A true peace plan will be known by its fruit
Christian Citizen

The following opinion piece was written by our Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon. 

“After nearly a century of war in the Holy Land between Palestinians and Israelis, the temptation for Christian peacemakers is to jump onboard any plan that purports to offer a solution. Any skepticism about the fairness of the terms or the effectiveness of the deal can come across as scorning peace. After so many years of fighting, shouldn’t we just embrace any peace plan no matter how imperfect it may be? Why can’t critics of the Trump Administration’s newly announced ‘Peace to Prosperity, The Economic Plan: A New Vision for the Palestinian People’ just accept that it’s better than nothing? The reason: because it is actually worse." 

Image: Sabah Abu Ghanim waits for a wave in Gaza City. (Tanya Habjouqa/ Panos Pictures)

Iran: Break the cycle of violence with a just peace framework
The Hill

The following opinion piece was written by one of CMEP’s Board Members, Eli S. McCarthy.

“As key leaders in the United States government escalate another conflict with threats of violence, we must find a creative way to avoid another war and transform the conflict into an opportunity for mutual growth. How can we do this? We can shift our approach and reasoning to a just peace framework. This offers more creative possibilities and potential for sustainable peace. Rather than reacting to the latest perceived threat by trying to one-up the adversary for the sake of ‘deterrence’ or by trying to find a ‘just cause’ for war, a just peace approach begins with clearly and honestly naming the root causes as well as the genuine needs.”

Image: Women walk in front of painted murals. (ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Patriarchate files new indictment over ongoing land spat in Old City
J Post

“The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem filed an indictment with the Jerusalem District Court on Monday to annul the Supreme Court of Israel's decision on an ongoing land dispute with Jewish organization Ateret Cohanim in Jerusalem’s Old City. In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the sale of property in the Christian Quarter to the Jewish organization Ateret Cohanim was ‘perfectly legal’ and that the buildings should be transferred to the Jewish group. However, the Patriarchate said it has new evidence that it hopes will overturn this decision. In a statement on Monday, the Patriarchate made it clear that its properties located within the walls of Old City Jerusalem ‘are for the service of pilgrims and visitors of the Holy City, especially those on the pilgrim route to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.’” 

Image: The Golden Gate also known as the Mercy Gate (R) and the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa mosques compound in Jerusalem's Old City. (Thomas Coex/AFP)

John Lewis backs the right to boycott — even though he opposes BDS
Forward

“Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., explained why he backed a resolution upholding the right to boycott ‘at home and abroad’ — even though he also voted to condemn the boycott, divestment and sanction movement aimed at Israel. Lewis was a cosponsor of a House resolution, 496,. ‘affirming that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad.’ The non-binding resolution was introduced last week by Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who back BDS. Resolution 496 does not specifically mention BDS or Israel, but its authors have said that they were moved in part to introduce it because of efforts to penalize Israel boycotters.” 

Image: Representative John Lewis. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Israeli soldier killed in West Bank attack; security forces suspect failed kidnapping
Haaretz

“A 19-year-old Israeli soldier and yeshiva student was murdered in a stabbing attack near the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion on Wednesday. He has been identified as Dvir Sorek, a resident of the settlement of Ofra. The Israeli military, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service are scouting the area in search of the assailants, and checking whether Sorek was murdered as part of a botched kidnapping attempt. In response to the murder, the IDF said that it was increasing its presence of forces in the West Bank.”

Image: Israeli forces in the Gush Etzion area in the West Bank, August 8, 2019. (Emil Salman)

Palestinian businessman: I call it 'US-Israeli occupation'
Religion News

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Sam Bahour discusses the proposed economic incentives as outlined in Kushner’s peace plan. Sam Bahour is a policy adviser to Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network; Chairman of Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy; Director at a Palestinian bank, Secretariat member of the Palestine Strategy Group, and Co-editor of HOMELAND: Oral History of Palestine and Palestinians (Olive Branch Press). He blogs at www.epalestine.com.

Image: Screengrab from video interview. (CNN)