Where he can find hope in the midst of pain and heartache | The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

This is a time of renewal.

One year is ending. Another one starts.

At the beginning of the calendar, it is customary for bloggers like me to make predictions about what may or may not happen or, alternatively, to give desperate readers reasons for hope amidst all the pain and sorrow.

I must admit that, as a writer, I have always hated doing any work. The first one strikes me as trivial since playing a sorcerer is a foolish act of hubris. The second is even more difficult, especially when the ever-elusive “silver lining” seems so unattainable that it disappears into inactivity.

This year, like the last, will be remembered for watching – dispossessed and helpless – as the Palestinian people continue to be victims of a genocide perpetrated by an apartheid regime gripped by an insatiable murderous lust and sanctioned by hypocrites who insist they are staunch apostles. human rights and international law.

Day after day the Palestinian people have suffered the cruel consequences of this evil strategy. The number of Palestinian dead and wounded is unbelievable. The manner of their death defies belief, too.

Day after terrible day, Palestinians trapped in their broken land face two scenarios: They will die suddenly and violently – victims of Israeli drones, bombs and hijackers. Or they will die slowly and painfully – victims of hunger, disease, cold and rain.

Hopefully, in this brutal context, it's a cockeyed dream. Or so I thought.

Then I came across a Christmas sermon delivered by a Palestinian pastor and religious teacher, Reverend Munther Isaac, to his congregation in Bethlehem.

Reverend Isaac's 20-minute speech was, at once, an indictment of the architects of the genocide and a reasonable plea not to give up hope – no matter how fragile.

As I listened, my mind and heart wavered between belief and disbelief.

I'm not a prayer person, so my tendency was to dismiss Reverend Isaac's pleas – despite their stinging power and his obvious conviction – as absurd, bordering on fantasy.

I had my doubts.

When Pastor Isaac's sermon reached its climax, I had an epiphany. If a bereaved Palestinian can shine a little light in the darkness, so can I.

I think Pastor Isaac's intention was to assure all of us – believers or not – that hope exists and still stands; You will not be extinguished by those who cleanse death and destruction.

Resistance can take many forms. However, for resistance to be successful it must be inspired by the hope that a future free of poverty and oppression is not only possible, but, as history confirms, inevitable.

So, what did Reverend Isaac say that moved me from negative opinion to positive hope?

He started with this sad reminder. “Christ,” said Pastor Isaac, “is still in the dust.”

The pastor was talking about the picture of the birth of Jesus that he had made in his church last year with the newborn Christ wrapped in a keffiyeh and covered in the debris of Israel's genocide.

The symbolism is infallible. Christ and the Palestinians are one. They share similar conditions and provisions. Just as Christ suffered at the vengeful hands of the authorities who sentenced him to death, so do the Palestinians.

“[Donald] Trump said that if the hostages are not released in January, there will be 'hell to pay'. It turned out to be hell. What are you talking about?” Reverend Isaac said. “It's really hard to believe that another Christmas has come and the carnage hasn't stopped.”

Through all the sorrow, loss, and hardship, the Palestinian humanity remains, says Pastor Isaac, undisturbed.

“It is also 440 days of strength and even beauty,” he said. “Yes. I think of all the heroes of Gaza. Doctors. Doctors. Nurses. First responders. Volunteers. Those who sacrifice everything for other people.”

Reverend Isaac also praised the teachers and musicians who teach and play music to “bring smiles” to the Palestinian children who suffered in the Gaza Strip.

“Yes, the loss is great,” said Pastor Isaac. “But we have not lost our faith and our humanity. This is the beauty I'm talking about.”

Pastor Isaac urged each of us not to succumb to resignation, neglect, or despair because “to be numb is to betray humanity.”

Instead, he said: “We must not rest or lose strength.” Doing so is not only abandoning the people of Gaza, but our humanity. That's why we have to keep talking about Gaza … and the systematic oppression and killing until it ends. “

The “war criminals” and their accomplices who are responsible for the terrible crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, “must”, said Pastor Isaac, “be held accountable”.

“Rather than justice being meted out, they are being meted out [applause] in the halls of Congress and protected by European parliaments,” he said. “And they still dare to teach us about human rights and international law.”

Pastor Isaac, of course, is right in both of these outrageous situations.

“The genocide will end one day,” he added. “But history will remember where people stood. History will remember what they said. They can't say they didn't know. “

Once again, Pastor Isaac is right. We will remember.

In the meantime, Reverend Isaka is convinced that: “A plant will emerge that lives among the ruins, offering the promise of a new dawn.” The assurance of a harvest where justice and restoration will flourish. And the vine will bear fruit that will feed the generations to come.”

It will require hard work and patience, but, I agree, the coming harvest will indeed flourish and the vine of “justice and restitution” will bear ripe and abundant fruit in due time.

“We have not lost hope and we will not lose hope,” said Pastor Isaac. “Yes, 76 years of ongoing Nakba, but also 76 years of Palestine. sumud [steadfastness]we hold on to our rights and the justice of our cause.”

Reverend Isaac concluded his sermon with this admonition that appeared in the Scriptures and was proven, among other places, in South Africa, where another racist country was finally defeated.

“Every Herod will pass away, every Caesar will perish, because kingdoms have an expiration date … and let us remember that according to Jesus, it is the meek, not the mighty who inherit the world.”

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.