Clarifications about IRTPJ's Statement on Israel and Palestine

In conjunction with the panel discussion of June 2nd, 2024, some people have asked us questions about our January 31, 2024 Statement on Israel and Palestine. Here are a few clarifications from IRTPJ’s President, Dr. Arik Greenberg.

• Why didn’t we mention genocide in our statement calling for a ceasefire?

There are a variety of opinions on whether this situation amounts to a genocide at this moment, with Israel and the pro-Israel lobby being the most vehemently against it, and the pro-Palestinian community in favor of affirming the term’s validity.  The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have not yet ruled definitively on allegations of genocide, with some suggesting that it is an “unfolding genocide”.[1]  In all cases, they have merely cautioned Israel against engaging in actions which could amount to genocide, a somewhat nebulous admonition.  Until such time that they rule definitively, who are we to pretend to such authority as to rule in their stead?  During the panel discussion that followed our 2024 Interfaith Solidarity March, there were a few people in the audience who persisted in shouting (in support of one panelist’s assertions) that genocide was a legally defined category, attempting to instruct or convince the rest of us, but they did not seem to be able to define it themselves.  Many people do not realize that the thorniest part of the international legal definition is its “intent” clause, which is notoriously hard to prove.  A defendant can simply claim that they have no intent and then the accusation does not stick; that is where Israel is currently, vehemently asserting that it is the most moral nation on earth.[2]  Due to this continued disagreement, the courts have had difficulty proving genocide. 

People may individually want to label it a genocide.  I personally believe that it is an unfolding genocide in the early stages of such, as the International Federation for Human Rights has indicated.[3]  But how does one determine when atrocities have transformed into, and satisfied all the criteria for being deemed as such—a genocide?  As with the argument of the beard—in which one is asked how many hairs comprise a beard—one may ask how many deaths constitute a genocide?  Were Hiroshima and Nagasaki genocides?  Was the U.S. involvement in Iraq, which killed perhaps half a million civilians, a genocide?  Was the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, which killed perhaps the same number, a genocide?  There have been countless events of organized, systematic murder, which have never been officially deemed genocides. 

Where was that term in earlier eras?  What term was available for us to use before that term existed?  We spoke of atrocities and war crimes and barbarisms.  And we still can use those terms instead of a term whose application is not universally agreed upon and becomes a stumbling block for people to argue over with one another.  Rather, I want to wake people up to the barbarity and horrors that are being perpetrated and perpetuated by the IDF and a rogue government under Netanyahu so that we can stop it.  I don’t want to argue endlessly over nomenclature.  It becomes all too easy to stop there and allow that to stimy our progress.  Rather than jumping on the bandwagon of calling it a genocide in order to please certain parties, which will conversely give others a reason to stop listening, I would rather avoid the term for the moment and focus on terms we all understand, such as mass-murder. 

However, as the carnage rages on, month after month, I am seeing more and more blatant and public expressions of genocidal intent by Israelis in the news and social media, some of them even government ministers and functionaries, including Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben Gvir and minister of finance Bezalel Yoel Smotrich.  Not least of the most recent war hawks calling for obliteration of Israel’s enemies and neighbors was Israeli singer and composer Ofer Levi, who in a recent video on social media, blithely and cheerfully urged Netanyahu to drop atomic bombs on Yemen, Iran, and Turkey, claiming that it was ordered by the Torah, and confidently claiming that he had wisdom to serve as counselor to Netanyahu.  Where does he get his authority to speak for God or even to interpret scripture?  Is he a bible scholar?  Does he have advanced academic degrees in religion and history? 

Irrespective of this, I am seeing many more people from the rank and file of Israel, and not merely high-level governmental ministers, loudly counseling the utter destruction of Palestinians—not least of which was the crowd gathered to support the IDF soldiers arrested for participating in documented acts of torture against Palestinian prisoners, their claims being that they are heroes for doing so.  Thus, it now becomes less feasible for us to withhold judgment about the intent clause of the definition of genocide. 

