so let us not rend this fabric of our historic common life that has provided room enough down the ages for all who call the Holy Land their home.” Sabeel Wave of Prayer

— 
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering 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)

October 2021 Monthly Update

In This Issue

The Israeli on Palestinian Human Rights Organizations: Responses

• Jonathan Kuttab
• Palestinian Christians
• B’Tselem
• Front Page Ad in Haaretz
• Free Mohammed Halibi

The New Sabeel Cornerstone Issue
Stay Informed on Palestine
Prayer

The Israeli Attack on Palestinian Human Rights Organizations: Responses

Benny Gantz, former election opponent of Benjamin Netanyahu and current Israeli Minister of Defense, has named six Palestinian Human Rights organization as terrorist organization, making those organizations and those who support them subject to criminal prosecution including arrest, seizure of bank accounts, shutting the doors of those organizations and more. It is the next step in the Israel government’s suppression of the Palestinian people and an outrageous violation of international laws. Below are some of the initial responses to this indefensible threat to human rights in Palestine.

Jonathan Kuttab – Jonathan is co-founder of Al Haq, one of the six organizations named as terrorist, MennoPIN Steering Committee member and Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA). Jonathan’s full response is posted on the FOSNA website. Here are some excerpts, including ways you can respond:

I was…shocked, though not surprised, when Israel today declared Al-Haq, together with Addamir, Defence of Children International-Palestine, and three other human rights organizations to be “terrorist organizations.” This is a far cry from the polemical, false accusations thrown at us occasionally by Israeli propagandists like the NGO Monitor. It carries practical consequences, such as the seizure of assets, arrest of personnel, and the criminalization of anyone who donates to or cooperates with us in any way.

The fact that Israel is choosing now to attack all six human rights organizations is deeply troubling. It may mean that we are finally becoming effective and successful, that Israel realizes it has lost the public-relations war, and that the world now knows and acknowledges the reality that it is an apartheid state and a systematic violator of human rights and international law. The Defense Minister may be afraid that the day is approaching when he and other politicians and army generals may face prosecution before the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and he decided to silence these organizations and cripple their activities.

Another explanation, I am afraid, is that Israel no longer cares about its reputation and no longer fears international public opinion, or any sanctions by the international community. The fact that it has been successful so far in avoiding accountability, and that just a few months ago it ransacked the offices of Defense for Children International in Ramallah with little or no push back emboldened it to do whatever it wants without fear of repercussions. Its assault on civil society can go on unchallenged!!

For this reason alone, it is imperative that we must act now. Our churches, first and foremost, but also our elected representatives must hear from us immediately. Israel must know that its actions are monitored, noted, and will lead to consequences. At the very least, it can no longer claim to be a democracy and be part of the Western world. It can join the likes of Saudi Arabia and North Korea if it chooses, but as long as it pretends to be a democracy and lays claim to billions in economic and military aid from the United States and preferred trade treatment from the US and Europe, it must be made to abide by international standards, and at the very least, stop its attacks on human rights organizations. 

So please join with FOSNA and others in this action.

Learn More. Take Action:

• Jewish Voice for Peace has set up an easy mechanism for calling your representatives, which can be found here at JVP Action.
• Also, please check out this informative Online Action Guide from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights for more background and other actions to take.
• Joint Statement by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International
• Al-Jazeera: Palestinian NGOs designated ‘terrorists’ call for support
• Journalists can contact FOSNA to arrange for interviews

Call now and urge your church, as well as your representatives in Washington, to take action and stop this assault on human rights activists and organizations.”

Palestinian Christian Organizations

Jerusalem, Palestine – Palestinian Christian organizations condemn and denounce in the strongest possible terms the decision of the Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz issued on 22/10/2021 against six Palestinian human rights organizations…The decision designates the six organizations as ‘terrorist organizations’ as a prelude to closing them and banning their activities. The use by Israeli occupation of its domestic political legislations in “fighting terrorism” to incriminate these organizations, came after years of systematic campaigns against Palestinian civil society organizations with the aim of silencing them and their supporters in international organizations and coalitions that stand for peace and justice.

This designation targets all Palestinian civil society organizations, particularly those working to defend Palestinian human rights, document violations against Palestinians, offer legal aid, and carry out international advocacy work on their behalf, urging the international community to safeguard the human rights of Palestinians, particularly their right to self-determination, and ending the Israeli settler-colonialism and its Apartheid regime.

