Belatedly, the US public has learned that the twelve Israelis killed
and fourteen injured in the recent ambush in Hebron were all soldiers,
police, or security guards. In other words, they were combat casualties.
Remarkably, the 200 settlers who went to pray at a site sacred to both
Jews and Arabs were not assaulted. The ambush occurred after the settlers
had passed by on their way home from worship. The gunmen (who were later
killed) were careful not to target civilians.
Overlooking Hebron, a town of 130,000 Arabs, is a Jewish settlement
of 450 people. Israelis and Palestinians both joke that the number of armed
men required to guard these setters is greater than the number of people
living in the settlement. Nowhere is the absurdity of the Israeli government's
seizure of land, and construction of settlements high above Arab towns
and villages, more obvious. The cost to Israel in shekels and human lives
is insanely high.
Hebron is also the site of ancient caves where Palestinians have lived
since 1830 following a pastoral life of sheep-herding and agriculture.
During the last three years, the Israeli government has systematically
tried to expel 750 people from their homes, destroying the dwellings built
onto the caves, plugging up wells, and tearing up crops. In 1994, Hebron
was the scene of a true massacre when a Brooklyn-born Jewish doctor killed
sixty Muslims at prayer and wounded 150 others.
Just now in Hebron it is Ramadan, a time when many ordinarily go to
the mosque to pray. But the Ibrahimi mosque, the burial place of Abraham,
is closed to Muslims. No other mosque in Hebron is permitted to issue the
call to prayer. However, that portion of the mosque, seized some years
ago by the Israelis, the Ma'arat Ha-Machpela, is open daily to Jews. Ironically,
the site is where Isaac and Ishmael came together to mourn their common
father. It should be a site of reconciliation rather than conflict.
The situation at Hebron cries out for principled negotiation. Abraham's
burial site is sacred to all three Abrahamic religions, although Christians
have not claimed rights. Cooperative jurisdiction over the site would guarantee
safe passage for all who wish to pray there. Perhaps the keys should be
given to Christians, just as keys to the Church of the Nativity were put
into the hands of Muslims to end squabbling between Christian sects many
centuries ago. This sacred trust has been maintained for more than a thousand
years.
If free access were allowed to all religious groups and the safety of
worshippers guaranteed, there would be no need for an Israeli settlement
so close to Hebron.
Dismantling that housing project, costly in so many ways, would go a
long way to easing tension in the area. Instead, Sharon has said he will
seize more Palestinian land in order to link four settlements in the area.
Never mind that such land seizure is illegal and represents flouting of
UN resolutions!
What we see in Hebron is like the Ayodhya mosque conflict in India which
continues to generate communal violence. For a number of years, Hindus
maintained a small shrine in one corner of the mosque. When the BJP party
came to power, they locked out Muslims and encouraged Hindu extremists
to dismantle the mosque and build a temple in its place.
Admittedly, sharing a religious site can be difficult, particularly
where different styles of worship are involved. Yet assertive peace efforts
on the part of religious leaders, with the help of outside mediators, could
make a huge difference in both locations. Instead, both the BJP and the
Sharon government are using their respective conflicts to fuel further
violence.
What do Vajpayee and Sharon have to gain from inciting their people
to hatred? In both cases, leaders are building a rationale for increased
militancy against their adversaries. Yet inevitably the entire population
will suffer if conflict escalates. Unscrupulous leaders who provoke their
followers into unjustified violence are the worst sorts of evildoers. Manipulation
of information to support that evil is equally unconscionable.
Americans need to question why the word "massacre" was used
to describe the deaths of soldiers and border police. American and European
church leaders need to do more than deplore the violence between Israelis
and Palestinians as they have been doing for the past two years. Real peacemaking
is called for at this moment. Plenty of people on both sides would support
such an effort.
The possibility is great that cooperative care of holy places could
lead to other larger steps toward peace. But if we continue to wring our
hands and act as if nothing can be done, the violence will persist and
grow, in Hebron, in Ayodhya, and elsewhere. It is time for civilian peacemakers
to step forward and assume responsibility for the work that governments
have bungled.
An effort uniting clerics from many religious traditions could have
a mighty impact on the world's violence, especially that generated by conflict
over sacred spaces. Every religion in the world teaches ideals of tolerance
and respect for others. Yet the gap between belief and practice, though
comforting to deny, grows larger every day. If we are to save each other
from hatred, we must find the courage to act on behalf of peace.
Janet M. Powers teaches at Gettysburg College and researches the peacebuilding
efforts of Palestinian and Israeli women.
Janet M. Powers
Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Women's StudiesGlobal Studies Program Coordinator
Gettysburg College
300 N. Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325