"One of the sad realities," Rabbi Levi Weiman Kelman told the group, "is that among peace workers, religion is seen as part of the problem and not part of the solution."
Most peace workers in Israel are secular Israelis and "indifferent or agnostic to religion," he said.
"Most believe that if this (Israeli-Palestinian conflict) were just a political problem without any religious issue, it would be a lot easier to solve," he said. "There is some truth to that."
Kelman is rabbi of a Reform Jewish congregation in Jerusalem called Kehilat Kol Haneshama and a leader of the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism and of Rabbis for Human Rights. He spoke to 51 United Methodists from across the United States who spent 10 days in Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of a study trip on the conflict there.
The study trip, "Seeking Peace and Pursuing Justice: Mission Education and Advocacy for Israel and Palestine," was sponsored Jan. 17-27 by the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, the denomination's mission agency. The group met with the panel of religious leaders Jan. 25 at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem.
The Rev. Naim Ateek, director of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem, told the group the concept of God "can be one of the greatest hindrances to peacemaking," especially if one group thinks God is special to them and not to others, uses religion to justify wars of the state, and misinterprets the Bible to justify prejudices.
Religion can be helpful, Ateek said, "when our concept of God rises above the narrow. Our concept of the neighbor, depending on our definition of the neighbor, can help or hinder work toward a just peace."
Mustafu Abu Sway, associate professor of philosophy and Islamic studies and director of the Islamic Research Center at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, said people of faith must make choices.
"Everything is there in the text," Sway said. "It is up to you to choose the text."
He said people of faith are invited to participate in the attributes of God, including forgiveness and peacemaking.
"There are ample verses about justice in all traditions," Sway said. "There are ample verses about peace in all traditions. But, ultimately, we must decide what constitutes justice."
'A serious problem'
All three speakers admonished members of their own faith groups who misinterpret scripture.
Ateek was particularly critical of Christian Zionism, calling it "a very serious problem within the Christian church." And he urged Christians to "interpret our scriptures for the good of all people, without excluding others."
"I want to emphasize," Kelman said, "the level of ignorance people of faith have in all three traditions." And he warned against extremists in all faiths.
"There is absolutely no possibility of dialogue with extremists who say they know God's will and are doing God's will," he said.
"I think the biggest enemy," Kelman said, "is any ideology that demonizes one side and deifies the other side."
Kelman also noted that in the Israeli-Palestinian situation, both sides feel like victims, and "victims have no way to compromise."
"Christians tend to look for and identify with the victim," Kelman said. "In this situation, both sides have caused suffering. Both sides have suffered. Both sides need to recognize the suffering of the other."
The speakers, however, did not agree on the specifics of what a just peace might be.
One state or two?
"I believe, ultimately, the best solution is one state," Ateek said. "This is one country. We can live together in peace. It will have to be a democracy."
But Ateek s
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