"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.""

Our long national nightmare is over.
President Gerald Ford

"It's morning in America again."
President Ronald Regan

Seeing the Shining, Invisible Sun

Light One Candle

Stephanie Raha

Editor-in-Chief
Seeing the Shining, Invisible Sun

January 19. 2009

By the time January rolls around, most of us who live in the northern part of the United States are tired of the short cold days and the long colder nights. We wake up in the dark and return home from work, also in the dark. As much as winter's chill, the lack of daylight makes life gloomier now than the rest of the year. Still, like so much else, it's a matter of perspective.

After all, the almost 2,000 people who live in Longyearbyen, Norway, the northernmost town in the world located 600 miles from the North Pole, would say that we have nothing to complain about: they live in total darkness from mid-November until February. For the next few weeks, they experience a period of dim twilight while the sun is still below the horizon. It isn't until the beginning of March that the sun truly shines down on this island community in the Arctic Ocean. Then, finally, from mid-April to mid-August, Longyearbyen thrives under the almost endless midnight sun.

One university student there, who, for the first time in months had just had his first look at the sun, was asked by another, "How did it look?" He answered, "Beautiful." After thinking for a bit, he added, "Bright!"

Of course it is. Yet anyone who's been deprived of the sun's splendor for any length of time can be excused for stating the perfectly obvious about a sight we take for granted. It's no wonder that the town has a public holiday on the day the sun reappears, followed by a week-long Sunfest with concerts, exhibitions and other celebrations, while neighbors have parties and sing together at the local pub.

The schoolchildren sing, too. One of the songs they learn for the festival is as simple as it is appropriate: "The sun is good. The sun is great. The sun is warm. It browns the body. The sun shines every morning on me." You can't get much more straightforward than that. But it shows a sense of appreciation that many of us lack for the things that are just there, just part of our everyday lives.

The sun, the moon and stars – nature in all its wonder – can grow commonplace if we don't pay attention. And what about each other? Do we recognize the unique creations that God made us? Do we treasure God's gift to us of His children as well as Himself?

Too often, we don't. Piero Ferrucci, a well-known psychotherapist and author of The Power of Kindness, says, "We live in an ice age of the heart. A lot of people no longer feel connected. The human warmth we so badly need is marketed like a product: traditionally made ice cream, old-fashioned baked bread. But this, of course isn't real. Nothing heals like meeting a fellow human being."

Just as the warmth and light of the sun heal the body and the soul, so the closeness and compassion of others mends our lonely, broken hearts. Our Creator gives us one another, just as He gives us Himself. Yet, all too often, we don't really notice the people around us any more than we notice the sun above us – or the encompassing presence of God.

There's a saying that's attributed to a Jewish fugitive who scratched it into a cellar wall in Germany while he was hiding from the Nazis. It's worth remembering: "I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining. I believe in love, even when I don't feel it. I believe in God, even when there is silence."
And I also believe in His people, in you, in me, in us.

Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official

Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official
Trial Overseer Cites 'Abusive' Methods Against 9/11 Suspect

By Bob Woodward
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 14, 2009; A01

The top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial has concluded that the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who allegedly planned to participate in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, interrogating him with techniques that included sustained isolation, sleep deprivation, nudity and prolonged exposure to cold, leaving him in a "life-threatening condition."

"We tortured [Mohammed al-]Qahtani," said Susan J. Crawford, in her first interview since being named convening authority of military commissions by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in February 2007. "His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case" for prosecution.

Crawford, a retired judge who served as general counsel for the Army during the Reagan administration and as Pentagon inspector general when Dick Cheney was secretary of defense, is the first senior Bush administration official responsible for reviewing practices at Guantanamo to publicly state that a detainee was tortured.

Crawford, 61, said the combination of the interrogation techniques, their duration and the impact on Qahtani's health led to her conclusion. "The techniques they used were all authorized, but the manner in which they applied them was overly aggressive and too persistent. . . . You think of torture, you think of some horrendous physical act done to an individual. This was not any one particular act; this was just a combination of things that had a medical impact on him, that hurt his health. It was abusive and uncalled for. And coercive. Clearly coercive. It was that medical impact that pushed me over the edge" to call it torture, she said.

Military prosecutors said in November that they would seek to refile charges against Qahtani, 30, based on subsequent interrogations that did not employ harsh techniques. But Crawford, who dismissed war crimes charges against him in May 2008, said in the interview that she would not allow the prosecution to go forward.

Qahtani was denied entry into the United States a month before the Sept. 11 attacks and was allegedly planning to be the plot's 20th hijacker. He was later captured in Afghanistan and transported to Guantanamo in January 2002. His interrogation took place over 50 days from November 2002 to January 2003, though he was held in isolation until April 2003.

"For 160 days his only contact was with the interrogators," said Crawford, who personally reviewed Qahtani's interrogation records and other military documents. "Forty-eight of 54 consecutive days of 18-to-20-hour interrogations. Standing naked in front of a female agent. Subject to strip searches. And insults to his mother and sister."

At one point he was threatened with a military working dog named Zeus, according to a military report. Qahtani "was forced to wear a woman's bra and had a thong placed on his head during the course of his interrogation" and "was told that his mother and sister were whores." With a leash tied to his chains, he was led around the room "and forced to perform a series of dog tricks," the report shows.

The interrogation, portions of which have been previously described by other news organizations, including The Washington Post, was so intense that Qahtani had to be hospitalized twice at Guantanamo with bradycardia, a condition in which the heart rate falls below 60 beats a minute and which in extreme cases can lead to heart failure and death. At one point Qahtani's heart rate dropped to 35 beats per minute, the record shows.

The Qahtani case underscores the challenges facing the incoming Obama administration as it seeks to close the controversial detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including the dilemmas posed by individuals considered too dangerous to release but whose legal status is uncertain. FBI "clean teams," which gather evidence without using information gained during controversial interrogations, have established that Qahtani intended to join the 2001 hijackers. Mohamed Atta, the plot's leader, who died steering American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center, went to the Orlando airport to meet Qahtani on Aug. 4, 2001, but the young Saudi was denied entry by a suspicious immigration inspector.

"There's no doubt in my mind he would've been on one of those planes had he gained access to the country in August 2001," Crawford said of Qahtani, who remains detained at Guantanamo. "He's a muscle hijacker. . . . He's a very dangerous man. What do you do with him now if you don't charge him and try him? I would be hesitant to say, 'Let him go.' "

That, she said, is a decision that President-elect Barack Obama will have to make. Obama repeated Sunday that he intends to close the Guantanamo center but acknowledged the challenges involved. "It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize," Obama said on ABC's "This Week," "and we are going to get it done, but part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom may be very dangerous, who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication. And some of the evidence against them may be tainted, even though it's true."

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have said that interrogations never involved torture. "The United States does not torture. It's against our laws, and it's against our values," Bush asserted on Sept. 6, 2006, when 14 high-value detainees were transferred to Guantanamo from secret CIA prisons. And in a interview last week with the Weekly Standard, Cheney said, "And I think on the left wing of the Democratic Party, there are some people who believe that we really tortured."

