Australia’s Anglican Primate, Phillip Aspinall, spoke to AM in Jerusalem’s Old City.
PHILLIP ASPINALL: We’ve met with Israeli leaders and we understand their concerns. I mean, where there are acts of violence and terrorism, it does make them want to secure their own lives.
Our concern is that in doing so, they don’t then oppress another group of people and behave in an inhumane way to another group. And I think the wall and some of the restrictions that are imposed on Palestinians do have those inhumane effects.
DAVID HARDAKER: So do you believe the Israeli justification for security is actually fair here?
PHILLIP ASPINALL: I think that’s a very difficult judgement to make. But I think if steps are taken which then lead to great frustration and feelings of being pressured and hemmed in and oppressed on the part of another group of people, that may well have the effect of leading to more anger and more frustration and more violence.
TONY EASTLEY: The leader of the Anglican Church in Australia, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, ending David Hardaker’s report.
I wonder, were terrorists lobbing an irregular stream of missiles at Aspinall’s house, how “difficult” he would consider his “judgments.”
Meanwhile, the exodus of Christian Arabs from the West Bank and Gaza continues ….
So what did Aspinall have to say about the murder of the Christian bookshop keeper in Gaza by jihadis?
Yeah, I thought so …
I was in Israel one month ago, and I read the Jerusalem Post daily. Does Aspinall know that one day last week 30, yes, count them, 30 kassam rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza??
My heart goes out to the Palestinian Christians. I talked with some of them in Bethlehem last month. They want a Palestinian state. But whatever emerges vis-a-vis a Palestinian state or not, Israel does not have to put up with being attacked daily from land they freely gave away in the name of “peace.”
If we could get Hamas and Fatah to control their respective populations, then the Israelis could conceivably stand down. Unfortunately neither seems capable of such policing and, in the case of Hamas, there is active encouragement to kill Jews. So what does a nation do when it is confronted with such violence?
[i]Our concern is that in doing so, they don’t then oppress another group of people [/i]
The other group facing oppression is the group doing the killing, which invalidates the archbishop’s concerns.
Jeffersonian, there is no incentive for Hamas to stand down. Why should they? What do they get? Not much. Every incursion simply strengthens their hands.
The logic of patriotism is fairly clear. We believe our people are always right. Its a fairly universal phenomenon. How do you feel about the US? Does it do much wrong? Of course not! Israelis feel the same about their own country. As does Hamas.
Israel, alas, continues building settlements. Our inability to also follow through on letting the Palestinians democratically elect their own leaders simply reveals our own hypocrisy.
Israel could do a few things. First, it should recognize that even within Hamas, are different perspectives. They should offer carrots to those individuals who clean up Palestinian government. Remember that the reason Hamas won was, by most political accounts, was because of corruption within Fateh. A majority of Palestinians do believe in a two state solution. They do not, however think Israel can be trusted. So they trust the party that promises to end corruption. And that’s Hamas. They don’t siphon off money from international aid agencies, and they have schools and hospitals.
I also think Hamas is fascistic. But by making them into irrational actors we do ourselves a disservice. Israel doesn’t believe that some carrots could work – even though Hamas has offered cease fires (usually rejected by Israel as simply ploys for more power). We forget that there is a lot of misery and frustration in the Gaza strip. The best way to end Hamas’s power is to promise the Palestinians prosperity for another path. We’ve done no such thing.
John, Israel dismantled every settlement in Gaza and pulled out two years ago. We followed through just fine with Hamas’ election. And if you don’t think Hamas is bats**t crazy, I invite you to read its charter.
The Church should always be promoting social justice, but statements such as the Bishop’s, whether intentionally or unintentionally naive, end up as mischeivous meddling. There is no moral equivalence between the Palestinian, especially Hamas, aims, and the survival of Israel.
Jeffersonian, you clearly didn’t read my comment. I’m no fan on Hamas. I have friends who have worked for years on the issue in the West Bank who find them fascistic.
Most objective observers, however, found the pullout to be disingenuous. The subtle point was to demonstrate that the Palestinians would fail. It’s a horrible situation.
I’ve read the charter, but who cares? Israel still publicizes maps with greater Israel on it. Have they stated there can be a Palestinian state? It has to be mutual.
What matters is if there is peace on the ground.
My point is that there have to be real incentives for the Palestinians. It’s not that difficult. Not sure what they are, outside of the inhumanity they live under. And that includes Christians.