Links & Resources
Resources for Understanding the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Background Readings
Sandy Tolan’s The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East: If you’re just beginning to learn about this conflict The Lemon Tree is a good place to start. In a moving narrative, Tolan records the history of the conflict and helps us understand its very personal dimensions.
Elias Chacour’s We Belong to the Land: Father Chacour is a Melkite priest, now Archbishop, whose ministry in the Palestinian village of Ibillin is legendary. Chacour establishes the Christ-inspired foundations for resisting oppression, loving an enemy and achieving reconciliation. Blood Brothers is probably his most famous book.
Jean Zaru’s Occupied with Nonviolence: This is a newly published book by a Palestinian Christian (Quaker) living in Ramallah whose very personal story and profound theological grounding explores a practical path to peace in her troubled land.
Jimmy Carter has two books on the subject, Peace, Not Apartheid and We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land (Simon & Schuster). Both emphasize the leadership role he believes the US must take to bring the parties to the table and to negotiate.
Sofia Weaver’s What is Palestine/Israel? Answers to Common Questions is a 2007 Mennonite publication that provides a concise and comprehensive history of the region together with assessments of the challenges to contemporary peace initiatives. An excellent resource for those new to the subject.
Jeff Halper’s An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming documents the seven stages of Palestinian dispossession from their land from 1904 to the present with constructive steps for a just peace. Halper, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is director of ICAHD, Israeli Coalition Against House Demolition.
Ian J. Bickerton and Carla L. Klausner, A History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Fifth edition) Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007) – provides a good overview of the Arab-Israel conflict.
Rashid Khalidi, Palestinian Identity, (Columbia University Press, 1998) – this is the best overview of the Palestinian case, especially how their national identity is tied to the land.
Dr. Michael Oren, a noted historian and Israeli ambassador to the U.S., is the author of two books worth considering: Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East (Ballantine Books, 2003). He also wrote Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present (2007). This is the best new overview of American policies in the region, covering the entire period of American history.
Dennis Ross, The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004) (paperback version is available) – Ross was the US negotiator who dealt with these issues during Bush 1 and 8 years of Clinton, is this is a real insider’s guide to those 12 years; with a good overview first chapter.
Richard North Patterson, Exile, (2007) some think this is the best novel covering these issues from many perspectives.
Gershom Gorenberg, The Accidental Empire, (Holt Paperback version, 2007) examines the birth of the settler movement in the ten years following the Six Day War and finds that it was a much the child of Labor Party socialism as of religious extremism.
Benny Morris, 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War (Yale University Press), 2008, covers both the military and political dimensions of the 1948 war. In addition to detailing the actions of the participants, he looks at the role of Britain,the US and the Soviet Union.
Martin Indyk, Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peace Diplomacy in the Middle East ( Simon & Schuster) describes how difficult it is for American presidents to understand the motives and intentions of Middle Eastern leaders.
The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA has published a booklet with a DVD examines the Palestinian quest for a just peace. It’s available at www.pcusa.org/marketplace. Search for "Steadfast Hope".
Movies (from Blockbuster or Netflix)
Consider a Movie night for your parish, Youth Group, Outreach Committee, book group or local civic organization.
The Lemon Tree is not the same story as the Sandy Tolan book. This film follows a Palestinian woman trying to save her orchard from destruction. Recently released in the US.
The Syrian Bride provides cultural context and offers into the complexities of life.
Frontier of Dreams & Fears/Children of Shatila recounts the lives of children in a refugee camp.
Blood Brothers is based on the book by noted Catholic priest Fr. Chacour.
Peace, Justice and Advocacy
JewishVoiceforPeace.org: This organization, one among many Jewish America groups, reports on the conflict and advocates for an end to the occupation and the creation of a just peace.
Bitterlemons.org: This is a particularly interesting website featuring discussions of current issues from both a Palestinian and Israeli perspective.
JStreet.org:J Street is a Washington political action committee with a moderate stance committed to positive initiatives toward the creation of a just peace in Israel/Palestine. It is distinctly different from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
American Friends Service Committee (afsc.org): AFSC sponsors advocacy initiatives, local events, Middle Eastern witness trips and provides extensive and well-researched educational resources.
