09/23/2004: "Anglicans take sides in Middle East"

Hard on the heels of the Presbyterian Church USA, Episcopalians have decided to dive into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the side of the suicide bombers:

"We will return home and recommend that the Anglican Consultative Council [the church's decision-making body] adopt a resolution calling for divestment from Israel, and if our delegation is representative of the larger Anglican sentiment, then I'd say we're in good shape," Dr. Jenny Te Paa, who led the APJN delegation, told Haaretz yesterday.

I'd say there's a good possibility that their delegation is not representative of Anglican sentiment, but since when did that ever stop church bureaucrats in the pursuit of a political objective?

The delegation, which arrived here last week, toured extensively in the West Bank, and met yesterday with Yasir Arafat in Ramallah. Delegates insisted that they made sure to schedule time with Israeli leadership as well, and pointed to a meeting with MK Azmi Bishara last Wednesday.

This is a joke, right? To my knowledge, no one has ever use the name "Azmi Bishara" and the expression "Israeli leadership" in the same sentence before, at least not as a way of indicating a connection between the two. For one thing, he's Arab, and the leading voice of the intifada in the Knesset. (Isn't it interesting that Arabs who speak for Israel's enemies can get elected to the country's parliament, while the PA doesn't want Jews even living on the West Bank?) For another, he's the leader of the Hadash (Communist) Party, which is not exactly a powerful voice in Israeli society. Translation: the Anglicans were carefully to meet only with people who would not confuse their minds with the facts of life in the Jewish state, since they were already made up.

"The word draconian barely even begins to describe what we saw," Reverend Brian J. Greives, who represents the U.S. church, said of his experience.

Like others in his delegation, Greives intends to recommend that the church adopt divestment "to bring an end to the conflict."

Yes, I'm sure Ariel Sharon is petrified at the prospect that the ECUSA will divest, and is already planning on presenting Tel Aviv to Yasser Arafat on a platter to mollify the denizens of the Episcopal Church Center.

By the way, Rev. Greives, while you were examining the "draconian" conditions, did you and your party take time to ride the public busses in Jerusalem? Visit a pizza parlor or outdoor caf�? Talk to the families of suicide bombing victims? Or would those place and conversations have been a little too dangerous for you and your assumptions?

Replies: 4 Comments

on Sunday, September 26th, Jonathan Edelstein said

One nitpick: Bishara isn't a member of Hadash. He's the leader of Balad, a secular nationalist party whose social policies would be considered center-right in any country other than Israel. Other than that, great analysis.

BTW, the Anglican "Peace and Justice" delegation visited Israel during the Jewish High Holy Days. This doesn't really surprise me any more, but you'd think that an organization trying to maintain a pretense of objectivity would visit at a time when the Jewish members of government are in the office.

on Monday, September 27th, Cynic said

I believe that Bishara was the Arab representative who went to Syria and called for the destruction of Israel in Demascus.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

on Monday, September 27th, Athanasius said

Jonathan: Thanks for the correction. I had gotten hold of old information (in 1999 Balad and Hadash evidently ran a joint ticket, dissolving their partnership later on). And thanks too for pointing out their timing, transparently chosen to give them an excuse for not meeting with Jewish leadership.

Cynic: That sounds very familiar. Anyone out there have confirmation?

on Wednesday, September 29th, LA said

When the other Christian sect decided to betray the Jewish people I called their headquarters to better understand how they can make such a tragic mistake. Speaking to the person in charge of the divestment strategy it turned out he was a Palestinian who had a much cultivated bias and held the anti Israeli party line. He was a master of double speak and it was clear to me he was happy his agenda had become church policy.