Sabeel
Encyclopedia
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center is a Christian
liberation theology
organization based in Jerusalem. It was founded by Palestinian
Anglican
priest, Rev. Naim Ateek
, the former Canon
of St. George’s Cathedral
in Jerusalem.
An official partner of the Presbyterian Church USA, Sabeel has Friends of Sabeel chapters in the United States
, Canada
, the United Kingdom
, Sweden
, Denmark
, Norway
, Ireland
, France
, Germany
, the Netherlands
and Australia
.
According to its official website, Sabeel "strives to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities." In particular, the group aims to "promote a more accurate international awareness regarding the identity, presence and witness of Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concerns."
Sabeel, which advocates "morally responsible investment
," has been described by its critics as promoting an anti-Israel agenda, including divestment
from Israel
. It has also been accused of using antisemitic rhetoric. The Rev. Canon Dr. Richard K. Toll, the Chair of Friends of Sabeel—North America http://www.fosna.org/steering-committee, denies those allegations, writing that "the state of Israel is not above criticism and needs to be challenged when its policies are wrong. And its policy of occupation is wrong." Toll also says that Sabeel "consistently condemns anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms."
as an immediate goal, while envisioning that it may eventually lead to a one-state solution.
The document outlines several demands made of Israel, including the need for reparations to be made to Palestinians
. It further states that "No solution is acceptable if it does not guarantee the Palestinians’ and Israelis’ right to self-determination
, independence, and sovereignty" and calls for "a peace treaty… between the two states of Palestine and Israel guaranteeing the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of each including recognized borders, water rights, and other resources."
In December 2009, Sabeel endorsed the Kairos Palestine Document, "a prayerful call by Palestinians Christians to end the Occupation". Based on the 1985 South African Kairos Document
, Palestinian clergy called to the churches of the world for "a moment of truth: a word of faith, hope and love from the heart of the Palestinian suffering."
interpretations of the Old Testament
in his 1989 book, Justice, and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation:
, Norway
, Ireland
, France, Germany
, the Netherlands, and Australia
.
and has advocated for divestment
resolutions, which it sees as a non-violent approach to resisting the occupation. It has met with some success. The Presbyterian Church (USA)
has passed divestment resolutions based on information provided by Sabeel. All of the major mainline denominations, including the United Church of Christ
, the United Methodist Church
, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
and the Episcopal Church, have discussed divestment
and the possibility of using the money in their pension funds and endowments to exert pressure for peace in the Middle East.
In February 2006, the World Council of Churches
(WCC) commended the actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and urged other member churches worldwide to consider economic measures to end Israel’s occupation. Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud, former special consultant to the Geneva-based WCC General Secretary on Palestine and Israel, has noted that support for divestment by the WCC governing body came in the backdrop of a history of "bold statements since 1948 on its Israel/Palestine policy", and was a way of ensuring "that it is not in any way contributing financially to what it says is illegal or immoral."
The Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ and others have passed Sabeel-influenced resolutions urging Israel to dismantle the separation barrier
and end its occupation of the Palestinian territories
.
Other groups within these denominations have rejected and opposed these resolutions. Rev. David Runnion-Bareford of the Biblical Witness Fellowship
issued an apology to Jews after the United Church of Christ issues their 2005 resolution. http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/topics/Israel_divestment.htm He also accused "an ad hoc group made up of Sabeel representatives and UCC officials" of becoming unduly http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=11172 involved in the resolution process. The PCUSA resolution also created much controversy
, leading to a 2006 Synod renouncing the resolution that was made under the consultation of Sabeel.
has argued that Sabeel "is active in promoting an extreme anti-Israel agenda in Protestant churches in both North America and Europe."
has claimed that Sabeel "commonly engages in blatant propaganda seeking to isolate and demonize Israel, while delegitimizing the right of the Jewish state to exist." It is further claimed that Naim Ateek views "real antisemitism" as "a matter of ‘Jews hating other Jews’, that is, ‘mainstream’ Jews hating Jews who are critical of Israel."
and critic of Israel divestment
campaigns, http://christianfairwitness.com/about.html http://christianfairwitness.com/about.html, has publicly stated in a CAMERA
publication that he condemns Ateek's implication that "...Israel is a baby- and Christ-killing nation that stands in the way of humanity's salvation. Given the role this imagery has played in promoting violence against Jews, and its use in reference to the Jewish state is inexcusable."
