GUEST BLOG: Lois Griffiths – The Time Has Come

In 1985, South African churches in a desperate plea to inform the outside world about the suffering of the African people under apartheid,  issued the South African Kairos declaration. The opening lines were, “ The time has come. The moment of truth has arrived. South Africa has been plunged into a crisis that is shaking the foundations and there is every indication that the crisis has only just begun and that it will deepen and become even more threatening in the months to come. It is the KAIROS or moment of truth not only for apartheid but also for the Church.”

The South African Statement distinguishes between a disagreement that can be easily settled by, in their words, ‘reconciliation’ and a conflict where one side is much more powerful and oppressive than the other.

Quoting the Kairos again,

“ We can imagine a private quarrel between two people or two groups whose differences are based upon misunderstandings. In such cases it would be appropriate to talk and negotiate to sort out the misunderstandings and to reconcile the two sides. But there are other conflicts in which one side is right and the other wrong. There are conflicts where one side is a fully armed and violent oppressor while the other side is defenseless and oppressed. There are conflicts that can only be described as the struggle between justice and injustice, good and evil .”

“ No reconciliation is possible in South Africa without justice .

The situation we are dealing with here is one of oppression. The conflict is between an oppressor and the oppressed. “

It reminds one of  today’s world where Western leaders including New Zealand  politicians   call for yet more ‘peace talks’ between Israeli officials and the PA..if only they would be nice and talk to each other.

The South African Kairos, finishing with a plea for help from the outside world,  has been  considered a turning point in the long struggle against the apartheid policies of the South African government.

In the same spirit, in 2009 Palestinian church leaders  issued “Kairos Palestine – A Moment of Truth: We Hear the Cry of our Children”. Kairos Palestine detailed the harsh conditions imposed on Palestinians, both Christians and Muslims, and called on “the international community to stand by the Palestinian people who have faced oppression, displacement, suffering and clear apartheid for more than six decades.”

 Now 8 years after  Palestine Kairos  and 100 years after the Balfour Declaration,   the Christian churchs of Palestine, in desperation,  have issued another plea, this time in the form of an Open Letter to the World Council of Churches (WCC).

“We are still suffering because of one political declaration from a Western Empire, based on a twisted theological premise. Even some churches and few Christian leaders supported the establishment of the colonial state in our land, and totally ignored – even dehumanised – the nation, our people that had already existed here for centuries and paid the price for atrocities committed in Europe. “

“There is still no justice in our land! Discrimination and inequality, military occupation and systematic oppression are the rule. Today, we stand in front of an impasse and we have reached a deadlock. Despite all the promises, endless summits, UN resolutions, religious and lay leaders’ callings – Palestinians are still yearning for their freedom and independence, and seeking justice and equality. Humanly speaking – we have reached the “moment of impossible”.

Again the plea is made for international solidarity.

“We need you and we need you now more than ever. We need your costly solidarity. We need brave women and men who are willing to stand in the forefront. This is no time for shallow diplomacy.“

The WCC was challenged to take a strong moral stand. Such  challenges should be made to other groups as well, including our political leaders.

“That you call things as they are: recognise Israel as an apartheid state in terms of international law and in agreement of what a person like Desmond Tutu said and as the UN ESCWA report said: “Israel is guilty of imposing an apartheid regime on the Palestinian people”. We are disturbed by the fact that States and churches are dealing with Israel as if the situation were normal, ignoring the reality of occupation, discrimination and daily death in the land. “

“That you unequivocally condemn the Balfour declaration as unjust, and that you demand from the UK that it asks forgiveness from the Palestinian people and compensates for the losses.  It was his infamous declaration, after all that laid the ground for the concept of an ethno-religious state – the very same thing our region is suffering today.”

“That you defend our right and duty to resist the occupation creatively and non-violently. We ask that you speak in support of economic measures that pressure Israel to stop the occupation and go further to support sport, cultural and academic measures against Israel until it complies with international law and UN resolutions.”

The writers added, “We fully grasp the pressure church leaders are facing here and abroad not to speak the truth, and it is because of this that we are raising this call.”

New Zealand politicians and media people, as well as  church leaders, are under the same pressure. But as the writers explained,  “Things are beyond urgent. We are on the verge of a catastrophic collapse. The current status-quo is unsustainable. This could be our last chance to achieve a just peace. “

So where do we here in NZ, whether religious or secular, stand? The heartfelt plea is meant for all of civil society, everywhere.

Many young American Jews have come out publicly in support of the Palestinian cause, with the slogan, If Not Now, When? Some even were viciously attacked in Israel recently for trying to stop aggressive Israelis  from invading the Muslim quarter of the Old City area of Jerusalem.

KAIROS ..THE MOMENT OF TRUTH..THE TIME HAS COME..IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Some  American Jews  chanted at a pro-Israel rally in NY, “Which Side are You On?”

A good question for this election year.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Lois Griffiths is a human rights activist.