It is my personal conviction that it is Israel’s hubris that has been kindled and encouraged by their supposed allies who are enabling them to be more prideful, and God has allowed them this extravagance for a moment, as he did with Pharaoh and others before them, bringing their sins out into the light so that they may stumble and fall.  And perhaps one day they will realize their mistakes and return to righteousness.  I pray that it will not be too late to save the innocent people in Palestine, our brothers and sisters in Abraham’s family. 

• Why did we take so long to issue a statement?

There is so much misinformation out there, and from ostensibly trustworthy sources.  Our governments tell us widely divergent accounts, many of which are the exact opposite of the other, rife with contradicting elements that support each other’s self-interests.  We didn’t want to go into this uninformed, believing half-truths or big lies from one faction or another and then discover we had jumped on a proverbial bandwagon and gotten it completely wrong.  Nevertheless, what is the use of merely shouting one’s opinion, without tailoring it for those who need to hear it most?  If we do not craft our words for a target audience, then we are like empty vessels clanging, or like a voice shouting into the wind.  It is the pro-Israel lobby that needed most to hear what we had to say in January.  If we merely raise our voices so as to please one set of allies, then we lose the attention of those we are trying to reach.  It is not about fearing to lose what we can gain from them, as our allies or those we rely upon for support, but if we ever expect to change their hearts and minds, we need to speak their language and break through their natural barriers against being chided or seeming to be in the wrong.  If we do not seek to win the attention and trust of Israel, but rather to adversarially shame them, our message falls upon deliberately deaf ears, enabling them to double down on their current path. 

In Fall 2023, we began to write a statement on a ceasefire in Gaza and Palestine.  After releasing an initial statement on November 27, 2023, in which we condemned the deliberate targeting of any civilian lives, be they Israeli or Palestinian, we continued our work on a larger, comprehensive statement that sought to convey the truth about the situation and not descend into slogans or jump onto bandwagons.  After finally getting the approval of our board and about a dozen key stakeholders and reviewers from various faiths and backgrounds, we released our full statement online, dated January 31, 2024.  Many people truly appreciated the statement, while others—from both sides of the aisle—felt it did not go far enough in their direction, or in some cases was too highly biased towards the “other side”.  We cannot please everyone, and I encourage all people of conscience to draft and release their own statements that express their concerns; we always need more people to stand up and speak truth to power.  But what many people have evidently missed is that this statement was very carefully constructed to speak to multiple simultaneous audiences, but to specifically reach the heart of one—the party with the most power in this situation—Israel and the Pro-Israel factions.  If there was certain rhetoric that some parties deemed did not go far enough, or that it appeared to support their ideological adversaries, perhaps this was not intended for them.  No statement that appeals to hearts and minds can ever be equally effective in speaking to various factions.  It must always be tailored for a specific intended audience.  As such, this statement must be seen in that vein. 

• Is framing this panel discussion of June 2, 2024 in terms of religion only fanning the flames?

I do not believe that framing the panel in terms of religion is only fanning the flames.  Firstly, I do not believe that we ever framed the problem in terms of religion, per se, anymore than we might frame a panel on homelessness or substance addiction in terms of religion.  Rather, since we are people of faith and conscience (by that I also include the agnostic and atheist community among us), and many of us are leaders within our faith communities, we are the moral compass of our nation and we have the responsibility to speak out.  If one were still to vehemently assert that any panel which incorporates the voices of faith leaders and scholars necessarily frames the issue in terms of religion, then our only option is to reluctantly accept this characterization and speak up anyway, or to shut our mouths.  I refuse to do the latter.  Throughout history, it is often the faith leaders who show bravery and boldness to stand up and speak out against injustice.  It is part of our job. 

