Speaking the Truth (Paperback)

"In our struggle for justice and peace in South Africa we had to learn to speak—and listen to—hard truths. Our experience should encourage all who strive for justice and peace in the Holy Land. My visits to the Holy Land remind me so much of South Africa: apartheid is back, complete with the ‘Separation Wall’ and bantustans. History, it seems, repeats itself. Yet, if peace could come to South Africa, surely it can come also to the Holy Land. I welcome this book that exposes some of the hardest truths about Israel-Palestine. The distinguished contributors—from Israel, Palestine, the US, the UK and Ireland, women and men, Jews, Christians and Muslims—speak their Truth. Reconciliation will follow later." -- From the Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu In this collection of original essays, 12 internationally respected scholars and experts examine the ethical and strategic issues of the Palestine-Israel conflict, and offer us a rare window into the realities behind Israel’s military occupation. It is an essential resource for anyone who wishes to understand the causes, underlying tensions, injustices and the tragically ongoing occupation. CONTENTS FOREWORD—Desmond Tutu ZIONISM AND THE CHALLENGE OF HISTORICAL TRUTH AND MORALITY—Michael Prior ZIONISM, CHRISTIANITY AND THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT—Herman Ruether and Rosemary Radford Ruether STATE OF DENIAL: THE NAKBAH IN ISRAELI HISTORY AND TODAY—Ilan Pappé WHY WE REMEMBER DEIR YASSIN—Daniel McGowan THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY, JERUSALEM: A CASE STUDY IN POLITICAL CHRISTIAN ZIONISM—Stephen Sizer MAINSTREAM CHRISTIAN ZIONISM—Peter Miano POLITICS AND MULTI-FAITH IN THE HOLY LAND: A CHALLENGE FOR CHRISTIANS— Duncan Macpherson THEOLOGIZING, TRUTH AND PEACEMAKING IN THE PALESTINIAN EXPERIENCE—Jean Zaru SPEAKING THE TRUTH TO JEWS—Paul Eisen THE RIGHT OF RETURN AND ITS DETRACTORS—Naseer Aruri WAKING THE SLEEPING GIANT—Betsy Barlow

Rev. Dr. Michael Prior, CM, is Professor of Bible and Theology at St. Mary’s College at the University of Surrey in England, where he is also Senior Research Fellow in Holy Land Studies. He is the editor of Holy Land Studies: A Multidisciplinary Journal and the author of numerous books, including Christians in the Holy Land (1994), Western Scholarship and the History of Palestine (1998), Zionism and the State of Israel: A Moral Inquiry (1999), Holy Land – Hollow Jubilee: God, Justice and the Palestinians (1999), and They Came and They Saw: Western Christian Experiences of the Holy Land (2000).