IN A BLOODY CONFLICT David Coburn is a member of the Christian Peacemaker Team. A year ago, I spent time with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) on the West Bank, learning first hand about the situation, and trying to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes by Israeli security forces, and Jewish 'settlers'. Meeting people who were daily living under Israeli military occupation was a sobering experience, and I found the needless harassment of ordinary people tragic. CPT's motto is 'Getting in the Way', referring both to 'Followers of the Way' (as Christians in the early church were called), and quite literally getting between conflictual parties. Recently CPT also put a team into Beit Jala, which was repeatedly being shelled by Israeli tanks from the Israeli settlement of Gilo, in response to small arms fire from Palestinians who had come into Beit Jala. U.S. citizens calling their embassy in Israel while under Israeli fire is quite effective in stopping the shelling! Injury or death of U.S. citizens would lose Israel considerable support. We also supported locals in Beit Jala in dissuading the gunmen from coming to the village. CPT has had a violence reduction presence in Hebron for over 6 years, and now also runs the 'Campaign for Secure Dwellings' (CSD), linking north American churches and synagogues with Palestinian families whose homes are under threat of demolition. Some considerable success had been achieved prior to the new intifada, but now home demolitions and land seizures are proceeding very fast - supposedly to increase security, but actually creating an embittered population who feel betrayed by a so called 'peace process'. CSD works by bringing pressure on Israeli, U.S., Canadian and U.K. governments, by getting accurate information speedily into the public eye. It also gives families in threatened homes a feeling of solidarity, and builds relationships and trust between Muslim, Christian and Jewish people. It's real peacemaking, making a real difference. I first heard about CPT in late 97. I'd gone back to university, for a Peace Studies M.A. at Bradford (UK), having spent 20 years or so designing missile systems. Going to Daccau (a concentration camp) and reading Isaiah 58 - true fasting is to break the chains of oppression and injustice - has changed my life forever. There was yet another crisis in Iraq, and I hadn't found any Christian groups with positive ideas to resolve the problems. I knew sanctions to be virtually useless to resolve the issues, and disastrous for ordinary Iraqis. I wanted something consistent with the teaching of Jesus, to love not just our neighbours, but also our enemies (the ordinary people of Iraq aren't our enemies). A friend suggested that I contact CPT. Although CPT wasn't directly involved in Iraq, some members were involved with Voices in the Wilderness, and working to change western policy, and support ordinary Iraqis suffering terribly under the regime and sanctions. I found their approach consistent with my new understanding of the gospel. CPT is involved in several conflict areas. It's very much base-level peacemaking, with the example and teaching of Jesus as our model. Although small, with only 20 or so full time people, and perhaps a hundred part-timers, giving upwards of 2 weeks service each year, it has a significant effect. While governments may try to show that their 'peacemaking' efforts - often using violence - are effective, the reality is rather different. Lasting peace comes through bringing justice, and helping people with differences to live together. Using violence doesn't do that, and CPT is completely non-violent. CPT actively exposes injustice and oppression. We go only where invited, where we believe we can do some good, where some groups at least are committed to non-violence, and where the policies of the governments of CPT members are part of the cause of the problem. Much of the work is done by supporters back home, praying, acting, and lobbying. We have been working in Hebron since 1995, at the invitation of the Hebron municipality, and went there shortly after the Baruch Goldstein massacre in Abraham's tomb. CPT also works in Chiapas, Mexico; Vieques, Puerto Rico; on first nation issues in Canada and the U.S., and now in Colombia. We've worked in inner-city Washington DC, successfully reducing crime in some areas, and being instrumental in closing two crack houses. We've also worked in Bosnia, but sadly had to refuse several invitations to work in Kosovo, as we didn't have enough trained people to make it viable. We work in a variety of ways. Merely being in a conflict area, interacting with ordinary people can bring hope into the situation, showing them that the world has not completely forgotten. This hope can lead to people choosing non-violent means to struggle for change, rather than violent ones. Having outside 'western' eyes involved in human rights monitoring significantly restricts the ability of local forces, government, paramilitary, or other, from continuing violence, particularly where governments are involved in oppression. We are frequently told to stop filming, but rarely do so. After all, if soldiers are doing nothing wrong, why are they objecting to their acts being recorded? Part of this monitoring involves supporters going on 'delegations' to conflict areas, to meet local people on all sides of the conflict, learn about the situation, and to go back home and report. When in the West Bank last year, time and again people said to us, 'go back and tell your governments and churches what is happening here.' While governments