Differences

There is a difference between the thief that steals out of hungry and one that steals to make a profit. There is a difference between the burglar who breaks into a empty home seeking shelter from the elements and one that breaks in to steal for profit. There is a difference between one who kills another in self-defense and one who murders.

In times of war, there is a difference between one who targets civilians and murders them and the soldier who inadvertently kills civilians.

There is a difference in a society that raises its children to become "martyrs" and to murder as many civilians as it can and to the society that builds walls in order to protect its citizens from those "martyrs".

It is a moral difference. The actions seem to be the same: property is stolen, a house is broken into, and a person is dead. Each day, each of us is confronted with moral choices. Some are not earth-shattering such as deciding whether or not to give up one's sit on the bus for someone who is disabled, pregnant, or elderly.

Some are earth-shattering. In the US, there are many Protestant groups debating the moral decision to divest from Israel. Their motives seem well-intentioned for they tend to believe Palestinians are suffering and that Israel is to blame. They do so while ignoring the collective punishment wrought against the Israelis by those Palestinian terrorists who bombard Israeli towns such as Sderot and Ashkelon. They argue Israel is collectively punishing Palestinians with check-points, the security wall, and border closings while ignoring the tons of food and medicines allowed into Gaza and that the passiveness of the check-points and the security wall has dramatically cut down on the number of Palestinian "martyrs" who are successful in their acts of evil.

While these debates rage, also ignored is the moral response of Israel to the Palestinians. Israeli doctors, on a day basis, provide life-saving treatments to Palestinians. Even though Sderot can face up to dozens of Qassams fired on a daily basis, Israel makes the moral decision to keep electricity flowing to Gaza. Some of those debating even buy into the idea that Israel is committing "genocide" against the Palestinians while ignoring the continued growth of Palestinian numbers.

By these debates, the Protestant churches are actually increasing the violence. It encourages those who seek to murder Israelis to continue to do so. These debates do not even begin to address the corruption in the Palestinian Authority. Nor do these debates spot-light the Palestinian society which sees that the greatest aspiration a Palestinian child can have is to become a Shahid, a suicide bomber. I ask this question: Are these churches really concerned about Palestinians?

To me, it would seem not. These debates on divestment from Israel ignore a great many facts and do not address the issues. Their focus seems to be collectively punishing Israel and encourages more violence. These debates give credence to the idea of a Palestinian Shahid. These debates, instead of encouraging the building up of a Palestinian society, tend to keep the focus on violence.