April 17, 2009

GA Middle East Study Team: first meeting notes

All nine members of the Middle East study team met at Western Presbyterian Church and the Bolger Center from April 1-3, reviewing the church’s mission and social witness history, listening to a range of religious perspectives, meeting with State Department officials, and beginning the theological and ethical analysis necessary for a report to the 2010 General Assembly. The study team is assigned to prepare a “comprehensive study, with recommendations, that is focused on Israel/Palestine within the complex context of the Middle East,” a focus that was affirmed by a U.S. military security analyst and several other advocates for peace in the region.

At this first meeting, the team’s introduction period revealed considerable depth in understanding and experience in the Middle East, including mission service, academic study, inter-religious dialogue, and, in the case of two members, family background and birth in Jerusalem. Team members were appointed by the current Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow; and the two immediate past Moderators, the Reverend Joan Gray and elder Rick Ufford-Chase.

Resources to describe the mission relationships of the church and its policy history and corporate engagement strategy were provided by Dr. Christian Iosso of the General Assembly Council and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy. Dr. Victor Makari, Area Coordinator for the Middle East and Asia Minor, and Mr. Douglas Dicks, Regional Liaison for Israel/Palestine and Jordan, will also help the team in its decision to visit Israel/Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan in August. While seeking to be good stewards of the church’s resources, the speed and significance of changes in the Middle East, and the need for shared first-hand knowledge and encounter with partners, led the team to affirm this part of the study’s original design. The team anticipates holding a third meeting in November.

On Thursday, April 2, the team began its work hearing from the following persons from several religious traditions:

• Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Orthodox Church and President of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
• Dr. Stephen Colecchi, Director, Office of International Justice and Peace, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Mark J. Pelavin, Esq. Associate Director, Religious Action Center of Reformed Judaism.
• Rev. John Peterson, Canon of the Washington Episcopal Cathedral and liaison to the Episcopal Bishop of Jerusalem.
• Dr. Noura Erakat, Adjunct Professor and consultant on human rights law and Palestinian Muslim.

After lunch, the team heard from Dr. Reuben Brigety, a consultant on military strategic assessment and elder at Western Presbyterian, on the impacts of the Iraq and Afghan wars and developments in Israel and Palestine, including the rocket attacks on Southern Israel and the bombardment and incursion in Gaza. Assisted by the Washington Office international concerns staff associate, Ms. Catherine Gordon, the team then met with State Department Director of Israel and Palestine Affairs, Ambassador Thomas Goldberger, and four of his associates. After that meeting at the State Department, the team returned to Western and heard two contrasting approaches to human rights and other advocacy from Ambassador Warren Clark, Director of Churches for Middle East Peace, and Dr. Mark Braverman, affiliated with Jewish Voices for Peace.

After a wonderful dinner hosted by members of Western Presbyterian, the group reflected on several salient issues: the humanitarian situation in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, continued security threats to Israelis and Palestinians, the continued pressure on the very small Christian population in Palestine and elsewhere in the region, the current review of Middle East policy by the Obama Administration, headed by special envoy George Mitchell, the Presbyterian commitment and sensitivity to historic interfaith relationships, and the urgency of new directions to provide hope for a non-violent future. The group heard a variety of views on the viability of the “two-state” solution, in light of the continuing growth of Israeli settlements, restrictions on Palestinian mobility and economic activity, and, from the Israeli perspective, continuing rocket and long-term security concerns.

On Friday, the group reflected theologically on themes from its worship and discussion so far, beginning to outline elements for its eventual report and needed components for its trip to the Middle East. The Rev. Ron Shive, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Burlington, NC, and Chair of the Committee, acknowledged that the meeting had heard “only a fraction of possible voices,” but yet in them had also heard “the graphic and geographic urgency of a great moral challenge – imagining and achieving peace with justice after such a shared, painful history.”

The Middle East Study Committee invites Presbyterians as individuals and congregations to advocate for peace and to engage in dialogue with Jewish, Muslim, and other neighbors on the nature of peace with justice in that region. Plans are being developed to receive communications and suggested resources from the church-at-large. The study team will also be seeking responses to draft material later in its process.