Lutherans Minister in Complex Middle East Situation

JERUSALEM (ELCA) -- Two-thousand members of a Lutheran church -- vastly outnumbered by Jews and Muslims -- are among the many people of faith who live and work in the Middle East. Thanks to significant longtime financial support from Lutherans in Europe, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ) continue to proclaim the gospel amid the continuing and shifting tensions of a complex political, religious and social situation.
In recent years, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has worked to build its connections with the ELCJ. Recently, eight ELCA members, including bishops and synod staff traveled to the Middle East to learn from members of ELCJ congregations as well as staff and students in ELCJ schools, and to hear from other leaders in the region.
The ELCA delegation visited the Middle East Nov. 23-28. During the visit President Bush's envoy to the Middle East, Anthony Zinni, arrived to begin discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Suicide bombings and shootings directed at Israeli citizens by Palestinian extremists, followed by Israeli military responses erupted days after the ELCA group left, threatening hopes for lasting peace in the region.
For Middle East residents life can be difficult and is filled with complexities. Christians, Jews and Muslims live in close proximity, and the area in and around Jerusalem is filled with holy sites important to each faith group.
Palestinians have no independent country they can call their own -- a key issue for them. In 1948 the United Nations established the State of Israel, displacing Palestine's people. In 1967 Israel expanded its borders. Today Israel continues to occupy the West Bank and Gaza, areas where most Palestinians live today. Palestinians say they will accept 22 percent of the land that was once theirs for a possible future state.
A 2001 Advent message signed by several Christian missionaries and church workers in the region says the Palestinian people have endured a great deal under Israeli occupation. Israel has confiscated their land, shelled residential areas and refugee camps, bulldozed agricultural lands, demolished houses, assassinated political leaders and activists, expanded settlements, tortured political detainees and killed children, the message said.
Since the current tensions between Israelis and Palestinians began in September 2000, about 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military and police; an estimated 40,000 have been injured.
Israel has been plagued for years by attacks carried out by people sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Suicide bombings, that generate considerable news coverage worldwide, have killed and injured Israeli civilians. In the latest round of attacks, the Israeli government blamed Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, for not stopping the attacks and acted militarily against him and the Palestinian leadership.
An international process with considerable help from the United States -- has been interrupted many times by a spiral of attacks and responses between Palestinians and Israelis throughout Israel and the occupied territories.
Many say a key to peace in the Middle East is a peaceful Jerusalem. The city is a typical large modern city with a significant international population. In the middle is the "Old City," a walled city built centuries ago, lined with narrow streets, shops and homes. Israelis suggest Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel, where freedom of worship should be preserved. Palestinians suggest East Jerusalem should be their capital.
Palestinians who do not live or work in Jerusalem, however, may not presently travel there without permission. It is one of the realities of living in an area occupied by Israel since 1967.
"Jerusalem is the mother of all churches," said the Rev. Munib A. Younan, ELCJ bishop, Jerusalem. "If the peace of Jerusalem will be implemented, then peace will be in the world."
Younan, who has served as bishop for four years, is a Palestinian. He defends his people against oppression, yet advocates for peace for all people in the Middle East. He is a well-known, well-respected religious leader who is in regular dialogue with government and religious leaders for Palestinians and Israelis. Younan's message is always about justice, peace and reconciliation, realities he believes are inevitable.
"We are catalysts of a just peace, we are defenders of human rights, initiators of a dialogue and ministers of reconciliation for the people," Younan said. "We are hoping that just peace will come."
Participants in the Middle East trip were the Rev. Said R. Ailabouni, program director for Europe, Middle East and Horn of Africa, ELCA Division for Global Mission, Chicago; the Rev. Hans R. Arnesen, associate to the bishop, ELCA New England Synod, Worcester, Mass.; Catherine I.H. Braasch, executive director, Women of the ELCA, Chicago; the Rev. Duane C. Danielson, bishop of the ELCA Western North Dakota Synod, Bismarck, N.D., and his wife, Jeannie Danielson; and the Rev. Robert A. Rimbo, bishop of the ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod, Detroit.
The group was accompanied by John R. Brooks, director for news and media production, ELCA Department for Communication, and the Rev. David L. Miller, editor for The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA. Both are from Chicago.

MEETING WITH JEWISH REPRESENTATIVES
In a session with Jewish representatives who advocate for peace in the Middle East, the ELCA delegation was told that there must be recognition and respect for all people in the region, from within and outside of Israel and Palestine.
People in the region are presently in a state of "great depression" compared to optimism in the past, and there has been a significant "breakdown of trust," said Rabbi David Rosen, international director of interreligious relations, The American Jewish Committee, Jerusalem. Israelis and Palestinians are caught in a "syndrome of victimhood," he said.
"Quite honestly, the work we do at the moment is work against the tide," Rosen said. Americans and Europeans must be involved to help settle differences in the Middle East, he said.
To have a long-term impact on the Middle East, Rosen suggested there are two key issues: truth and peace. "Peace and truth are not always the same thing," Rosen said, adding that peace may require compromises.
Rosen also advised churches in the United States, which advocate for peace in the Middle East, to be careful with the statements they make.
"If a church in the United States wishes to be successful, it must use language that resonates with both sides," he said.
There is a need for balance and empathy on both sides of the conflict, said Rabbi Ron Kronish, director, Interreligious Coordinating Council, Jerusalem. He said he sees his role to be supporting the political process by bringing religious and spiritual resources to the table. He also believes a Palestinian state will be a reality.
"A two-state solution is coming about sooner or later. How do we get in front of that?" he asked the ELCA delegation.
Younan, who meets regularly with Muslims, Jews and Christians, agreed that a two-state solution is key to peace.
"We are dialoguing, we are on the right track," he said. "All you have to do is pray we continue."

SIX LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The ELCJ consists of six congregations: Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem; Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem; Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Beit Jala; Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope, Ramallah; Evangelical Lutheran Church, Beit Sahour; and Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Amman, Jordan.
Many of the congregations were started in the 19th century by European missionaries,