Churches for Middle East Peace is a coalition of 21 church related organizations including Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant denominations. They maintain close relations with Congress, the administration and the diplomatic community. They advocate for a two state solution and develop policy statements and publications. Their website, www.cmep.org, includes sign up for a quarterly newsletter. Their Executive Director, Warren Clark, can be reached at 202-543-1222 or info@cmep.org or 110 Maryland Ave. NE #311, Washington D.C. 20002
Sabeel is an international peace movement founded by Palestinian Christians. They also believe that a two state solution will lead to lasting peace. Sabeel (The Way in Arabic) bases its advocacy on liberation theology. The American Friends of Sabeel is the domestic arm which seeks to educate and advocates for peace. They can be reached at www.fosna.org. Sabeel has local chapters, publishes a newsletter and runs pilgrimages to the Holy Land twice a year. They can be reached at PO Box 9186, Portland OR 97207 or friends@fosna.org.
Americans for Middle East Understanding offers a wide array of videos which look at many aspects of the Palestinian experience. Some have appeared on PBS stations and are suitable for Adult Education in your parish or community. They also offer a good selection of books and some brochures. They can be reached at www.ameu.org, or info@ameu.org or at AMEU, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 245, New York, New York 10115, 212-870-2050.
Foundation for Middle East Peace promotes peace through a two state solution. They publish a monthly settlement report and maps plus a comprehensive list of peace and human rights organizations focused on the Middle East. They provide speakers and video and a newsletter which is free. www.fmep.org. 1761 N Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, 202-835-3650 or info@fmep.org.
Human Rights Advocacy
B’tselem is the Israeli information center for human rights in the occupied territories. They chronicle human rights abuses perpetrated by anyone. As a result, they have an unusual range of statistics about the situation on the ground. In addition they publish reports and provide links which include a wide range of Israeli organizations. They can advocate for solutions based on facts they’ve gathered. They can be reached at www.btselem.org, 8 HaTa'asiya St. (4th Floor), P.O. Box 53132, Jerusalem 91531, Israel , or mail@btselem.org.
Humanitarian Aid
American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (www.afedj.org): This organization maintains a humanitarian focus through financial support of hospitals, schools and institutes for the disabled of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. The Diocese covers Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. They publish a monthly free e-newsletter which you can sign up for through the website www.afedj.org or by emailing the Director, Anne Lynn, at aklynn@afedj.org or calling 203-655-3575.
The website of the Diocese of Jerusalem (www.j-diocese.org) describes current mission and ministry initiatives in Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
ANERA stands for American Near East Refugee Aid. They are headquartered in Washington DC and operate in Gaza, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. You can sign up for their free e-newsletter at www.anera.org. Focus is on education, economic development and emergency relief.
Pilgrimages
St. George’s College and Guest House is located in the Episcopal Cathedral Close in East Jerusalem. They offer a range of courses on the Holy Land history and experience which last approximately two weeks and include accommodations and field trips. They have an American alumni group and courses fill up quickly. Contact them at www.sgcjerusalem.org or registrar@stgeorges.org.il, PO Box 1248 Jerusalem 91000 Israel.
Iyad Qumri is a licensed Tour Guide based at St. George's College. He can be contacted directly and will custom build a tour based on particular interests. He is knowledgeable about Pilgrimage sites as well as the institutions of the Diocese and is multi-lingual. He’s booked up long in advance, so contact him as soon as you’re considering a trip. He can be reached at P.O. Box 1248, Jerusalem, Israel 91000. Home phone: 011-972-2-5851210; cell: 011-972-505-216280, or at isqumri@bezeqint.net.
Sabeel offers trips to the Holy Land twice a year. See info in Peace and Justice above.
Siraj, Center for Holy Land Studies is an interfaith NGO located near Bethlehem. They offer two month summer immersion programs for youth, a Christmas Pilgrimage for Peace as well as on demand trips for groups or individuals. They will help develop partnerships between local Palestinian organizations, communities or parishes and your parish or youth group. They can be reached at www.sirajcenter.org, info@sirajcenter.org or at Beit Sahour, Palestine.
The Rev. Bill Sachs directs the Center for Interfaith Reconciliation out of St. Stephen’s Church in Richmond VA. He brings groups to the Middle East about three times a year and can be reached at www.saintstephensrichmond.net or at bsachs@saintstephensrichmond.net, 6000 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226, 804-288-2867.
If your parish plans a trip, please contact the Diocese of Jerusalem at
bishop@j-diocese.org or visit their website www.j-diocese.org to get a schedule of Cathedral services and maybe an opportunity to meet Bishop Suheil Dawani.
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