https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/7/10/freed-former-palestinian-bodybuilder-alleges-abuse-by-israeli-jailers
Blog
The Hell-Hole of Israeli Imprisonment
Some people’s experiences in an Israeli prison are even worse than Munther’s.
Sometimes you don’t need to hear the story. You only need to see the released prisoner’s face. And then imagine the inhumanity that produced such heart-breaking expressions.
Life Inside and Israeli Prison. Hear the Testimony of my Friend, Munther Amira
Watch My Conversation with a Palestinian Friend Recently Released from Prison in Israel
This coming Friday, July 12 at 1 pm Eastern time, 10 am Pacific, I will lead the next episode of the Christian Forum on Israel-Palestine.
The following link will allow you to watch the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYXuwuUNJ-k
Our guest will be my friend Munther Amira. Munther is a Palestinian, non-violent, peace activist who lives in the Aida refugee camp where Terry and I stay during our visits to the West Bank.
Munther was arrested by Israeli soldiers in September 2023 and released in February 2024. He will talk with us about the dire conditions for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
But he will especially describe the brutal changes implemented after the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Trust me. You won’t want to miss Munther’s first-hand account of Palestinian Life in an Israeli Prison.
Again, use the following link to watch this important conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYXuwuUNJ-k
My First Book, “Feeling Like God”, is Now Back in Print
I am happy to announce that the publisher Wipf & Stock has agreed to reprint my book, Feeling Like God: A Spiritual Journey to Emotional Wholeness.
The original publisher, a small Canadian press, went out of business years ago, so the book has been unavailable for some time.
In my humble opinion, it’s a great book well worth reading!
I tackle the ancient theological question of whether or not God has passions, emotions, feelings that are part and parcel of his sovereign plans for the world.
My answer to that question is a resounding YES, in contrast to much of the orthodox, theological tradition which said NO. I approach this answer through a brilliantly composed (LOL!) integration of biblical theology, an examination of Greek philosophy, a look at the early Church Fathers, illustrative stories,and personal application.
What more could you ask for?
Publisher’s Description – “An engaging blend of biblical study, historical theology, and personal testimony, Feeling like God takes the reader on a journey to understand God as revealed in Scripture. It shows that following Jesus Christ necessarily means bringing our feelings to God, rather than trying to suppress them, and shows how expressing emotion is something central to what it means to be created in the image of God.”
CFIP Conversation with Journalist Ali Abunimah
You are invited to join the Christian Forum on Israel-Palestine this coming Tuesday (tomorrow, June 18) for our second conversation. This time we will be talking with Palestinian-American author and journalist Ali Abunimah, founder and senior editor of the Electronic Intifada.
You won’t want to miss it!
Use this link for the livestream and to view the recording after the fact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYLhwY_yThU
Why There Will Be No More Blog Posts Until Mid-June
Tomorrow I will be flying to Tel Aviv. For the next three weeks or so I will visiting my friends in the West Bank of the Occupied Territories, conducting more interviews and attending the Christ at the Checkpoint conference at Bethlehem Bible College.
I have wanted to participate in CATC for many years, but this is my first opportunity to be there. The theme this year is “Do Justice, Love Mercy: Christian Witness in Contexts of Oppression.”
The conference organizers describe themselves as:
a community of evangelical Christians who believe that following Jesus with integrity means that our lives are formed by our love for God, the teaching of the Bible and a fearless life of discipleship in the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We believe that one of the first hallmarks of discipleship is love for both our own community and for our enemies. We wish to find Jesus at the center of everything we do and to make his life our life. Which means finding courageous love for Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews alike.
If you think about it, I would appreciate your prayers while I am in Israel-Palestine: prayers for safety in the midst of the ongoing warfare,* and prayers that I will learn all that the Lord wants to teach me.
(*During Israel’s attacks on Gaza, violence has increased dramatically in the West Bank. Nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by IDF soldiers and Jewish settlers, while almost 5,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned over the past six months– typically held without charges in ‘administrative detention.)
The Christ at the Checkpoint Manifesto
- The Kingdom of God has come. Evangelicals must reclaim the prophetic role in bringing peace, justice and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel.
- Reconciliation recognizes God’s image in one another.
- Racial ethnicity alone does not guarantee the benefits of the Abraham Covenant.
- The church in the land of the Holy One has borne witness to Christ since the days of Pentecost. It must be empowered to continue to be light and salt in the region, if there is to be hope in the midst of conflict.
- Any exclusive claim to land of the Bible in the name of God is not in line with the teaching of scripture.
- All forms of violence must be refuted unequivocally.
- Palestinian Christians must not lose the capacity for self-criticism if they wish to remain prophetic.
- There are real injustices taking place in the Palestinian territories, and the suffering of the Palestinian people can no longer be ignored. Any solution must respect the equity and rights of Israeli and Palestinian communities.
- For Palestinian Christians, the occupation is the core issue of the conflict.
- Any challenge to the injustices taking place in the Holy Land must be done in Christian love. Criticism of Israel and the occupation cannot be confused with anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel.
- Respectful dialogue between Palestinian and Messianic believers must continue. Though we may disagree on secondary matters of theology, the gospel of Jesus and his ethical teaching take precedence.
- Christians must understand the global context for the rise of extremist Islam. We challenge stereotyping of all faith forms that betray God’s commandment to love our neighbors and enemies.
No, Israel Does Not Concern Itself with Civilian Deaths
As the assault on Rafah continues I notice how regularly the news headlines follow a similar pattern: residential home bombed + at night + X number of women & children killed.
I strong suspect that these repeated headlines offer more evidence that Israel is continuing to use the AI programs Lavender and Where’s Daddy? Programs that I have discussed here previously.
The IDF uses these programs to intentionally bomb (1) the homes of suspected Hamas fighters (2) after dark (3) when the families are sleeping together. Hardly the practice of a military that was sincere in its insistence that it worked hard to avoid civilian casualties.
Well, here is yet another story demonstrating Israel’s disregard for murdered civilians.
When you bomb a crowd of people waiting for their turn to access a public internet connection, what else can you expect but — NUMEROUS CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. It’s not rocket science.
No one but no one can claim that these deaths were accidental, collateral damage due to the fog of war. It’s long past time for the LIES to stop.
Another Instalment About My Visit to Masafer Yatta in the West Bank: Justice Ain’t on the Side of Zionist Land Theft
Last June I posted the story about my visit to the West Bank region known as Masafer Yatter.
Terry and I had helped to plant new trees and grape vines for a Palestinian farmer by the name of Hafez Hureini. Mr. Hureini’s hands had been broken by Jewish settlers who were in the process of stealing his land.
The young people from Aida Refugee camp (where we lived) were helping him to catch up on his backlogged farm maintenance. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, we were attacked by both Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers as we worked.
That’s right. In Israel it’s apparently illegal to help a Palestinian farmer work his own farmland.
A few days ago I happened across an Al Jazeera documenatary focusing on Mr. Hureini’s continuing struggle against Israeli land theft! Here you can meet this man and hear his story for yourselves.
Yes, the settlers are still stealing. The soldiers are still oppressing the innocent and defending the thieves. And Mr. Hureini continues to stand his ground peacefully.
All the while, our God sees it all and promises to one day restore justice to his world. And I’ll give you a hint: justice ain’t on the side of Zionist land theft.
Palestinian Girls Plead for Help Beneath the Rubble
These videos speak for themselves.
These are only two little girls who are, fortunately, rescued. The United Nations estimates that some 10,000 Palestinian bodies have never been rescued. They remain in the rubble.
To watch the above video use the URL address inbetween the brackets: [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6pfJ3gCrcxs]