Kairos-Palestine Document

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The Kairos-Palestine Document is an appeal by Palestinian Christians to address the situation in the Palestinian Territories . It was released on December 11, 2009. Its full title is: The Moment of Truth. A word of faith and hope from the midst of the suffering of the Palestinians .

content

The appeal was preceded in the English version by a declaration entitled We hear the cry of our children , asking for blessings and support for building a society based on love, trust and justice. This declaration was signed by thirteen church officials, patriarchs , archbishops, and bishops . The document itself was written and signed by sixteen Palestinian Christians.

Description of the situation

In the introduction, the situation of the Palestinians in the autonomous areas is described as hopeless, and the policy of the decision-makers is criticized as mere crisis management. One wants to counter the hopelessness with a "cry of hope" filled with faith in God. In the first section the reality is described: the division of the Palestinian settlement area through the barriers in the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip , the construction of Israeli settlements and the resources they use, such as water and farmland, humiliation at the military checkpoints, separation of families , limited visits to the holy places in Jerusalem , the large number of Palestinian refugees and prisoners, the loss of the right to stay for Palestinians in Jerusalem due to the withdrawal of identity cards, the discrimination against Palestinians in the area of ​​the State of Israel , emigration, especially of Christians, and the internal conflict among the Palestinians. Violations of international rights and human rights by Israel and the inaction of the international community are cited as the cause . Without the occupation there would be no resistance, which Israel called terrorism ; therefore ending the occupation is a prerequisite for security, justice and peace. The appeal to God by both Israeli settlers and Palestinian guerrillas is rejected, claiming that religion has become an element of death instead of being the source of life.

Theological evaluation

In the following sections, which are thematically oriented towards the theological virtues "Faith, Hope, Love", reference is made to Christian teaching. In the end God spoke to people through his Son Jesus Christ ( Heb. 1,1-2  [1] ), through the "new teaching" ( Mk 1,27  [2] ) of the New Testament a new light was shed on the subjects of the Old Testament like promise, election, God's people and the land has been cast. The land of Palestine has a universal mission that includes all humanity, starting with the peoples living in Palestine. The expulsion of the Palestinians was an injustice to redress the injustice done to the Jews in Europe. The biblical and theological legitimation of this injustice by certain theologians from the West is sharply condemned as a " fundamentalist " interpretation of the Bible, and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is described as a " sin against God and man." In contrast, hope is seen in church activity in Palestine, in interreligious dialogue and in the preservation of the memory of the Nakba (catastrophe) , the flight and expulsion of the Palestinians since 1948. The church must bear witness to the power of love instead of vengeance, the culture of life instead of death, and must not support an unjust political system. Resistance must be put up against the Israeli occupation, but with means that speak to the humanity of the enemy and "see in the face of the enemy the image of God (...)" (4.23). Evil must not be resisted with evil. Economic boycott measures against all "goods produced by the occupation" are named as a means of peaceful resistance . The section closes with an appeal to the people of Israel to become partners in the quest for peace.

requirements

In the last part, requirements are formulated for those involved. Christians are encouraged to stay, Muslims and Jews are offered cooperation. The Christian sister churches are called upon to stand on the side of those oppressed by the Israeli occupation and to reject "fundamentalist" theological positions that legitimize the injustice inflicted on the Palestinians. The international community should initiate economic sanctions and boycott measures against Israel, not out of revenge, but to end the occupation. The paper closes with an appeal to Israelis and Palestinians: claims of superiority, the negation of the other and aggression under the pretext of fear and security should be ended and replaced by equality and sharing. Educational programs should call for understanding and not, as now, for enmity. A religious, Muslim or Jewish state is rejected, the state should be based on equality, freedom and pluralism . The Palestinians should overcome their internal divisions. The call closes with a commitment to Jerusalem as a city in which, according to the vision of the prophet Isaiah ( Isa . 2 : 2-4  [3] ), people will " forge their swords into plowshares ". You will then discover a new country and a new person.

reception

The paper, whose title is reminiscent of the 1985 Kairos paper on apartheid in South Africa, was translated into various languages ​​and distributed by the World Council of Churches after its publication . It led to numerous reactions and controversies, especially in the Protestant churches.

The German Evangelical Middle East Commission (EMOK) issued a declaration on April 22, 2010, which the EKD Church Conference adopted in 2011. She evaluates the implicit recognition of a two-state solution and thus Israel's right to exist as positive and supports the rejection of religious fundamentalisms and the request of Palestinian Christians for more intensive contacts and visits by Christians in Palestine. It honors willingness to communicate, freedom from violence and the renunciation of revenge. The view of the occupation as the sole reason for the suffering of the Palestinians, the lack of clarity in relation to the "occupied" area (the areas conquered in the Six Day War in 1967 or the territory of Israel in 1948?), The lack of criticism of terrorism and of the fundamental questioning of Israel by Islamic Palestinian groups and an unclear delimitation of suicide bombers who drag other people with them to their deaths. The criticism of "fundamentalist" theological positions was shared but asked for a more precise definition of this term. The demand for a general boycott of Israel was clearly rejected with reference to the boycott of Jews by the National Socialists .

The Jerusalem Association spoke out in favor of an end to the occupation and recognition of the state of Palestine by the UN and affirmed the right of the Palestinians to nonviolent resistance, but expected Christians to separate them more clearly from the violence emanating from Palestinians. A boycott limited to the Israeli settlements in the West Bank was advocated, but a general boycott of Israel was rejected. The special covenant of God with the Jewish people should not be misused for territorial claims, but neither should it disappear behind God's universal blessing for all people. The commitment to non-violence and the dismantling of enemy images in education is welcomed .