"I sympathize with the intelligence gatherers in those days after 9/11, not knowing what was coming next and trying to gain information to keep us safe," said Crawford, a lifelong Republican. "But there still has to be a line that we should not cross. And unfortunately what this has done, I think, has tainted everything going forward."

"The Department has always taken allegations of abuse seriously," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in an e-mail. "We have conducted more than a dozen investigations and reviews of our detention operations, including specifically the interrogation of Mohammed Al Qahtani, the alleged 20th hijacker. They concluded the interrogation methods used at GTMO, including the special techniques used on Qahtani in 2002, were lawful. However, subsequent to those reviews, the Department adopted new and more restrictive policies and procedures for interrogation and detention operations. Some of the aggressive questioning techniques used on Al Qahtani, although permissible at the time, are no longer allowed in the updated Army field manual."

After the Supreme Court ruled in the 2006 Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case that the original military commission system for Guantanamo Bay violated the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions, Congress rewrote the rules and passed the Military Commissions Act, creating a new structure for trials by commissions. The act bans torture but permits "coercive" testimony.

Crawford said she believes that coerced testimony should not be allowed. "You don't allow it in a regular court," said Crawford, who served as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces from 1991 to 2006.

Under the act, Crawford is a neutral official overseeing charges, trials and sentencing, with ultimate decision-making power over all cases coming before the military commissions.

In May 2008, Crawford ordered the war-crimes charges against Qahtani dropped but did not state publicly that the harsh interrogations were the reason. "It did shock me," Crawford said. "I was upset by it. I was embarrassed by it. If we tolerate this and allow it, then how can we object when our servicemen and women, or others in foreign service, are captured and subjected to the same techniques? How can we complain? Where is our moral authority to complain? Well, we may have lost it."

The harsh techniques used against Qahtani, she said, were approved by then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "A lot of this happened on his watch," she said. Last month, a Senate Armed Services Committee report concluded that "Rumsfeld's authorization of aggressive interrogation techniques for use at Guantanamo Bay was a direct cause of detainee abuse there." The committee found the interrogation techniques harsh and abusive but stopped short of calling them torture.

An aide to the former defense secretary accused the committee chairman, Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), of pursuing a politically motivated "false narrative" that is "unencumbered by the preponderance of the facts."

In June 2005, Time magazine obtained 83 pages of Qahtani's interrogation log and published excerpts that showed some of the extreme abuse. The report of a military investigation released the same year concluded that Qahtani's interrogations were "degrading and abusive."

Crawford said she does not know whether five other detainees accused of participating in the Sept. 11 plot, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, were tortured. "I assume torture," she said, noting that CIA Director Michael V. Hayden has said publicly that Mohammed was one of three detainees waterboarded by the CIA. Crawford declined to say whether she considers waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning, to be torture.

The five detainees face capital murder charges, and Crawford said she let the charges go forward because the FBI satisfied her that they gathered information without using harsh techniques. She noted that Mohammed has acknowledged his Sept. 11 role in court, whereas Qahtani has recanted his self-incriminating statements to the FBI.

"There is no doubt he was tortured," Gitanjali S. Gutierrez, Qahtani's civilian attorney, said this week. "He has loss of concentration and memory loss, and he suffers from paranoia. . . . He wants just to get back to Saudi Arabia, get married and have a family." She said Qahtani "adamantly denies he planned to join the 9/11 attack. . . . He has no connections to extremists." Gutierrez said she believes Saudi Arabia has an effective rehabilitation program and Qahtani ought to be returned there.

When she came in as convening authority in 2007, Crawford said, "the prosecution was unprepared" to bring cases to trial. Even after four years working possible cases, "they were lacking in experience and judgment and leadership," she said. "A prosecutor has an ethical obligation to review all the evidence before making a charging decision. And they didn't have access to all the evidence, including medical records, interrogation logs, and they were making charging decisions without looking at everything."

She noted that prosecutors are required to determine whether any evidence possessed by the government could be exculpatory; if it is, they must turn it over to defense lawyers. It took more than a year, she said -- and the intervention of Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England -- to ensure they had access to all the information, much of it classified.

Crawford said detainee interrogation practices are a blot on the reputation of the United States and its military judicial system. "There's an assumption out there that everybody was tortured. And everybody wasn't tortured. But unfortunately perception is reality." The system she oversees probably can't function now, she said. "Certainly in the public's mind, or politically speaking, and certainly in the international community" it may be forever tainted. "It may be too late."

She said Bush was right to create a system to try unlawful enemy combatants captured in the war on terrorism. The implementation, however, was flawed, she said. "I think he hurt his own effort. . . . I think someone should acknowledge that mistakes were made and that they hurt the effort and take responsibility for it."

"We learn as children it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission," Crawford said. "I think the buck stops in the Oval Office."

Researchers Julie Tate and Evelyn Duffy contributed to this report.

Israel Navy ships turn back boat carrying Gaza humanitarian aid

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 18:22 15/01/2009
Israel Navy ships turn back boat carrying Gaza humanitarian aid
By The Associated Press

Israel Navy ships forced a boat trying to deliver food and medical supplies to Gaza to return to Cyprus early Thursday.

Free Gaza group spokeswoman Mary Hughes-Thompson said Israeli naval vessels surrounded the 66-foot (20-meter) Greek-flagged boat off the coast of southern Lebanon and threatened to open fire if it did not turn back.

The Israel Defense Forces said navy ships warned the boat to turn back because it was entering a war zone subject to a naval blockade. The ship turned back without incident, the military said.

Hughes-Thompson said the boat, carrying five tons of supplies and 21 passengers, including three surgeons, was expected to arrive at Larnaca port in Cyprus by Thursday evening.

It was the second failed bid by the U.S.-based group to try to reach Gaza
since Israel launched its assault on the Palestinian territory late last month in response to rocket fire on Israel.

One of the trip's organizers, Vangelis Pisias, said the Israeli navy had
threatened to open fire on the Greek-flagged boat Spirit of Humanity, which was carrying the activists.

"They told us that it was forbidden to go to our destination. We replied that we were carrying humanitarian supplies and continued on our course," Pisias told Greece's private Antenna television.

"About half an hour later, they returned with a threat, telling us they were obliged to stop the boat with all means possible... They said if we did not stop they would shoot."

In a statement, Free Gaza said the incident occurred in international waters and described the incident as shocking.

"At roughly 1:00 A.M. GMT, in international waters 100 miles off the coast of Gaza, at least five Israeli gunboats surrounded the Spirit of Humanity and began recklessly cutting in front of the slow-moving civilian craft," the statement said.

In Athens, the Greek Foreign Ministry said it had sent a strong protest to the Israeli Foreign Ministry that emphasized and asked for the Israeli authorities to pay particular attention to the protection of the lives and security of those on board the boat.

It said protests had also been sent the previous day to the Israeli foreign and defense ministries.

Israeli forces shell UN headquarters in Gaza

By IBRAHIM BARZAK and AMY TEIBEL – 7 hours ago

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel shelled the United Nations headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, engulfing the compound and a warehouse in fire and destroying thousands of pounds of food and humanitarian supplies intended for Palestinian refugees.