But as it is, I do not believe that our panel framed the issue in terms of religion any more than necessary.  We have highlighted the fact that this issue, this crisis between Israel and Palestine (including the Palestinians within Israel or Occupied Palestinian territory) is partly driven by the conflict between those who believe Israel is divinely established land for the Jewish people—a religious and theological belief—and those who believe that either this is purely myth, or even those who go so far as to believe that Jews are a mongrel people, whose heritage is not even rooted in the land of Israel, and are merely a group of Central Asian nomads whose ancestors converted to Judaism in the late first millennium CE—the widely discredited “Khazar hypothesis” of Ashkenazi Jewish origins—and therefore have no claim at all to Israelite, Levantine, or even Middle Eastern heritage.  Such assertion is blatant erasure of Jewish history and identity and is patently antisemitic.  As such, we do need to address these assertions as an important part of the discussion, in as much as they employ concepts that are rooted in religious beliefs and historical identity.  As such, this cannot be avoided if there is to be a comprehensive discussion of the issues involved.  In the end, I don’t have to delegitimize my Jewish identity and heritage in order to support the Palestinian people. 

[1] See the following articles for a variety of perspectives referred to herein. 

The unfolding genocide against the Palestinians must stop immediately

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/north-africa-middle-east/israel-palestine/the-unfolding-genocide-against-the-palestinians-must-stop-immediately

Chair Summary of Panel Discussion on “2023 War on Gaza: The Responsibility to Prevent Genocide”

https://www.un.org/unispal/document/chair-summary-of-panel-discussion-on-2023-war-on-gaza-the-responsibility-to-prevent-genocide/

A top U.N. court says Gaza genocide is 'plausible' but does not order cease-fire

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227078791/icj-israel-genocide-gaza-palestinians-south-africa

The ICC can no longer ignore the genocide in Gaza

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/4/21/the-icc-can-no-longer-ignore-the-genocide-in-gaza

What is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67922346

[2] 5 Reasons Why the Events in Gaza Are Not “Genocide”

https://www.ajc.org/news/5-reasons-why-the-events-in-gaza-are-not-genocide

A Textbook Case of Genocide: Israel has been explicit about what it’s carrying out in Gaza. Why isn’t the world listening?

https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide

[3] ibid, The unfolding genocide against the Palestinians must stop immediately

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/north-africa-middle-east/israel-palestine/the-unfolding-genocide-against-the-palestinians-must-stop-immediately

IRTPJ's Statement on Israel and Palestine

Statement on Israel and Palestine January 25, 2024

After significant research, investigation, deliberation, and consultation with the wider interfaith community, we, the Board of Directors of the Institute for Religious Tolerance, Peace and Justice, are compelled by our collective consciences to issue this statement.  We are comprised of scholars, activists, and clergy of a variety of different faith traditions, and we have drawn upon millennia of godly wisdom available to us in our faiths and those of our allies and colleagues. 

We grieve with the State of Israel for the horrendous loss of life sustained on, and subsequent to October 7th, 2023, resulting from the raid by Hamas insurgents.  As has been rightly proclaimed, this is the greatest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust, with over 1,300 Israelis dead and 240 hostages taken in connection with that assault—and many still not yet released as of the issuing of this statement. 

We also grieve with the people of Gaza and all of Palestine, whose suffering matches that of Israel, in its own way, owing to the tremendous losses of civilian life due to “collateral damage”—now in excess of 25,000 deaths—many of whose lives have been taken indiscriminately through bombing by IDF forces during the subsequent campaign to subdue Hamas and liberate the hostages taken.  The daily death rate of 250 is now higher than any other major 21st century conflict.[1] 

We do not believe that any civilian lives are ever expendable, and while we unequivocally condemn the murderous actions of Hamas, we also ardently challenge the current protocols, policies, and tactics used by the IDF in response to this situation.  According to the Geneva Conventions, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Just War Theory, civilians are never to be targeted by military forces, and civilian casualties are always to be avoided at all costs.  And as such, this requirement to avoid civilian deaths is equally binding upon both Israel and Palestine.  It is also not lost on us that the current death toll in Gaza, exceeding 25,000 lives (mostly civilian), is over half that of the initial deaths immediately resulting from the bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, thereby in the same order of magnitude.  One cannot decry the deliberate targeting of civilian life in one situation, but ignore the other.  

