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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fifteen Killed, More Wounded in Hebron Shooting Attack
By Le Anne Clausen
November 16, 2002
HEBRON—At least fifteen people are dead and fifteen more wounded after a shooting attack Friday evening, November 15th, at 7:15pm. Palestinian gunmen opened fire and threw grenades at a group of Israeli settlers and soldiers walking to the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba after Shabbat services at the synagogue in the Tomb of the Patriarchs/ Ibrahimi Mosque complex. The dead include nine Israeli soldiers and border policemen, three armed Israeli settler security, and three Palestinians believed to have perpetrated the attack. Colonel Dror Weinberg, commander of the Israeli forces in Hebron, was one of the victims. At least five of the wounded are soldiers in serious condition according to reports received by the team. The Palestinian militia Islamic Jihad has confirmed responsibility for the attack, claiming retribution for the Israeli military assassination of its leader Iyad Sawalha in Jenin late last week.
The Israeli military responded to the attack with several hours of firing at Palestinian areas with machine guns, tanks, and helicopter-mounted artillery. The military also used a bulldozer to demolish two Palestinian homes near the site of the shooting. It is not yet clear how the homes demolished were connected to the attack. At least five Palestinians were arrested according to local news reports.
News reports also indicate the Israeli cabinet is meeting to discuss plans for further retaliation to the attack. The Israeli-controlled areas of Hebron are under tight curfew, and shops in other areas of town are closed in anticipation of a large-scale invasion.
CPTers Le Anne Clausen, Bob Holmes, Jerry Levin, and Quaker Peace and Witness Service (QPWS) member John Lynes walked to the site of the attack, conveying their sorrow and condolences to Israeli settlers and soldiers gathered nearby, as well as to Palestinian families at the site of the home demolitions. Team members observed the bodies of the suspected gunmen being held by the Israeli military in a field nearby. As team members watched, soldiers placed a cover over one of the bodies and attempted to put it on a stretcher for transport. The CPTers also observed soldiers carrying out searches of Palestinian houses in the neighborhood. Later team members Rick Polhamus, Mary Yoder, and Christine Caton delivered a letter of condolence to the Israeli military base in Hebron. The Israeli victims are expected to be buried at sunset Saturday at the end of Shabbat. Team members intend to stay the night with Palestinian civilian families in areas which may be targeted for retribution attacks.
The Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron strongly condemns this night of violence and calls on both sides to end the cycle of revenge before more lives are needlessly lost. CPT believes that neither the killing of armed persons nor civilians advances the cause of peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of all who were killed, for the recovery of those injured, and for a just and lasting peace in this region.
Saturday, November 16, 2002
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
On Loving One's Enemies
On Loving One’s Enemies
November 12, 2002
I spent a lot of time in Iraq reflecting on Jesus' commandment to love our enemies:
Mt. 5:43-45 (Sermon on the Mount)
"You have heard it said that 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "
Loving your enemy on the global scale is seeking the harder path. It means taking the time to seek out a wider variety of sources of news and information. In many ways, the internet has revolutionized the human rights movement by putting reputable HR organizations' reporting directly into the homes of the average person. If you do not have enough time to investigate other sources for yourself, it is good to enlist the help of a media savvy friend to send you a briefing of important international issues. Internet is really the last democratic form of media. Previously local and independent newspapers, radio and television stations are being bought up and thus controlled by an ever-decreasing number of 'media giants.' Many of these corporate executives have real financial investments in the outcome of international political struggles. The outcome in many international conflicts depends at least in part on public opinion, which is influenced by what news is reported and the perspective from which it is reported.
As a Christian committed to loving my enemy on a global scale, my travel itinerary would need to include Cuba, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Viet Nam, and Serbia. If you have a passport issued before this year, look inside. According to US law, it is illegal to for a US citizen to visit half of the countries I just listed. It is illegal to purchase a souvenir or any other good or product while visiting the country or from overseas in all of the countries I just listed.
Loving your enemy is visiting your enemy, seeing what that enemy is really like, hearing the grievances your enemy holds against you. That does not necessarily mean they are completely innocent. But how many times are you completely innocent when you are in a conflict with someone else? It is not easy. In fact, it is the least popular Christian commandment in all of history. It is refusing to have anyone tell you that someone is your enemy without first seeing it for yourself.
