Sojourners Special Issue: The Israel-Lebanon War

[Sapphire Blue]

Excerpt from a Sojourners email...

The new war in the Middle East
by Jim Rice

What is the proper, appropriate response of a nation to violent attacks by terrorists or other radical extremists? We have seen one model illustrated in the response of the British government to last year's attacks on London's public transportation system, in which 52 people were killed and 700 injured. The British rightly understood the attacks as terrorist acts, but responded in a measured manner, dealing both with the investigation of the terrible crime and the need for enhanced security in its wake. Pointedly, the British did not opt for a military response to these acts of terror.

We have also, of course, seen an altogether different model of response, perhaps most clearly exemplified by the U.S. invasion of two countries - one of which was an actual source of the terror - following the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001.

Unfortunately, it seems to be in the latter spirit that Israel responded to terror attacks in the past fortnight. Provoked by the Hamas kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, Israel not only invaded the northern Gaza Strip but also destroyed a significant portion of Gaza's infrastructure, including airstrikes against Gaza's power grid.

Likewise, days later, when the Syrian-backed terror group Hezbollah seized the opportunity to raid northern Israel and capture two Israeli soldiers, Israel responded with a massive attack on Lebanon's civilian structures, from the Beirut airport to a dairy factory, civilian buses, bridges, power stations, and medical facilities, according to reports. Hezbollah responded by firing hundreds of rockets a day - more-modern, longer-range rockets than in the past - aimed intentionally at neighborhoods in Haifa and other Israeli cities. The result, not surprisingly, has been the death of many civilians on all sides.

(snip)

As Christians committed to the cause of peace, our role is not to "take sides" in the struggle, in the traditional sense, but rather to constantly stand for the "side" of a just and secure peace. We can ignore neither the horror of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians (including direct attacks on school children) nor the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories (with all its "collateral damage" to Palestinian children). We must have the vision and courage to stand against the acts of violence by terrorist organizations, as well as the massive state violence by the region's military superpower, while avoiding the trap of positing a false "equivalency" between actions that are not equal.

We cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by the political, strategic, and moral complexity of the situation to stand back and do nothing. A first step toward a more comprehensive resolution is an immediate operational cease-fire. But that must be followed by a new way of thinking because, as a U.N. official put it yesterday, "The Middle East is littered with the results of people believing there are military solutions to political problems in the region."

The full article is available @ http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=sojomail.display&issue=060720#2

Peace Salaam Shalom

[Nite Owl]

1. They put the situation in

perspective. There should have been a cease fire immediately but * just couldn't stand for a peaceful solution, it did not suit their end.

[Sapphire Blue]

2. Yes, this article offers an excellent perspective; I hope some will...

... take the time to read it... and perhaps "constantly stand for the "side" of a just and secure peace", rather than " "take sides" in the struggle, in the traditional sense".

[Sapphire Blue]

9. and on that note... a kick

:kick:

[Douglas Carpenter]

3. thanks for posting the article

Link for Sojourners

http://www.sojo.net /

link for Sojourners Magazine:


http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.home

[Sapphire Blue]

4. You're welcome

Looks like your a Sojourners reader, too. :toast:

[Selatius]

5. Jim Rice, the author, would make a far better president than Bush would.

It's so sad the worst among us wield awesome power yet abuse it, and the best of us hold no power.

[Sapphire Blue]

6. How about Secretary of State Rice? Jim... not Condoleezza : )

You know, I never would have imagined that a sociopath would assume the presidency of the United States. It is horribly sad.

Yesterday I listened to an interview with & a speech by President Carter...

John Edwards: A Conversation with President Carter: http://oneamericacommittee.com/media/podcasts/20060712

President Carter's "Crisis of Confidence": http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jimmycartercrisisofconfidence.htm

What a difference! The best among us do sometimes hold power, and use it honorably.

[blonndee]

7. Oh how I wish there were more "Christians"

committed to peace. Unfortunately, they've hijacked "Jesus" for their warmongering, divisive agenda. It's ironic, since Jesus (if he existed) spent most of his time railing against the established, judgmental Pharisaic religious elite and the rich.

Hey. Jesus hung out with prostitutes, sick people, and the rest of those deemed "unworthy" by the ruling elite. He was a radical who dared upset the temple and religious authority.

I think these people know nothing of Jesus. If they did, they'd put his ass in Gitmo.

[Sapphire Blue]

8. I wish that people of all religious faiths & no religious faith were...

... committed to peace... "a just and secure peace."