We adamantly reject the notion that one must only grieve for, or show compassion for one side, or that by sympathizing with the suffering of political adversaries, one is necessarily “taking sides”.  Or that by calling for a change in policy or tactics, or by opposing the State of Israel’s current pathway, that one is anti-Semitic.[2] 

What is needed for a long-term solution is a coordinated and comprehensive program of peacebuilding, incorporating justice, reconciliation, and education.  Before this can be accomplished, an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the safeguarding of all civilian lives must be considered a prerequisite. 

As such, we urge the entity of Hamas to return all Israeli hostages without further resistance, for the sake of their countrymen, the civilians of Palestine, and for the sake of pursing peace and reconciliation.[3]  Thus, we call upon Hamas to agree to an immediate and lasting cease-fire with Israel.

As such, we also call upon Israel and the IDF to make dramatic, immediate, and lasting changes in its policies toward Gaza and all of Palestine.[4]  Taking the lives of over 25,000 Palestinian civilians, as well as at least three Israeli hostages killed carelessly and mistakenly by IDF forces, along with numerous journalists and non-combatants both inside and outside of the theater of operations is unacceptable.[5]

In as much as the State of Israel has the upper hand militarily, yet the current military campaign tactics have failed to accomplish the stated goals of dismantling Hamas and effecting the return of the Israeli hostages; 

In as much as the current tactics of intentionally bombing cities, schools, refugee camps, and hospitals—with the goal of targeting a minuscule number of insurgents claimed to be hiding in those civilian locations—transgress the rules of Just War Theory, the inordinate death toll will necessarily create more ill will among Palestinians as well as the rest of the world;

In as much as the State of Israel is touted as a democracy, founded on the principles of human rights of all people, including a promise of “equal citizenship” and enfranchisement to the Arab inhabitants of Israel, as well as extending their “hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness,”[6] we believe that the State of Israel has the responsibility to set an example that is put forth by Biblical scripture and morality, and to be the light amongst the nations that it is called to be.[7]  Thus, we ardently implore the State of Israel to implement an immediate and lasting ceasefire, followed by a comprehensive program of peacebuilding and reconciliation with the Palestinian people.[8]  

[1] https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/daily-death-rate-gaza-higher-any-other-major-21st-century-conflict-oxfam

[2] https://www.laloyolan.com/opinion/guest-editorial-justice-for-all-in-the-holy-land/article_dd80c661-57e0-5ea9-a5d6-5343e9cd9415.html

[3] As it says in the Holy Qur’an, “On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.” (Qur’an 5:32)  Also, “If the enemy is inclined towards peace, make peace with them. And put your trust in Allah. Indeed, He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Qur’an 8:61)

[4] “Seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34:15).

[5] Similarly to the above citation from the Qur’an, the Jerusalem Talmud states, “Therefore man was created single in the world to teach that for anybody who destroys a single life it is counted as if he destroyed an entire world, and for anybody who preserves a single life it is counted as if he preserved an entire world.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9)

[6] https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/declaration-of-establishment-state-of-israel  The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel expresses its intent toward peace with all neighboring Arab countries, some of which were already at war with Israel; the nascent State of Palestine is now such a neighbor, and a state of peace must be restored.  Concomitantly, Palestinian Arabs within Israel must be reassured of their equal rights under Israeli law, and of their full and equal access to complete enfranchisement and participation in the nation. 