We, the undersigned Palestinian Christian organizations, while reiterating the illegitimacy of this arbitrary decision and its grave implications to civil society organizations and human rights defenders, call upon countries, the international community, partners and donors in general and international Christian institutions in particular, to reject and condemn this decision, prevent the Israeli occupation state from moving forward with these arbitrary and illegitimate practices in violation of international laws, to pressure Israel to revoke the decision; and to continue to support the right of Palestinians to justice, freedom, and dignity. Diyar Consortium, Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, East Jerusalem YMCA, YWCA of Palestine, The Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI), Arab Orthodox Union Club Jerusalem, Arab Educational Institute, The Palestinian Christian Initiative / Kairos Palestine, Bethlehem Bible College, and Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation

B’Tselem (a leading Israeli Human Rights Organization)

Last Friday, Israel’s new government crossed a line that no Israeli government has dared to cross, designating six Palestinian civil society organizations “terrorist organizations.” The shameful declaration says nothing about these organizations—but speaks volumes about the violence, brutality and arrogance the Israeli regime has been routinely employing against Palestinians for decades.

B’Tselem stands in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues. We are proud of our joint work over the years and of our shared struggle against the apartheid regime and the occupation…Whatever the outcome of the recent declaration, one thing is clear: the Palestinian struggle for human rights, liberty and equality will continue and B’Tselem will continue to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues—until apartheid is abolished.

Front Page Ad in Haaretz (by 20 Israeli civil society organizations in the Israeli daily newspaper)

The Minister of Defense’s designation of prominent Palestinian civil society organization, among them our colleagues in the Palestinian human rights community, as terrorist organizations, is a draconian measure that criminalizes critical human rights work. Documentation, advocacy, and legal aid are fundamental activities for the protection of human rights worldwide. Criminalizing such work is an act of cowardice, characteristic of repressive totalitarian regimes. Civil society and human rights defenders must be protected. We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues and call on members of the Israeli government and international community to oppose this decision unequivocally.

Free Mohammed Halabi!

The Friends of Sabeel North America is inviting justice and peace-minded people to sign a petition to free Mohammed Halibi, imprisoned human rights working in Gaza and serving as World Vision’s Gaza Director. The petition reads in part:

We are asking for your help in seeking #Justice4Halabi. Upon returning home after a meeting in Jerusalem in 2016, World Vision Gaza Director Muhammad El-Halabi was arrested on the false charges of diverting millions of dollars of Australian aid money to Hamas, importing heavy metal rods for Hamas’ underground tunnels, and aiding in their military expansion. At his trial, no physical evidence was presented to support any of these charges. Likewise, World Vision conducted its own investigation into these charges. After multiple audits and investigations by both World Vision and the Australian government, they found no evidence that any money had gone missing. Israel, which had confiscated all of World Vision’s records and computers in Gaza and had access to all border crossing records, could not provide any evidence of Halabi, or even World Vision, having ever used the only crossing between Gaza and Israel that imports such materials. Despite there being no credible evidence by prosecutors, Halabi has been imprisoned for more than five years and also been denied bail.

You can read the full petition and sign here. 

New Sabeel Cornerstone Issue

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel) has issued its latest publication, Cornerstone. You can read the issue, “Being Faithful Witnesses: Serving God in a Changing World” here.

Sabeel also offers two excellent opportunities to engage with Palestinian Christians on a weekly basis. Kumi Now connects activists around the world with organizations working on the ground in Palestine and Israel to bring a just and lasting peace based on international law and nonviolence. Every Tuesday morning (at 11:00 am Eastern time) a live online Zoom will let you engage Palestinian leaders and get up-to-the-minute reports on developments in Palestine. You can register here to receive information on how to join in.

Also, on every Thursday morning, Sabeel offers a weekly worship live online Zoom. The worship is led by Sabeel co-founder, Naim Ateek. His reflections on current lectionary passages illuminate scripture from the eyes of Palestinians. Participants also engage the scriptures with each other. You can be invited to the weekly times together by emailing your interest to prayer@sabeel.org.

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:

Organizations

• Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
• Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel)
• Mennonite Central Committee Palestine and Israel
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
• U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights (USCPR)
• Kairos Palestine
• Kairos USA
• Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
• Christian Zionism
• Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
• Palestine Portal

Web Publications

• Mondeweiss
• The Electronic Intifada
• +972 Magazine
• B’Tselem
• Palestine InSight

Prayer
“A Prayer,”
Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian Poet

The goddess I pray to
isn’t from the world beyond.
Those who receive the loaf as a miracle
know who she is.
She sweats and bleeds with them,
she breaks her bread with them each day.

