One of the purposes of interfaith work is that of peace and harmony among religions which includes not letting wars abroad affect relations here at home. This is very true when it comes to the conflict in the Middle East and the war between the State of Israel and Hamas. I do not know of any other conflict that polarises discussion quite as much as this one. For those of us involved in interfaith relations it is heartbreaking. In my experience the Jewish Community here in Scotland are keen to keep on good relations with their Muslim neighbours and vice versa but any talk of the situation in Israel and Gaza shows loyalties that can so easily set one group against the other as they defend one position over another. Each group feels so much the suffering of their brothers and sisters in faith.
For Christians there is a special dilemma I think as we recognise the centuries of antisemitism which was the seed bed for the atrocities of the Holocaust and led to the need for a Jewish State where Jews could feel assured of safety, an assurance that has been weakened by the Hamas attacks of 7th October 2024. We are shocked by the situation in Palestine brought about by Israeli retaliation that we have seen daily on our television screens and the terrible suffering of our Christian and Muslim sisters and brothers. But we also have to be aware of the political colonial manoeuvrings in such things as the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 on how the Middle East should be divided and the Balfour Declaration of 1917 supporting the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine following the fall of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War. Because of our various histories we are all implicated in the tragedy of what is happening in Israel and Gaza. We carry our own stories as well as the suffering and injustice of it all somewhere in our inherited memory and this can affect how we react to the situation.
At present there is a ceasefire (not peace) in Gaza with a new plan for peace being put forward by Donald Trump. This is another incidence of a colonial mindset that decides for another country and nation what is best for it. This time there is a strong reaction against it and only time will tell if that has any effect. One such reaction has come from more than 350 rabbis and other Jewish public figures who on 13th February took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and used it to condemn President Trump's proposal under the headline
"Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing!"
One of the first groups to denounce the plan as absolutely unacceptable was a liberal advocacy group that champions a "pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy" agenda and there have been statements from the Conservative and Reform Jewish Assemblies. Many others have spoken out. Rabbi David Rosen, for example, a Papal Knight and Special Interfaith Advisor at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, said: "It is important that the world knows as much as possible that the initiative of President Trump as it stands, and as it has been understood, is not acceptable." Jean-Charles Putzolu who writes for Vatican News said, "Moving populations against their will is against the Geneva Convention.... more importantly, it is immoral. It is unethical to move people away from their place of domicile." Speaking to The Guardian, Rabbi Yosef Berman of the New Synagogue Project in Washington, DC, said "Jewish teaching is clear: Trump is not God and cannot take away Palestinians' inherent dignity or steal their land for a real estate deal. Trump's desire to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza is morally abhorrent. Jewish leaders reject Trump's attempts to wring profit from displacement and suffering and must act to stop this heinous crime."
These are important Jewish voices in support of their Muslim sisters and brothers. Although not directly connected to the Middle East there was, for me, another piece of good news this week. It was the publication of an historic accord signed by senior Muslim and Jewish denominational leaders in the UK and presented to King Charles at Buckingham Palace. It is called Muslim – Jewish Reconciliation Accords, A Framework of Reconciliation, Understanding and Solidarity. It was published after a two-day retreat at Drumlanrig Castle in the South of Scotland – hence also called The Drumlanrig Accord which was the culmination of a year-long series of high-level meetings. For the first time in UK history, senior representatives from eleven major Muslim and Jewish denominations, two of whom had Scottish connections, gathered to shape a future founded on shared values, reconciliation, and social responsibility. The Preamble notes the spiritual heritage shared by both Muslims and Jews and acknowledges that “global tensions, particularly in the Middle East, often strain relationships between these communities, leading to misunderstandings and fractures at a local level. In times of crisis, these fractures can deepen, escalating in Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and societal polarisation”. It is because of this polarisation that the signatories see the need for sustained dialogue and affirm “the principles of coexistence, peace, and a shared commitment.” The Accord ends with a desire to explore ways for meaningful joint action which are ambitious and include the potential for shared public statements during Middle East crises, something the world could certainly benefit from.