U.N. workers and Palestinian firefighters, some wearing bulletproof jackets, struggled to douse the flames and pull bags of food aid from the debris after the Israeli attack, which was another blow to efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Dense smoke billowed from the compound.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in the region to end the devastating offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, demanded a "full explanation" and said the Israeli defense minister told him there had been a "grave mistake."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the military fired artillery shells at the U.N. compound after Hamas militants opened fire from the location. Three people were wounded.

"It is absolutely true that we were attacked from that place, but the consequences are very sad and we apologize for it," he said. "I don't think it should have happened and I'm very sorry."

A senior Israeli military officer had also said Israeli troops shelled the compound after coming under fire from Palestinian militants there — an account dismissed by a U.N. official there at the time as "nonsense."

Even as a top Israeli envoy went to Egypt to discuss a cease-fire proposal, the military pushed farther into Gaza in an apparent effort to step up pressure on Hamas. Ground forces thrust deep into a crowded neighborhood for the first time, sending terrified residents fleeing for cover. Shells also struck a hospital, five high-rise apartment buildings and a building housing media outlets in Gaza City, injuring several journalists.

Bullets also entered another building housing The Associated Press offices, entering a room where two staffers were working but wounding no one. The Foreign Press Association, representing journalists covering Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanded a halt to attacks on press buildings.

The army had collected the locations of media organizations at the outset of fighting to avoid such attacks.

Israel launched its war on Dec. 27 in an effort to stop militant rocket fire from Gaza that has terrorized hundreds of thousands of Israelis. Some 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, roughly half of them civilians, according to U.N. and Palestinian medical officials. Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said at least 50 people were killed throughout Gaza on Thursday.

Thirteen Israelis also have been killed since the campaign began. Israel says it will press ahead until Hamas halts the rocket fire and stops smuggling weapons into Gaza from neighboring Egypt.

Israeli police said 20 rockets hit southern Israel on Thursday, injuring 10 people. Five of the wounded were in a car that was struck in the city of Beersheba.

The U.N. compound struck Thursday houses the U.N. Works and Relief Agency, which distributes food aid to hundreds of thousands of destitute Gazans in the tiny seaside territory of 1.4 million people.

"I conveyed my strong protest and outrage to the defense minister and foreign minister and demanded a full explanation," said Ban, who arrived in Israel on Thursday morning from Egypt.

It had only that morning become a makeshift shelter for 700 Gaza City residents seeking sanctuary from relentless Israeli shelling, U.N. officials in Gaza said.

John Ging, director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, said the attack at the compound caused a "massive explosion" that wounded three people.

A senior Israeli military officer said troops opened fire after militants inside the compound shot anti-tank weapons and machine guns. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal army announcement later in the day.

Ging, who was in the compound at the time, dismissed the Israeli account as "nonsense."

Israeli shells first hit the courtyard filled with refugees, then struck garages and the U.N.'s main warehouse, sending thousands of tons of food aid up in flames, Ging said. Later, fuel supplies went up in flames, sending a thick black plume of smoke into the air.

"It's a total disaster for us," Ging said, adding that the U.N. had warned the Israeli military that the compound was in peril from shelling that had begun overnight. U.N. officials say they have provided Israel with GPS coordinates of all U.N. installations in Gaza to prevent such attacks.

The refugees were moved to a school away from the immediate fighting, he said.

Separately, Israel shells landed next to a U.N. school in another Gaza City neighborhood, wounding 14 people who had sought sanctuary there, medics and firefighters said.

An Israeli attack near a U.N. school in northern Gaza earlier this month killed nearly 40 people. At the time, Israel said militants had fired on army positions from the beginning.

Barzak reported from Gaza City; Teibel from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Karin Laub and Ian Deitch in Jerusalem, and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo contributed to this report.

The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition UN halts aid shipments to Gaza after truck driver shot dead

UN halts aid shipments to Gaza after truck driver shot dead

Jan. 8, 2009
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST

The United Nations says it is halting all aid deliveries to the besieged Gaza Strip, citing a series of Israeli attacks on UN staff and installations.

The announcement came shortly after the driver of a UN truck was shot and killed by tank fire as he was headed to an Israeli border crossing to pick up an aid shipment.

The UN said the delivery had been coordinated with Israel, but the IDF has not commented on the incident.

Spokesman Chris Gunness said aid shipments were being suspended until the safety of UN staff would be guaranteed.

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ABC News Cease-Fire Coming? Israel Pauses for Gaza Relief Aid

Cease-Fire Coming? Israel Pauses for Gaza Relief Aid

Rice Urges Israel to Accept Egyptian Cease-Fire Plan for Gaza

By MIGUEL MARQUEZ

JERUSALEM, Jan. 7, 2009 —

Israeli forces allowed a limited three-hour cease-fire today to permit the besieged people of Gaza to get food, water and medical care as diplomatic efforts to hammer out a more durable truce heated up.

Israel's guns went quiet starting at 1 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) around Gaza City, the largest population center. Hamas also honored the temporary truce.

Local television showed cars streaming into Gaza City intersections and people filling the previously empty streets. For the first time in days, the city's skyline was free of smoke and explosions.

The respite from gunfire resumed almost on schedule as Israeli forces resumed their attack shortly after 4 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) and a pair of Hamas rockets hit the Israeli town of Be'er-Sheva.

As the two sides went back to fighting, intense diplomatic efforts to halt the war proceeded in high level meetings around the world.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday she urged Israel to seriously consider an Egyptian cease-fire plan for Gaza. The Egyptian proposal, made in conjunction with France, calls for an end for Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, the opening of crossings in Gaza and an end to the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

Rice said that the United States is supporting the initiative.

Sources in Jerusalem say Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has indicated his willingness to send a delegation to Cairo, Egypt, in the next few days to discuss the terms of a possible deal. Those discussions would be with Egyptian officials who, it is presumed, would mediate with Hamas representatives who have arrived in Cairo from Syria several days ago.

A critical part of any deal appears to be the posting of foreign troops or engineers on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza to ensure that Hamas does not reconstruct its network of tunnels necessary to rearm itself.

Israel said it plans to enforce a second short-term truce Friday. Earlier today, the Israelis said they would allow an additional 80 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza today along with 120,000 gallons of fuel.

A United Nations representative in Gaza was keen to stress that these short term truces are not enough. About 750,000 people in Gaza are dependent on the U.N. for food. The U.N. says it needs at least a month-long cease-fire to restore Gaza's food supply.

"The situation in Gaza is tragic. People need a full cease fire in order to save what can be saved. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed." UNRWA spokesperson, Adnan Abu Hasna, told ABC News.

The supplies shipped in today are desperately needed. Hospitals are at a breaking point, according to medical workers. "People are dying now because of the lack of supplies," Dr. Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian volunteering in Gaza's main hospital, told the BBC Stockpiles of food are running low, as is fuel. Residents, deprived of power and water for days, occasionally brave the deserted streets to pick up essentials, but most remain barricaded at home.

