"Alongside all Christians of conscience, I look forward to the time when Canadians will join with Palestinian Christians in the quest for an inclusive future in the land of the Holy One. Jesus is still weeping over Jerusalem."
October 6, 2023
Dear Editor,
I was fascinated to read Avi Benlolo’s column, "Spitting at Christians is an affront to human decency and the Jewish faith,” as my heart is with all efforts to bring peace to the troubled city of what Palestinian Christians call El-quds (the Holy One.) However, in my nearly two years of living in Jerusalem, I came away experiencing it much more as a police state than what he describes as a “city that is open and protects all faiths.” Perhaps he is talking about the privileged lives lived over in West Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, where I lived, I saw Israeli police with guns on street corners, boarding buses, and demolishing homes.
I lived with Christians – but in ways Benlolo overlooks, they are mostly Palestinian Christians being spitted at, having graves defaced, and facing increasing settler violence. Christian Palestinians, living for decades under Israeli occupation, have taught me a lot about the changes required for a truly just peace.
Alongside all Christians of conscience, I look forward to the time when Canadians will join with Palestinian Christians in the quest for an inclusive future in the land of the Holy One. Jesus is still weeping over Jerusalem.
William Roberts