Headlines from Trump’s catastrophic new war in Iran and from the Russia-Ukraine killing fields have all but pushed news from Palestine off the page. So many atrocities flooding the zone at all times.
Of course, the Palestinians are used to being ignored as decades-long efforts to eradicate them grind on. But there is one group — the Friends of Sabeel North America, an ecumenical Christian network — that never ignores and never forgets what’s happening in both Gaza and the West Bank, where the planting of illegal Jewish settlements and the concomitant vicious violence committed against Palestinians proceed at warp speed. The Friends group supports a vital center for theological reflection and peacemaking action that was started by Palestinian Christians in the 1987s. The center’s name — Sabeel — means “pathway” in Arabic.
I have these courageous Christians in mind because a good friend recently visited the West Bank under the auspices of the Friends of Sabeel. He knew beforehand that the West Bank is effectively a war zone. But he was nevertheless shocked by what he saw: the sheer extent of the infrastructure that the State of Israel is building to support the settlements, the related cruelties and apartheid conditions forced upon the Palestinians, and of course the accelerating taking of Palestinian land and the relentless destruction of Palestinian villages.
My friend spoke about his trip at the Providence church we both attend. He chose a different and extremely resonant Arabic word — samud — as the title for his talk. Samud means “steadfastness,” but it also connotes resilience in the face of extreme stress and suffering. According to West Bank psychiatrist Dr. Samah Jabr, samud is an ancient word that has always been applied to the strongest — the most steadfast — among the Palestinian people.
The settlers come in their caravans, they come with their guns, they build their outposts at lightning speed. They steal the water, steal the land, burn ancient olive trees. But Palestinians whose ancestors have been there for centuries do not give up, will not let go. They will not be moved. They are living exemplars of steadfastness and resilience: of samud.
I have written elsewhere about the immense support given to settler expansion and Israeli genocide by the 25 million Americans who describe themselves as Christian Zionists. For Christian Zionists like Mike Huckabee, the current U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Marco Rubio, the current U.S. Secretary of State, the suffering and death of Palestinians means nothing. Meanwhile, their boss — Mr. Trump — is focused on turning the Gaza Strip into a luxury resort, with the remaining Palestinians there reduced to a servant class.
Could we use a few more American Christians who don’t believe that genocide is very Christ-like? And could we learn a thing or two about faithful endurance from our Palestinian friends? The questions answer themselves.
~ Peter
Notes and credits: Pull quote features the image “Tetzaveh” by Christina E
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