news nosh today
"And I know that every moment that passes in this war, more parents lose their beautiful, sweet, innocent children. Yes, I am scared. I cannot fall asleep. But more than that, I am angry."
--Gaza Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, formerly a doctor at the Israeli Sheba Hospital, who lost his three daughters and niece form an Israeli shell shot at his home during Operation Cast Lead, writes to Israelis in Yedioth
he now lives in toronto....wonderful guy
a true saint..even israeli tv loved him during cast lead
kvetch,
How can anyone forget this man? He, himself widowed, lost three daughters, ages 13, 15, and 20, when an Israeli tank or tanks opened fire on his house in Gaza in Cast Lead, he publicly stated he forgave Israel, he wrote about it in a book.
Here is another illustration of a nonChristian man living out the teachings of Jesus Christ in a life.
I go look up more on his life on the internet, I read him referred to as a Palestinian Martin Luther King, I even read he said, "Like Martin Luther King Jr, I too have a dream...," and he said, "I shall not hate." This resolve is the resolve he shares with Martin Luther King, this resolve is the resolve he shares with so many others, whose names will never even be written of publicly. I embrace this resolve, too, and claim it for my own, as well. This is the resolve he shares with so many in Nabi Saleh, like Baseem Tamimi (and Im sorry if I am spelling his name wrong, I always have to look up the correct spelling). And this resolve is right at the very center of Jesus words to mankind, His words for All, Jesus command to all. And He gave them a new command, love one another as I have loved you. Some want to read those words so very much, much too narrowly, they want to read the words as speaking only of what Christians are to be doing with respect to other Christians. I even recently listened to a Sermon where my own preacher spoke of these words as directing us how to respond to the people in our own Church. Now, I am not saying there is not a call to treat one's own Church members that way, my problem is reading it so narrowly that it only proscribes how one Christian is to act towards another Christian in one's own church. (Allowances are in order, his mind was on the Election, and none of us always get it all right, we are human, after all). Goodness, none of us know what is in the hearts of another, and we don't just encounter anyone and know whether they are a Christian or not! Christians, myself included, fault the Pharisees for Legalism, there is a bit of Hypocrisy in all of that! I have simply concluded, on the issue of Hypocrisy, that we are all Hypocrites! May God forgive me and us all, and show me and us our sins and shortcomings, we all have them.
I think I am rambling a bit here, but I want to try to rap this up with the words of Bassem Tamimi, the final two paragraphs below, a Palestinian Muslim man living under Occupation in Occupied Nabi Saleh in Palestine, words presented in a statement to an Israeli Apartheid Court trying him for acts of nonviolent resistnace, ie following the teachings of Jesus in a life, he sees exactly what he is doing.
Bassem TamimiÂ’s full statement to the Israeli Military Court on 5 June, 2011: | nabi saleh solidarity
"These demonstrations that I organize have had a positive influence over my beliefs; they allowed me to see people from the other side who believe in peace and share my struggle for freedom. Those freedom fighters have rid their conscious from the Occupation and put their hands in ours in peaceful demonstrations against our common enemy, the Occupation. They have become friends, sisters and brothers. We fight together for a better future for our children and theirs.
If released by the judge will I be convinced thereby that justice still prevails in your courts? Regardless of how just or unjust this ruling will be, and despite all your racist and inhumane practices and Occupation, we will continue to believe in peace, justice and human values. We will still raise our children to love; love the land and the people without discrimination of race, religion or ethnicity; embodying thus the message of the Messenger of Peace, Jesus Christ, who urged us to “love our enemy.” With love and justice, we make peace and build the future."
His statement is what the struggle of Palestinians for freedom from Occupation is all about, and nowhere have I read it more eloquently set forth.
He speaks of the nature of their actions in the Popular Resistance to the Occupation:
"The civil nature of our actions is the light that will overcome the darkness of the Occupation, bringing a dawn of freedom that will warm the cold wrists in chains, sweep despair from the soul and end decades of oppression."
Obviously, Bassem Tamimi had a dream, too, a dream he is still living out in a life, a life lived in Palestine.
You fault me for not seeing both sides, but I submit to you that you fail to properly acknowledge the fact that the entire conflict revolves all around the Occupation ,and Peace will never come to the land of Palestine, that includes Israel, until that Occupation ends. And taking a stand against that Injustice is a cause that can unite all of us, it is not a cause that has to divide, it can tear down walls and unite us all.
Freedom means many things, and freedom from Hate, that is certainly a struggle worth fighting for, in a life, for a person to seek to love and not hate, despite our circumstances! And we vanquish Hate with Love. I see that as a universal truth.
Sherri