"The people they are very sad. They are pessimistic because they believe these days that all places in Gaza are not safe at all," ABC News producer Sami Zyara reported from the besieged city.

Any industries that were operational, working off saved fuel, are on their last legs, Zyara reported, saying, "Most of them told us in a couple of days they will shut down because the store of the fuel is finished."

Today, many Gazans used the three hour cease-fire to bury the dead. They held a mass funeral today for the 43 Gazans killed during the shelling of a school run by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency yesterday.

The announcement of the limited cease-fire was met with a mixed response by the International Committee for the Red Cross.

"Israel's intent of opening an humanitarian corridor is welcome, but it is far from being enough," Anne Sophie Bonefeld, the group's delegation spokeswoman in Jerusalem, told ABC News.

Doctors for the International Committee for the Red Cross within Gaza are stranded in their homes and unable to get to work. The group's trucks carrying medical supplies cannot get through to the hospitals and the group's escorted ambulances cannot evacuate seriously wounded patients out of Gaza.

A Norwegian doctor, Dagflin Djorklid, managed to cross into Gaza from Egypt yesterday and immediately started helping his exhausted Palestinian colleagues. Gaza's Shifa Hospital today admitted another 148 wounded Palestinians -- 18 in critical condition.

"I have been working in severe conditions before, but this is really the worst I have ever seen -- really," Djorklid said.

40 Targets Struck Overnight

The Israeli military is grappling with how to coordinate with aid agencies, so that agency officials can deliver the aid and distribute it to needy Gazans in the midst of battle. The existing aid stored in warehouses in Gaza now needs to be transported to distribution centers.

Overnight the Israeli Air Force announced it struck more than 40 targets throughout Gaza, including rocket launching sites and bunkers. The military also released night vision video of soldiers entering and searching a Hamas tunnel. The Israeli military says Hamas has a vast network of tunnels throughout the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medical sources say seven Gazans were killed in the fighting overnight in the northern part of the Gaza strip.

Those deaths follow the worst civilian loss of life from an Israeli attack so far in the 12-day siege. At least 42 Gazans were killed and an additional 50 were injured while taking refuge at a girl's school run by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. Israel's Defense Force says its soldiers received mortar fire from the school and returned fire. The IDF also claims that two Hamas fighters were among the dead and that the incident is under investigation.

Christopher Gunness, spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, says he is 99.9 percent sure that there was no mortar fire from the school or anywhere nearby. He said he can't be 100 percent sure though because "Gaza is a very noisy place these days."

Gunness said he could not account for the two Hamas fighters the Israeli military says were killed at the school because the Israeli military is releasing no information to the United Nations about the pair. Gunness said the building was "clearly, clearly marked" and called for an independent investigation.

Gunness said the Israeli military knows exactly where every single U.N. facility is in Gaza. In addition, say sources in Gaza, the building is two stories tall and has a U.N. flag on top.

At least one other U.N. school that was designated a temporary refuge by the United Nations was hit by Israeli fire this week.

Tuesday's strikes on the U.N. buildings have increased international pressure on Israel to halt the fighting. Responding to the grisly pictures of dead and injured, President-elect Barack Obama weighed in for the first time, saying, "The loss of civilian life in Gaza and Israel is a source of deep concern to me, and after Jan. 20 I am going to have plenty to say about the issue."

He promised that his administration would "engage effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflicts that exist in the Middle East."

Israeli and Palestinian Children Share Fear

The youngest victims -- Israeli and Palestinian children -- are separated by many things, but what they share is fear.

Abed, 12, was taking refuge in the U.N. school in northern Gaza when Israeli shells destroyed it. He escaped. Several friends did not.

"I don't know if they're alive or dead," he said. "It makes me worried and sad."

Across the border in Israel, danger from the sky has forced children to spend several hours a day in a bomb shelter that has been turned into a makeshift playroom underground. Even sleep is no relief for 10-year-old Amit.

"I dream mostly about rockets and sirens and the people who are injured and killed," she said.

Yousef, 9, lives just a couple miles away in Gaza. He is consumed with fear.

"I don't go out at all. I'm afraid all the time," he said.

Latest Diplomatic Efforts to Halt Fighting

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the principal players in the Gaza offensive -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni -- met Tuesday night to discuss the operation and will brief the Israeli Cabinet today.

The Israeli Cabinet will discuss its options in light of the mounting civilian casualties and diplomatic efforts moving on several fronts. Several reports indicate that the Israeli military believes it has achieved the bulk of its goals to this point and the question now is whether to expand the campaign or seek a negotiated settlement.

Sami Zyara contributed to the reporting of this story from Gaza; Simon McGregor-Wood, Bruno Nota and Dana Savir from Jerusalem; and Zoe Magee from London.

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

Romans 2:11 New American Bible (NAB)

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 02:59 09/12/2008
The election campaign in Gaza

The barrages of Qassam rockets and mortar shells being fired from the Gaza Strip at communities in the western Negev, and even at Ashkelon, attest to the collapse of the lull Israel and Hamas had achieved.

At first glance, it seems that those who viewed the lull as a fleeting and pointless episode were right. But such a view fails to take all the facts into account - because it is impossible to ignore the fact that for more than four months, the calm was preserved, proving that Hamas is capable of maintaining almost complete quiet and granting residents of the western Negev, and especially Sderot, a bit of the peace and normalcy that they so badly needed.

It is also important to consider the proximate cause of the collapse: Israel uncovered a tunnel that, it claims, was slated to be used to abduct soldiers. It therefore went into Gaza to blow the tunnel up. During this operation, several Palestinians were killed. That is when Israel and Hamas began shooting at each other again. One could argue that the very fact that the tunnel was dug, along with the intent to kidnap soldiers, constitutes a violation of the truce. But it is equally possible to wonder whether Israel could not have used the information in its possession to thwart that intent without violating the rules of the truce.

The most important question now, however, is not who is to blame; it is how to restore the calm, rehabilitate the truce and stabilize the Gaza border. After all, the cease-fire's collapse does not have to be final and definitive; other truces have been rehabilitated after having lapsed.

Two working assumptions must guide any effort to rehabilitate the truce. One is that Israel and Hamas need each other to the same degree, and the second is that neither Israel nor Hamas has a military option. These are precisely the same assumptions that underlay negotiations to establish the truce in the first place, and there has been no change that would point to the emergence of any other option, military or non-military.

Nevertheless, one thing has changed on the Israeli side: The upcoming election serves as fertile ground for those who like to brandish slogans that drag Gaza and the lull into the political battle. Suddenly, everyone is in uniform, wearing helmets, arming themselves and prepared for war.

It is enough to listen to the indirect exchanges between Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak to understand that politics, not logic, is driving this talk. "We must respond with fire to the rocket launches," declared Livni, aiming an arrow at Barak. "The person responsible for security must act, and I will act in the diplomatic realm." Barak, for his part, vetoed the entry into Gaza of a Qatari aid ship, while his associates accused Livni of bending to pressure. On the sidelines of this quarrel are ministers Shaul Mofaz and Haim Ramon, who talk about "destroying the infrastructure" or launching a large-scale military operation, without offering a convincing explanation, or any explanation at all, as to how such an operation would effect change - or, even more importantly, what its price would be in blood.

