Musalaha

Musalaha (Arabic: مصالحة; Hebrew: מוסאלחה) is a non-profit organization that works for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians based on the biblical principles of peace, justice, and brotherly love as exemplified in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The name "Musalaha" comes from the Arabic word meaning "reconciliation." The organization's vision, as stated on its official website, is: "We seek to be an encouragement and to facilitate reconciliation, first of all among Palestinian Christians and Israeli Messianic Jews, and beyond among our respective communities." In practice, Musalaha's work aims "to create bridges between different segments of Israeli society and Palestinian society, according to the biblical principles of reconciliation." Musalaha operates in partnership with a number of international organizations, such as Reconciliation Ministries in the United States, the Amzi association in Germany and Switzerland, as well as local Palestinian and Israeli organizations. The members of the steering committee are all Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian leaders, in Israel or in the Palestinian Territories. The organization was founded in 1990, during the First Intifada, when the need for unity between Israeli and Palestinian Christians was particularly felt. Dr. Salim J. Munayer, a Palestinian from Lod, recounts that at that time, the lack of unity was clearly felt by Christian leaders on both sides. In response to this problem, they "founded Musalaha to be a platform allowing people from their respective communities to enter into a process of reconciliation based on biblical principles." Their vision was to create a neutral space for Israeli Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians to meet and receive specific teaching on the theme of reconciliation. Initially, Musalaha began by taking groups of Palestinians and Israelis on desert trips, the perfect place for such encounters because of the calm and solitude that naturally prevail there. Munayer explains this choice by saying: "I wanted to try to take groups of people [Israelis and Palestinians] into the desert for three days. I believe that when they are far from their usual environment and surroundings, in a context where they must cooperate, we can begin to break down barriers and build relationships of trust." From this simple small seed, Musalaha has grown and developed to become, locally and internationally, a recognized entity that has implemented a wide range of activities to promote rapprochement between Israelis and Palestinians. Certainly, this is not an easy task, particularly because of certain sensitive subjects such as: Israeli settlements, Palestinian terrorist attacks, biblical questions concerning the Land of Israel, as well as questions of social justice and international law. Without ignoring these political and theological subjects that divide, Musalaha seeks first and foremost to bring the two parties together to create bonds of friendship, which will then serve as a solid foundation to begin the difficult task of debating the contentious issues. Salim Munayer comments on this: "In founding Musalaha, we knew in advance that we would have to deal with these questions. But we also understood that Musalaha had to be above all a safe place for discussion, a place where people could first develop friendly relations, and then express themselves, exchange, and debate the issues that divide us. Several wanted to deal with these problems from the start, without understanding the importance of the process: that is, that these questions would be dealt with in due course and appropriately, within the framework of previously established friendly relations." The strategy for establishing these relational foundations, according to Munayer, was to bring the two parties together around a common biblical basis.

Musalaha was founded in 1990, during the First Intifada, when the need for unity between Israeli and Palestinian Christians was particularly felt. Dr. Salim J. Munayer, a Palestinian from Lod, recounts that at that time, the lack of unity was clearly felt by Christian leaders on both sides. In response to this problem, they "founded Musalaha to be a platform allowing people from their respective communities to enter into a process of reconciliation based on biblical principles." Their vision was to create a neutral space for Israeli Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians to meet and receive specific teaching on the theme of reconciliation. Initially, Musalaha began by taking groups of Palestinians and Israelis on desert trips, the perfect place for such encounters because of the calm and solitude that naturally prevail there. Munayer explains this choice by saying: "I wanted to try to take groups of people [Israelis and Palestinians] into the desert for three days. I believe that when they are far from their usual environment and surroundings, in a context where they must cooperate, we can begin to break down barriers and build relationships of trust." From this simple small seed, Musalaha has grown and developed to become, locally and internationally, a recognized entity that has implemented a wide range of activities to promote rapprochement between Israelis and Palestinians. Certainly, this is not an easy task, particularly because of certain sensitive subjects such as: Israeli settlements, Palestinian terrorist attacks, biblical questions concerning the Land of Israel, as well as questions of social justice and international law. Without ignoring these political and theological subjects that divide, Musalaha seeks first and foremost to bring the two parties together to create bonds of friendship, which will then serve as a solid foundation to begin the difficult task of debating the contentious issues. Salim Munayer comments on this: "In founding Musalaha, we knew in advance that we would have to deal with these questions. But we also understood that Musalaha had to be above all a safe place for discussion, a place where people could first develop friendly relations, and then express themselves, exchange, and debate the issues that divide us. Several wanted to deal with these problems from the start, without understanding the importance of the process: that is, that these questions would be dealt with in due course and appropriately, within the framework of previously established friendly relations." The strategy for establishing these relational foundations, according to Munayer, was to bring the two parties together around a common biblical basis. "I came to the conclusion that the theology of reconciliation was the best theology to resolve all these questions and that, more than anything else, Jewish and Palestinian believers needed to meet face to face. Any other option would not have been as effective as a real encounter, because of the stereotyped discourses that tend to demonize or dehumanize one or the other party." Brother André, the founder of the Open Doors mission, was among the very first supporters of Musalaha. He wrote about Musalaha: "of all the ministries in Israel, this is the one that attracted me the most. It seemed to me to be both the most ambitious but also the most risky. It was not an idea promoted by foreign missionaries but on the contrary, the project was born in the local Christian community. Moreover, this project did not simply talk about the problem between Palestinians and Jews, but it contributed to bringing the two parties together to provide them with an opportunity to reconcile." Over time, Musalaha has developed a number of different projects, from desert encounters to conferences and training workshops, all dedicated to a single cause: bringing Israelis and Palestinians together. Officially, Musalaha as an organization has no political position, however, as Salim Munayer notes: "It would be naive to say that Musalaha does not [have political objectives], because here in Jerusalem, we are all concerned by politics, it is as natural as breathing or..."

• 1990

  Musalaha founded during the First Intifada by Dr. Salim J. Munayer and other Christian leaders.

• 1990

  Initial activities began with desert encounters for Israelis and Palestinians.

A faith-based non-profit dedicated to Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation through biblical principles, operating as a neutral platform for dialogue and relationship-building.

• Desert encounters

  Multi-day trips in the desert for Israelis and Palestinians to build trust and break down barriers.

• Conferences and training workshops

  Events dedicated to reconciliation and dialogue.

• Women's and youth groups

  Programs specifically for women and youth to engage in reconciliation.

1. 1Musalaha - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Musalaha - Wikipedia (French)fr.wikipedia.org