Palestinian liberation theology, Muslim–Christian relations and the Arab–Israeli conflict

The Cry of the Forgotten Stones

“…The PLT movement has appropriated Gustavo Gutierrez's and other Latin American theologians' and activists' calls for “a preferential treatment for the poor” to denote Palestinians' struggle for political liberation from the structures of domination embodied in the Israeli occupation. Yet the PLT movement has viewed the Latin American phenomenon of liberation theology as one aspect of a broader global movement toward anti‐colonialism, anti‐imperialism, and the attaining of civil rights (Robson , 39–40) . This orientation informs Sabeel's ecumenical grassroots activities, especially its efforts to make Christianity contextually relevant to the Palestinian experience of injustice and struggle through non‐violent means for justice .…”

“…Historian Laura Robson assesses the emergence of a PLT movement as an attempt to “remake the triangular relationship between Christianity, Islam and Zionism in Palestine/Israel” by reinterpreting “Palestinian Christianity as an ally of Islam in the battle against Zionism” and by renouncing “the association between Zionism and Christianity in the West” (Robson , 39). The strategy that enables the hermeneutical contestation with Christian and Jewish Zionism translates in practice into a sense of solidarity with Muslim Palestinians, glossing over differences in an effort to reinvent the role and place of Christianity in the Palestinian‐Israeli conflict.…”

“…This orientation led many of the thinkers and activists affiliated with Sabeel to support Hamas as representing a Muslim version of a liberation theology (while rejecting Hamas's stance on violent resistance to the occupation). The strategic emphasis on a common Palestinian identity appealed to secularist thinkers and leaders like negotiator Hanan Ashrawi and the influential public intellectual Edward Said as a possible foundation for an eventual peaceful arrangement (Robson , 47). Yet claims of a common identity become highly problematic when they move from the level of theologizing about how a Palestinian Christian position challenges reigning orientalist approaches to the Palestinian‐Israeli conflict to the practical level of offering a platform for peacebuilding.…”

“…Robson adds that a few routes characterize this reframing of the role of Christianity in the complex (rhetorical) relations between Islam, Zionism, and Christianity. Some Palestinian Christian thinkers like Mitri Raheb draw on theological resources to construe Christianity as essentially anti‐Zionist while Samir Kafity underscores the role of the Christian as a peacemaker, a role that turns into a vocation in resisting oppression through the deployment of non‐violent methods of resistance (see Robson , 43–44).…”

Claiming Justice for Israel/Palestine: The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Campaign and Christian Organizations

“…Positions vary from unconditional support for Israel's governments in conservative Evangelical circles based on a specific variant of eschatological thought (Croft, 2007;Davidson, 2005;Haija, 2006) to fierce criticism of the State of Israel and its policies both in the Palestinian occupied territories and within Israel proper by liberal Protestant denominations and Catholic churches and organizations (Clarke, 2005). Their critical stance is not least inspired by Palestinian liberation theology which emphasizes ethical principles of the Christian tradition (Ateek, Duayibis & Tobin, 2005;Raheb, 2012;Robson, 2010). 2 Between these poles, many other positions -including indifference -exist; however, the two opposing positions are the most prominent ones in the debate.…”