Retired minister reflects on Mideast conflict | CPT PPP Coverage

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The conflict between the groups in the Israel-Hamas war has a long history. 

The retired Rev. Mark Davidson says many Americans aren’t well educated on that history. From the ages 6 to 9, Davidson lived in Lebanon with his parents who were professors. While he was there, he visited a Palestinian refugee camp.

“Several thousand Palestinians languishing in squalid conditions, not being allowed to assimilate into Lebanese society, and certainly not being allowed to return,” Davidson said.

He was shocked by what he saw.

“It really left an imprint on me,” Davidson said. “I found myself thinking, how can human beings be treated this way? And I started thinking about it even at a young age.”

The experience led him to begin a 40-year career as a Presbyterian minister. He got involved in a nonprofit called Voices for Justice in Palestine. Ever since the Israel-Hamas war began, Davidson has been calling for de-escalation.

“We do need to understand the context and this long history that has been so grievous, especially for the Palestinian people, but not without its pain for the Jewish people in Israel,” Davidson said. “We care deeply about peace for Jewish and Palestinians alike. But we do believe very firmly that the root issues of the injustice, of the dispossession and the settler colonial project that has dispossessed the Palestinians, that that has to be addressed. If we don’t get to that, it will be, you know, indefinite and infinite crises and violence and cycles of rage and retaliation. We all want it to stop.”

Ultimately, Davidson says whether it was his previous work as a minister or speaking out at rallies, his work is about bringing together people of Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions to promote peace. For him, it’s a big part of his faith.

“I don’t know how to conceive of my vocation apart from the work of peace and justice,” Davidson said. “Christ identified himself with those who are vulnerable and downtrodden, and we’re certainly seeing that now. So as a follower of Christ, as someone who tries to be faithful and live a faithful life, I have to be about that work.”

He says part of the solution is to distinguish the moral values of the Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths from their extremists.

“Wherever one comes down on a lot of these issues, the basic regard for human life and the need for humanitarian assistance to stop the carnage is fundamental,” Davidson said.

Davidson says people can help the situation in the Middle East by donating to humanitarian aid organizations like Oxfam, the Red Cross or Red Crescent. They can also educate themselves on current events and the history of the people in this region. Finally, Davidson asks people — no matter what their faith background is — to pray for peace.