may not listen much, ordinary people may do, and hopefully churches will. Speaking truth is so important; having North American Christians working in Hebron has changed the attitudes of some Middle East Muslims to North American Christians; Christians are not all bad, not all side with Israel, and not all support the bombing of Iraq. Dialogue is possible between people who learn to trust each other. Sadly, with the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, preconceived religious perceptions can obscure some churches' acceptance of the reality of oppression. I saw numerous demolished homes, each one depriving a family of their home, and often their livelihood as their fields were also trashed. This is not the way to bring lasting peace. The homes had no building permits. But the reason is not that a 'fair' government has legitimately turned down an application, but that the laws are such that it is nearly impossible for Palestinians to get a permit. While trying, many find that their land was confiscated by Israeli government legal action decades ago, and they were never informed. Having experienced apartheid in South Africa in the early 80's, I found it alive and kicking in the West Bank and Israel. Not that Israel has any right under international law to enact such policies. The West Bank and Gaza is recognised as occupied territory, and under the Geneva convention an occupying power is very limited in what it is allowed to do to the local population. Displacing the local population, and replacing them with population from the occupying state is illegal. But this is just what has happened- by the time the Oslo peace accords were signed in 1993 there were 100,000 Jewish 'settlers' in the West Bank and Gaza, living on land confiscated from Palestinians; there are now 200,000, with settlements continuing to grow. The U.S. has generally supported Israel in doing this. When I saw the effects on the ground, and how each settlement starts, expands, get roads, and suddenly encloses more area, driving out Palestinians, the reality became clear. It's a land grab, accompanied by localised ethnic cleansing, although generally without extreme violence. It's hardly surprising that Palestinians became disillusioned with the so called 'peace process', when rather than having land returned it has meant more land being given over to settlements. I found it depressing that people I met, and who welcomed me warmly, were having their houses demolished and lands confiscated, but encouraging that even then they were still not turning to violence. Reading the news over the last three months has been heart breaking, hearing of more demolitions and seizures, burnings of houses I was in only a few months before, and the feeling of powerlessness as the lives of people I have met have been devastated. People had warned us, in February last year, 'if we don't get justice soon, there will be war'. That wasn't a threat, merely an expression of the frustration of being ignored and downtrodden for so long; if the 'peace process' was not bringing peace and justice, why bother with it? Sadly, many more Palestinians are now advocating violence. With each family who lose a loved one, who have their lives disrupted, and have their children injured, the chances for an early peace reduce. But situations can change. In 1986 a 'people power' revolution in the Philippines was led by the Catholic Church, built on courageous actions and years of prayer and training in non-violence. In 1989 when the Berlin wall came down, it was churches who by prayer and action, led the way. Similarly, in South Africa, in the early 90's, years of prayer and action by churches greatly contributed to a surprisingly largely peaceful transition to democracy. In none of those situations was there an expectation of peaceful transitions, but prayer and action helped to bring change. That's also what CPT is involved with. Daily worship and prayer strengthens the teams, and keeps the focus on Jesus and his hope, in often hopeless situations. The prayers of people back home are vital, opening ways out of intractable situations. We draw heavily on our Christian identity and heritage of Christian peacemaking - although sadly Christianity itself has so often been a warmaking religion. Having experienced CPT in action in the Middle East, I spent January 2001 in Chicago training with 15 others, to become full or part timers. We learnt how to apply non-violence, how to react in hostile situations, how to expose injustice, and how to support each other. It was a great time, and although CPT was set up by Mennonites and Quakers, most of us were not from that background. There were several Catholic Workers, and one retired Catholic priest, and their love for the poor and oppressed was such an example to us. I was the first European to train with CPT, although other Europeans have worked with them, and once they had adapted to my accent we communicated well! The dedication of so many people was impressive. So, later this year I expect to head back to the Middle East, possibly taking a delegation of Europeans, to help break down divisions, and build a little bit of peace. How about joining me ? Even if you don't, then please do pray for us, or support us in other ways as well! CPT is a program of active peacemaking supported by Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church USA, Church of the Brethren, and Friends United Meeting. P.O. Box 6508; Chicago, Illinois 60680, USA. cpt@igc.org www.prairienet.org/cpt/ David Cockburn djc@mepp-is-pa.fsnet.co.uk. |
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