In the magazine of the »Evangelical Association for the Schneller Schools in the Middle East«, Pastor Klaus Müller criticized the one-sided assignment of blame to Israel, the equation of its foundation with a catastrophe ( nakba ) and the comparison with apartheid in South Africa . He accused the authors of clinging to outdated concepts of " detachment theology " (the church replaces Israel as God's people), which had been overcome in the Christian-Jewish dialogue.

Michael Volkmann, pastor for the conversation between Christians and Jews of the Evangelical Church in Württemberg, also criticized the one-sided assignment of blame to Israel and the lack of Palestinian self-criticism of the document. He called the designation of the occupation as a sin "theologically excessive". The authors underestimated the positive effects of the autonomy regulation. He accused the authors of dissolving the theological relationship between the people and the land of Israel, which is central for Christians in Germany.

Nikolaus Schneider , at that time President of the Rhenish Church, referred to a resolution of the Rhenish Synod from 1980, which sees the existence of the State of Israel as a sign of God's loyalty to his chosen people. Reinhold Robbe , chairman of the German-Israeli Society , strongly criticized the paper and its reception in the church and called it "pseudo-Christian".

The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches assessed the ecumenical approach of the document as positive and supported the authors in rejecting violence, fanaticism, revenge and the instrumentalization of religion for political purposes. But he considered the designation of the occupation as a "sin" inappropriate and criticized the fact that different standards were applied to Israeli and Palestinian violence. The unilateral assignment of blame to Israel, the comparison of the occupation with South African apartheid and the call for a boycott against Israel as a whole were rejected, but a boycott of products from the settlements in the occupied territories was approved.

In a statement, the Reformed Church of the Netherlands welcomed the paper's commitment to nonviolence. Although she declared the presence of the Jews in Israel as a sign of God's promise to his people, she spoke out against the misuse of the Bible for political purposes.

The Church of Sweden said it wanted to step up its commitment to end the occupation and spoke out in favor of sanctions against Israeli settlements.

The paper received approval from the United Church of Christ , the Disciples of Christ and the Episcopal Peace Fellowship of the Episcopal Church in the USA , which also accepted the call for a boycott of Israeli settlements.

The Church of England described the document as an impressive example of liberation theology and pointed to its clear rejection of so-called Christian Zionism . However, she did not support the document's call to boycott.

The Roman Catholic Church did not issue an official statement on the document, but some of its subdivisions expressed their approval and criticized the unreserved support of Israel's politics in biblical terms, since it was not covered by modern biblical studies .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kairos-Palestine-Dokument, English, kairospalestine.ps ( Memento of the original from February 16, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 161 kB)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kairospalestine.ps
  2. ↑ Kairos Palestine Document, German, kairospalestine.ps  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 58 kB)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.kairospalestine.ps  
  3. ^ A b Michael Volkmann, The “Kairos-Palestine Document” of Palestinian Christians, deutscher-koordinierungsrat.de, January 17, 2012
  4. ↑ Statement of the EKD Church Conference and the EMOK Executive Committee: The Hour of Truth (Kairos Palestine), EKD, August 2011 ( Memento of the original from September 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ekd.de
  5. ↑ Kairos Palestine - Challenge for the Jerusalem Association, jerusalemsverein.de
  6. ↑ Klaus Müller: Kairos - high time for peace between Israel and Palestine - a theological replica, ekiba.de, August 2011 ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ekiba.de
  7. ^ DRadio Kultur, Anti-Israeli theses among German pastors, February 3, 2012
  8. ↑ DIG criticizes the “Kairos-Palestine Document”, factum-magazin.ch, November 23, 2010  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.factum-magazin.ch  
  9. ^ The Churches' Commitment to Peace in the Middle East. (PDF; 1.8 MB) Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, 2011, ISBN 978-3-7229-0009-4 , pp. 83ff.
  10. ^ Reformed Church of the Netherlands, Rev. Arie van der Plas, kairospalestine.ps  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 64 kB)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.kairospalestine.ps  
  11. ^ A response from the Church of Sweden to Kairos Palestine.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 75 kB) Uppsala June 4, 2010.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.kairospalestine.ps  
  12. ^ EPF's Executive Council Statement on Divestment, Boycott and Economic Sanctions as a means of Nonviolent Resistance. ( Memento of the original from October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. May 10, 2010.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / epfnational.org
  13. ↑ United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada: A pastoral response to the Palestine Kairos document: “A Moment of Truth”. (PDF; 116 kB) April 2010.
  14. ↑ Reflecting on “Kairos Palestine”: A world of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 91 kB) Church of England, kairospalestine.ps@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.kairospalestine.ps  
  15. ^ Press release: The Kairos-Palestine Document - The Moment of Truth. ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Pax Christi Austria, December 9, 2010.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / w3.khg.jku.at

Web links

literature

  • The hour of truth. A word of faith and hope from the midst of the suffering of the Palestinians. AphorismA Verlagbuchhandlung, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86575-530-8 .
  • Jochen Vollmer: From the national god Yahweh to the Lord of the world and of all peoples. In: Deutsches Pfarrerblatt. 8/2011, pp. 404-409. Opinion for the paper; Article as PDF
  • Stefan Meissner: About the »national god Yahweh« and other myths. In: Deutsches Pfarrerblatt. 10/2011, pp. 521-527. Opinion against the paper; Article as PDF