June 18, 1999

Conflict Resolution Center Seeks Peace in Bethlehem

"Nobody can carry blood, it is so heavy. Even the earth cannot absorb... It will remain a stain."

This quote from Elias J. Jabbour in his book, Sulha: Palestinian Traditional Peace Keeping Process, perfectly expresses the feeling behind the Arabic concept of sulha, which a GBGM-supported center is using to build reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis.

To heal the stain of conflict in the MiddleEast, the Wi'am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center in Bethlehem, West Bank, uses sulha, an Arabic way of resolving conflict that dates to ancient times. The concept of sulha seeks to restore peace and redress wounds in individuals, families, villages, and nations. The Wi'am Center incorporates sulha with modern Western mediation techniques to build a democratic society. The approach addresses injustice without vengeance, giving dignity to persons on both sides of a dispute and promoting peace.

The Wi'am Center was one of the highlights of human rights work in a trip by two GBGM staff members in the spring. Dr. Michael Hahm, executive secretary for global justice and advocacy, and Peggy Hutchison, assistant general secretary for global networks and ecumenical relations, made the trip to learn about GBGM- related projects, to witness models of conflict resolution, and to look at Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians.

Since its inception in 1995, the Wi'am Center has intervened in more than a thousand disputes, ranging from Israeli-Palestinian relationships, workplace grievances, and youth delinquency to unemployment rights, tenant-landlord conflicts, and domestic abuses.

According to Dr. Hahm, "The Wi'am Center is performing excellent services for Palestinians. The Center has been expanding the precedent for nonviolent conflict mediation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." Staff at the center trains community members in mediation techniques, develops alternatives for youth violence, involves women leaders, and coordinates resolution centers throughout the occupied territories, Dr. Hahm sees the center as a model that could work in other conflict-ridden regions, such as North and South Korea and Northern Ireland.

On the day Dr. Hahm visited the Wi'am Center, he traveled with 40 participants on a tour and study group led by The Reverend Ken Lutgen, senior pastor, Webster Hills United Methodist Church, St. Louis, Missouri, and former deputy general secretary of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The Webster Hills group also visited the historical and tourist sites of the Holy Land and met with missionaries Peter and Mary Davies, who talked about daily struggles from the viewpoint of Palestinians.

According to Rev. Lutgen, the group discovered "there are two sides to the issue. The Palestinians are displaced persons who have been out of their homes and countries since 1948. Bringing resolution to the situation means resolving conflicts in regard to old property and justifiable settlements that would enable them to live in a compatible way with the Jews."

When Rev. Lutgen planned the Holy Land trip, he worked with Ms. Hutchison to provide a balanced perspective of what has happened to the Christian population of Israel-Palestine since 1948, when 40 percent of the population was Christian. Forty years later, less than 2 percent of the population is Christian; Israel is the major military client of the U.S.; and a million people are living as refugees, reported Rev. Lutgen.

When asked what daily life was like for the Palestinian refugees, Rev. Lutgen responded, "They will never have a normal life. [Yet] it's not a violent country as it's portrayed by the press." Meeting with human rights advocates such as those at the Wi'am Center provided hope to the group that peace may someday prevail.

Dr. Hahm also commented: "Whenever U.S. Christians go to the Holy Land, they are pretty much guided by Israelis and they only see what they like to show. My hope is that the two sides keep working at it the Israelis and the Palestinians and that the United States Government keeps pushing for these two groups to come to more peace agreements. For that, you have to educate Americans to the real issues so that they also participate in policy decision-making processes."

He cites the most important current issues to be resolved in the Middle East today as: "The borders and the nature of the Palestinian entity, the fate of Israeli settlers and settlements, the status of Jerusalem, the right of Palestinian refugees to return, refugee compensation, and water usage." He said he hopes that all Christians who make pilgrimages to the Holy Land will learn and participate in conflict resolution policies like those taught at the Wi'am Center.

To learn more about the Wi'am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center, visit its website at http://www.planet.edu/~alaslah/. To reach Dr. Hahm, e-mail him at Mhahm@gbgm- umc.org.