Van Zile bases these accusations on statements excerpted from Ateek's 2001 Easter message, such as, “in this season of Lent, it seems to many of us that Jesus is on the cross again with thousands of crucified Palestinians around Him …The Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily," . Similarly, in a February 2001 sermon, Ateek likened the occupation to the “stone placed on the entrance of Jesus’ tomb. … This boulder has shut in the Palestinians within and built structures of domination to keep them in. We have a name for this boulder. It is called the occupation.” Sabeel's comparisons of Palestinians to the crucified Jesus and Israel to his murderers is also rejected by the ADL as an "ugly and false deicide charge against all the Jewish people
- a concept rejected by prominent historians and repudiated by the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations."
The Judeo-Christian Alliance has also promoted Van Zile's paper, entitled "Sabeel's One State Agenda", highlighting the opinion that Sabeel has failed to draw attention to the mistreatment of Christians by Muslim extremists in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Van Zile also accused Ateek of breathing new life into what French historian Jules Isaac called the “teachings of contempt” and having directed their "vile energy" toward the Jewish State.
Sabeel disagrees with these characterizations of their beliefs and actions. They have published a statement affirming their belief that the ancient Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus, and that neither Palestinians nor Israelis have a "vocation for suffering" that requires either people to be stateless.
(ADL), in a backgrounder article on Sabeel, accused the organization of "generating hostility towards Israel" citing "its use of theologically charged accusations" as belying "its professed passion for reconciliation." The ADL further submitted that, "Sabeel rejects Zionism on theological grounds. It has promoted the idea that Zionism is based on a false reading of the Bible and that it stands for injustice and in opposition to God."
(DAFKA) has criticised Sabeel for being a vehicle for Replacement Theology. http://www.dafka.org/NewsGen.asp?S=4&PageID=1632.
, for hosting the Most Reverend Doctor Desmond Tutu
as part of that church's Engaging Three Faiths spiritual dialog series, and Sabeel's Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel conference. Jacoby argued that "Sabeel and Ateek's denunciations of Israel have included imagery explicitly linking the modern Jewish state to the terrible charge that for centuries fueled so much anti-Jewish hatred and bloodshed" and that "In Ateek's metaphorical telling, in other words, Israel is guilty of trying to murder Jesus as an infant, of killing Jesus on the cross, and of seeking to prevent his resurrection."http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/10/21/criticism_gone_too_far/
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
, director of the Shalom Center, and Rabbi Howard A. Berman, founder of Jewish Spirit have expressed support for, and are participants in Old South Church's Engaging Three Faiths series.http://www.oldsouth.org/3faiths.htm#3faiths
During his presentation at Old South Church on October 28, 2007, Waskow raised concerns about Sabeel's use of crucifixion imagery in reference to Israel. Waskow said that in Latin America, Christian liberation theologians often "talk about the crucifixion of Jesus by the Roman Empire ... and from their view point of course the resurrection of the Christ as teaching of what it means to transcend imperial power, in the Latin American context it's clear that the empire you're talking about is America and it makes sense."
Waskow said that Sabeel may think it's doing the same thing when it talks about the crucifixion of Jesus, but "when you are doing it in the context of a Jewish state, when you're doing it in the context of 2000 years of Jewish suffering from the Christian dogma of deicide that the Jews killed God and the violence that has been visited on the Jewish community by people upholding that theology, to hear that strikes a nerve that has 2000 years of pain behind it and that has to be heard."http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=118&x_article=1472
In October, 2010, the Anti-Defamation League
issued its list of "the top 10 anti-Israel groups in America" and included Friends of Sabeel–North America (Fosna) and Jewish Voice for Peace
among them.
Friends of Sabeel– North America posted a response to the Anti-Defamation League saying that Fosna did not consider its criticism of Israeli government policies "anti-Israeli" and that to the extent those policies are unjust and violate international law, they jeopardize Israel's future.
campaign against Israel.
The synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, in regards to the Gaza Flotilla supported by Sabeel, said, "We are not responsible for the political views that Sabeel or their employees promote, but we are engaged in a dialogue with them on this issue."
