March 30: Kuttab's conversation with GF Alums and others interested in Israel/Palestine peacemaking:

George Fox alums and others interested in peace and justice in Israel/Palestine gathered in a special session with Jonathan Kuttab at 6:30 pm Tuesday, March 30 at the Chehalem Cultural Center at 415 E. Sheridan Street in Newberg.

The meeting was part of Kuttab's visit to the GFU campus March 30 and 31, leading up to his 7:00 PM Wednesday evening address on "Civility, Justice, and a Bill of Rights: Building a Successful One-State Political Culture in the Holy Land."

GF alums and other interested in peacemaking in Israel and Palestine were invited to more fully explore the topic with Kuttab in a smaller face-to-face meeting Tuesday evening. Attendance was limited by COVID guidelines, so the meeting was an informal dialog, allowing Kuttab to engage with questions.

March 31: "Civility, Justice, and a Bill of Rights: Building a Successful One-State Political Culture in the Holy Land." Kuttab explored what has to change in the political cultures of both Palestine and Israel to make it possible for the two traumatized groups to negotiate a single state featuring strong civil rights protected by a written constitution. COVID- Limited seating was available in Baurman Auditorium for George Fox students and alumni. Others, including the public, tuned in on Zoom.

"If civility is speaking and acting in ways that enhance our political cultures," noted Civility Project director Ron Mock ahead of the talk, "then Kuttab will be talking about one of history's most challenging civility projects. We Americans can learn a lot from efforts like Kuttab's."

Speaking February 4 on the topic "Civility, Justice, and a Bill of Rights: A Vision of Israel/Palestine as One State", Kuttab outlined his reasons for concluding that a two-state solution will bring neither Israelis or Palestinians what they want. And he articulated a vision of how politics and life would be better for both Israelis and Palestinians in an ideal single Israeli / Palestinian state.

Since the end of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the predominant proposals for ending armed conflict in the area involved creating two states: Israel keeping the land it held before the war, and Palestine being created in the West Bank and Gaza. This was the assumption behind both the Camp David agreement brokered by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, and the Oslo Agreement signed in 1993. Since then new and expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank have clouded the prospects of ever establishing a functioning Palestinian state.

Kuttab originally supported the two-state solution, but has abandoned it in favor of an inspiring vision of a single democratic state in which the rights of every Muslim, Jew, and Christian (and others) to practice their faith would be guaranteed by a strong bill of rights. Jews anywhere in the world would keep the right to immigrate currently guaranteed by Israel, while Palestinian refugees would enjoy the right to return.

In his February 4 talk, Jonathan noted how challenging this vision is, given the generations of violence that has caused so much pain.

In his March 31 talk, he addressed how to meet that challenge: how build trust, civility, and new ways of doing politics that can open the possibility of agreeing to transform the political culture.

We might look to those who live amid much deeper, more hardened, and more violent political polarization. What might we learn from followers of Jesus in those places?

Jonathan Kuttab is such a person. He came to George Fox, virtually, on February 4.

Kuttab is the co-founder of two organizations committed to nonviolence and working for just resolutions of violent conflict. In 1979 he co-founded Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights groups based in Jerusalem, Kuttab's home town. Ten years later, Kuttab worked with fellow Palestinian Christian Mubarak Awad, to co-found Nonviolence International, which works globally to foster non-violent resultion of major conflicts. Kuttab serves on the the governing boards of Bethlehem Bible College, the Holy Land Trust, and other peace organizations.

On February 4, Kuttab spoke on the topic Civility, Justice, and a Bill of Rights: A Vision of Israel/Palestine as One State. About 70 students and employees watched his Zoom talk in Bauman Auditorium, where they participated directly in the question-and-answer portion of the event. A similar sized group attended, via Zoom.

The February 4 event was the opening segment of the semester long project.