By
NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
Catholic Relief Services representatives returned from a week-long mission
to the Holy Land with hope that peace is possible there, despite the current
humanitarian crisis.
“It will take real commitment, but it can happen — and it
is really critical for the future of the Middle East and the whole world,”
said Maureen McCullough, CRS Northeast regional director, based in Radnor.
She visited the Holy Land in September with a national CRS envoy.
The relief officials found Jews, Muslims and Christians all thirsting
for peace — but a lack of political leadership to establish it,
McCullough said.
She said CRS officials believe leaders on both sides must commit themselves
to a two-state solution — and to eliminating the causes of the humanitarian
crisis.
To that end, Catholic Relief Services has issued an action alert on its
Web site, and sent out mass e-mails to registered supporters urging Catholics
to promote the peace effort.
In union with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, CRS is
asking Catholics to get behind a petition urging the Bush Administration
to re-commit the United States to leadership in the peace process, and
to working toward a two-state solution.
McCullough said CRS also encourages Catholics to buy fair-trade products
from the Holy Land to help alleviate the poverty many Palestinians are
facing.
Israeli concerns about terrorism have precipitated a number of safeguards
and security measures. There are approximately 570 security checkpoints,
and a 28-foot security wall that cuts through the eastern side of Jerusalem.
Snaking in and out of Jewish and Palestinian communities, the wall divides
communities and hinders Palestinian access to employment and schools,
according to Tom Price, a CRS senior communication manager who went on
the trip.
“No Israeli, Palestinian or U.S. official would disagree that it
is very difficult, if not impossible, for a Palestinian to travel for
work or school between the principal areas of the Palestinian territories
— East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Gaza and Hebron,” he said.
He said this contributes to the overwhelming poverty many Palestinians
experience. In addition, the Palestinian government is involved in factional
in-fighting and faces international sanctions, which also contribute to
poverty.
The crisis is too great to wait for “the wheels of world diplomacy
to turn,” Price said in talking about one local nonprofit’s
initiative.
A group of Israelis and Palestinians have taken matters into their own
hands, demonstrating how human solidarity can transcend race and religion.
They’ve formed Sindyanna of Galilee, a non-profit association that
seeks to help hundreds of small Christian and Muslim Palestinian farmers
get their olive oil, olive soap, honey and other products to market at
a fair price.
“As an Israeli Jew, I realized that there is so much discrimination
against Arab farmers, and they don’t have access to markets,”
Roni Ben Effrat, the resource manager for Sindyanna, told Price.
“As Jews, we can get permits and make things happen within Israel
much easier,” she said.
Ben Effrat’s thoughts are included in Price’s travel log from
the field on the CRS Web site, www.crs.org.
The goal of Sindyanna is to help Palestinian women earn enough income
to raise their families above the poverty line. Last year, the nonprofit
shipped 40 tons of olive oil to fair trade organizations overseas, including
CRS’ partner, A Greater Gift.
“We took all of the profits and reinvested it into training programs
for Arab women,” Ben Effrat said.
For its part, CRS promotes these product in the United States.
CRS also runs several programs that attempt to alleviate unemployment,
improve the quality of education, and aid in rebuilding the infrastructure
of the region.
In addition, CRS is involved in food aid, said Tom Garofalo, CRS representative
for the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. “We are also working with
Palestinian young people in an educational peace-building capacity, in
the hopes that it will lay the groundwork for eventual reconciliation,”
Garofalo said. “That’s a long-term process, but we feel it
isn’t happening sufficiently on its own, and it’s a contribution
we can make.”
Price said he and his colleagues were also told by Rabbi David Rosen of
the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem that lifting Palestinians out
of poverty will require changes in the relationships among Muslims, Christians
and Jews.
Price said Rabbi Rosen told him: “‘Everyone in this part of
the world sees themselves as victims, and they are waiting for someone
else to take the first step. People see this as a zero-sum game —
if Palestinians win, then Jews lose. If Christian Arabs get something,
then Muslim Arabs lose something.’”
He agreed with what he described as Rosen’s assessment: To establish
peace, the international community must show that it cares about all sides.
• To learn more about the CRS’ Israeli-Palestinian Peace advocacy
alert visit www.crs.org and click on the top bar where it says, “Act
Now.” Scroll down and click “Advocate” to find the action
alert.
• To view fair trade products from the Holy Land, visit www.crsfairtrade.org.
• For further information, contact Maureen McCullough, CRS Northeast
regional director, at mmccullo@crs.org or 610-293 4669.
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith can be reached at npozo@adphila.org
or (215) 965-4614.