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Just about the most difficult things for Christians to talk about is Israeli oppression of the people of Palestine. While most people can clearly see the terrible human rights situation, we are afraid to talk about it for fear of offending our Jewish friends. The Church has, until very recently, kept a “hands off” stance so as not to destroy the working relationship that has been built over decades to atone for Christian blindness to the Holocaust. Unfortunately, this leaves us in a very difficult position as the Zionist colonial project proceeds brutally in the Holy Land.
Mark Braverman is an American Jew. For most of his life he was a supporter of Israel and chose to see the atrocities they committed against the Palestinians as unfortunately necessary for the Jewish State’s survival. Somewhat late in life, he was invited to visit Palestinians in the West Bank and his whole world changed. In the interview, he talks about his reaction. As many do, when he returned from Palestine to the United States, he gave talks to local groups to explain what he had seen. This evolved in to Mark discerning that his “job” was to talk to Christians about the realities of the situation.
In the last several years he has written two books (see below), launched an almost non-stop lecture tour, and he took a leading role in launching Kairos USA, an organization of Christians, which uses a document written by Palestinian Christian Clergy in 2009, to spell out the history and the theology of their liberation theology.
I know this is going to be controversial. Please feel free to leave comments, and to respond the comments of others. All that I ask is that we all remain civil while discussing this very emotional issue. (LDT007)
Here are some links:
Mark’s website: www.MarkBraverman.org
You may be especially interested in his blog – “The Politics of Hope” – Here
Mark’s Books:
Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and The Search for Peace in the Holy Land
A Wall in Jerusalem – Hope, Healing and the Struggle for Justice in Israel and Palestine
Also mentioned in the interview:
Ilan Pappe – The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Kairos USA – kairosusa.org (A very Interesting Video)
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