Anyone seeking to rehabilitate the truce in Gaza must first obtain a truce on the political battlefield. A bloody front in Gaza and the western Negev is no substitute for the diplomatic logic and political common sense the southern communities are seeking.

Yearning for Justice

Morning Reflection
Thursday, January 8, 2009 -- Year One
Yearning for Justice

Today's Reading for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 942)
Psalms 117, 118 (morning) 112, 113 (evening)
Isaiah 59:15-21
Revelation 2:8-17
John 4:46-54

The collection of prophecy in chapters 56-66 of Isaiah form a later compilation than the post- (or near post) captivity section of chapters 40-55. Within the 56-66 section, chapters 56-59 seem to be an integrated sub-collection, with today's passage at the end of chapter 59 composed as a conclusion to the sub-section.

This part of Isaiah addresses problems in the post-exilic community. The prophet calls for justice. "Maintain justice, and do what is right," he tells them at the opening of this section. He tells them to create a more inclusive community, embracing the foreigner and eunuch who wish to worship and participate. He calls for a renewal of worship that is sincere, and not just for show. Prayer should lead to compassion and concern for the less fortunate, he says. Do not attend just to the outward show, but to the inward spirit of the heart. Faith is not simply about believing certain things, but about compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance. With such a renwal of heart, real spiritual revival will happen. That is the message of Isaiah 56-58.

He closes by telling the people that the reason things aren't working out the way they should is because of the poor leadership which has failed to administer justice and allowed violence and corruption to flourish. The wrongdoing is a barrier that blocks us from God's blessing. "Therefore justice is far from us and righteousness does not reach us; ...for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter."

The prophet declares that God will respond. God will repay the injustice and will return to redeem. The prophet closes with a renewal of the covenant that God's spirit is upon God's people and God's word shall not depart from them. It is the introduction to the next section beginning with chapter 60, a vision of a new city of peace and righteousness. "Arise, shine: for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you."

For many of us, these themes from the 6th century BCE sound fresh and alive. It has seemed for some years that truth has stumbled in the public square and justice has been far from us in this nation at this time. Compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance have been lacking, and many have excluded the foreigner and eunuch who wish to be in our community. Instead of righteousness, our leaders have condoned kidnapping, torture and imprisionment without process. Constitutional protections have been compromised. We relaxed economic oversight and allowed greed and irresponsibility to overwhelm the credit system -- which is actually a system of trust, a system of faith. It has been an ugly time, and we seem far away from our deepest values and ideals.

Some of the descriptions of Isaiah 59 describe our situation. "We grope like the blind along a wall, ...we all growl like bears. ...Our transgressions indeed are with us, ...conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart."

No wonder so many of us have yearned for change. We pray that God will turn the hearts of our people back to our source. Like the prophet want a renewal of compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance -- a renewal of honesty, uprightness and justice. This is essentially a yearning for a return to God.

Christians proclaim the central character of God is love. The God of love is also the God of justice, for justice is the social form of love. Like Isaiah, we call for a renewal of justice in the land, not only for people, but also for the land itself, the natural world.

We have been living in Isaiah 56-59; we long for the vision of the renewed community of Isaiah 60-62.

Lowell

About Morning Reflections
"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

Discussion Blog: To comment on today's reflection or readings, go to http://lowellsblog.blogspot.com.


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas

UMC (President Bush's Church) An Appeal on Gaza

An Appeal on Gaza

President George W. Bush of the United States has the opportunity to heighten the moral standing of his administration by using his remaining days in office to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a ceasefire that will effectively permit humanitarian relief to the civilians whose lives have been disrupted by the Israeli invasion of the Palestinian enclave. Military strikes are currently destroying homes, schools, and places of worship in one of the most densely populated places in the world.

Both an immediate ceasefire and full and unimpeded humanitarian access are desperately needed in response to this latest outbreak of military action. As bombs continue to explode and Israeli tanks roll across Gaza, diplomatic assessments of blame and stubborn adherence to failed policies are unacceptable. Decisive action is required to stop the carnage and to provide for Palestinians who for years have been virtual prisoners in Gaza, hemmed in by closed military borders on all sides.

The dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are compounded by years of political stalemate, periodic outbreaks of violence, and recently, 18 months of an Israeli economic blockade of the whole of Gaza, which has a population of 1.5 million Palestinians. A ceasefire that was agreed to in late June dramatically reduced armed attacks for months, yet humanitarian restrictions were not lifted.

The Bush administration still has time to take decisive action to persuade Israel to pull back from its massive military initiative, and to provide an opportunity for the people of Gaza to receive much-needed fuel, flour for bread, and medical supplies and spare parts for hospitals. The time is now for the Administration to join with other leaders in the international community in calling for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire by all.

The United Methodist Church has a long heritage of support for international law and equal rights as the basis for just and lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. The church has also gone on record numerous times in support of the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from occupied Palestinian lands.

The General Board of Global Ministries joins with Christians, Jews, and Muslims in prayers for peace for the families and individuals affected by the current violence. We commend Global Ministries' missionary staff in Israel-Palestine for their steadfastness in serving persons in need, and in representing the Methodist commitment to peace in the Holy Land.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a part of the board, will be working with partners to bring relief to the civilian population in Gaza.

Bishop Bruce Ough
President
General Board of Global Ministries

Edward W. Paup
General Secretary
General Board of Global Ministries

January 7, 2009

President Bush United Methodist ?

Not long after I got back from church this morning I turned on MSNBC. As usual there was a breaking news blurb across the screen, "US blocks UN Security Council action calling for cease fire in Gaza". The rational the Bush administration uses for this is that Hamas is unlikely to follow any request for calm.
Well if it's unlikely then it wouldn't hurt to allow the UN request for cease fire to go ahead.
This US government, the Bush administration makes all Americans complicit in any killing of civilians that Israel does in Gaza.
Israel says this is going to last a long time. They're fighting "terrorism".
I guess when we preemptorially invaded Iraq a sovereign nation that had done nothing to us we gave all rogue nations the precedent they needed to do the same and fight "terroism".
And in actions such as this in Gaza Israel is acting as a rogue nation would.

An Urgent Appeal for Immediate Cessation of Hostilities in Gaza

Update: IOCC Works to Bring Relief to Gaza

Although it remains difficult to get supplies into Gaza, IOCC [International Orthodox Christian Charities] is working with organizations that have significant operations inside the territory and who are in touch with government officials and United Nations personnel to gain access. [IOCC Representative Dirk] Lackovic-van Gorp reports that the greatest need now is life-saving drugs and medical supplies to equip hospitals which have been forced to turn away the injured.

Help IOCC speed relief to families who have been caught in this conflict. Visit www.IOCC.org, call 1-877-803-4622, or mail a check or money order payable to "IOCC" and write Middle East Relief in the memo line to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225.

And during this time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, please join us in praying that His peace may reign in the Holy Land and throughout the world.