[7] "I the LORD have called unto you in righteousness, and have taken hold of your hand, and submitted you as the people's covenant, as a light unto the nations" (Isaiah 42:6)

[8] As it states in the Torah; “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me, and My anger shall blaze forth and I will put you to the sword, and your own wives shall become widows and your children orphans.” (Exodus.22.20-23, JPS translation)  Also, “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God.” (Leviticus.19.33-34 JPS translation)

Moving the Needle Towards Peace

Hello, Friends:

People have been asking us what we are doing with respect to the tragic situation in Gaza and Israel—and even what can be done.  Some have asked us to issue a statement about the ongoing violence.  I need to confess that we have deliberately refrained from issuing a statement until we are sure that we have the right words to say.  Emotions are much too high right now, and far too many people are entrenched in their own subjective opinion of this highly nuanced situation to issue such a statement carelessly and hastily.  Our reticence to pronounce and proclaim is not due to timidity, but owing to a desire to get it right.  So please watch this space for an upcoming statement.  What we can say at this moment is that we have always supported, and continue to support, the rights of all people to live safely in their countries and to worship freely as they see fit.  We stand with all civilians, regardless of nationality, religion, or ethnicity.  We support the inalienable rights of human beings, as articulated in the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Any attempt to characterize one demographic as blameless and another as the epitome of evil is to misunderstand both human nature and the history of the region. 

In the meantime, I feel it crucial to attest to how the work we do helps to move the needle toward peace.  We act both locally and globally, because we believe that the two are linked.  And we begin the practice of our ideals at home, here in the U.S., as we also seek to carry our ideals abroad in the work we do outside the U.S. 

In all our work, we’re trying to ensure that the hatred and animus that is going on in the Holy Land, or anywhere, does not spill over into our proximity in the United States.  We are working—and always have done—to ensure that people of different demographics, for instance Jews and Muslims, always see each other as friends and partners in making the world better, so that when a divisive issue comes along, they will not automatically see each other as adversaries—or even bitter enemies—but as close friends and partners who have a different perspective on a very serious issue, and who can surmount those differences and work together to solve the problem. 

The Ninth Annual Interfaith Solidarity March Los Angeles has been scheduled for Sunday, April 14th, 2024, and planning is now underway.  The theme of our march will encompass the aforementioned issues.  Through this march, we seek to strengthen the bonds between all religious and ideological and philosophical communities, especially those whose origins lie in the Middle East and the Abrahamic Holy Land. 

As always, we do a lot of great work with very little.  Much of our costs are covered by in-kind donations from our partnering organizations.  Printing costs, design costs, bottled water, snacks, and much more are donated by these indispensable allies.  But there is so much more that needs to be covered, including advertising costs.  In order for us to reach the thousands of people who need to know about this march, we’re going to have to increase our marketing.  That’s going to take funding beyond what we’ve had in the past years. 

Every time I hear of a Neo-Nazi march or a white supremacist rally, I think that we can do better; we can overpower the voices of hatred with the voices of collaboration and respect.  With that in mind, if you want to see hundreds, if not thousands of people marching together to proclaim that they support their neighbor’s right to worship freely as they see fit; that they support their immigrant and refugee neighbors; that they support their friends of different sides of very serious social and political questions—then please give generously this year.  In our day and age of entrenchment and polarization, we are seeing more emboldened displays of hatred around our country.  Now is not the time to be silent.  Now is the time to support your neighbor and to march together and be counted.  Can we count on you?

-Dr. Arik

Article: Religious Pluralism and Inter-religious Friendship in Los Angeles

Article in Perspectives by Prof. Christopher Key Chapple

http://perspectives-jdmc.in/religious-pluralism-and-inter-religious-friendship-in-los-angeles/

A Successful, Virtual, #InterfaithMarchLA 2021!

Dr. Arik shares his reflections on this year’s “march”, and looks to future events and projects.

Full event details

Media

Call to Faith Leaders to Condemn Lawless Violence & Admonish the Perpetrators

Dr. Greenberg has authored a missive to address the lawless violence that has been happening in the past week in the United States, taking a step toward preventing more destruction and loss of life in planned events of the upcoming week.

We hope you will join us in signing and circulating this document right away. Sign on your support here.

