The Gulf From River to Sea: MEPCF Newsletter #5
16 August 2024
The Gulf from River to Sea
We are all being tested. In countless settings around the world, including in the Holy Land, Jews and Muslims are friends. Many of those relationships have been tested since October 7th. Israelis and Palestinians appear locked in conflict. Outside forces, from the Gulf to the Americas, see the conflict as an opportunity to project their dominance, strength, and values.
Far too many innocent civilians are suffering. What does it even mean to be innocent in this conflict? We have heard the old adage, that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Self-justification is in much more abundant supply than self-criticism.
We don’t have to obsess over wrongdoing. Surely we must address the real issues, and change behaviors and policies as appropriate. And, also, we can extend a dose of empathy and forgiveness for actions taken that resulted in pain and suffering.
In a world of survival, biblical and historical justification, and intense religious fervor, it may seem that ongoing conflict is inevitable.
I believe this view is mistaken. Human beings create conflict, and we humans are capable of resolving them. In northern Ireland, in Europe, in Rwanda, terrible conflicts have been overcome. Inherent in the conflict dynamic is a creative tension. Within this tension are the seeds of a new, greater resolution that better meets the needs of all parties to the conflict.
Prior peace initiatives focused on the material separation of Israelis and Palestinians. In a land where the relationship between humans and the divine is a central question, I believe we may gain traction by emphasizing the prophetic tradition. Within the Abrahamic family, there are differences in how we understand history and how we conceive of God. Perhaps we are more similar than we have realized. Of course we are united in our humanity.
The Jewish people are the root of the Abrahamic family tree. For a Muslim or Christian to attack a Jew, is to attack one’s own foundational core. For a Jew to attack a Muslim or a Christian, is to attack one’s own arms and legs.
The present moment requires real leadership. The situation demands that decent, kind-hearted people band together and speak out. Fortunately, In the year 2024, there are enough of these people that if we join forces, we can contribute to a real breakthrough. The vitriol and condemnation that go back and forth only serve to smother the seeds of compassion and feed the fires of vengeance and ideology. It is time to stop the killing, release the hostages, and move immediately to seriously address the challenge of how to share the land.
Speaking personally as a member of the Jewish community, we are a people who identify with a purpose, to serve as a Light Unto the Nations. We have developed an impressive Iron Dome to shoot rockets out of the sky. This protection is incomplete. We must also ensure that we maintain a protective “spiritual dome.” It is not our weapons that will ensure that we survive and thrive in our ancient homeland. It is within our capacity to summon high values and principles.
What does it take to merit divine protection? This is not about dogmatic practice. It is about standing in our own power, while owning our capacity to make peace with our brethren. If we are indeed created in the image of a moral, almighty force, then surely we are not so weak as to be unable to resolve differences, even great and seemingly interminable ones. The violence besetting our peoples is a conflict of our egotistical, separate, animal selves.
The Magen David, the Star of David, interlocks two triangles, one pointing up and one down. It represents our place on earth, and the relationship between the material and the spiritual. We both think we are right, and we are fully justified in our own stories. But the question we must ask is what is the wisest course of action?
What if each day, all of us were to take on extending at least one metaphorical olive branch to another person. One olive branch a day. One kind word, generous act, or get-to-know-you conversation. I invite you all to join me in this commitment.
The late spiritual teacher Wayne Dyer said that there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. At the Middle East Peace Civic Forum, we believe that the time has come for Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, and the whole of the Abrahamic family to relate to one another with respect, kindness, and decency.
To be sure, there is much to be discussed. At the end of July, we commenced the first installment of our second “Critical Conversations” series. Our intention for the series is to provide a healthy and generous space of listening for individuals from very different backgrounds to engage in thoughtful discussion. The series involves putting the real issues on the table, as the discussants see them.
In the current series, Walid Seyam, who has joined the MEPCF team, and I are engaging in the inquiry together. One think Walid and I agreed on is that these conversations have to be focused on the creation of a real and genuine peace, not an artificial imposition of a peace in-name-only that glosses over important concerns, human rights, or long-term security needs.
Transformation on the ground begins with a shift in language and communication. The conversation must evolve – from an endless cycle of blame and self-justification towards a reality of mutual recognition, mutual rights, and mutual responsibilities.
As much as each side and their partisans want to claim a monopoly on truth and righteousness, the reality is more complicated. The parties must learn to question their absolute way of thinking, which really amounts to a form of arrogance. This begins with an honest recognition that there are two parallel realities. On one level this is simple and self-evident, and yet it is often seen as treasonous even to acknowledge how others think and perceive the world.
The truth is, the Israeli and Palestinian “prevailing narratives” are part of a larger, single interwoven narrative. Just as Jews and Palestinians are inextricably rooted to the hills, valleys, and plains of the Holy Land, over the centuries each has has its share of mixing and wandering over the centuries. As Yehuda Ha’Kohen declared in the last Critical Conversation series, it is possible for these narratives to be simultaneously true. We must learn to hold the whole in our perception, and allow our highest human tendencies to shine forth.
A critical, missing element in the quest for reconciliation has been a robust discussion of the opportunity and vision of what peace and coexistence can look like. Admittedly, this is challenging when bombs and rockets are flying and bodies are piling up.
Nevertheless, every effort must be exhausted to create cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians in every possible field: education, healthcare, environmental protection, economic development, entrepreneurship, engineering, etc. During this time of escalating violence and rhetoric, it is high time for world leaders and citizens to speak from an enlightened mindset.
Israelis and Palestinians do not have to be enemies. We do not need to engage in a zero sum game where one’s gain is another’s loss. There is enough land for everyone. Now is the time to reach for the destiny envisioned by the prophets, and to exert real leadership in the quest for genuine peace and reconciliation. At the end of the day, Israelis and Palestinains have an opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of the world that peace is possible even after unimaginable loss and suffering.
Matt Lakenbach,
MEPCF Founder and Executive Director
Critical Conversations Series
[click Here to watch the recording of this event on YouTube, which took place on August 22nd, 2024]
Join us at the next Critical Conversation!
Critical Conversation #5: Walid Seyam and Matt Lakenbach (Series 2, Conversation 2)
Date: Thursday, August 22nd
Time: 9:00 - 10:30 am PDT
12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT
5:00 - 6:30 pm GB
6:00 - 7:30 pm South Africa
7:00 - 8:30 pm Israel/Palestine/Egypt
Now on YouTube:
Critical Conversation #4: Unlikely Allies
Walid Seyam and Matt Lakenbach with facilitator Peter van Geldern
Watch the latest installment in our powerful “Critical Conversations” series. Walid has returned and this time was joined in conversation by Matt and Peter. Listen in to this rich discussion about some of the biggest sticking points in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Watch the Critical Conversations on our YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/u5Gja1CarZo?si=uypkx45bzxVyx4US
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