Kairos Palestine
http://www.kairospalestine.ps/
22 November 2010
To our Chilean brothers,
We, Kairos Palestine – co-authors of the "Moment of Truth" document, which is Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about the Israeli occupation of Palestine and a call for support in opposing it – send you warm greetings from Bethlehem.
We have rejoiced at the news of your rescue, we marvel at your strength and courage, and we hope the past weeks have been healthy and happy for you and your families.
However, we also write with concern regarding your recent invitation from the Israeli government to visit the Holy Land. Of course, we would be honored by your presence in our home – this is not what we object to! But we question the motives of Israel in issuing this invitation, spotlighting what you have suffered and endured, while Israel continues to damage, degrade, and suppress Palestinians under military occupation. Charity – which is also to say, humanity, justice, and respect – begins at home.
In this way, the hypocrisy of Israel is astonishing. Even after bombarding the Gaza Strip in December 2008/January 2009 and killing around 1,400 Palestinians (mostly civilians, including 300 children), Israel maintains a suffocating blockade of the region, causing both material hardship (malnutrition, lack of water and electricity, exposure to diseases, soaring unemployment) and psychological devastation. Palestinians in the West Bank live in another kind of prison, confronting military checkpoints, movement restrictions, violence from soldiers and Israeli settlers, and so forth – violating their rights, impeding their travel, and restricting their access to jobs, education, health services, and many other basic necessities. Palestinian families in Jerusalem live under threat of eviction, house demolitions, and residency revocations. A Bedouin village in the Naqab (Negev) Desert was recently destroyed by the Israeli army for the sixth time in several months.
Given these atrocities against human rights and international law, it is understandable that Israel would invest in a skillful public relations campaign. Inviting you to visit is one example of such a campaign: it permits Israel to show how much they care about your ordeal, while also permitting them to ignore their own crimes against Palestinians. This is an injustice both to us and to you.
We wish to stress again that it would be a pleasure to receive you in Palestine, should you wish to visit independently of the troubling invitation Israel has offered you. Meanwhile, we urge you to remember that Israel is skilled and experienced at exploiting other people’s suffering. We hope you will not permit them to exploit yours.
With thanks and in peace,
Kairos Palestine
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m72073&hd=&size=1&l=e