Blessed are you, justice,
among women and men,
so let your name be hallowed,
let your kingdom come.

March 2021 Monthly Update

In This Issue

Celebrate Easter with Sabeel and FOSNA
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Lawsuit Dismissed
Biden Steps and Missteps Toward Palestine
Jonathan Cook on the Israeli Election
Kumi Now – Rising Up for Palestine
Stay Informed on Palestine
Prayer

Celebrate Easter with Sabeel and FOSNA

MennoPIN invites you to a special Easter Saturday resurrection celebration with the Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) and the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel). The celebration takes place on Saturday, April 3 at 9 am Pacific/noon Eastern Time/7 pm Palestine.

The first Easter celebration took place in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Christian community has kept the celebration going ever since. Every year on Holy Saturday Palestinians participate in a unique commemoration of the resurrection via a stream of candles from the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre). Last year the pandemic didn’t allow this unique tradition. FOSNA and Sabeel Jerusalem created a virtual worship service to continue the spirit of the tradition in which Christians from around the world will join Palestinian Christians in their traditions and connect with their current struggles.

Like those living in the land in the time of Christ, Palestinians are under a brutal military occupation. Like the early Church, Palestinians find hope in Jesus’ message of liberation, his solidarity with the oppressed, and his resurrection. Our preachers this year will further the themes of interconnected liberation struggles. Palestinian Christian activists Nora Carmi and Jean Zaru will be joined by Bishop William J Barber II, of the New Poor People’s Campaign. Also, Sabeel co-founder, Naim Ateek, will lead everyone in a ceremony to bring together a community of care to work for collective liberation.

Register for this special Easter Saturday celebration here.  

A Conversation About Justice & Peace for Palestine/Israel
 Another upcoming event, sponsored by the Western District Conference (Mennonite Church USA) and the Palestine Task Force, will provide a safe space for informal dialog around current conditions in Gaza and the West Bank and MennoPIN’s Gaza Twinning Initiative. There is no cost to participate, and you can register with an email to wdc@mennowdc.org. 

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Lawsuit Dismissed

(Credit: U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights)

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) recently brought a lawsuit against the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), accusing it of providing “material support for terrorism” through their use of language and with their support for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). JNF is an Israel organization devoted to buying and developing Palestinian land for the purpose of building Jewish settlements in the West Bank. USCPR is a leading voice for Palestinian rights in the United States that has participated in the “Stop the JNF” campaign, an advocacy campaign seeking to challenge JNF for international law violations.

The kind of lawsuit filed by JNF is typical of a growing practice of suppressing activism in support of Palestinian rights. Palestine Legal is a U.S. organization seeking to protect the civil and constitutional rights of people in this country who speak out for Palestinian freedom. Palestine Legal has reported that between 2014 and 2020 there have been 1,707 incidents of suppression targeting supporters of Palestinian rights.

Federal Judge Richard Leon responded to a request to dismiss the lawsuit stated in his ruling: “While the plaintiffs make broad allegations that the US campaign provided financial assistance to Hamas, they fail to plead factual allegations sufficient to support these claims. The more specific factual allegations…are simply too removed from a terrorist act or organization to state a claim under the [Anti-Terrorism Act]…Plaintiffs’ argument to the contrary are, to say the least, not convincing.” 

Biden Steps and Missteps Toward Palestine

(Credit: AP/Bernat Armangue)
 The new Biden Administration is following through on some of its campaign promised toward Palestine, but also leaves much undone.

In a recently released US State Department memo, The US Palestinian Reset and the Path Forward, the administration is taking some positive steps forward. Immediately Palestine will receive $15 million dollars in COVID-19 assistant and there is the promise of reversing several of the Trump Administrations positions. The memo describes the US vision as one to “advance freedom, security, and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians in the immediate term, which is important in its own right, but also as a means to advance the prospects of a negotiated two-state solution.” The State Department memo includes the following:

• A two-state solution framework based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps and agreements on security and refugees
• Re-establishment of diplomatic contact with the Palestinian Authority both in the US and Palestine
• Return to a full range of economic, security and humanitarian assistance programs through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency

The administration has also hinted that they are opened to taking a firmer stand against Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. But nearly every president in the past few decades has expressed the same view, but never put teeth into their opposition and continued to fund Israel’s military to the tune of many billions of dollars per year. Will Biden be different?

