Public discussion about the history and politics of Israel often demands moral clarity expressed in simple declarations. One is expected either to “stand with Israel” or to oppose it. One affirms as historical fact the notion that “a people with no land came to a land with no people,” or chants “From the river to …
Interreligious conflict in Israel-Palestine
No. 11 of 47. First published 4 Dec 2007. Local people living in Israel and Palestine experience high-level conflict in various forms. In addition to the pervasive political conflict between the Israeli state and the Palestinian people, there is conflict between the three major faiths in the region over contested Holy Places. When Christians should …
Continue reading "Interreligious conflict in Israel-Palestine"
Fundamentalism in world religions
No. 7 of 47. First published 3 Dec 2007. This morning Gregor Henderson and I walked along the ramparts of the Old City of Jerusalem to the Western Wall at the Temple Mount (pictured, photographed today by me). Gregor is the President of the Uniting Church in Australia. We reflected on the irony that the …
Books on the Arab-Israeli conflict
No. 6 of 47. First published 3 Dec 2007. As a child, I heard news and occasional adult conversations about Arabs, Israel, oil and the fate of the Temple Mount. Yasser Arafat's characteristic dress was both familiar and unfamiliar. The wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973 were discussed as possibly fulfilling biblical prophecy. My paternal …
In a war such things happen
No. 4 of 47. First published 30 Nov 2007. War poetry. Something many of us wish we had no need for, but a literary genre of immense significance nevertheless. When you think of war poets, you might recall Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, John McCrae or others. In my view, one of the most moving poems …
iDigress 