E-Book Overview
The Intifada of 2000-2001 has demonstrated the end of an era of diplomacy in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The style of peacemaking of the Olso Accords has been called into question by the facts on the ground. Elite forms of peacemaking that do not embrace the basic needs of average people on all sides are bound to fail. The complete neglect of deeper cultural and religious systems in the peace process is now apparent, as is the role that this neglect has played in the failure of the process. Building on his earlier book, Between Eden and Armageddon, Gopin provides a detailed blueprint of how the religious traditions in question can become a principal asset in the search for peace and justice. He demonstrates how religious people can be the critical missing link in peacemaking, and how the incorporation of their values and symbols can unleash a new dynamic that directly addresses basic issues of ethics, justice, and peace. Gopin's analysis of the theoretical, theological, and political planes shows us what has been achieved thus far, as well as what must be done next in order to ensure effective final settlement negotiations and secure, sovereign, democratic countries for both peoples.
E-Book Content
holy war, holy peace
4
Holy War, Holy Peace How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East
marc gopin
1 2002
3 Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto and an associated company in Berlin
Copyright © 2002 by Marc Gopin Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gopin, Marc. Holy war, holy peace : how religion can bring peace to the Middle East Marc Gopin. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-514650-6 1. Arab-Israeli conict—1993—Peace. 2. Arab-Israeli conict—Religious aspects. 3. Religion and politics—Middle East. I. Title. DS119.76 .G67 2002 956.05—dc21 2001035850
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
To Ruth Sarah Gopin, my daughter Ruthie I write this for you to give you a spiritual path for the future, a way to be a proud Jew, a Jew who heals, a Jew who loves, who hates only hatred, who forgives for the sake of life, and for the sake of the Divine Spirit that inhabits all things. I give you a way for us to be together always. Find me here if you should ever miss me.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my colleagues and friends who have supported me in many ways in the course of this difficult work. Entering into the heart of the IsraeliPalestinian conict and learning how to empathize with the lives and feelings of people on all sides of this tragedy have been wrenching experiences. Sometimes it is difficult to move from day to day, not with the writing, but with the dark knowledge of exactly who of my friends is at risk, who has been hurt, and who has died. I thank many friends for continuing to support me in this writing, such as David Little, Aviva Bock, Julia Lieblich, Gordie Fellman, Andrea Bartoli, Arnold Resnicoff, Ted Sasson, Roger Hurwitz, Yitshak Melamed, Patrick McNamara, Robert Eisen, and Bob Carroll. In particular I want to mention Kevin Avruch for his intellectual mentoring and personal support, Joseph Montville for his unwavering friendship and devotion to our work, no matter how diffic