What is Musalaha?
Musalaha seeks to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians as demonstrated in the life and teaching of Jesus.
The organisation says: ‘We endeavour to be an encouragement and advocate of reconciliation, first among Palestinian and Israeli believers and then beyond to our respective communities.
‘Musalaha also aims at facilitating bridge building among different segments of Israeli and Palestinian societies according to Biblical reconciliation principles.’
In the book Through My Enemy’s Eyes Salim Munayer, the Director of Musalaha writes: ‘We do not believe that our peoples are doomed to make the same mistakes; nor do we believe that we are forever locked in cycles of violence and political impasse … We must look at our past and our present in light of our hope for the future.’ Musalaha is the Arabic word for ‘reconciliation’.
Musalaha has two separate approaches to reconciliation work. The first promotes a faith-based process of reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian followers of Jesus.
Biblical principles
The other approach in their work began more recently, through their Bridge Building programme with Palestinians and Israelis from Muslim, Christian and Jewish backgrounds. The programme’s message of reconciliation is based on the Biblical principles of peace, tolerance and love.
This creative reconciliation ministry uses seminars, retreats, workshops and ‘desert encounters’ to build bridges, relationships and understanding between Palestinian and Israeli Christians who are often estranged because of the competing claims to the land in which they coexist. Is it possible for those Palestinians and Israelis who desire to remain true to their history and nationality to also live as neighbours free of hostility, bitterness and fear? Musalaha provides venues in which the answer, through Christ, can be ‘Yes’!
