Questions and answers

Q: Is Sabeel anti-semitic?

A: No. Sabeel is against injustice and against the oppression of any person or group by another. We seek to follow Christ’s great command to love our neighbour – Israeli and Palestinian; Jew, Muslim and Christian.

We believe Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine is not only destructive of the lives of the Palestinians but is also a denial of the Jewish heritage of justice and righteousness.

Q: Does Sabeel support acts of terrorism?

A: No. Sabeel is against all forms of violence, whether it is suicide bombers, the physical violence of an occupying army, the structural violence of the occupation on civic society or the psychological violence of media propaganda.

Q: Does Sabeel endorse an economic boycott against Israel?

A: Sabeel does not call for an economic boycott of Israel. It calls for morally responsible investment, ultimately leading to divestment from companies that profit from the Occupation, not from all Israeli companies.

Q: Why shouldn’t Israel occupy the whole of the ‘promised land’ the Bible talks about?

A: Do we really believe in a God who loves one group of people but hates another? The land does not belong to the Jews – or to the Muslims or the Christians. The land, like all of creation, belongs to God. And we, whatever our creed or culture, are invited to live in the land as guests of God; respecting other guests.

Q: Is Israel our enemy?

A: No. Israel is our neighbour and we are called to love our neighbour. That means seeking the wellbeing and fulfillment of our neighbour. What we oppose is the injustice currently being perpetrated by the government of Israel – with the help of its western allies.

Q: So, if Israel is not our enemy, are you saying Sabeel is a ‘friend’ of Israel?

A: Yes.