Palestinian Christians Under Israeli Occupation

December 23, 2002 3:03 AM

"We are singing for peace. We are against war. We are now singing against checkpoints," said Gabi Baramki, one of the founders of the Jerusalem Chorus. "It's a very sad Christmas." One in ten Palestinians is Christian, and Christians such as Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah are prominent among the voices calling for a campaign of nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation.
posted by skoosh (10 comments total)

It truly is a dismal Christmas, especially now that Arafat has cancelled elections again.
posted by PenDevil at 3:31 AM on December 23, 2002

and Arafat has of course used theexcuse of the Israeli incursion (result of suicide killings) to cover his butt. If there is to be withdrawl of Israeli troops it will be the same as in any war: peace accord between warring peoples. I realize I will be badmouthed on my post, and that I will hear all about Israeli atrocisites, but the fact remains: countries do not give up areas taken in war until there is a peace arrangement. There is no time cap that says Now you must withdraw even though we still plan to destroy you. The UN resolution calls for just and secure borders. Uner a peace agreement.
posted by Postroad at 3:35 AM on December 23, 2002

i noticed yesterday in our local falafel/kebab shop that there was a plaque on the wall from a christian church.

oh look, postroad posted.
posted by andrew cooke at 4:04 AM on December 23, 2002

Thanks for noticing Andrew...has my membership been lifted without my being aware of it? If you check you will see that I post very often. Don't tell anyone, please, or I will have to pay a user's fee.
posted by Postroad at 6:47 AM on December 23, 2002

I'm Catholic, and I've always been sort of confused about Michel Sabbah. My impression has been that he has a lot more to say about this dispute than the Vatican does. Maybe getting involved in this dispute, taking sides, and making a lot of statements is part of his job description. I will be curious to see how his role changes (or does not) after JP2.
posted by subgenius at 6:57 AM on December 23, 2002

I post very often

is that right? i often wonder whether people who post very often might end up with a bad reputation - where, for example, no-one bothers to read their posts because of who they are. i guess it would all depend on whether they said the same thing again and again, or not.
posted by andrew cooke at 7:04 AM on December 23, 2002

A bit off thread, this bickering? And what of the call for Palestinian nonviolent resistance - as in: errrrr...a little LATE perhaps but better late than never.

It may take a few years for the Palestinians to reestablish some sort of credibility (in the eyes of the world) and I suspect that the Israeli police, given the recent history of suicide bombings, might be inclined to brutally beat nonviolent protesters with truncheons (thus playing into the PR designs of the proptesters). After all, blowing people into bloody bits (suicide bombings) is very effective violence disinhibitor. But they (Israeli police) would certainly use somewhat more media-friendly techniques than pointless, telegenic beatings.
posted by troutfishing at 7:15 AM on December 23, 2002

We are the folk song army, every one of us cares
We're all against poverty, war and injustice
Unlike the rest of you squares
posted by jammer at 7:50 AM on December 23, 2002

troutfishing: I agree about the bickering. Of course Postroad is going to post - he posts a lot, especially about I/P, and this is his right.

I know a lot of Mefites resent I/P being brought up, because it just seems to conjure up the same thread over and over, but I thought that this collection of links would be a little more thought-provoking and off the beaten path than usual. There are Palestinians who aren't Arafat, or under Arafat's thumb. There are Palestinians who arent Muslim fanatics - who aren't Muslim at all, in fact. There are Palestinians who are tired of the old pattern of suicide bombings and military crackdowns, and seek another way to make their point to the Israeli public and the world. Let us discuss this, instead of having the same argument yet again.
posted by skoosh at 4:33 AM on December 24, 2002

No it's not his right to post on MeFi, it's a privilege that can easily be revoked. There has been a lot posted on MetaTalk about the I/P threads and even in the FAQ it's been noted that this is a Bad Idea. I think the link was a decent link, but this whole thread has just devo'ed into a good example of why IP posts are bad.
posted by mkelley at 9:47 AM on December 24, 2002