Alex Awad, the pastor of East Jerusalem Baptist Church, has written a challenging piece for Sojourners on why
Western Christians should support a Palestinian State.
Late last week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the United Nations to request an official recognition of Palestine as an independent state with full statehood status at the UN.The majority of Christians and church leaders in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip support the Palestinian bid to seek full statehood at the United Nations. This position is not driven by anti-Israeli or anti-American sentiments but rather because most Arab Christians believe that without a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict they have no future in the Middle East, and without Palestinian statehood, there will be no end to the conflict.
The political turmoil in Palestine and the neighboring countries has prompted many Christians to abandon their homelands and seek refuge in Western countries. This trend will continue until the political chaos that springs up from the Arab-Israeli conflict ends.
Consequently, Western Christians who are concerned for the future of the Church in the Palestinian territories and the rest of the Middle East need to support the Palestinian drive for statehood.
He concludes:
The danger is this: If the Palestinian Authority fails to deliver to Palestinians an independent Palestinian state due to US and Israeli political maneuverings, in the near future, the secular Palestinian government will surely fall and only Hamas will be left to lead the Palestinian struggle for independence. This does not bode well for Israelis, Palestinians, future peace talks, or for the Christian communities in the Middle East.
The Church loses its influence in the world if it abandons its mission to be “the salt of the earth and “a light to the nations.” May the light of Christ in us help guide the Palestinian people in their perilous path towards statehood.