Will the ad in the New York Times and the Drumlanrig Accord change anything? That remains to be seen but they surely sow seeds for peace. The statements in themselves cannot be undone. They are a sign of how things could be between faith communities, a sign of the Kingdom of God and in their own small way I believe they do affect for the better the reality in which we all live.
For Christians there is a special dilemma I think as we recognise the centuries of antisemitism which was the seed bed for the atrocities of the Holocaust and led to the need for a Jewish State where Jews could feel assured of safety, an assurance that has been weakened by the Hamas attacks of 7th October 2024. We are shocked by the situation in Palestine brought about by Israeli retaliation that we have seen daily on our television screens and the terrible suffering of our Christian and Muslim sisters and brothers. But we also have to be aware of the political colonial manoeuvrings in such things as the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 on how the Middle East should be divided and the Balfour Declaration of 1917 supporting the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine following the fall of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War. Because of our various histories we are all implicated in the tragedy of what is happening in Israel and Gaza. We carry our own stories as well as the suffering and injustice of it all somewhere in our inherited memory and this can affect how we react to the situation.
At present there is a ceasefire (not peace) in Gaza with a new plan for peace being put forward by Donald Trump. This is another incidence of a colonial mindset that decides for another country and nation what is best for it. This time there is a strong reaction against it and only time will tell if that has any effect. One such reaction has come from more than 350 rabbis and other Jewish public figures who on 13th February took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and used it to condemn President Trump's proposal under the headline
"Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing!"
One of the first groups to denounce the plan as absolutely unacceptable was a liberal advocacy group that champions a "pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy" agenda and there have been statements from the Conservative and Reform Jewish Assemblies. Many others have spoken out. Rabbi David Rosen, for example, a Papal Knight and Special Interfaith Advisor at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, said: "It is important that the world knows as much as possible that the initiative of President Trump as it stands, and as it has been understood, is not acceptable." Jean-Charles Putzolu who writes for Vatican News said, "Moving populations against their will is against the Geneva Convention.... more importantly, it is immoral. It is unethical to move people away from their place of domicile." Speaking to The Guardian, Rabbi Yosef Berman of the New Synagogue Project in Washington, DC, said "Jewish teaching is clear: Trump is not God and cannot take away Palestinians' inherent dignity or steal their land for a real estate deal. Trump's desire to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza is morally abhorrent. Jewish leaders reject Trump's attempts to wring profit from displacement and suffering and must act to stop this heinous crime."
These are important Jewish voices in support of their Muslim sisters and brothers. Although not directly connected to the Middle East there was, for me, another piece of good news this week. It was the publication of an historic accord signed by senior Muslim and Jewish denominational leaders in the UK and presented to King Charles at Buckingham Palace. It is called Muslim – Jewish Reconciliation Accords, A Framework of Reconciliation, Understanding and Solidarity. It was published after a two-day retreat at Drumlanrig Castle in the South of Scotland – hence also called The Drumlanrig Accord which was the culmination of a year-long series of high-level meetings. For the first time in UK history, senior representatives from eleven major Muslim and Jewish denominations, two of whom had Scottish connections, gathered to shape a future founded on shared values, reconciliation, and social responsibility. The Preamble notes the spiritual heritage shared by both Muslims and Jews and acknowledges that “global tensions, particularly in the Middle East, often strain relationships between these communities, leading to misunderstandings and fractures at a local level. In times of crisis, these fractures can deepen, escalating in Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and societal polarisation”. It is because of this polarisation that the signatories see the need for sustained dialogue and affirm “the principles of coexistence, peace, and a shared commitment.” The Accord ends with a desire to explore ways for meaningful joint action which are ambitious and include the potential for shared public statements during Middle East crises, something the world could certainly benefit from.
Will the ad in the New York Times and the Drumlanrig Accord change anything? That remains to be seen but they surely sow seeds for peace. The statements in themselves cannot be undone. They are a sign of how things could be between faith communities, a sign of the Kingdom of God and in their own small way I believe they do affect for the better the reality in which we all live.
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