The Telos Channel

Last week, Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa mosque, beating those inside and arresting hundreds of Palestinians worshipers. In an echo of 2021, it appeared that the convergence of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter in the holy city would spark another escalation as rockets and bombs lighted the skies above Israel's borders and the Gaza Strip. In this episode, we detail the events and offer the necessary context often missing from mainstream sources, and we predict where we might be headed from here. 

While it appears that a larger escalation has been avoided for now, the underlying violence of the moment rages on. We unpack how to see it, and what’s problematic about the narrative that “tensions will flare” when the holy days of Ramadan, Easter, and Passover converge in the Holy Land. And we offer tangible next steps we as international observers can do to support lasting, just peace in this moment. 

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Could this moment in Israel/Palestine offer a strategic reset for US engagement in the region? While Israelis were taking to the streets, we sat down with Palestinian-American businessman and commentator Sam Bahour to hear his thoughts on the current moment—locating it in the larger context, recognizing opportunities for transformation of the deeper realities, and charting a path forward.

 We recorded this episode prior to the pause of the judicial overhaul on Monday, March 27th, but we think its relevance and importance holds as we await what happens next in that saga. 

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Resources Recommended from Sam:

Sam Bahour’s website www.epalestine.ps

Boycott (Just Vision) and the Telos Instagram explainer post

Want Israeli-Palestinian Peace? Try Confederation (New York Times and Medium)

Visiting the Palestinian narrative requires more than a visit (Medium)

When home is no longer home [Book Review] (Le Monde diplomatique (English edition) September 2022 Issue and Medium)

What do Palestinians want? (Medium.com)

An American Evangelical Christian Man’s Awakening to Palestine [Book Review] (Medium)

Israel’s Linguistic Acrobatics [Book Review] (Medium)

Palestinians are done conceding (Medium) 

What does it take to flourish? Both personally and collectively, even in the midst of profound and seemingly intractable conflict? Andrew DeCort, Christian peacemaker, teacher, and author has an idea. He says the formative practices of the prayer offered by Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, what many of us know today as the “Lord’s Prayer,” can shape us into the kind of people with the groundedness and courage necessary to be peacemakers. 

This week on the show, we invited Andrew to discuss his new book on this prayer, “Flourishing on the Edge of Faith: Seven Practices for a New We.” He describes the seven practices that emerge from it, and the ways it challenges us to be transformed inwardly even as we practice justice externally. He also shared powerful stories from his personal life as a peacemaker, ultimately pushing him to the conviction that violence cannot save us. And he offers each of us an invitation to experience the flourishing available to us, to take up the call of peacemaking and begin to see the “new we” that is possible in our world. 

Whether you identify with a faith tradition or none at all (or find yourself somewhere in between), Andrew’s example of the moral courage it takes to live a life of nonviolence and peacemaking will inspire you to practice a deeper life of flourishing for yourself, and for the world. 
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Buy Andrew’s book, Flourishing on the Edge of Faith

Listen to our prior episode with Andrew, April 2022: The Check-in: How to Love Your Enemy, with Andrew DeCort

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

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Ten Palestinians killed in Jenin. Seven Jewish worshipers killed in Jerusalem. And more since then…What’s happening? Where are things headed, and what can we do about it?

This week, we discuss the escalating violence in Israel/Palestine that has caught international attention, unpack what CIA Director William Burns means when he says it bears an “unhappy resemblance” to the Second Intifada, and what it looks like to speak honestly about the violence— and call our political leadership to do so too. In this fraught and dangerous moment, telling the truth is our urgent calling as peacemakers.   

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Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

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Carlos Rodriguez (@carloshappynpo): “Peace is the goal, justice is the way, and truth-telling is the starting place.”

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting in the streets of Tel Aviv since the inauguration of the new government on December 29, voicing their concern over the government’s proposals to erode basic democratic ideals of judicial review. But ever more presently, its most extreme elements now have control over the administration of the Palestinian territories, and the nearly 5 million Palestinians who have no vote for the government but live under its management and control. 

This week, we unpacked the story behind these protests and the growing concerns among the Israeli public about this new government. But importantly, we ask what it will mean for the Palestinians living under occupation, and the possibility of peace in the land.

Joined by Editor in Chief of +972 Magazine, Edo Konrad, and recorded in-person with our Jaffa office.
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Subscribe to +972 Magazine

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Telos’ A Quick Guide to Political Advocacy

What just happened in Brazil? We’re asking that question too. 

This week, we brought on a special guest to help put the events in Brasilia on Sunday in context, especially considering the larger trends of democratic backsliding happening across the globe. And we ask what we as peacemakers should take note of now that the new government in Israel has officially been inaugurated.

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It’s the holiday season! For most of us, that means the storm before the calm. So this week, we invited Telos co-founder Todd Deatherage on the call to help us slow down, reflect, and look back on some of the wins of the past few months. 

One way we did this was to discuss the liturgical holiday of Advent, which Christians practice during the weeks leading up to Christmas as a season of waiting and expectation. Todd shares how he approaches Advent as a peacemaker, with an eye to the particular practices he focuses on during this season.

We also hear from both Todd and our newest team member, Frances, about recent trips Telos has taken to the US South. And as a special offering, we’re sharing with you the reflections of some of our recent alumni from one of these trips, who Practiced Peace by sharing their experiences with the folks in their community. 

Don’t forget - we’re in our end of year campaign and need your support! Donate to Telos before the end of the year. 

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

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We’ve all been there: the family has finally all sat down at the Thanksgiving table, ready to enjoy a peaceful meal together when that uncle or that cousin says something outlandish and the whole table erupts or goes quiet and everything goes off the rails. In what can be some of the hardest moments with the people we love most, how do we practice peacemaking?

We’ve got a very honest, and very fun conversation for you on how to navigate the challenges of peacemaking within our own families—chosen or otherwise. Between naming our boundaries and the limits of our responsibility, and walking through a technique from our friends at Resetting the Table for opening receptivity, this episode will equip you to practice peacemaking this Thanksgiving with the people with whom it can sometimes be the hardest to find peace.

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

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The Check-in: Thanksgiving Special (2021)

Resetting the Table

It’s election season! Across both Israel and the US, citizens have gone to the polls in the past week to vote on the future of their nations. While the results in the US are yet to be determined at the time of posting, Israel’s results are clear—and they’re concerning for those of us who are working towards a future of mutual flourishing for Israelis and Palestinians.

How will this new government approach the Occupation and Palestinian communities, both within Israel and the Palestinian territories? Who is the controversial Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called for the “expulsion” of Palestinians in Israel? And what will it mean for the future of the US-Israel relationship? 

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

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Listen to the “Occupied Thoughts” podcast with Lara Friedman on the election results

Last week most major news outlets were covering the death and funeral arrangements of Queen Elizabeth II. At the same time, Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico just days before the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, with hardly any headline coverage. In this episode we discuss different conversations around the death of the Queen, the legacy of British Imperialism, and what colonialism has to do with Puerto Rico. 

We also reflect on how to respond as peacemakers holding competing narratives around the death of an influential political figure. What does it look like to advocate for justice for those affected by the legacies of destructive political policies? How can we be a part of building a more just future, beginning with Puerto Rico and hurricane recovery efforts? 

To help with hurricane recovery efforts, you can donate through an organization we know and trust, ConPRmetidos: https://www.classy.org/campaign/hurricane-fiona-relief/c429954