And Biden has already stated that he will not return the US Embassy to Tel Aviv and that he fully accepts the normalization of Arab nations enhance relationships with Israel. Beyond that, Biden has also left no doubt that he opposes the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. Perhaps worse of all, Biden has clearly embraced the definition of anti-Semitism espoused by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. As the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Kara McDonald: “The Biden Administration embraces and champions the working definition [of IHRA]. We applaud the growing number of countries and international bodies that apply it.”

We can affirm the positive steps taken by the Biden Administration, but there is much to push them on in the months and years ahead. 

Jonathan Cook on the Israeli Election
 Jonathan Cook is a freelance journalist based in Nazareth who writes extensively about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the election is still unresolved (as has been the case in the past several elections), Cook is clear about who won: “The far-right is triumphant.” He goes on to say that extreme religious and settler parties hold a firm majority in Israel’s new parliament, holding at least 72 seats in the 120-member elective body. By comparison, the center-right parties, Blue and White and Yesh Atid, garnered a mere 25 seats; the center-left parties, Labor and Meretz took only 13 seats; and the remaining various parties could manage together just 10 seats.

Although the far right has a substantial majority, Cook believes they “could easily form a government – if it wasn’t mired in a now seemingly permanent crisis over the figure of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. Despite perceptions abroad, in Israel, according to Cook, Netanyahu is actually one of the more moderate figures in the extreme religious and settler bloc, placing him closer to Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party as compared to even his own Likud Party.

Although Likud emerged as the largest party vote-getter, they still do not have a clear path to a 61-seat majority. While Netanyahu continues coalition negotiates to victory, President Reuven Rivlin will meet with all party leaders on Monday, April 5, before deciding which party leader to receive the mandate to form a government. Kumi Now – Rising Up for Palestine

The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, located in East Jerusalem, has started Kumi Now to connect activists around the world with organizations working on the ground in Palestine and Israel to bring justice and lasting peace based on international law and nonviolence. Here is how Sabeel describes Kumi Now: “In response to our current situation and adhering to our principles of justice, inclusion, and nonviolence, Sabeel has been moved to act. After months of collaboration with local Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals, Sabeel is excited to introduce the Kumi (Rise Up) project. We wish to invite local and international individuals and organizations to join the Kumi project to work as a united force.”

To keep current on what is happening in Palestine and join others from around the world in support of Palestine, we encourage you to be part of Kumi Now You can view the current week’s Kumi Now 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:

Organizations

• Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
• Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel)
• Mennonite Central Committee Palestine and Israel
• Christian Peacemaker Teams
• U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights (USCPR)
• Kairos Palestine
• Kairos USA
• Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
• Christian Zionism
• Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
• Palestine Portal

Web Publications

• Mondeweiss
• The Electronic Intifada
• +972 Magazine
• B’Tselem
• Palestine InSight

Prayer

After twenty years of planning and construction a new wastewater treatment plant has been put into operation in Gaza, with help from German investment. The plant has been built in the town of Bureij and will process wastewater from eleven communities with one million inhabitants. It will be powered by a biogas plant and a solar plant on the same site…Lord, we are thankful that many families in Gaza will now have access to potable water. We continue to pray for those people who go for days without running water due to the low levels of freshwater in ground reserves. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers. Sabeel Wave of Prayer— 
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Anita Rediger (Emmaus Road Mennonite Fellowship, Berne, IN)
Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS)
Joe Roos (Peace Mennonite Fellowship, Claremont, CA)
Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Washington, DC)
Jonathan Brenemann (Syracuse, NY)
Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Rod Stafford (Portland Mennonite Church, Portland, OR)

December 2020 Monthly Update

In This IssueChristmas Greetings from MennoPIN
Inside the COVID Relief Bill – Half a Billion Dollars for Israel
A Hopeful Note on the Biden Administration
Turning Olives into Energy
A Poem from Noor Hindi
Stay Informed on Palestine
Prayer
Christmas Greetings from MennoPIN