Anti-Defamation League Backgrounder on Sabeel (2008): http://www.adl.org/main_Interfaith/sabeel_backgrounder.htm
Sabeel's Response to Anti-Defamation League Listing: http://fosna.org/content/fosna-makes-top-10
Judeo-Christian Alliance Primer on Sabeel:
www.judeo-christianalliance.org/materials/SabeelPrimer.doc
Liberation Theology in the Middle East http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22575
The Theology of Sabeel: What We Believe, by Rev. Naim Ateek: http://fosna.org/faq/could-you-provide-summary-sabeels-theology
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
liberation theology
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
organization based in Jerusalem. It was founded by Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
priest, Rev. Naim Ateek
Naim Ateek
The Rev. Dr. Naim Stifan Ateek is a Palestinian Christian who is the founder and head of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. He went to school to the Nazareth Baptist school where he also taught after graduation...
, the former Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of St. George’s Cathedral
St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem
thumb|rightSt. George's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem, established in 1899. It is the seat of the Bishop of Jerusalem of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East....
in Jerusalem.
An official partner of the Presbyterian Church USA, Sabeel has Friends of Sabeel chapters in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
According to its official website, Sabeel "strives to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities." In particular, the group aims to "promote a more accurate international awareness regarding the identity, presence and witness of Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concerns."
Sabeel, which advocates "morally responsible investment
Socially responsible investing
Socially responsible investing , also known as sustainable, socially conscious, or ethical investing, describes an investment strategy which seeks to consider both financial return and social good....
," has been described by its critics as promoting an anti-Israel agenda, including divestment
Divestment
In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for either financial or ethical objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm...
from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It has also been accused of using antisemitic rhetoric. The Rev. Canon Dr. Richard K. Toll, the Chair of Friends of Sabeel—North America http://www.fosna.org/steering-committee, denies those allegations, writing that "the state of Israel is not above criticism and needs to be challenged when its policies are wrong. And its policy of occupation is wrong." Toll also says that Sabeel "consistently condemns anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms."
Principles for a Just Peace
In 2004, Sabeel issued a document entitled Principles for Just Peace in Palestine-Israel outlining their support for a two-state solutionTwo-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
as an immediate goal, while envisioning that it may eventually lead to a one-state solution.
The document outlines several demands made of Israel, including the need for reparations to be made to Palestinians
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. It further states that "No solution is acceptable if it does not guarantee the Palestinians’ and Israelis’ right to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
, independence, and sovereignty" and calls for "a peace treaty… between the two states of Palestine and Israel guaranteeing the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of each including recognized borders, water rights, and other resources."
The Genuine Hope: Two sovereign and fully democratic states
This scenario envisages the total withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied territories including East Jerusalem according to United Nations resolutions 242 and 338. The Palestinians will establish their sovereign state on the whole of the 23% of the land of Palestine...
As to Jerusalem, it will have to be shared. The city must remain open to all. A peace treaty will be drawn up and the two countries will become inter-dependent economically and will help each other develop their resources for the well being of both their peoples. . .
The Vision for the Future
Our vision involves two sovereign states, PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, who in the future may choose to enter into a confederationConfederationA confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
or even a federation, possibly with other neighboring countries and where Jerusalem becomes the federal capital. Indeed, the ideal and best solution has always been to envisage ultimately a bi-national state in Palestine-Israel where people are free and equal, living under a constitutional democracy that protects and guarantees all their rights, responsibilities, and duties without racismRacismRacism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
or discriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
. One state for two nations and three religions.
In December 2009, Sabeel endorsed the Kairos Palestine Document, "a prayerful call by Palestinians Christians to end the Occupation". Based on the 1985 South African Kairos Document
Kairos Document
The Kairos Document is a theological statement issued in 1985 by a group of black South African theologians based predominantly in the black townships of Soweto, South Africa. The statement challenged the churches' response to what the authors saw as the vicious policies of the Apartheid state...
, Palestinian clergy called to the churches of the world for "a moment of truth: a word of faith, hope and love from the heart of the Palestinian suffering."
