IN THEORY:

A conference at a Pasadena church to discuss Middle East issues has touched off tension between area Christians and Jews. Many Los Angeles rabbis and other Jewish leaders have criticized All Saints Episcopal Church for agreeing to host a conference sponsored by a Jerusalem-based ecumenical Christian group that advocates a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. Some say it is wrong for the group’s founder to compare the suffering of Palestinians to that of Jesus and the early Christians. Do you think All Saints Episcopal Church handled the issue insensitively?

I think they handled it insensitively. What is the intent of their meeting? What will they accomplish by this that has not said before?

One would ask: Is this sensationalism, to simply attract attention?

To compare the “suffering” of the Arab people who once lived in the British territory called Palestine in the 1900s to the suffering of the early Christians is ridiculous. Israel never took away Arab homes and lands; they gave them a democratic government that would have improved their lives.

Unlike the Romans who tortured the Christians, the Jews instead offered the Arabs peace and prosperity in a Jewish State.

The early Christians were martyrs who died for their fate and were peaceful to the Romans. Conversely, look at Arab terrorists who murder.

To create a separate Arab State that would not be passive, but militant, is simply crazy. Past performance is indicative of their future intent and hatred of Israel, not Jews.

Many of the Arabs detest Israel and the Jewish State. In the first century, Pompeii in Italy was a city populated by Jews, Romans and Christians in relative peace before its destruction by volcano.

Unlike the 1st century Christians who did not want a separate political entity, the Arabs who live in Israel want to create another Arab State to “throw the Jews into the sea,” to use famous Egyptian words of past decades.

Aren’t there enough Arab States already? The aftermath of the Holocaust has not allowed even one Jewish State, smaller than the size of New Jersey, to exist in peace after 60 years of trying, and they want to divide it up again and weaken the Jewish people. Be fair to Israel.

Why should a well-intentioned group such as this meet to once again blame Israel and Jews for the present world crisis? Lethal activism against Jews often takes the form of anti-Zionism.

Since the 9/11 attacks, temples have been burned in France, cemeteries destroyed, and Jews have been threatened, boycotted, beaten and killed.

Instead of this meeting, meet and focus on the world’s real problems of disease, illiteracy, poverty, violence, instead of scapegoating the Jews and demonizing Israel.

Temple Isaiah

Newport Beach

My friend, the Rev’d Dr. Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel International and speaker at this conference, is a Palestinian Christian who walks in the footsteps of proponents of non-violence like Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and finds inspiration in scripture like 1 Peter 3:11b, “Seek peace and pursue it.”

He has written Justice, and Only Justice (see Deuteronomy 16:20a) and many articles such as “Suicide bombings are theologically and morally wrong.”

Sabeel, which means “The Way” and “Spring of Water” in Arabic, is an peace movement initiated by Christians in the Holy Land who seek a just peace based on two states, Israel and Palestine, as defined by international law and existing U.N. resolutions, and very similar to the Bush administration’s policies. Sabeel ( www.sabeel.org) promotes theological, moral and legal principles for reconciliation.

Many voices witnessing to possible resolutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be heard; surely these include those of Jews, Muslims and Palestinian Christians.

The Very Rev’d Canon Peter D. Haynes

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar