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A Palestine Journey

June 16, 2025 / By Rev. Gary Doupe / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The following commentary was written by the Rev. Gary Doupe on behalf of the UNY Task Force on Peace with Justice in Palestine/Israel (Equal Justice for Palestine-Israel). The views expressed in this article are of the UNY Task Force on Peace with Justice in Palestine/Israel, and not of Bishop Burgos Núñez or any Upper New York staff member.   

In early May 2025, I joined a delegation of 18, including the Rev. Robin Blair of the Upper New York Conference, to visit Palestine-Israel. In two weeks, we had 19 meetings with Israelis and Palestinians of diverse backgrounds.  

Palestinian Christians George and Najwah Sa’adeh, of the Bereaved Parents Circle, related an unprovoked attack some years ago by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF)—an estimated 300 bullets penetrating their car. Their infant daughter was killed, and both George and Najwah sustained severe injuries. George is a school principal. Despite the severity of the attack and their daughter’s tragic death, the Sa’adehs expressed no bitterness. At one point, they referred to the incident as an “accident” (of misidentification). While the cliché: “time heals all wounds” carries some truth, some humans embrace victimhood. George and Najwah have chosen not to live their lives resentfully, but rather as persons seeking fullness of life for both Palestinians and Israelis. Their involvement alongside Israelis in the Bereaved Parents Circle, and their willingness to revisit their personal tragedy in the name of understanding and healing, deeply moved me. It powerfully reflected their dedication to a compassionate future for Palestine-Israel, regardless of how its political future unfolds. 

It is widely believed in the United States that Palestinians are under-developed, bitter people with such deep hatred of Jews that they must be walled out, locked down, or otherwise suppressed by force. Anger is a universal human emotion. Some psychologists see anger as different from actual “feelings,” but rather the frustration one feels at being unable to cope with an overwhelming situation. Palestinians have ample reasons to feel overwhelmed. Their loss of self-rule in 1948, and living under military occupation since 1967, makes their anger understandable. Without doubt, many Palestinians feel the same pathological levels of anger as other oppressed peoples. Yet repeatedly we were greeted by those rising above pain and frustration, reaching out to both friends and adversaries to seek dialogue and resolution. 

Mazin Qumsiyeh, Palestinian scientist—formerly on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke, and Yale, is the founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University. He spoke to us of the 750,000 year-long human presence in Palestine, the last 12,000 years relying on agriculture for sustenance—during which period notable human conflict occurred about 1% to 2% of the time. Qumsiyeh believes that a history revealing cooperation 98% of the time indicates far more of a peaceful possibility than of inevitable warfare. He continued to state that “Palestinians have lived under one empire after another, and we will endure this one. This too shall pass.” Qumsiyeh is currently a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Issa Amro, an instructing Palestinian youth in techniques of nonviolent action, is nurturing confidence in a young generation that they have sufficient inner strength to confront a powerful oppressor, build alliances, look for strategic opportunities, and work together as effective actors rather than resigning to victimhood. The attitude of many Palestinians today is not to yield, but rather to embody the Palestinian value called sumud—respecting one’s own value, and others as well. Often deprecated by those in power, Palestinians choose to remain steadfast in their own cultural values—developed over centuries—preparing for a future in which they assume control of their own lives. While much of the world strategizes for violence, Amro teaches nonviolence— acknowledging Holocaust memories and fears in which so many of the Jewish community remain trapped. Amro calls the Holocaust “the greatest human tragedy of all time, and far worse than even the genocide now experienced in Gaza.” By acknowledging his opponents’ pain, Amro takes a vital step toward peace. Increasingly targeted by radical right-wing Jewish settlers who break through the fence surrounding his home and compound, Amro stands his ground without touching them. Behind their attacks is the power of the IDF and Israeli government. Amro draws moral power by the philosophy and practice of nonviolence and welcomes allies from across the world. We drew hope and courage from meeting him. We know that hope is contagious, but that victories against hostility and power are not easy or automatic.  We came away filled with both hope and caution. 

I hope that leaders like Amro and Jewish activist Jeff Halper—joint nominees for the Nobel Prize for Peace—will soon become better known to Americans. Decades ago, Halper formed a committee to oppose home demolitions and rebuild those destroyed. Before the 2023-2025 war on Gaza, and since Israel became a nation state in 1948, over 130,000 Palestinian homes and other structures had been demolished by Israel’s command. Halper’s committee cannot begin to reconstruct the thousands of Palestinian homes being demolished in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, not to mention the 86,000 housing units destroyed in the war on Gaza in less than a year—by May of 2024, representing 70% of total housing units. In the West Bank and Jerusalem, day after day, owners are forced to tear down their own work if they build without a permit—which is virtually impossible to secure.   

In recent years, Halper has worked with Palestinians to develop a plan for a future “unitary state” that would govern Jews and Palestinians democratically. With the common efforts of Palestinian and Jewish youth and elders, these two Semitic peoples could create an alliance for the mutual benefit of all who embrace the Holy Land as Homeland.    

While I find great encouragement in remembering the story of Nelson Mandela—27 years a prisoner on Robben Island before his unconditional release and finally his election as the first President of a free South Africa—I know how rare and unlikely are such reversals. Miracles of grace cannot be assumed to be inevitable. Is a “miracle” of such proportions a possibility in Israel-Palestine?   

We met with Fadwa Barghouti, wife of Marwan Barghouti—who has been imprisoned in Israel since 2002. Since October 2023, Barghouti has been denied visits from his family, and has been severely beaten several times. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy—with whom we also spoke—explains that Israel is afraid to release Marwan because he is the most trusted leader of Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza. His only hope for release, to lead (and unite) Palestinians, would be for enormous pressure to come from the U.S. and other nations. Moving that mountain will require our acts of faith in persuading many justice-seeking people to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Israel. 

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Israel alliance is deeply entrenched, despite increasing dissent across the U.S. We heard from numerous Palestinian and Israeli voices that a decision for peace must be nurtured and supported by large numbers of U.S. citizens, or Israel’s current leadership will have ample backing to remain in power and stifle the yearnings of Palestinians to determine their own future. While many Israelis have misgivings about their current government, those impulses may remain bottled up in excessive and misdirected fear. Our task is clear—to continue witnessing and relating stories of hope and working with all people of good will—against formidable odds—for the self-determination of all people in the Holy Land.