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A PERSONAL STATEMENT
In offering controversial views, it is appropriate to set forth
one's own biases for the evaluation of the reader. Here are mine:
I am a conservative by nature and by observation. Like Edmund Burke, I believe that we are the custodians of a chain of tradition and are obliged to pass it on unbroken to the future. Important institutions, including prominent colleges and churches, are doing a poor job of discharging this duty. Many are dominated by people whose historical horizon scarcely extends beyond the Vietnam War and who disdain western achievements from Plato to the present. It is not surprising that these are the shrillest voices against Israel. People who abandon their own traditions are unlikely to be moved by Israel's gallant defense of our common heritage.
I believe in democracy and personal freedom as absolute values. No political system guarantees peace, but our best hope is an ongoing spread of democracy. This includes orderly legal systems which promote freedom, private property, and commerce. The flash points of the globe and its swamps of poverty are not related to the distribution of resources. They are intimately related to the distribution of arbitrary rule, fiscal corruption, and legal chaos. Especially in China and in the Moslem world, I see a race between democracy and disaster.
Theologically, I am a liberal protestant. We are called to be members of God's kingdom, not its board of directors. I am profoundly uncomfortable with doctrines that limit His grace. My support for Israel is in no way based on messianic beliefs. Such dogmas are emphasized by Israel’s opponents, because it is easier to argue against them than against the true reasons for supporting Israel. The true reasons include the fact that Israel has a moral right to exist as a Jewish homeland; that it is a decent and beleaguered democracy; and that a great majority of its citizens have long been prepared to make peace and to accept severe risks in the process. They are prepared to do so now, so long as the peace does not involve outright suicide for themselves and their nation.
I also have sympathy for the Palestinians. They rightly feel that they have borne the burden of Europe's murderous anti-Semitism. They have been the victims of vicious and incompetent leaders from Haj Amin el-Husseini to Yasser Arafat. They have been pawns in the ambitions of larger Arab nations. But they are responsible for their own choices. In the 1920s and 30s, they followed Husseini, the pro-Nazi Mufti of Jerusalem, into a campaign of pogroms and murder. In the 1940s, they rejected a Palestinian state in hopes that an Arab victory would annihilate Israel. In the succeeding decades, they gambled on war, on terrorism, and on collapsing allies such as the Soviet Empire and Saddam Hussein. Their choices have borne consequences which cannot now be undone. History requires them to accept, in deeds as well as words, the permanent existence of Israel. If they reject terror and irredentism, they can help transform the region. If they are unable to rise to that decision, their fate will again be decided by others.
The "mainline" churches are aggravating the problem. They discourage hard choices and promote fantasy. At a moment when a bilateral settlement seems possible, the churches foolishly demand unilateral concessions from Israel. At their worst, the churches draw an outragious comparison between Israel and South Africa. This nonsense can only entrench the Palestinians in their belief that compromise is unnecesary. The likely result is that Israel will create a unilateral boundary and a partial withdrawal on its own terms. This is the best that Israel can do without a partner, but it is worse for all parties than a mutual settlement along the lines of Camp David 2000.
Despite my indignation at our PCUSA leaders, I do not believe that they are anti-Semites. Other causes can account for their prejudice against Israel. These include an ignorance of history, which leads to uncritical acceptance of the "narratives" of our Palestinian "partners." Naivete and political correctness also play a role; it is hard for churchmen to resist attractive slogans about "bridges not walls," even when the bridges are being used by suicide bombers. Furthermore, many church leaders share a general prejudice in favor of third world causes and against the democratic West. As a democracy with western ties, Israel suffers by association. In my opinion, all this is foolishness but it is a defect of the head rather than the heart. Unfortunately, the foolishness exposes us all to false but plausible charges of outright anti-Semitism. The 2006 General Assembly at Birmingham will show whether our denomination can repent and heal.
I encourage all readers, especially fellow members of the PCUSA, to make their voices heard on this issue. Petitions against divestment are available on line. Entire presbyteries are petitioning the 2006 General Assembly to renounce divestment. We should contact our own commissioners. We can also contact targeted companies and advise them that the denomination is not speaking on behalf of its members. We can make the same point to the President, to Congress, and to the Secretary of State. I personally support the President's 2004 statement outlining a negotiated settlement, and commend the existing constructive and even-handed policies of our government.
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