A Palestinian Christian Cry For Reconciliation

An analysis of the conflict over land between Palestine and Israel by a Palestinian Christian Arab who is also a citizen of Israel.

From the text: “The background is clear. . . . [Jerusalem] has been conquered and re-conquered more than 37 times. The latest conquest in 1967 was by the Israeli army. After the war Israel ‘took in’ not only the 5 square kilometers of Arab East Jerusalem–but also 65 square kilometers of surrounding open country and villages, most of which never had any municipal link to Jerusalem. Overnight they became part of Israel’s ‘eternal and indivisible capital.’ The history of Jerusalem has been written with blood.”

The first part of this sequel to Justice and Only Justice focuses on events since the Intifada of 1987, including the violence that has come from Israel’s aggression and from the use of suicide bombers by Palestinians. The second part of the book draws on scripture, lifting up biblical figures such as Samson, Jonah, Daniel, and Jesus as it examines issues of ownership of the land. In the final section, Ateek presents a strategy to achieve peace and justice nonviolently that will promote justice for the Palestinians and security for both Israel and Palestine.

Rev. Dr. Naim Stifan Ateek, an Anglican priest, is a Palestinian Arab and a citizen of Israel. The founder of Sabeel, an ecumenical center in Jerusalem that uses a theological approach to work for liberation for Palestinians, he is the author of Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation and co-editor (with Marc Ellis and Rosemary Radford Ruether) of Faith and the Intifada: Palestinian Christian Voices.