Loving your enemy is refusing to label an entire country "evil." Leaders may be evil, or at least have long histories of evil deeds, but it is wrong to equate political or military leaders with the civilians of their countries. The Fourth Geneva Convention, written after the Holocaust to define minimum standards for humane warfare, says as much. Those of us in the peace movement know how leaders do not listen to desires of the majority, even when the leaders are "democratically elected."
The churches in the United States are united and outspoken against the war. On October 26, 100,000 US citizens marched on Washington, DC; tens of thousands more joined in simultaneous marches around the globe. Did you know? Was it reported? The peace movement to end the Viet Nam war needed seven years of mass American casualties to get as large a crowd to march as there is marching now.
I urge you to read the newspapers with a new filter to help you in your understanding. Every time you read 'war,' or 'military force,' just substitute the phrase, "Kill their civilians."
A new variation on an old cliche came to mind while I was in Iraq: "War is temporary. Radiation is forever."
Our leaders are becoming like the leaders of Israel. Accompanying Iraqi civilians during a mass bombing campaign is like hiding the Jews. If you cannot stop the great evil, then you can at least bear witness to it. It is Christian to go to jail. Christians, after all, are since their very beginning well acquainted with jail.
Bonhoeffer never believed he could stop the war. But he left his place of safety and went to bear witness in the midst of the danger. His country was losing its soul. He had to speak, act, and teach against this to the capacity which he could.
We do not think of a bomb falling into the middle of a room full of people, burning the people, piercing them with shrapnel. Even with Sept. 11 (the closest our country ever got to experiencing this) we still can't ourselves imagine. Now imagine that in your neighborhood, this bombing is occurring every day. Children still have to be fed.
Perhaps the most deeply disturbing part of our delegation was passing an exit on the highway that led south from Basra. It is the highway joining Iraq to Kuwait. This is the place where our armed forces annihilated retreating soldiers. Voices does not allow activists less than 50 years old to go into the area. The radiation level has made the risk of producing deformed children or developing cancer is too high.
Some babies are so horribly mutated that they are almost unrecognizable as human beings. I thought to myself, How would I feel if I gave birth to a lump of flesh? These infants have a short life in the hospital's intensive care unit. They almost always die. Frankly, I thought a lot about my ovaries while in Basra.
The mainstream media paints an image of Iraq the country as nothing more than a crazed leader. While that is true, there is so much more. Next time, think of mutated babies. Then decide whether it is right to bomb.
November 12, 2002
I spent a lot of time in Iraq reflecting on Jesus' commandment to love our enemies:
Mt. 5:43-45 (Sermon on the Mount)
"You have heard it said that 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "
Loving your enemy on the global scale is seeking the harder path. It means taking the time to seek out a wider variety of sources of news and information. In many ways, the internet has revolutionized the human rights movement by putting reputable HR organizations' reporting directly into the homes of the average person. If you do not have enough time to investigate other sources for yourself, it is good to enlist the help of a media savvy friend to send you a briefing of important international issues. Internet is really the last democratic form of media. Previously local and independent newspapers, radio and television stations are being bought up and thus controlled by an ever-decreasing number of 'media giants.' Many of these corporate executives have real financial investments in the outcome of international political struggles. The outcome in many international conflicts depends at least in part on public opinion, which is influenced by what news is reported and the perspective from which it is reported.
As a Christian committed to loving my enemy on a global scale, my travel itinerary would need to include Cuba, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Viet Nam, and Serbia. If you have a passport issued before this year, look inside. According to US law, it is illegal to for a US citizen to visit half of the countries I just listed. It is illegal to purchase a souvenir or any other good or product while visiting the country or from overseas in all of the countries I just listed.
Loving your enemy is visiting your enemy, seeing what that enemy is really like, hearing the grievances your enemy holds against you. That does not necessarily mean they are completely innocent. But how many times are you completely innocent when you are in a conflict with someone else? It is not easy. In fact, it is the least popular Christian commandment in all of history. It is refusing to have anyone tell you that someone is your enemy without first seeing it for yourself.
Loving your enemy is refusing to label an entire country "evil." Leaders may be evil, or at least have long histories of evil deeds, but it is wrong to equate political or military leaders with the civilians of their countries. The Fourth Geneva Convention, written after the Holocaust to define minimum standards for humane warfare, says as much. Those of us in the peace movement know how leaders do not listen to desires of the majority, even when the leaders are "democratically elected."
The churches in the United States are united and outspoken against the war. On October 26, 100,000 US citizens marched on Washington, DC; tens of thousands more joined in simultaneous marches around the globe. Did you know? Was it reported? The peace movement to end the Viet Nam war needed seven years of mass American casualties to get as large a crowd to march as there is marching now.
I urge you to read the newspapers with a new filter to help you in your understanding. Every time you read 'war,' or 'military force,' just substitute the phrase, "Kill their civilians."
A new variation on an old cliche came to mind while I was in Iraq: "War is temporary. Radiation is forever."
Our leaders are becoming like the leaders of Israel. Accompanying Iraqi civilians during a mass bombing campaign is like hiding the Jews. If you cannot stop the great evil, then you can at least bear witness to it. It is Christian to go to jail. Christians, after all, are since their very beginning well acquainted with jail.
Bonhoeffer never believed he could stop the war. But he left his place of safety and went to bear witness in the midst of the danger. His country was losing its soul. He had to speak, act, and teach against this to the capacity which he could.
We do not think of a bomb falling into the middle of a room full of people, burning the people, piercing them with shrapnel. Even with Sept. 11 (the closest our country ever got to experiencing this) we still can't ourselves imagine. Now imagine that in your neighborhood, this bombing is occurring every day. Children still have to be fed.
Perhaps the most deeply disturbing part of our delegation was passing an exit on the highway that led south from Basra. It is the highway joining Iraq to Kuwait. This is the place where our armed forces annihilated retreating soldiers. Voices does not allow activists less than 50 years old to go into the area. The radiation level has made the risk of producing deformed children or developing cancer is too high.
Some babies are so horribly mutated that they are almost unrecognizable as human beings. I thought to myself, How would I feel if I gave birth to a lump of flesh? These infants have a short life in the hospital's intensive care unit. They almost always die. Frankly, I thought a lot about my ovaries while in Basra.
The mainstream media paints an image of Iraq the country as nothing more than a crazed leader. While that is true, there is so much more. Next time, think of mutated babies. Then decide whether it is right to bomb.
Monday, November 04, 2002
Greetings from Baghdad!
Hi everyone,
Greetings from Baghdad! I don't know what updates Chicago has sent out for us, so I'll try to give a brief update. We had a pretty good trip with two nights in Amman, Jordan, followed by a sixteen-hour bus ride on the oil road through the Syro-Arabian desert and into Baghdad. We're staying at a really neat hotel where all the walls are covered with carved clay tiles with Arabesque cityscapes. There's a monkey and a parrot in the lobby, I'm trying to teach the parrot to say Marhaba, and the monkey crawled up my leg and bit me through my pants leg and sock, fortunately no damage except that it’s sore. Glad I got my booster shots. He's bitten everyone on the hotel staff and a couple of the Voices people and no one has died so I guess I shouldn't worry and more importantly neither should you!
Tomorrow we'll hit the road splitting up the group to go to Basrah in the south and Mosul in the north, where we'll be meeting with churches and hospitals. I'll be going north and hope we get to drop by Ninevah. The southern group is going to Ur. Yesterday was our first full day here and we went to an orphanage and the Amariyeh bomb shelter (which was destroyed during the first Gulf War, killing several hundred civilians.) Today we visited the University and met students, then sat with the preeminent cancer research doctor in the country and learned about the effects of depleted uranium and other health disasters since the previous war. The photographs of the babies with cyclopeia, icthyosis, hydroencephaly, and extruding vital organs were difficult to see, yet a very quick visual lesson in the effects of radiation absorption. I'm working on a presentation for all this similar to my Palestine talk so you can all see this better. We met a professor today who remarked, "This is the cradle of civilization, which is about to be erased from the earth by the most civilized nation on earth." That pretty much sums up the sentiment. People are expecting to be blown to bits. When at the shelter, we heard one woman say, "people will not go into the bomb shelters now (after the Amariyeh bombing) They say, 'we go in there, we'll die. We stay at home, we'll die.' Although a student also remarked, "we are not 'afraid.' We are a courageous people." So many thoughts and feelings here about the near future.
The reception here has been good, though the situation heartbreaking. People around here haven't gotten many tourists in a long time I guess. When locals find out we're American, we usually get suprised grins and 'welcome!' Iraqis are extremely polite and well educated people, even more so than Palestinians though I never thought that possible. Somewhat similar to Cuba, college education is free to all who qualify on their exams. I can explain more of the demographics later, but the artistry and architecture is overwhelmingly beautiful. I asked our guides if we could get pictures of the mosaic mosques and fountains and statues around the city, things we never see on TV at home. It's so unlike I ever imagined here that I have to tell you all to come see it for yourself. I could easily feel at home here, I would love to spend another month here at least. It really reinforces my sense that I should spend most of my life educating other Americans about all the different people and places we consider 'enemies.' I'd like to write a little more about my developing theology of enemy-loving and the in's and out's of that, but I will wait until returning to Palestine. We are sharing a computer among 30 people here. The weather is extremely warm though the season is changing, and I should have brought more formal clothes. I am just scraping by on my dressiest outfit here. (My black 'Palestinian' slacks and a button down cotton shirt) The local women wear long though sophisticated skirts, and nice blouses, or blazers. I gotta spiff up if I want to stay here long.
That's enough for now. I'll probably write again next from Palestine.
Le Anne
Greetings from Baghdad! I don't know what updates Chicago has sent out for us, so I'll try to give a brief update. We had a pretty good trip with two nights in Amman, Jordan, followed by a sixteen-hour bus ride on the oil road through the Syro-Arabian desert and into Baghdad. We're staying at a really neat hotel where all the walls are covered with carved clay tiles with Arabesque cityscapes. There's a monkey and a parrot in the lobby, I'm trying to teach the parrot to say Marhaba, and the monkey crawled up my leg and bit me through my pants leg and sock, fortunately no damage except that it’s sore. Glad I got my booster shots. He's bitten everyone on the hotel staff and a couple of the Voices people and no one has died so I guess I shouldn't worry and more importantly neither should you!
Tomorrow we'll hit the road splitting up the group to go to Basrah in the south and Mosul in the north, where we'll be meeting with churches and hospitals. I'll be going north and hope we get to drop by Ninevah. The southern group is going to Ur. Yesterday was our first full day here and we went to an orphanage and the Amariyeh bomb shelter (which was destroyed during the first Gulf War, killing several hundred civilians.) Today we visited the University and met students, then sat with the preeminent cancer research doctor in the country and learned about the effects of depleted uranium and other health disasters since the previous war. The photographs of the babies with cyclopeia, icthyosis, hydroencephaly, and extruding vital organs were difficult to see, yet a very quick visual lesson in the effects of radiation absorption. I'm working on a presentation for all this similar to my Palestine talk so you can all see this better. We met a professor today who remarked, "This is the cradle of civilization, which is about to be erased from the earth by the most civilized nation on earth." That pretty much sums up the sentiment. People are expecting to be blown to bits. When at the shelter, we heard one woman say, "people will not go into the bomb shelters now (after the Amariyeh bombing) They say, 'we go in there, we'll die. We stay at home, we'll die.' Although a student also remarked, "we are not 'afraid.' We are a courageous people." So many thoughts and feelings here about the near future.
The reception here has been good, though the situation heartbreaking. People around here haven't gotten many tourists in a long time I guess. When locals find out we're American, we usually get suprised grins and 'welcome!' Iraqis are extremely polite and well educated people, even more so than Palestinians though I never thought that possible. Somewhat similar to Cuba, college education is free to all who qualify on their exams. I can explain more of the demographics later, but the artistry and architecture is overwhelmingly beautiful. I asked our guides if we could get pictures of the mosaic mosques and fountains and statues around the city, things we never see on TV at home. It's so unlike I ever imagined here that I have to tell you all to come see it for yourself. I could easily feel at home here, I would love to spend another month here at least. It really reinforces my sense that I should spend most of my life educating other Americans about all the different people and places we consider 'enemies.' I'd like to write a little more about my developing theology of enemy-loving and the in's and out's of that, but I will wait until returning to Palestine. We are sharing a computer among 30 people here. The weather is extremely warm though the season is changing, and I should have brought more formal clothes. I am just scraping by on my dressiest outfit here. (My black 'Palestinian' slacks and a button down cotton shirt) The local women wear long though sophisticated skirts, and nice blouses, or blazers. I gotta spiff up if I want to stay here long.
That's enough for now. I'll probably write again next from Palestine.
Le Anne
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