of reprisals, reign? Blood begets more blood, triggering the warring parties to fortify their resolve to regain their dignity; and, the world is enraged; and the people of Israel are split apart as are the people of Palestine.
“Can we quietly Cross the Boundary of Life and Find New Meaning in Our Tangled Roots of Our Combined Histories,”1 a whisper of hope from American poet, Dario Robleto2?
Imagine, the Israelis and the Palestinians in full reconciliation, living side by side, within one homeland inside two borderless sovereign zones, working together as one alliance, rejoicing freedom of movement and the right of passage, sharing Jerusalem and the region not too different from the BENELUX countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), the forerunners of the open borders of the European Union (EU)?
“We live in a very surprising world where nobody has anticipated the way the Berlin Wall would fall or the Arab Spring would rise up,” says author Rebecca Solnit3 to Krystal Tippet on On Being.4
As stated by Rabbi Michael Lerner5, in ‘Embracing Israel/Palestine’: “The task is no longer a question of ‘who is right’ but to focus on building a path that will be best served for all, a path that embraces human courtesy predicated on kindness and a generosity of spirit.”6
Can and will the GOOD Israelis and the GOOD Palestinians destroy their enemies by becoming friends with all the give and take to make and keep the friendship? Hope, unlike optimism, demands action. It is a struggle from darkness – both real and imagined – to reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. “Optimism without hope is mere wishful thinking.”7
A Catalytic Thrust Toward Trust!
Israelis cannot love Israel enough unless they also love Palestine, all of Palestine and I’m not referring to merely the granules of sand sculpturing the land; and, the same is true on the other side. Palestinians cannot love Palestine enough unless they recognize the divine inspired and inherent goodness of Israel, despite those rotten apples spoiling the bunch. And, all the sand in Israel and all the sand in Palestine are ONE. So, permit others to call the Land by the name of their conscience.
What’s in a name if it’s the same? ‘Holland’ and 'The Netherlands' are one and the same; two different names, same country, the densest populated in the world; inhabited by a diverse populace who are still dealing with all the ups and downs of coping with each other. Nonetheless, sharing a tiny piece of earth, the Dutch have created one of the highest standards of living. The Israelis and the Palestinians could be as successful, if not more. Instead, Israel is but a state on the dole, dependent on foreign aid to finance, viewed by many as, Israel’s Final Solution, to annex more land for Jews-only, ‘cleansed’ of the indigenous natives.
Zion … A Heaven On Earth
For millennia, many have called the Region Palestine. Just as many have called the same region, Israel. And Zion, the City of God, the heart of human consciousness, stands central. Zion has always meant to be the place where people can become the Light Among Nations. Zionism has always meant to be a Heaven on Earth in reverence to the God of Abraham, the God of ALL Muslims, ALL Christians, ALL Israelites; the God of Adam and Eve, the God of ALL mankind, the God of all believers and, especially, unbelievers; the God of ALL who are lost in their ways. The region has always meant to be the Promised Land for EVERYONE8, for ALL the descendants of the biblical Abraham, the “Father of a Multitude of Nations” (Genesis 17: 1-6, 20; Matthew 21: 43; 25: 32; Romans 11: 17; Galatians 3: 29; 6: 14-16 GNT), not just one nation.
Time for Real Zionism9 … “Creating a Heaven on Earth”
It is time for real Zionism. Simply stated, ‘Zionism’ means doing God’s work, God’s people creating a heaven on earth; ordinary people doing extraordinary things; exemplary in every way, the Light Among Nations.
Time for Real Jihad10 ... “Striving in the Path of God … al-jihad fi sabil Allah”
It is time. The word ‘Jihad’ frequently appears in the Qur’an with and without military connotations, idiomatically articulated as "striving in the path of God (al-jihad fi sabil Allah).” Jihad, Arabic: جهاد jihād, an expression of hope, literally striving or struggling, especially with a praiseworthy aim.
The word ‘Zion’ ranks among the most sacred words in Judaism and Christianity and, is just as sacred as the word ‘Jihad’ with strikingly similar meanings and connotations. Zion and Jihad are but two words that connect Jews, Christians and Muslims in our Abrahamic Faiths. Judaism and Islam are the two closest religions to each other. What’s more, for centuries Jews and Muslims have lived in harmony side by side. Many classical works of Judaism are written in Arabic. Historically, both have lived a lot better together than within Christian realms.
Lights and shadows with moments of grief characterize the relationship among Jews, Christians and Muslims. Can we work toward real reconciliation among all believers in the one God? Can we become one in the Spirit, to do that which has the most chance of being good for all concerned?
Judaism honors the Almighty as protector of the human person and as the God promulgating the promises of life.
Christianity knows that God is love and expects mankind, created in His image, to manifest Agape11 love.
Islam views God as good, compassionate and merciful. He grants the believers His abundant mercy.
Inspired by these convictions, those who are one in the Abrahamic Faiths – Jews, Christians and Muslims – reject the supposition that hatred threatens the earth; that endless wars continue to plague humanity; that mankind will destroy itself. And yet, peace between our people remains a bridge too far unless trust can be the thrust to bring us together.
Zion has a broad spectrum of meaning that is greater than any one single entity or identity. Zion, which simply means ‘fortification,’ is also known as the seat of power not just for the ‘kingdom’ of Ancient Israel, but especially the [Spiritual] Kingdom of God. Zion is also another name for Jerusalem, the ‘City of David’ but has always been superseded as ‘the City of God.” (Isaiah 52:1-2, the “City of God,” the people of God becoming the “Light among nations.” Jeremiah 31:6, “Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.” Mount Zion signifies the spiritual Kingdom of God as in Hebrews 12:22: “you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” … the New Jerusalem that will descend out of heaven (Revelations 21:10-26), the ‘heaven on earth’).
Nothing is More Anti-Semitic than …
But