Disagreement with Zionist interpretations of the Old Testament
Sabeel's founder, Anglican priest Naim Ateek, outlined his disagreement with what he sees as ZionistZionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
interpretations of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
in his 1989 book, Justice, and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation:
"Before the creation of the State [of Israel], the Old Testament was considered to be an essential part of Christian Scripture, pointing and witnessing to JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Since the creation of the State, some Jewish and Christian interpreters have read the Old Testament largely as a Zionist text to such an extent that it has become almost repugnant to Palestinian ChristiansPalestinian ChristiansPalestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
[…] The fundamental question of many Christians, whether uttered or not, is: How can the Old Testament be the Word of God in light of the Palestinian Christians' experience with its use to support Zionism? .
Ateek's internal struggle with the Israel issue
In the book, Ateek also explained how he struggled to reconcile various dichotomies posed by his faith, beliefs and identity:"As a boy, remembering my family's harsh exileExileExile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
from Beisan, and later, as a person of faith and a clergyman, my own struggles with hate, anger, and humiliation were not easy. But these feelings had to be challenged continuously by the demands of love and forgiveness. At the same time, I knew without a doubt that injustice is sinful and evil; that it is an outrage against God; and that it is my duty to cry out against it. It has taken me years to accept the establishment of the State of Israel and its need- although not its right - to exist. I now feel that I want it to stay, because I believe that the elimination of Israel would mean greater injustice to millions of innocent people who know no home except Israel. This does not suggest that the Old Testament is not the Word of God, but how can it be understood as that if a Zionist theology of the Old Testament is accepted by Christian groups?"
Friends of Sabeel
Friends of Sabeel-North America (FOSNA) works in the U.S. and Canada to support the vision of Sabeel. It cultivates the support of American churches through co-sponsored regional educational conferences, alternative pilgrimage, witness trips, and international gatherings in the Holy Land. http://www.fosna.org/content/mission-purpose Friends of Sabeel chapters also exist in Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Mixed Support from different Christian denominations
Sabeel has sent representatives to several denominational gatherings in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and has advocated for divestment
Divestment
In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for either financial or ethical objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm...
resolutions, which it sees as a non-violent approach to resisting the occupation. It has met with some success. The Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
has passed divestment resolutions based on information provided by Sabeel. All of the major mainline denominations, including the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
, the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
and the Episcopal Church, have discussed divestment
Divestment
In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for either financial or ethical objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm...
and the possibility of using the money in their pension funds and endowments to exert pressure for peace in the Middle East.
In February 2006, the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC) commended the actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and urged other member churches worldwide to consider economic measures to end Israel’s occupation. Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud, former special consultant to the Geneva-based WCC General Secretary on Palestine and Israel, has noted that support for divestment by the WCC governing body came in the backdrop of a history of "bold statements since 1948 on its Israel/Palestine policy", and was a way of ensuring "that it is not in any way contributing financially to what it says is illegal or immoral."
The Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ and others have passed Sabeel-influenced resolutions urging Israel to dismantle the separation barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
and end its occupation of the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
.
Other groups within these denominations have rejected and opposed these resolutions. Rev. David Runnion-Bareford of the Biblical Witness Fellowship
Biblical Witness Fellowship
Biblical Witness Fellowship is an evangelical renewal movement composed of members of the United Church of Christ. Founded in 1978 as the United Church People for Biblical Witness, the movement reorganized as the Biblical Witness Fellowship at a national convocation in Byfield, Massachusetts in...
issued an apology to Jews after the United Church of Christ issues their 2005 resolution. http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/topics/Israel_divestment.htm He also accused "an ad hoc group made up of Sabeel representatives and UCC officials" of becoming unduly http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=11172 involved in the resolution process. The PCUSA resolution also created much controversy
PC(USA) Divestment from Israel
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church adopted a policy of "phased, selective divestment" from certain American corporations operating in Israel beginning in 2004, as a means of influencing the government of Israel. Thus the Presbyterian Church initiated what has become a wider campaign...
, leading to a 2006 Synod renouncing the resolution that was made under the consultation of Sabeel.
Criticism
In addition to the mainline opposition groups that have formed as a result of Sabeel's activity, there have been other groups that have opposed either Sabeel's goals or their manner of speaking their message. In some cases, groups have accused Sabeel of extremism and antisemitism. Sabeel's most vocal critics are listed below with their most significant criticisms also listed.NGO Monitor
The Israeli organization NGO MonitorNGO Monitor
NGO Monitor is a non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem, Israel whose stated aim is to generate and distribute critical analysis and reports on the output of the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy makers, journalists, philanthropic organizations and the...
has argued that Sabeel "is active in promoting an extreme anti-Israel agenda in Protestant churches in both North America and Europe."
