Earlier this year human rights activist Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh from Bethlehem University addressed a meeting in Auckland co-sponsored  by the Bishop of Auckland.

Professor Mazin's message, as a Palestinian Christian, was for Christians to take a stand in line with what Christian communities in the Holy Land have called for: a moral and ethical stand in line with the tenets of our faith. We need to combine action and knowledge he said. To get our neighbours and friends to see reality and  become engaged in the resistance to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. 

This is a pretty big call. During summer visits to both Wellington and Auckland I was able to join with thousands in packed "Ceasefire Now!" marches and rallies at Parliament and in Aotearoa Square.  

However, living between Whakatane and Opotiki since February I have not seen a single Palestine flag or keffiyeh in either town. Those two symbols represent the Palestinian people and show that the wearer believes Palestinian people have the right to exist and to inhabit the lands where their families have lived for generations.

I have not seen one where I live despite the presence of Christians and their knowledge of the tens of thousands of Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians, that have been killed by Israel's military. There have been no marches here (as once there were against the Iraq war) nor street  protests.  I have left notices around town asking any pro-Palestine person to contact me, but no luck so far. I feel too self-conscious to wear my keffiyeh in public because I am afraid of being regarded as some sort of radical attention seeker. I have thought of doing a street protest alone - but lack the courage. 

Over the months there have been Anglican responses to the genocide in Gaza. Nearly all though are from Bishops, clergy and church leaders - which is well and good because it is their job to be spokespeople for the church. 

 I  have been wracking my brains trying to think - how could we ordinary churchgoers, some of us in smaller centres, express our solidarity with the people suffering so terribly Gaza  -  and then came a crazy sleepless 3.00 am thought  - what if some of us took to wearing a keffiyeh, or simple keffiyeh scarf or a flag badge or a message T shirt to church, to work, to the supermarket? What if we printed some message bumper stickers (remember them?); draped a Palestine flag from our car when parked or flew one from our church or home? Or we could print posters for fences and walls as in an election - or put up some billboards? What if some of us churchgoers across the country got together and did some serious brainstorming along these lines? What if we invited other faith communities  and human rights organisations to join us? Solidarity with Palestine could be made visible across the country!

In their Easter message our Archbishops called for courage against evil and corrupt leaders, they said,

 “Could we, would we dare to be like Jesus in today’s world? Dare we confront powerful and corrupt leaders? Dare we be found among and seated at the table with the despised and marginalised?”

This is a call from our church leaders for solidarity with today’s despised and marginalised.

For nearly a year, Gaza has been a moral compass of our world. On an ethical basis the world has been divided. How could this terrible thing in Gaza be happening? Who is responsible?  Blame, accusations, arguments  and counter-arguments have flown. Many discovered we knew very little about the history of the Holy Land. 

Now with the US weapons-backed Gaza genocide into its tenth month and the declared intention by the Israeli Cabinet to ethnically cleanse the illegally occupied West Bank of Palestinians, the world is on the brink of witnessing further unspeakable horrors - and our collective humanity is at stake. As Christians, the credibility of our Christian witness is at stake if we are perceived as being silent.

This is a Kairos moment. In both the church and in politics we need courage, integrity and morality. We need simplicity of purpose. Jewish Voice for Peace says simply that it is guided by a vision of justice, equality and freedom for all people. We unequivocally oppose Zionism, they say, because it is counter to those ideals.  

By no means do all Jews support the State of Israel. Zionism that desires the end point of exclusive Jewish habitation of the Holy Land achieved through violence does not equate with Judaism. Thousands of Jews regard Zionism as a settler-colonial enterprise which has gone badly wrong. Young Jews are reviewing their history and understanding. They are spearheading college encampments calling for a sustained ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from weapons manufacturing.

Christians too must recognise our historical role in centuries of antisemitism which laid the ground for the horror of the Nazi holocaust. We are rightly shameful and full of guilt and sorrow for what those who professed the name of Christ have done. But the answer is not to give Zionism a free pass to the land of Israel - claimed as their exclusive God-given right  for all time.

We need to hold in our prayers all the people living in the country. Jews, Muslims and Christians are all distressed and deeply fearful. Many are desperate for the release of loved ones held as hostages in Gaza or Israeli prisons. A just resolution seems unattainable. However, in faith we can trust in a compassionate Creator to be working for good with all who are seeking peace. 

An article which has given me a great deal of insight into the pain which many Jews are experiencing about the disaster which Israel has become is by psychologist Mark Braverman. 

He also redirects Christians back to how this crisis connects back to the core values and beliefs of our faith. Please find time to read this. You won’t be disappointed.  

"Mark Braverman: A Jewish Perspective on Jesus and the John 14 Way".