End of an Era
Doug Dicks
Dear family and friends,
Last October, before I departed for Jordan and the U.S., Iran launched a barrage of missiles from its territory towards Israel, and overflying the Palestinian Territories. This was the second time in six months that Iran unleashed missiles towards Israel.
I watched from my balcony as they flew overhead, and one by one, as Israel’s Arrow and David’s Sling system intercepted them, and took them down.
Tensions had been rising for some time, and fears of a wider conflict enveloping the entire region were rampant, as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, stationed in Lebanon, escalated and Yemen’s Houthis and Israel engaged in rocket attacks and counterattacks against one another. As a result, most foreign airlines ceased operations in the region.
Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem were subdued again last year, save for the traditional church services. It was the most somber Christmas I have ever experienced in the 26 years of living in this region. Gone were the throngs of tourists from Bethlehem’s Manger Square. There were only a few public displays of Christmas symbolism in the streets, but no lights, no trees, no decorations, and no pilgrims. There were plenty of room at Bethlehem’s hotels and inns but not a soul to fill them. I attended two church services on Christmas Eve, and as I walked home through the Old City of Bethlehem just prior to midnight, I couldn’t help but be mindful of the stillness, the quiet and the emptiness in the streets.
As I write to you, some Israeli hostages have been released – both alive and deceased – from Gaza. Palestinian prisoners are also being released by Israel. Many had been held for months or even years without charge, trial, or any due process of law.
In the latest round of hostage and prisoner releases, the Palestinian prisoners’ release was delayed by some days.
Had the Palestinian prisoners been released as scheduled, they would have been clad in shirts provided by the Israeli prisons that read, in Arabic, “I will pursue my enemies, catch them, and will not return until I have eliminated them.” alluding to Israel’s determination to either assassinate and/or pursue the released detainees and re-arrest them. They would have also been wearing bracelets, which bore the inscription “the eternal people do not forget … I will pursue my enemies and catch them.”
Likewise, the Palestinian prisoners in one of Israel’s prisons in the Negev had written on the prison walls “We do not forget, we do not forgive, nor do we bow down,” and “We will all die, but we will die as martyrs.” Save for their families, the majority of Palestinian prisoners remain nameless and faceless, unlike the Israeli hostages, whose life stories are shared with the media.
Today, Israeli tanks are deployed in the Northern West Bank for the first time in over 20 years. Forty thousand Palestinians have been displaced. The death toll in Gaza stands at well over 40,000. Gaza lies in ruins. Israel’s communities along the Gaza border likewise lie in ruins. Lives have been shattered on both sides of this conflict.
Forgiveness is hard. It’s a tough thing to navigate, let alone trying to envision that it might actually be possible. There is a long history in this century-plus conflict between Arabs and Jews – Palestinians and Israelis – of wrongs committed against one another, and heinous acts carried out by the other; yet, if there is no forgiveness, and no acknowledgment that murderous, grievous wrongs were committed by one side towards the other, how does one move forward, and how does one truly heal?
Embracing both Palestinian and Israeli friends and colleagues, I continue to hold on to hope that the day will come when they can put aside their differences, acknowledge the hurt, pain and suffering that they have caused one another, and move forward in a shared future for the sake of both peoples who call this land home.
With the merger of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA), the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has begun to transition to a new model of global mission engagement. As of March 25, 2025, World Mission will conclude, and mission personnel serving around the world end their service in its current form as well. A few have been invited to serve under the church's new structure, the Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
As I conclude this letter – and 26 years of mission service with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — there remains crucial work to be done in this part of the world if there is ever to be true peace based on justice.
I want to personally thank each and every one of you for walking with me these many years, for your prayers, your financial support, and for accompanying me on this journey.
I hope – and I pray – that my time here has not been spent in vain, and that my presence and witness on behalf of the church has made some small difference in the lives of those with whom I encountered, lived amongst, and worked alongside these many years.
I also want to acknowledge with gratitude the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which afforded me the opportunity to live out my Christian faith through service to the church and by witnessing to the unconditional love that Jesus Christ has for us all and which He commanded us to share.
In appreciation,
Doug