Coe College
The chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Coe College (Iowa), which had co-sponsored a campus conference with a group of American supporters of Sabeel, acknowledged in a letter to a local rabbi that anti-Semitic remarks had been made at the conference. The chair wrote "We regret any harm that may have been caused by such anti-Semitic statements", but later told journalists covering the story that his letter was not an apology, and that it was deliberately vague because he was unsure exactly which comments could be considered anti-Semitic.Stephen Roth Institute
The Stephen Roth Institute For The Study Of Contemporary Antisemitism and RacismStephen Roth Institute
The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism is a research institute at Tel Aviv University in Israel. It is a resource for information, provides a forum for academic discussion, and fosters research on issues concerning antisemitic and racist theories and...
has claimed that Sabeel "commonly engages in blatant propaganda seeking to isolate and demonize Israel, while delegitimizing the right of the Jewish state to exist." It is further claimed that Naim Ateek views "real antisemitism" as "a matter of ‘Jews hating other Jews’, that is, ‘mainstream’ Jews hating Jews who are critical of Israel."
Dexter Van Zile, CAMERA, and Judeo-Christian Alliance
Dexter Van Zile, a member of the United Church of ChristUnited Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
and critic of Israel divestment
Divestment
In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for either financial or ethical objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm...
campaigns, http://christianfairwitness.com/about.html http://christianfairwitness.com/about.html, has publicly stated in a CAMERA
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America is an American non-profit pro-Israel media watchdog group. The group says it was founded in 1982 "to respond to the Washington Post's coverage of Israel's Lebanon incursion", and to respond to what it considers the media's "general...
publication that he condemns Ateek's implication that "...Israel is a baby- and Christ-killing nation that stands in the way of humanity's salvation. Given the role this imagery has played in promoting violence against Jews, and its use in reference to the Jewish state is inexcusable."
Van Zile bases these accusations on statements excerpted from Ateek's 2001 Easter message, such as, “in this season of Lent, it seems to many of us that Jesus is on the cross again with thousands of crucified Palestinians around Him …The Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily," . Similarly, in a February 2001 sermon, Ateek likened the occupation to the “stone placed on the entrance of Jesus’ tomb. … This boulder has shut in the Palestinians within and built structures of domination to keep them in. We have a name for this boulder. It is called the occupation.” Sabeel's comparisons of Palestinians to the crucified Jesus and Israel to his murderers is also rejected by the ADL as an "ugly and false deicide charge against all the Jewish people
Jewish deicide
Jewish deicide is a belief that places the responsibility for the death of Jesus on the Jewish people as a whole.This deicide accusation is expressed in the ethnoreligious slur "Christ-killer." As a part of Second Vatican Council , the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Paul VI issued a declaration...
- a concept rejected by prominent historians and repudiated by the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations."
The Judeo-Christian Alliance has also promoted Van Zile's paper, entitled "Sabeel's One State Agenda", highlighting the opinion that Sabeel has failed to draw attention to the mistreatment of Christians by Muslim extremists in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Van Zile also accused Ateek of breathing new life into what French historian Jules Isaac called the “teachings of contempt” and having directed their "vile energy" toward the Jewish State.
Sabeel disagrees with these characterizations of their beliefs and actions. They have published a statement affirming their belief that the ancient Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus, and that neither Palestinians nor Israelis have a "vocation for suffering" that requires either people to be stateless.
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation LeagueAnti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
(ADL), in a backgrounder article on Sabeel, accused the organization of "generating hostility towards Israel" citing "its use of theologically charged accusations" as belying "its professed passion for reconciliation." The ADL further submitted that, "Sabeel rejects Zionism on theological grounds. It has promoted the idea that Zionism is based on a false reading of the Bible and that it stands for injustice and in opposition to God."
DAFKA
Defending America for Knowledge and ActionDefending America for Knowledge and Action
Defending America for Knowledge and Action is a "a pro-American, pro-Israel activist group on US campuses" devoted to counter-protesting against Palestinian demonstrations...
