Holy Land at war again….or still

What is ‘The Middle East Peace Process’ these days? They’ve been at it for decades and decades. They’ve been at war, too, because hatred there is deeply entrenched, and the land is fiercely contested. When I was last there at Christmas a few years ago, I had a conversation with an expert on Middle East affairs in which I suggested that at core, everyone must want the same thing: safety and security for their families. He corrected me and said “Yes, but first and most importantly, they want to win.” That alone drives their actions and continues their generational hostilities.

Now, my son is there. On Christmas Eve, he saw an Arab Sheikh with his delegation arrive near the Church of the Nativity, and later sent me a news report from the United Arab Emirates press that explained who he was.

Foreign Minister, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, joined Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Sallam Fayyad, to attend the Midnight Mass at the Church of Nativity here in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, to mark the Christmas for all the various Christian denominations… 

The Midnight Mass was also attended by a large number of dignitaries, including senior officials of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), Palestinian ministers and officials, and members of the diplomatic and consular corps at the Palestinian National Authority.

If only for a day, it was a time of goodwill and hope.

The Christmas Midnight Mass was led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, who, in his sermon, warmly welcomed all the guests, the pilgrims, President Abbas and Sheikh Abdullah, wishing them Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with peace, stability and safety for all.

He said peace is a right for all peoples of the world and is the best solution for all disputes and conflicts. “…War never leads to peace nor do prisons bring stability. No matter how long the wall, it can never ensure safety… Neither the victorious invader nor the vanquished struggler in the Holy Land shall enjoy peace…, because peace is a gift from God and it is only God who grants peace,” he stated in the sermon.

Within a day, violence erupted again (if it ever stopped in the Gaza region). My son and I have been talking about how impossible is seems that there will ever be peace there, though ‘nothing is impossible with God’.

Yet, here we are.

And the world is calling, again, for both sides to stop and show restraint.

Notice the last one listed there, the reaction of the Vatican.

“Hamas is a prisoner to a logic of hate, Israel to a logic of faith in force as the best response to hate.

“One must continue to search for a different way out, even if that may seem impossible.”