(Credit: FOSNA/Maher Naji) 
We wish you a blessed Christmas, even as this devastating year draws to a close. Through the exhaustion and pain of 2020, we hope for the renewal of our spirits as we wait expectantly for the child Jesus to come once again into our needy world. We hope for replenishment and renewal in our labor of love in support of the people of Palestine amidst their ongoing suffering and pain. And we hope that a new administration will offer some positive steps forward for Palestinians as we hold their feet to the fire. Have a blessed New Year!
Inside the COVID Relief Bill – Half a Billion Dollars for Israel

If you thought the 5,593-page COVID relief bill was singularly designed to address the needs of people and small businesses suffering from the pandemic, you would be wrong. Three examples (there are more) that have nothing to do with COVID relief:

• On pages 341 and 342, $500,000,000 to Israel for its Iron Dome defense system, short range ballistic missiles and more.
• On pages 2630-2633, opposition to China’s interference in the education of Tibetan monks and the selection of future Dalai Lamas.
• On pages 244, important classification of certain racehorses as three-year old property.

A Hopeful Note on the Biden’s Administration


Joe Biden introducing Antony Blinkin as his nominee for Secretary of State
(Credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)
We all know that the Biden Administration will not do what Palestine deserves and needs – full freedom and justice. It is true that, during the campaign, Vice-President Elect, Kamala Harris, told The Arab American that “Joe [Biden] and I also believe in the worth and value of every Palestinian and every Israeli and we will work to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and democracy.” We hope that this is one campaign promise they live up to.

Biden’s cabinet picks bring a ray of hope to that direction. Secretary of State Elect, Antony Blinken, and National Security Adviser Elect, Jake Sullivan, have outlined a shift from the Trump Administration that will emphasize diplomacy and human rights which may revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and bring Israeli and Palestinian officials to the negotiating table with fewer concessions for the Israeli government. That’s not nearly enough, but at least a step in the right direction.
Turning Olives into Energy in Gaza


(Photo by Mohammed Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images) 
Tamer Abu Mutlaq, seen above, is a trained engineer living in Khan Yunis is southern Gaza. Of course, there are very few paid jobs for engineers in Gaza, so Tamer was unemployed. Using his education, Tamer had an idea. Why not take olive waste and turn it into energy he wondered, and he figured out a way to do exactly that. Making environmentally friendly fuel pellets from olive skin, pits, and pulp, Gazans can now use the resulting pomace wood to warm their homes and cook their food.

The resilience and creativity of the people of Gaza and the West Bank under such oppressions conditions is remarkable and deeply inspiring!
A Poem from Noor Hindi

(Credit: Stephen Bivens Photography)
Noor Hindi is a Palestinian-American poet and reporter. Her poems and essays appear or are forthcoming in The Rumpus, jubilat, Gay magazine, American Poetry Review, Androit Journal, and elsewhere. Hindi is the equity and inclusion reporter for Devil Strip magazine. The following poem appeared in Poetry magazine, December 2020.
Fuck Your Lecture on Craft, My People are Dying

Colonizers write about flowers.
I tell you about children throwing rocks at Israeli tanks
seconds before becoming daisies.
I want to be like those poets who care about the moon.
Palestinians don’t see the moon from jail cells and prisons.
It’s so beautiful, the moon.
They’re so beautiful, the flowers.
I pick flowers for my dead father when I’m sad.
He watches Al Jazeera all day.
I wish Jessica would stop texting me Happy Ramadan.
I know I’m American because when I walk into a room something dies.
Metaphors about death are for poets who think ghosts care about sound.
When I die, I promise to haunt you forever.
One day, I’ll write about the flowers like we own them. 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:

Organizations

• Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
• Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel)
• Mennonite Central Committee Palestine and Israel
• Christian Peacemaker Teams
• U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights (USCPR)
• Kairos Palestine
• Kairos USA
• Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
• Christian Zionism
• Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
• Palestine Portal

Web Publications

• Mondeweiss
• The Electronic Intifada
• +972 Magazine
• B’Tselem
• Palestine InSight

Prayer

This Christmas we turn our eyes to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and we see a suffering town. The pandemic has hit the economy of the town hard with over 7,000 people working in the tourism sector, now unemployed for over nine months. Some families are having to withdraw their children from schools, forced to make hard choices between education, food or medicine. Others can no longer afford to pay rent and are having to move back in with their parents and grandparents…Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world, (John 8:12). When we light our Advent candles remind us that we will not walk in darkness if we follow your light. When the darkness of poverty, oppression, illness and bereavement press in hard, lift our eyes to your light of hope. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers. Sabeel Wave of Prayer