The rubble of a recently demolished home in Silwan, East Jerusalem

Photo credit: Sara Ofner-Seals

Within the last month, five members of the UCC PIN steering committee will have traveled to the occupied West Bank in Palestine on various solidarity delegations. Many pilgrims have traveled to the Holy Land over the years, often to visit places like the Sea of Galilee, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and the Mount of the Beatitudes-- beautiful, tranquil places that offer visitors something of a respite from a world that is on fire.

Within hours of these places, however, are walled off ghettos surrounded by checkpoints and settlements, where every day, people face extreme poverty, home demolitions, night raids, harassment from soldiers and settlers, arbitrary arrest and detention, and that's just in the West Bank. In Gaza, Palestinians continue to be bombarded by air strikes on a daily basis. These strikes kill dozens at a time, while the people who survive the bombs die slowly from starvation, untreated illness and injury.

This reality exposes that the 'peace' of places like the Sea of Galilee and the Mount of the Beatitudes is, at best, incomplete, and at worst, an intentional facade, meant to lure pilgrims and visitors into the false notion that all is well in the Holy Land. But all is not well. Not at all.

Those of us who had been to Palestine in the past, before October 7, 2023, noticed many stark differences. The once bustling Bethlehem felt like a ghost town, empty of the hundreds of pilgrims who once filled Manger Square. Because of the lack of tourism, many shops were boarded up, and the feeling of economic desperation amongst those that remained open was palpable. On the hillsides outside Bethlehem, Palestinian farmers are being systematically pushed off their lands by expanding illegal settlements, filled with Israeli settlers who have grown increasingly violent towards their Palestinian neighbors.

Home demolitions are occurring at an alarming rate, both in the countryside, in East Jerusalem, and other cities, as Israel attempts to drive Palestinians off their land. At one point, steering committee member Sara Ofner-Seals stood amidst the rubble of the demolished home of a Palestinian father who talked about how he was still required to pay taxes on the destroyed home, even after he was also billed for the demolition itself. "Everything feels hopeless right now," he said, "we are drowning in debt and indignity." Other Palestinians we met talked about the "Gazafication of the West Bank," fearing that what has happened in Gaza will soon be happening to them. In some places, like the city of Jenin, this is already the case.

All of us who traveled to Palestine came away feeling an urgent sense of moral responsibility and a sense that our Christianity calls us into action. We cannot ignore what is happening to our siblings in Palestine, whether in Gaza or the West Bank. Member Dave Grishaw-Jones shares what Palestinian human rights activist Rifat Kassis told him, which is that as westerners whose government is complicit in the devastation and whose churches have mostly been silent on the matter, that our very Christianity is at stake. Grishaw-Jones writes, "a church that accommodates genocidal violence--without taking up the cross to suffer alongside the people and advocate boldly for them--has wandered off the gospel map."

All of this is why, in this newsletter, we are focused on actions you can take, including legislative actions, solidarity actions, ways to further educate yourself and others, and more. We hope you will join us as we raise our voices for justice and peace in Palestine. As member Jenny Veninga reflects, "witnessing to the truth is our call, for the truth will set us all free. Over and over again, we met with individuals and organizations whose work is telling the truth in the name of justice, peace, and dignity. From all we heard loud and clear that we are called to witness, to speak that truth to our church leaders, government, and the public, and to act. Doing so, as we witnessed on our trip, is urgent, and taking risks for “costly solidarity” is this moment’s work."

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC PIN Steering Committee Member