---

We of The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America join most of the world in decrying the loss of life and extreme human tragedy unfolding in Gaza before our eyes.

In light of this, we make an urgent appeal to all of the faithful of The Antiochian Archdiocese to immediately contact their elected representatives. Urge them to exert the considerable influence of the U.S. Government to end these hostilities and engage the various parties in a meaningful dialogue to forge a just and lasting peace. At the same time we ask you to keep all of the victims of this tragedy in your daily prayers.

Please click here to contact your U.S. Senators, Members of Congress and the President.

Statement on Gaza Violence and Bishops' Visit to Middle East

December 31, 2008

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

"For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:5-7)

In this New Year, we turn again to the Lord of hosts – praying urgently for the justice, righteousness and peace hailed by the birth of the newborn babe in the manger, the humble child, the Prince of Peace.

In these days of terrible violence, death and destruction in Gaza and southern Israel, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joins its voice with all in the region and around the world who call for an immediate ceasefire. The continuing loss of life, infliction of serious injury and devastation of property will only deepen hatred and divisions, and will serve no good end. Lamenting the recent escalation of violence, only negotiations, leading to a two-state solution, will bring about a durable peace with justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.

The ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) are carefully monitoring events in the region as their bishops prepare for their upcoming Academy visit, the planning for which began two years ago. Bishops of both churches have met several times this week by phone, and are united in their assessment that the trip is timelier than ever and should proceed. In keeping with the 2005 ELCA "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine," the trip emphasizes accompaniment with its Lutheran partners in the region, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). In this very difficult time, the bishops hope that their presence can be a source of comfort to these partners and manifest support for these ministries.

ELCA congregations are invited to join with the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, including Bishop Munib Younan of the ELCJHL, who have called for this Sunday, January 4, to be "a day for justice and peace in the land of peace." The ELCA joins them in calling upon, "officials of both parties to the conflict to…refrain from all violent acts, which only bring destruction and tragedy, and urge them instead to work to resolve their differences through peaceful and non-violent means." And the ELCA joins them in praying, “for the victims, the wounded and the broken-hearted. May the Lord God Almighty grant all those who have lost loved ones consolation and patience. We pray for all those living in panic and fear, that God may bless them with calm, tranquility and true peace.”

The ELCA and ELCIC bishops invite the continuing prayers of their church members for building peace among Christians, Jews and Muslims and all of the region’s peoples. On behalf of their churches, the bishops offer to their Christian sisters and brothers and to all people affected by the conflict, their steadfast support and their efforts and prayers for peace to prevail and healing to begin.

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Respond to violence in Gaza and Israel

Violence between Hamas and Israel has resulted in an alarmingly high and increasing number of deaths. Innocent people stand in harm’s way in Israel and in Gaza. The people of Gaza already faced a desperate situation before this conflict, with a significant lack of food, medicine, fuel and electricity due to the Israeli blockade. The hospitals are struggling to care for the wounded from the current crisis.

Presbyterians have a deep concern for a just peace and security for all the region’s people, rooted in our long-standing witness in the Middle East.

Violence and destruction will not have the final word. As God’s people, celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, we are called to work for peace. Learn how you can respond through prayer, financial support of humanitarian efforts and advocacy.

Join in prayer with Bruce Reyes-Chow, Gradye Parsons and Linda Valentine.


Churches urge U.S. action to restore cease fire in Gaza

Written by staff reports
December 29, 2008

UCC-supported Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of 22 national church bodies, is urging prompt action by the U.S. government to end the Gaza violence.

In a letter to President Bush, CMEP urged the U.S. government to take action to restore the cease fire between Israel and Gaza. A copy of the letter also went to President-elect Barack Obama.

"We at CMEP mourn the losses suffered," said CMEP Executive Director Warren Clark. "Looking forward, we call on the Bush Administration, along with international partners, to take a proactive role now to restore the cease fire, end the blockade and restore security to Gaza's borders."

Here is the text of the letter:

December 29, 2008

The Honorable George W. Bush

President of the United States

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

During your presidency, we have often written to you, both recognizing the important steps you have taken to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and asking you to do more to achieve peace. As representatives of twenty-two U.S. national churches and church organizations we write today with an unprecedented sense of urgency and foreboding because of the current Gaza violence.

As people of faith, we care deeply about the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians and deplore the violent deaths of those caught in this conflict. We reject all justifications for the unconscionable Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza into Israel. We similarly reject the Israeli response as disproportionate and believe that it is likely to strengthen extremists and undermine moderates in the region. While we appreciate Secretary Rice's statement of December 27 calling for an immediate cease-fire, there must now be prompt action by your Administration to help bring about an end to the violence.

It is not enough for the United States to urge "Israel to avoid civilian targets," particularly in light of Israel's stated intention to continue, expand, and intensify its current offensive. If this spiraling violence continues, both Palestinians and Israelis will suffer and the risk of a broader confrontation will increase. There can be no military solution to this conflict. Only a political solution will bring a durable peace to both Palestinians and Israelis.

In addition to the escalating hostilities, the continued closure of Gaza with the cutoff or delay of vital food, fuel, electricity and adequate access to medical attention for the residents of Gaza must be addressed quickly and responsibly. We are confident that U.S. engagement, together with international partners including Egypt, can help restore the cease-fire, end the border blockade, and establish real security at Gaza's borders.

We recognize that while the immediate renewal of a ceasefire in Gaza and southern Israel is essential, in the long-term only the realization of a just and lasting two-state solution can provide a secure and prosperous future for all the people of the Holy Land. That is the vision of peace you began with the Road Map and continued at Annapolis over a year ago to which we continue to be committed.

Our prayers are with you as well as with all those Palestinians and Israelis who are suffering, living in fear or have lost loved ones in this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Warren Clark Maureen Shea

Executive Director Chair, Executive Committee

Churches for Middle East Peace Churches for Middle East Peace

Thomas, Watkins sign letter to Bush urging 'decisive U.S. leadership' in Middle East

Written by staff reports
December 31, 2008

Leaders of the UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have signed a letter to President Bush calling for “immediate, visible and decisive U.S. leadership” to help end the escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel.

The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, and the Rev. Sharon Watkins, the Disciples’ general minister and president, were among those who signed the Dec. 31 letter from leaders of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East.

“The toll in human deaths and suffering, the negative effects on progress in negotiations for peace and the risks of wider war caused by this escalation of violence cannot be allowed to continue,” the letter reads.

The full text of the letter is below.

December 31, 2008

President George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We write as leaders of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace to urge you to take immediate action to help end the escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel. We believe that more than words are needed. We urge you to send a high level personal representative to the region immediately to help negotiate a ceasefire and make provision for humanitarian aid.

The toll in human deaths and suffering, the negative effects on progress in negotiations for peace and the risks of wider war caused by this escalation of violence cannot be allowed to continue. Immediate, visible and decisive U.S. leadership is urgently needed.

As religious leaders, we will encourage our faith communities to support active U.S. engagement to achieve a ceasefire and we are personally prepared to do whatever we can to be helpful to efforts to halt the violence and restore progress toward peace

Statements from around the Communion on the Situation in Gaza.