A Call to All Clergy and Faith Leaders to Condemn Lawless Violence; to Admonish and Reprove the Perpetrators

On January 6, 2021, our nation witnessed one of the most dangerous coordinated assaults on its democratic process that it has ever seen. Rioters stormed the Capitol building, inflicting untold property damage, and causing duly elected public officials to flee in fear for their lives, as rioters broke windows, stole podiums and damaged priceless public property, and took selfies in the hallowed chambers of Congress, wearing costumes and carrying banners and slogans whose very nature made a mockery of the sacred process of governing a nation such as ours. In the tumult, at least five people lost their lives. Simultaneously, there were rallies around the country which echoed the anarchy in our nation’s capital, but one such rally in Los Angeles stood out from the rest in that it saw the assault of an innocent bystander, an African American woman named Berlinda Nibo, who was accosted verbally as she walked past a gathering of protesters (later declared by LAPD to be part of an unlawful assembly) who then physically took her captive and began to assault her in numerous ways, including the use of pepper spray and physical battery. Read more...

IRTPJ Forming Emergency Response Network

PLEASE NOTE: All of the site visits of our Interfaith Ambassadors program are currently cancelled due to the directives to practice social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic.  But we will begin to offer some online opportunities for connecting with people of different traditions and viewing their services for educational enrichment and community building.  Stay tuned for more.

Dear Friends:

The IRTPJ has begun to partner with other groups and faith communities to form an emergency response network.  In light of the current Coronavirus pandemic, we invite you to partner with us to help support each other’s communities during the present crisis, as well as in future times of risk and uncertainty.  We are all working very hard to care for our families and our communities.  Some of you may already have regular programs like food pantries, meals on wheels, and missions to the needy.  While many of us are part of very solidly connected and supportive faith communities, these can often be somewhat insular and we are unable to benefit from the larger connections that the interfaith community has come to foster.  As such we can be very disconnected from one another.  This initiative will serve to help communities fill in the gaps where they may exist, so that we can partner to share resources to ensure the safety of each other’s communities and therefore our own, since we are all connected.  It will also have the longer-reaching effect of building trust and community between our often disparate groups. 

It may be that elderly or infirm members of our particular communities live outside of the geographical area that is normally served by our houses of worship, and they may be at a loss for obtaining groceries or basic necessities during times of social distancing and quarantine.  While it may be difficult in times of emergency for members of their community to reach them quickly or regularly to give support and supervision or to carry out welfare visits, there may be members of other faith communities in their neighborhood who have extra supplies or the ability to drop off necessities and items that we are seeing shortages of.  And what better way to engender a good relationship between communities than to have emissaries of one sharing resources and basic care and compassion with another?  Many Christians have never met a Muslim or a Sikh.  Many Jews or Muslims are told by members of their communities not to trust each other, due to certain perspectives of historic interactions.  But to know that there are houses of worship from other communities who are willing to lend a hand and ensure the common safety of all of our communities is very valuable.

In order to take the next steps, we ask you to put us in contact with the leaders of your faith community.  Many of these folks are likely already overwhelmed with work at this time, so we are not asking much of them.  We just need to know if they are interested in coordinating with us during this time of need, in order to help share resources and make everyone’s lives a little easier.  They can then delegate someone from your community to be a point of contact.  And if you have any extra necessities and urgently needed items, we’ll put them in touch with those from other communities that are experiencing shortages in those areas.  It’s just a matter of taking a moment to recognize that we will all be lacking something at some point, even if it is just a caring voice to see if the most at risk members of our communities are alright. 

Please email us to indicate your intent to participate in this initiative.  We’ll take the next step of putting you in touch with the organizers of this partnership.  And for those who feel able, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to the IRTPJ in order to make sure that programs like this, and other extant programs, such as our Interfaith Ambassadors and our Interfaith Solidarity March, are able to continue and thrive in the coming years. 

Many blessings to you and your communities and loved ones at this time.