Guest columnist Rabbi Morris Zimbalist: When words speak louder than actions
You know the phrase, "Actions speak louder than words." Well, sometimes the opposite is true.
Ignorance and disengagement breed intolerance, misunderstandings and violence. Innocent Israelis, innocent Palestinians and other innocent citizens living within the greater Middle East need and deserve peace. However, the politicalization of Israel, its enemies and its allies has caused misrepresentations of the terms used to describe the situation and increased senseless hatred, violence and loss of life.
Much of the core of these latest attacks, known as Operation Shield and Arrow, remains unchanged from those in similar conflicts in the past. Does Israel have the right to exist? Does Israel have the right to defend itself by itself? Do Palestinians have the right to create their own sovereign state called Palestine? And can Israel and a Palestinian state live peacefully side by side?
The answer to all these pressing questions is "YES." But know your words, because violent actions are not a path to peace.
To better understand the current situation in Israel and the region, clarification is needed for some misunderstood or misrepresented words. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami fi Filastin, also known as the PIJ) is a militant Palestinian organization that began in the early 1980s with support from Iran - the leading state sponsor of terrorism. The purpose of PIJ was to maintain a military struggle against the state of Israel and, with support from then Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Arafat, opposed the Oslo Peace Accords. Its headquarters are based in Damascus, Syria, and it is designated as a terrorist organization by many Westerns nations which erroneously refer to the PIJ as simply Islamic Jihad.
The term "jihad" is often misunderstood and has several meanings. The Western media usage is often associated with violence and terrorism. However, the actual meaning and application of jihad by Muslims is very different.
As with all Islamic terms and concepts, jihad is mentioned in the Quran and refers to a struggle for the cause of God. Jihad is a process of inner self-discipline with the desire to better oneself. It focuses on recognizing and strengthening one's personal faith through deep self-reflection, recognition of personal shortcomings and the goal of self-improvement. The term jihad al-nafs (struggle against one's soul) is a common feature of Islamic spirituality and worship. Jihad recognizes a sacred partnership with God and the blessings that God grants to both the individual and the greater world.
Jews engage in a very similar process beginning on Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur and continue by regular study of holy texts that emphasize self-improvement, ritual and discipline, partnership with God and the recognition that all people are created in God's image.
To many, if not most, Muslims, jihad refers to an inner struggle of faith and practice; however, several Islamic movements over the last century have referred to jihad as a struggle against Western colonial rule or defense or attacks against foreign occupation. Jihad does not mean "violence or killing" or "fighting Jews or Christians" simply because they are Jews or Christians.
But to many who are not familiar with religious terminology or engaged in interfaith partnerships, or only view things through a "black or white" lens and fall short in basic understandings of Islam, Jihad and Islamic Jihad equate to terrorism and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This mistake deepens the divide of those within and outside of the region who simply want peace. Sacred texts, terms and actions must never be weaponized.
The tinder that sparked the most recent attacks between Israelis and PIJ militants stems from the death of Khader Adnan, who was arrested and died in Israeli custody. Adnan, who had been arrested multiple times by both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority (PA), died after an 87-day self-imposed hunger strike - a peaceful protest he had used in previous incarcerations, but this time led to his death.
Adnan, however, was a former spokesperson for the PIJ, accused the PA of collaborating with Israel and maintained direct connections to PIJ violence. In response, the PIJ indiscriminately fired hundreds of rockets into southern and central Israel, some of which landed in the Gaza Strip while others were intercepted by Iron Dome and David's Sling - both funded by the United States Congress with bipartisan support.
Innocent people were hurt and killed. The Israelis launched a targeted attack against 3 PIJ commanders: Khalil Bahtini, Tareq Izz ed-Din and Jihad Ghanem. All three terrorists were killed, but so were innocent Palestinian civilians.
I love Israel and always will. I do not always love the Israeli government and denounce the bad actors in the current Netanyahu coalition government. I treasure my Muslim friends who, like me, believe that there must be a Palestinian state. But violence and terrorism, particularly from those in leadership positions, will never result in mutual understandings and desires for peace from Israelis or Palestinians.
If misunderstandings and misuse of religious texts, terms and spiritual yearnings are used to influence public opinion, how is peace ever going to be possible?
The path to peace lies in diplomacy, knowledge, understanding, the ability to respectfully agree and disagree and recognizing the "human" within "humanity," rather than lessening the value of life through senseless hatred. As Albert Einstein once said, "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." And much like past Israeli/Palestinian conflicts, peace must begin and be maintained by the achievement of mutual understanding.
• Rabbi Morris Zimbalist is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove and is an executive committee member of the Chicago Board of Rabbis.