Posted On : December 30, 2008 9:03 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
Related Categories: ACO

'Watching the news, I could not help but join in the tears of Jesus, who wept over the land of his birth, and prayed for peace to reign' the Archbishop of Cape Town said.

Archbishop of Canterburys’s statement on Gaza

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has made the following statement regarding the current situation in Gaza:

The spiralling violence in Gaza tragically illustrates the fact that the cycle of mutual threat and retaliation have no lasting effect except to reinforce the misery and insecurity of everyone in the region. I want to express my grief and sympathy for the innocent lives lost in this latest phase of violence. People of all faiths in this country will want to join their voices to the statements of the Christian Muslim Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews in urging a return to the ceasefire and efforts to secure a lasting peace. We must unite in urging all those who have the power to halt this spiral of violence to do so.

Those raising the stakes through the continuation of indiscriminate violence seem to have forgotten nothing and learned nothing. It must surely be clear that, whilst peace will not wipe out the memory of all past wrongs, it is the only basis for the future flourishing of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. The recent statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Church in Jerusalem reflects a clear awareness that there can be no winners if the current situation is allowed to persist. Its continuation can only condemn ordinary Palestinian and Israeli citizens to the prospect of another year of fear and suffering.

Urgent humanitarian needs have arisen through the attacks on Gaza and Israel and they demand a generous response to local appeals for support, such as that issued by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem for its hospital in Gaza. But this humanitarian response, both local and international, needs to be matched by redoubled efforts in the political sphere.

The prophet Zechariah declared, "Not by might and not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts". The New Year is an opportunity for a new initiative that will set the tone for what lies ahead. Religious leaders, most particularly those of the region, have an urgent responsibility in supporting the search for peace and reconciliation. But it is the political leaders and opinion-formers who hold the key to implementing the necessary changes that can bring hope. Can they not agree a period of truce as the New Year begins, so that the communities of the Holy Land may once again explore how common security might at last begin to replace the mechanical rhythms of mutual threat? Might the outgoing and incoming Presidents of the USA combine to make such an appeal and pursue its implementation?

The Anglican Communion worldwide stands alongside other religious communities and humanitarian organisations in its commitment to supporting any such initiative. Without such a sign of hope, the future for the Holy Land and the whole region is one of more fear, innocent suffering and destruction.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The statement by Imam Dr Musharraf Hussain and The Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham, Co-Chairs of the 'Christian Muslim Forum' is available at: http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/subpage.asp?id=325

The statement by The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, Chair of the 'Council of Christians and Jews' is available at: http://www.ccj.org.uk/

The statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Church in Jerusalem is available at: http://www.lpj.org/newsite2006/news/2008/12/gaza-message-en-headschrches2008.html

Statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem
on the current devastating situation in Gaza

We, the Patriarchs, Bishops and the Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem, follow with deep concern, regret, and shock the war currently raging in the Gaza Strip and the subsequent destruction, murder and bloodshed, especially at a time when we celebrate Christmas, the birth of the King of love and peace. As we express our deep sorrow at the renewed cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians and the continued absence of peace in our Holy Land, we denounce the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip and all forms of violence and killings from all parties. We believe that the continuation of this bloodshed and violence will not lead to peace and justice but breed more hatred and hostility – and thus continued confrontation between the two peoples.

Accordingly, we call upon all officials of both parties to the conflict to return to their senses and refrain from all violent acts, which only bring destruction and tragedy, and urge them instead to work to resolve their differences through peaceful and non-violent means.

We also call upon the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and intervene immediately and actively stop the bloodshed and end all forms of confrontation; to work hard and strong to put an end to the current confrontation and remove the causes of conflict between the two peoples; and to finally resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a just and comprehensive solution based on international resolutions.

To the various Palestinian factions we say: It is time to end your division and settle your differences. We call on all factions at this particular time to put the interests of the Palestinian people above personal and factional interests and to move immediately toward national comprehensive reconciliation and use all non-violent means to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

Finally, we raise our prayers to the Child in the manger to inspire the authorities and decision makers on both sides, the Israelis and Palestinians, for immediate action to end the current tragic situation in the Gaza Strip. We pray for the victims, the wounded and the broken-hearted. May the Lord God Almighty grant all those who have lost loved ones consolation and patience. We pray for all those living in panic and fear, that God may bless them with calm, tranquility and true peace.

We call on all to observe next Sunday, January 4, as a day for justice and peace in the land of peace.

+ Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
+ Patriarch Fuad Twal, Latin Patriarchate.
+ Patriarch Torkom II, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate
Fr. Pier Battista Pizzaballa, ofm, Custody of the Holy Land
+ Anba Abraham, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate.
+ Archbishop Swerios Malki Mourad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate.
Abune Matthias, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate
+ Archbishop Paul Nabil Sayyah, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate.
+ Bishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem & the Middle East.
+ Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land.
+ Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
+ Bishop Youssef Zre’i, Greek Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate.
Fr. Raphael Minassian, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

Jerusalem 30 December 2008

Israeli ground troops invade Gaza to halt rockets (AP)

AP - Thousands of Israeli troops backed by columns of tanks and helicopter gunships launched a ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday night, with officials saying they expected a lengthy fight in the densely populated territory after eight days of punishing airstrikes failed to halt militant rocket attacks on Israel.

The Hamas rockets are very portable, mobile and the Israelie government and defense forces know that. How close to genocide do they dare go?

Statement by the Right Rev'd Suheil S. Dawani, The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem on Gaza

Anglican Communion News Service

Statement by the Right Rev'd Suheil S. Dawani, The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem on Gaza

Posted On : December 30, 2008 8:41 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: ACNS4553
Related Categories: Middle East

Jerusalem - During recent weeks, the three Abrahamic Faiths have observed their Holy Seasons with a sense of peace and goodwill. Therefore, we are greatly grieved by the severity of the ongoing military operations in Gaza that are occurring in heavily populated areas and impacting the civilian population.

As a Diocese with well over a century of an unbroken commitment to the well being and peace of the community in Gaza City through our Al Ahli Arab Hospital, we are both stunned and saddened by the events unfolding in Gaza.

The heavy loss of Palestinian lives and the serious wounds and injuries to many hundreds of innocent bystanders require the immediate cessation of hostilities for the well being and safety of both the Palestinian and Israeli communities, and especially for Gaza and the nearby Israeli population centers. The gravity of the situation threatens to engulf this entire region and we ask the Palestinians and Israelis to return to active negotiations for the well being and safety of both communities.

Of immediate concern is the urgent medical services needed by the victims of this violence. The immensity of providing care for the injured and wounded is overwhelming a healthcare system struggling to provide essential healthcare services for 1.5 million Palestinians, most of who live in refugee camps.

As the casualties and human suffering continue to rise, we appeal to the Israeli and Palestinian communities to exercise responsible restraint. We urgently call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities, and provide for the humanitarian needs of those directly affected by the conflict. At the same time, we can assure the Gaza communities that the Al Ahli Hospital will continue, as it has for many decades.

