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CMEP Bulletin
September 8, 2012
Christian Monastery Vandalized, DNC Jerusalem Controversy
Christian Monastery Targeted after Migron Evacuation
DNC and Jerusalem: Much Ado About Nothing?
Further Reading
Christian Monastery Targeted after Migron Evacuation
On Tuesday September 4, monks in Latrun, a village 15 miles west of Jerusalem, woke up to find their monastery’s doorway in flames and inflammatory graffiti on the walls. The incident bears the hallmark signs of a “price tag” attack, which Israeli police say they have been preparing for after the evacuation of settlers from the Migron outpost.
At 3:30 am, a monk from the monastery awoke and saw the doorway to their building on fire. After the monk called for help, the abbot Father Louie says “I went outside and saw the entire door on fire. He put out the fire with an extinguisher we had. If he hadn't done that, everything would have caught fire." Offensive words about Jesus and the names of illegal Israeli outposts in the West Bank, including Migron, were spray-painted onto the outside walls of the building.
The attack came just two days after the September 2 eviction of almost 300 settlers in Migron, an outpost built on private Palestinian property without the proper approvals from the Israeli government. The outpost has been the subject of legal wrangling for years and the government has repeatedly tried to avoid removing the families living there. The police had to forcibly remove a few holdouts, but most residents left without resistance and moved into the new temporary homes in a nearby settlement. Later this month, they will move into homes built by the government on a hillside a mile away from Migron.
Despite the evacuation process going smoothly, settler activists are angry and showing the Israeli government the “price tag” for such actions by vandalizing Palestinian and Israeli security property. The price is getting steeper as the attacks continue and the international community takes notice. After the attack on the monastery, the Israeli embassy in Paris sent a cable to the Foreign Ministry that reads, “The media coverage (of the vandalism) is causing grave damage to Israel's image in France.” Ynet News reports that other embassies in Europe sent similar reports indicating the desecration “has resulted in a major hit to Israel's image in the continent.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks saying, “Those responsible for this reprehensible act need to be punished severely. Freedom of religion and freedom of worship are among the most basic foundations of the State of Israel.” Defense Minister Ehud Barak echoed the prime minister and stated, “Defense Minister Ehud Barak: "We must fight this with an iron fist and end these kinds of incidents, which stain Israel. It is our duty to eradicate this phenomenon."
As with most “price-tag” crimes, Israeli police have not made any arrests thus far. This does not surprise prominent settler leader Danny Dayan, who disagrees with the extremist settlers’ violent tactics. He blames the Israeli security forces for the lack of arrests and prosecution for price tag criminals saying, "It's unacceptable that the Shin Bet produces zero indictments and 100% failures… It's inconceivable that our glorified Shin Bet cannot handle these groups of thugs."
The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land released a statement condemning the attacks and elements in Israeli society that foster hatred. The communiqué says, “Sadly, what happened in Latrun is only another in a long series of attacks against Christians and their places of worship…What kind of ‘teaching of contempt’ for Christians is being communicated in their schools and in their homes? And why are the culprits not found and brought to justice?” The statement concluded with Psalm 34:14, “Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."
DNC and Jerusalem: Much Ado About Nothing?
Controversy surrounded the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this week over the language in the party platform that neglected to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, something that had appeared in years past. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney highlighted the omission as another example of, “Israel being thrown under the bus by the president."
Jerusalem analyst Daniel Seidemann derided those turning the change into an issue. He writes that not mentioning Jerusalem is a tweak “that doesn't signal even the tiniest shift in U.S. policy on the issue, but that in a modest way brings the platform in line with what has been U.S. policy dating back decades.” Since 1967, American presidents have supported Israelis and Palestinians deciding the status of Jerusalem in negotiations. Seidemann praised the Democratic Party for having, “grounded their platform in reality, one informed by sound policy, not pandering politics.”
Democratic officials emphasized that the omission was unintentional. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz told CNN, "Essentially, with Jerusalem, it was a technical omission and nothing more than that. There was never any discussion or debate commentary over adding or subtracting it." New York Senator Chuck Schumer told the Associated Press, “It’s not that someone had a plan, ‘Let’s back off the long Democratic Party policy that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel.”
To address the issue, delegates voted Wednesday evening on an amendment to restore the language to the platform that read, “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.” The vote also included an amendment on adding “God” back into the platform, which had been omitted.
The arena got chaotic (video) when the chair called for a voice vote on the amendments and the “yea” and “no” supporters sounded even. After three tries, the chair decided the amendment passed by a two-thirds majority. Journalists report that delegates voting no did so for a myriad of reasons, not just opposing the addition of the Jerusalem language. Some disagreed with adding “God” and others did not approve of the process in which the amendments were discussed.
(Click image to see video)
Sources say President Obama stepped in when he heard about the exclusion of both “God” and “Jerusalem.” Robert Wexler, a top Jewish surrogate for Obama, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that, “The president directly intervened to make sure this amendment happened.” JTA also reported that, “Few Jewish organizations publicly complained, but the groups lobbied behind the scenes. Once the language was changed, AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the Orthodox Union quickly praised the Democratic National Committee.”
Further Reading
Diyar Consortium recently released a report that provides up to date information on the Christian population in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. “Palestinians Christians in the West Bank, Facts, Figures and Trends” indicates that while the number of Palestinian Christians is remaining steady or even rising slightly, their percentage is rapidly declining. In the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians make up just 1.4 percent of the Palestinian population. The authors say that up to date information provided in this report “is essential in developing a shared, comprehensive and ecumenical strategic vision for Christian support in Palestine, so that Christianity survives and thrives.”
Americans for Peace Now’s Lara Friedman and Peace Now’s Hagit Ofran say the evacuation of the Migron settlement is a victory for supporters of peace and shows that the “ground is shifting” against the settlers. Among the reasons, they explain that the Israeli government did not cave to enormous pressure to delay the evacuations, showing that when there is political will, Israel can dismantle settlements.
Palestinians are protesting the high cost of living in the West Bank. Taxi drivers demonstrated against the rising price of gas that is making business difficult. The Palestinian Authority buys fuel from Israel, where the cost is also increasing. Protestors are also upset by the price of basic goods that are imported from Israel and sold at the same price despite the average income for Palestinians being much lower. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is receiving much of the backlash after a 1 percent tax increase on consumer goods meant to raise revenue for the cash-strapped government. Unemployment in the West Bank is up to 20 percent.
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