Was he denied entry into Israel because he was a
Presbyterian? If that implies that all
Presbyterians had best stay away or be turned back, then probably not? He is an activist with a compassionate heart
for the poor, oppressed and abused people wherever they are.
Chris Weaver grew up in the church where I was a pastor for
21 years. He would never carry a gun, nor
would he ever encourage violence. As far as I know he never made a public
speech. What he did do was question the
fairness of the news media and the blind support of Israel by our leading
politicians. Last Sunday, on a five
o’clock flight, he left for Israel
to volunteer to work for six months with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society,
a group of doctors and medical professionals who for 35 years have dedicated
themselves to helping the victims of Israel’s violent attack on
Palestinian civilians, especially children.
Chris was sponsored by The Joining Hands for Justice in Israel and Palestine,
a committee of Presbyterians in Atlanta.
Chris was held up at the Allenby Bridge
crossing. Israeli security searched and interrogated him with questions for seven hours. Then without offering any
reason or explanation as to why, he was told that he would not only be denied
entry into Israel to work with the Medical Relief Group but that he was banned
from entering Israel for ten years. As I
write, Chris is in limbo, holding up in a hotel in Jordan, not
knowing what to do. My guess is that he
will fly back home as soon as possible.
At least, I hope so.
Now, the rest of the story.
What do you do when your son is in trouble overseas? You call your representative
in Washington.
However, when Chris’s father, Bert
Weaver, contacted the office of Representative Tom Price to ask for help in
understanding what had happened to Chris, Price’s staff person said, we are not
interested. In other words, if you live
in Georgia and have a
conflict with Israel,
you don’t have a Representative to represent you. He represents Israel. Even if you are an American citizen, a life long
Presbyterian, being sponsored by a Presbyterian organization and seeking to
support a team of humanitarian doctors,
if your Representative’s friends in Israel say “no”, then you are on
your own.
When the office of Senator Johnny Isakson was called, the
answer was pretty much the same. His office was not the proper place to seek
help. Fahed Abu Akel was told to file a
complaint and Isakson would pass it on to someone else, but he would not get
involved. Now, I know that Isakson, like all politicians, is thinking about his
next election and is concerned about running afoul of AIPAC. But is he not
aware that the tide in America
is turning? More and more people,
including American Jews, are siding with people like Chris, and questioning the
policies of Israel
and the leadership of politicians like Tom Price and Johnny Isakson, and they
also vote.
While any Israeli Jew can enter the U.S., no questions asked, because of our “special
relationship” with Israel,
it does not work the other way. Israel lives in
constant fear that decent Americans will look around at their Jewish State and
talk about what they see. Visitor after visitor comes home from Israel saying,
“You have to see it to believe it.” This
explains what caused so much panic in the security guards at the Allenby Bridge. Chris was carrying one of the
most frightening “weapons” ever used against Israel. He had
a camera.
Even so, I cannot imagine what Israel is thinking. Pass the word around the US that in spite of your country’s giving Israel billions of dollars in charity every
year, you may receive no respect if you seek to enter Israel. What will this do to their tourist
economy? For years I have had people ask
me if it were safe to travel to Israel.
I have always assured potential travelers, whether going on a Bible study tour
or going to work to help the victims of Israel’s occupation and racist policies,
that they, as an American citizens, would be welcomed and respected. I can no
longer say that.
Thomas
Are
February
9, 2015
