In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.

I think it was smart that you’re wary of using the word “terrorism,” and if you talk about the cycle of violence, or “an eye for an eye,” you could be perpetuating the idea that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a balanced conflict, instead of a largely unarmed people against the fourth most powerful military in the world.
-- Rachel Corrie

A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare.
-- Mahmoud Darwish

Friend --

In the words of ICUJP Convener, the late Rev. George Regas, speaking about a conflict long ago but still resonant today:

The sin at the heart of this war against Iraq is your belief that an American life is of more value than an Iraqi life. That an American child is more precious than an Iraqi baby. God loathes war.

We HAVE to call out the massacre of innocent lives, no matter the ideology behind the crime, or else the Justice and Peace work we do is meaningless.

Long before the tragic events of October 7th of last year, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace has been shining a light on the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe), and working towards dialogue and solutions that affirm the primary calling of our organization - stating loud and clear that Religious Communities MUST Stop Blessing War and Violence. 

Justice and Peace are WORK, and ICUJP has been doing that work with our partners for over 22 years, many of them focusing on conflicts in the Middle East and their ramifications for us in this country. 

Click on the links below to watch the recent Friday Forums we have devoted to the Israel/Palestine crisis:

Jewish Anti-Zionists Queering the Fight for a Free Palestine	IfNotNow - Reflections on Diverse Jewish Solidarity with Palestine
Ani Zonneveld - The Politics of Human Rights	Dov Baum - Apartheid-Free Communities in Israel, Palestine, and the U.S
Dr. Kamal Abu-Shamiseh - Reflections on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict	Marjorie Cohn - South Africa takes Israel to the World Court for Genocide in Gaza
John Parker - Detained Delivering Aid to Gaza	Steve Chase - Speaking Up for Peace with Justice
Israel and Palestine Yes, there IS a Path to Peace	Palestine Under Colonialism
George Lakey: How can we get creative in the Israel-Palestine conflict?	Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a Multifaith Apprach to Counter Anti-Muslim Discrimination
Jeff Cooper/Carolfrances Likins: Palestine Before And After	Apartheid-Free Communities: An Interfaith Effort to Resist Racism
When teaching the truth about Israel and Palestine is challenged

Please give generously to help us in our ongoing work to open doors with dialogue and compassion, and to make change with diligence, creativity, and open hearts and minds.

Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
https://www.icujp.org/