Prisoners, Hostages, and a Ceasefire
by Jonathan Kuttab
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers or sisters, you did it to me.’
—Mathew 25:36-40
One of the most crucial issues touching every single Palestinian household is that of prisoners. Prior to the events of October 7, there were over 5,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. 1,300 of them were administrative detainees (individuals picked up and held indefinitely without charge or trial). Today, after less than a month, the figure is reportedly close to 10,000 prisoners, including women and children. It is estimated that almost one million Palestinians have been detained or jailed at one time or another. Some prisoners have been in jail since even before the Oslo Process but somehow were not released when the PLO and Israel came to an agreement and created the Palestinian Authority.
Back in 1989, Rev. Naim Ateek and I, together with Palestinian lawyers and doctors, most of them Moslems in the West Bank, started an organization named the Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners. For Rev. Naim and myself, our motivation came directly out of Christ’s commandment listed above, even though the Mandela Institute is itself a secular institution. Although Rev. Naim and I no longer serve on the institute's board, we are very pleased that it continues to serve Palestinian prisoners, particularly through attorney visits.
When the events of October 7 went down, it was immediately clear that the reason Hamas abducted Israelis was specifically to trade them for Palestinian prisoners. Little or no attention, however, was given in the media to this central aspect of the equation. There was much coverage of the civilian hostages and the agony of their family members at not knowing their fate. We share in that concern, and we see Christ himself in each of these hostages and their families who are in agony, just as we see him in each Palestinian prisoner. Ultimately, taking civilians as hostages is illegal under international law and is to be condemned in no uncertain terms.
Those of you who have been following the case of Shadi Khoury, the teenage grandson of Sabeel co-founder Samia Khoury, also know the agony and terror of Palestinian families whose children, brothers, parents, or friends are also yanked out of their beds and homes, often at gunpoint in the middle of the night by masked commandos, or who are swept up in the streets and taken to Israeli jails on trumped up charges. Those who have been following our campaign regarding imprisoned World Vision staffer Mohammad Halabi also know that even those who are convicted in Israeli courts are most likely political prisoners, not criminals or terrorists convicted in a proper court of law. While we believe civilian hostages should be released immediately and without condition, the call for Palestinian prisoners to be released in a prisoner exchange with those soldiers captured on October 7 is therefore a very reasonable demand. The families of the Israeli hostages have made public statements supporting such negotiations.
Unfortunately, the Israeli government and military, feeling humiliated by their unpreparedness for the Hamas attacks, seem willing to risk or sacrifice the lives of all the captives in their headlong campaign to reestablish “deterrence” and exact heavy retribution upon the people of Gaza in a campaign of vengeance. Doing “whatever is necessary” to bring the hostages home should include, as an immediate priority, engaging in negotiations with Hamas to effect a prisoner exchange as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the massive bombing of Gaza is leading to vicious massacres of mostly innocent civilians. As of this writing, over nine thousand Palestinians have been killed, of whom 3,718 are children, and another 1,929 are women. On Tuesday, Israelis bombed a highly packed residential building in the heart of the immensely crowded Jabalia Refugee Camp, killing and wounding hundreds. Israeli spokespersons, lacking any proof whatsoever, claimed that a high-ranking Hamas commander was the intended target. Later, they also claimed, again without proof, that 50 Hamas fighters were killed in that attack. Our hearts are heavy with the weight of these deaths.
We raise our voices in calling for Ceasefire Now! We are ashamed and appalled that the United States vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and that individuals who even call for such a ceasefire would be viewed as enemies and face persecution. Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, an internationally renowned Professor at the Hebrew University, was ordered by the President of the University to resign for signing a letter calling for a ceasefire. FOSNA has launched a campaign to get the University to reconsider.
The continued fighting is not likely to help bring an end to the suffering or rescue the hostages. We need to pray and work for an immediate ceasefire, so that the real task of working for a just peace can begin.
Take Action!
Stand Up for Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
Esteemed professor and great friend to Sabeel, Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, is being pressured to resign from her position at Hebrew University, merely because she signed a letter calling for ceasefire in order to spare the children of Gaza further suffering.
The text of the letter she signed is below: ‘Childhood researchers and students call for immediate ceasefire’
Please join us in a letter campaign to the President and leadership of Hebrew University. We are calling all clergy, university professors, and other academics, etc. to email letters on their own letterhead directly to President Asher Cohen at hupres@savion.huji.ac.il
We know all too well this is just one example of anti-Palestinian censorship and persecution, an attack on academic freedom and free speech. We must not allow it.
To report an incidence of discrimination or harassment in the US, please visit the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
Or, visit Palestine Legal.
New Action: Silence and Inaction at a Time of Genocide is Complicity
Keep writing. Keep calling. Don't stop. Stay loud.
Thanks to the mass mobilization around the globe, the world voted overwhelmingly in favor of an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce.” The vote passed with 121-14, despite bullying, intimidation, and propaganda.
In desperation, and now growing global isolation, Israel, supported by the US and most of Europe, has escalated the genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza, with Israeli occupation forces cutting off all internet and telecommunications connectivity to Gaza and carpet bombing entire neighborhoods even more ferociously and indiscriminately than ever.
We need to escalate global mobilization to stop the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Use this tool to call and write your congressional representatives.
Black American Christians in Solidarity with Palestine
Read, endorse, and share the powerful statement from Black Christians for Palestine at the link below.
Get Involved!
We invite you to join us in the following events and activities:
November 3: Zoom
Faith, Justice, and the Struggle for Change: A Theological Dialogue
On Friday, November 3rd at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET, join Sabeel on Zoom for a theological discussion and reflection on the current situation in Palestine.
Speakers include: Rev. Naim Ateek, Cedar Duaybis, Rev. Munther Isaac, Fr. Michael Lapsley, and Rev. Waltrina N. Middleton.
November 4: Washington, D.C.
National March on Washington
FOSNA is one of 200+ endorsing organizations of this weekend's historic National March on Washington for a Free Palestine. Join us at Freedom Plaza on November 4th, at 2:00pm, to call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and a lifting of the siege on Gaza. (A sister demonstration on the West Coast is being held at the San Francisco Civic Center @1pm.)
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Palestine) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! October: November 5 to November 11 - Anti-Muslim and Anti-Islamic Discrimination
Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday (6pm Palestine) with a guest speaking on the weekly topic. Register here.
November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, run by the Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) non-profit in the United Kingdom. Kumi Now would like to bring the message of Islamophobia Awareness Month to a world audience.
The constant slings and arrows inherent in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory have all the markings of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic discrimination. While not all Palestinians are Muslims, and the overwhelming majority of Muslims have never engaged in any kind of violence, the overarching view in Western media of Palestinians as Muslim terrorists has done nothing to build global support for the anti-colonial struggles of the Palestinians in a way that the world supported the struggles in Ireland, India, and South Africa. For our Kumi Action we will be addressing anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic discrimination in our own neighborhoods and reaching out to local mosques or Islamic centers.