I write 'where I am' re #Palestine and #Israel - an unfinished stumble

I love Israeli humans

I love Palestinian humans

I have decided to LOVE

not HATE

because love does a better job.

l⃣o⃣v⃣e⃣w⃣i⃣n⃣s⃣

This 'youarebeautiful' stuff 

I keep projecting at you ......

It came out of working with 

violent and aggressive

robbing mugging

burglering 

cash-till snatching 

young humans.

I decided nearly 40 years ago

that these damaged humans

knew that they did wrong

but

didn't know they were loved.

Perfect love

by Divine lover.
I decided to always
tell them
demonstrate to them
'You are beautiful'

Imperfect love

by the likes of me and you.

I need to transpose this

not only to those I know

but those at a distance

those out of reach

teams of them

gangs of them

families of them

towns

cities

nations

armies...........

Because I love 

doesn't mean 

I don't feel hurt - 

it seems deeper in it's cuts

deep into my soul.
EMPATHY !

Everyone I know

is 

Beautiful - Imperfection.

Everyone

+ you

and those I don't know.

The Israel/Palestine conflict

lies heavy on my soul.

ALL of us see TV images

of ghastly things.

The deaths

and injury

- THE WORST.

It / they challenge 

my philosophy

my faith

my values

my understanding.

This is where I am at.

I don't want rockets fired at Israel.

I don't want missiles fired at Palestine.

I want peace.
I want Justice.

I work

I live 

for Peace - Shalom = wholeness 

in ever part of life.

I have never been to Israel or Palestine.

Many of my friends,

and others I deeply respect, 

HAVE.

They tell me of the locked in oppression 

in Palestinian villages and individual homes.

I love this MANIFESTO for life::

"...for he has called me

to bring good news

to the poor

to proclaim freedom 

for the prisoners

to set the oppressed free ..."

My conclusion in my '79 study of

Inner City gangs was

They numb themselves to survive.

= Emotional Deprivation.

I once, in the Thatcher years,

I talked with the Home Secretary
(he didn't listen
He didn't even look at me)

about the need to release oppression

set the prisoners free

(YES in Inner City UK)

release the captives -

in that context = 80% Youth Unemployment.

Young People were living in deprivation

the worst being 

EMOTIONAL DEPRIVATION

My faith, my work, my life

has developed into major concern for the oppressed

and release of the captives.

One of my favourite Bible verses

was when Moses released the captives from Egypt.

He led them through the sea

into the promised land

- and they started to party !

To revel.

They would not listen to Moses.

He could not pass on the message God had asked him to.

Moses delivered his confession to God

saying::

"They cannot hear me because

of their broken spirits"

19 

Now like then 

we have humans with broken spirits.

They live in Israel.

They live in Palestine.

l⃣o⃣v⃣e⃣w⃣i⃣n⃣s⃣

At the moment there is a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel.

I hope and pray it will be sustained.

These leaders must talk together

humans together

eye to eye

face to face

soul to soul.

It will be difficult to find

a lasting peace.

Israel have a lot to lose.

They have a history of strong armed response.

They won't want to be deemed weak.

They don't want to allow the enemy any freedom

and feel any vulnerability.

Their historic stance has been to slaughter in response 

to rockets coming out of Palestine.

They don't want suicide bombers returning to their city streets and buses.

They fear Islamic armed forces coming into their midst

as in several other middle eastern countries.

Palestinian leadership have a lot to lose.

They know that stopping launching rockets

could result in no real negotiations
which would leave 

the population still under lockdown

and not free to live and move and

have their being.
They will need to learn how to negotiate

build relationships with those they

dislike/hate and just don't want to spend time with.

They will also have to soften their hearts as hate could rule.

The military occupation over years

will have served to create a hate filled youth population especially.

Angry young people who wan to fight for freedom.

Both sides need to talk about freedom to travel
have the freedom of movement but also
LAND.

One serious Israeli behaviour has been the encroachment into

Palestinian historic homes,farms to build settlements against

International law.
The never-ending creep and destroy.

The real problem is - issues could easily fall from the world headlines

leaving no pressure for the leadership to continue

to work at a climate of trust and and an outcome of lasting peace with justice.

l⃣o⃣v⃣e⃣w⃣i⃣n⃣s⃣

I pray for open hearts

Humble hearts

NOT hard hearts.

I hope that whoever mediates with them

can build a climate of trust

(a tough challenge)

MEND broken spirits

and

that they will make small steps towards a lasting agreement

increasing to larger steps.

l⃣o⃣v⃣e⃣w⃣i⃣n⃣s⃣

As I said when the London Riots were happening
"I love these young people"
BUT
"I don't love their behaviour"