(DAFKA) has criticised Sabeel for being a vehicle for Replacement Theology. http://www.dafka.org/NewsGen.asp?S=4&PageID=1632.
Criticism of, and support for Old South Church
The Boston Globe's conservative columnist Jeff Jacoby criticized Boston's historic Old South Church, a congregation of the United Church of ChristUnited Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
, for hosting the Most Reverend Doctor Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
as part of that church's Engaging Three Faiths spiritual dialog series, and Sabeel's Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel conference. Jacoby argued that "Sabeel and Ateek's denunciations of Israel have included imagery explicitly linking the modern Jewish state to the terrible charge that for centuries fueled so much anti-Jewish hatred and bloodshed" and that "In Ateek's metaphorical telling, in other words, Israel is guilty of trying to murder Jesus as an infant, of killing Jesus on the cross, and of seeking to prevent his resurrection."http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/10/21/criticism_gone_too_far/
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Arthur Waskow
Arthur Ocean Waskow, born Arthur I. Waskow, is an American author, political activist, and rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement.-Education and early career:...
, director of the Shalom Center, and Rabbi Howard A. Berman, founder of Jewish Spirit have expressed support for, and are participants in Old South Church's Engaging Three Faiths series.http://www.oldsouth.org/3faiths.htm#3faiths
During his presentation at Old South Church on October 28, 2007, Waskow raised concerns about Sabeel's use of crucifixion imagery in reference to Israel. Waskow said that in Latin America, Christian liberation theologians often "talk about the crucifixion of Jesus by the Roman Empire ... and from their view point of course the resurrection of the Christ as teaching of what it means to transcend imperial power, in the Latin American context it's clear that the empire you're talking about is America and it makes sense."
Waskow said that Sabeel may think it's doing the same thing when it talks about the crucifixion of Jesus, but "when you are doing it in the context of a Jewish state, when you're doing it in the context of 2000 years of Jewish suffering from the Christian dogma of deicide that the Jews killed God and the violence that has been visited on the Jewish community by people upholding that theology, to hear that strikes a nerve that has 2000 years of pain behind it and that has to be heard."http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=118&x_article=1472
Sabeel's Responses to Frequently Asked Questions
Sabeel has posted responses to questions about its policies and theology at http://fosna.org/faq .In October, 2010, the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
issued its list of "the top 10 anti-Israel groups in America" and included Friends of Sabeel–North America (Fosna) and Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace is a United States Jewish organization which describes itself as "a diverse and democratic community of activists inspired by Jewish tradition to work together for peace, social justice, and human rights [to] support the aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians for security...
among them.
Friends of Sabeel– North America posted a response to the Anti-Defamation League saying that Fosna did not consider its criticism of Israeli government policies "anti-Israeli" and that to the extent those policies are unjust and violate international law, they jeopardize Israel's future.
Connection to Protestant Church in the Netherlands
A Protestant Church in the Netherlands supported organization, Kerk in Actie, employs a representative in Israel, who is working at Sabeel in Jerusalem, promoting the Kairos Palestine document and the Boycott, Divestment and SanctionsBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions refers to a campaign first initiated on 9 July 2005 by 171 Palestinian non-governmental organizations in support of the Palestinian cause ".....
campaign against Israel.
The synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, in regards to the Gaza Flotilla supported by Sabeel, said, "We are not responsible for the political views that Sabeel or their employees promote, but we are engaged in a dialogue with them on this issue."
External links
- Sabeel - official website
- Friends of Sabeel North America
- Canadian Friends of Sabeel
- Peace Movement - Israel
- Friends of Sabeel Scandinavia
- NGO Monitor study
- Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center's FAQ
Anti-Defamation League Backgrounder on Sabeel (2008): http://www.adl.org/main_Interfaith/sabeel_backgrounder.htm
Sabeel's Response to Anti-Defamation League Listing: http://fosna.org/content/fosna-makes-top-10
Judeo-Christian Alliance Primer on Sabeel:
www.judeo-christianalliance.org/materials/SabeelPrimer.doc
Liberation Theology in the Middle East http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22575
The Theology of Sabeel: What We Believe, by Rev. Naim Ateek: http://fosna.org/faq/could-you-provide-summary-sabeels-theology