On Sunday, December 28, 2008, Bishop Dawani traveled to Amman with Lutheran Bishop Mounib Younan to meet with His Majesty, King Abdullah II for the King’s Seasonal invitation to Church Leaders. The King expressed his deep concern for the heavy loss of human life in Gaza, called for the immediate secession of hostilities, and expressed his earnest hope for the resumption of the Palestinian/Israeli Peace Process. He also affirmed his full support for the continuing presence of the Christian community and the safeguarding of its properties. Bishop Dawani, in his response, spoke with warm appreciation of the King’s ongoing support and assured him that as Church Leaders, “We are Ambassadors for Peace, Reconciliation and Interfaith Dialogue”.

In his Christmas Eve Sermon at the Carol Service held at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Bishop Dawani in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayaad spoke of the Gift of Love “that gives us strength to respect the human dignity of all people, Christian, Muslim and Jews alike,” he said, “we are all created in the Image of God”.

The Bishop continued by saying, “The world waits in eager expectation for people of good will, courage and vision to set aside personal agendas, to encourage the change of heart, to empower all people of faith to tear down the walls of cruelty, fear and hatred. We cannot diminish or escape from the challenges before us which are very real and confront our people. Peace, a just durable peace, is rooted in the reconciling love of God for all the people of this land”.

For Further information call:

Diocese of Jerusalem
Communications Office
+972 (0)2 627 1670

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Published by the Anglican Communion Office © 2008 Anglican Consultative Council

Urge Immediate U.S. Efforts to End Gaza Violence, Restore Cease-Fire

CMEP sent out this alert Monday-- please take action if you haven't yet and share it with your friends and family.

The alert can also be viewed at http://www.cmep.org/Alerts/2008Dec29.htm

-------------------

The escalating Gaza violence of these past days has been a sobering jolt from holiday celebrations. For Palestinians and Israelis, there has been no peace.

We at Churches for Middle East Peace mourn the loss of life on both sides and call now on the United States to exercise bold leadership to immediately end the violence, restore the cease-fire and lift the blockade of Gaza's borders.

The White House and Capitol Hill offices are sure to receive countless messages supporting a continuation of the Israeli military offensive. They need to hear from concerned American Christians that the U.S. must work with international partners to bring about an immediate cease-fire for the sake of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Please take action today and call for a immediate cease-fire.

Without an urgent diplomatic solution, both Palestinians and Israelis will suffer, the risk of a broader confrontation will increase, and hope for continuation of the Annapolis peace efforts will grow ever dimmer.

The Bush Administration is in its final weeks, but it has an opportunity now to take serious action on behalf of Israeli-Palestinian peace and to safeguard U.S. interests. Congress too must encourage and support American diplomatic leadership.

The CMEP coalition has sent an urgent letter today to President Bush, as well as a copy to the Obama transition team, urging prompt U.S. action to end this crisis. The CMEP leaders said:

"As people of faith, we care deeply about the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians and deplore the violent deaths of those caught in this conflict. We reject all justifications for the unconscionable Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza into Israel. We similarly reject the Israeli response as disproportionate and believe that it is likely to strengthen extremists and undermine moderates in the region. While we appreciate Secretary Rice's statement of December 27 calling for an immediate cease-fire, there must now be prompt action by your Administration to help bring about an end to the violence." Read the full letter at http://www.cmep.org/documents/GazaLetterDecember.htm

As we anticipate the coming new year, we must all pray and act for an urgent end to the violence in Gaza and southern Israel and a renewal of hope for peace in the Holy Land in 2009.

Take Action:

1. Call the White House comments line (202-456-1111). View talking points here at http://www.cmep.org/documents/GazaTalkingPointsDecember2008.htm

2. Send an email to the President and your Senators and Representative through CMEP's email system at http://action.cmep.org/t/4317/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=859

3. Sign the ecumenical Christian letter to President-elect Obama urging him to make Israeli-Palestinian peace an immediate priority at http://www.cmep.org/letter

Background Reading:

To view statements by Jewish and Arab collegial groups as well as statements by Secretary Rice, the White House, and the UN Security Council, visit http://www.cmep.org/Alerts/GazaBackgrounder.htm.

To view the CMEP letter to President Bush on the violence in Gaza and southern Israel, click http://www.cmep.org/documents/GazaLetterDecember.htm

Not War

This is not war. This is butchery.

Israel kills top Hamas figure, escalating campaign (AP)

AP - Israel dropped a one-ton bomb on the home of a Hamas strongman Thursday, killing him along with two wives and four children in the first attack on the top leadership of Gaza's rulers.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Beyond Just War Theory (by Valerie Elverton Dixon)

Just war theory is a mode of analysis that lists criteria by which war may be considered righteous before, during, and after its execution. The criteria to consider before a war are: declared by legitimate authority, just cause, right intent, reasonable hope of success, last resort, and announcement. The criteria to consider during war are: noncombatant immunity, proportionality of damage to good that will result, and limitations on weapons and tactics. Young scholars in Christian ethics are developing criteria to consider after war, such as reparations, truth and reconciliation, and refugees.

Just war theory has a long history inside of Christianity. It is a middle way between holy war and pacifism. However, just peace theory occupies the ground between just war theory and pacifism. From the perspective of just peace theory, just war theory is only war. It presupposes war. It comes into the discourse at the moment when a conflict reaches a crisis point and the possibility of war. The conversation becomes about making the case for war using just war principles. In contrast, just peace theory presupposes peace. The discourse becomes about what the nation is doing to preserve the peace. Further, just peace theory moves beyond just war theory because just war theory is unrealistic in the face of the nature of war itself.

For example, before a war we consider just cause. In reality, the causes of war are always multiple, complex, and entangled. So underneath arguments about defense and humanitarian intervention, there often lies an economic intent. Further, once war begins, no one can ever know how successful a nation will be in executing the war. Just war during war calls for the immunity of innocents and the protection of noncombatants from being targets of violence. Realistically, innocents always die in war. Some will object that this is an argument of moral equivalency. It is. The blood and tears are equivalent; people are equivalently killed and physically and psychologically injured. An innocent ecology is equivalently wounded.

Moreover, the nature of warfare is to defeat an enemy by any means necessary, and this includes using weapons and tactics that will demoralize the enemy even if that means killing innocents. Just war theory cannot come to terms with this reality.

Just peace theory understands that peacemaking happens every day, that the only just war is the war that we prevent because there is no such thing as victory in war. War itself is a defeat of human reason, communication, truth, and respect. At the same time, just peace theory recognizes there may be times when a military force ought to deploy to protect vulnerable populations or to enforce a peace agreement.

September 21 is the U.N. International Day of Peace and Global Cease-fire. It is a day when the world can pause to think about ways to make justice and peace the project and the goal of daily life.

Dr. Valerie Elverton Dixon is an independent scholar who publishes lectures and essays at JustPeaceTheory.com. She received her Ph.D. in religion and society from Temple University and taught Christian ethics at United Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Theological School

Filed Under: International Day of Peace, Just Peace Theory, Just War Theory, United Nations, war