We Belong to the Land

We Belong to the Land:

the story of a Palestinian Israeli who lives for peace and reconciliation

 

by Elias Chacour and Mary E. Jensen

This is the story of Elias Chacour, a Melkite Catholic priest, and his ministry in the small Galilee village of Ibillin and beyond.

Reading this book, three things become very quickly apparent about Elias Chacour –

    1)   his passionate love for Jesus,

    2)   his love for the Palestinian people,

    3)   his desire to see the Jewish and
    Arab people reconciled.

Woven together through this book are the story of Elias Chacour’s life and the story of the Palestinian people. Elias Checour was born to a Palestinian Christian family in the village of Biram in Upper Galilee in 1939. Along with his whole village he experienced the tragedy of eviction by the Israeli authorities in 1948 and became a refugee in his own land. He and all his family members became citizens of Israel when the state was created.

In 1965, Father Chacour was ordained and appointed as priest of St. George Melkite Catholic Church in Ibillin. Father Chacour realised early on that his work in Ibillin would require more than routine priestly duties. He knew that the only way for Palestinian people to flourish was through education. Through his efforts and leadership, a pre-school, a village library and a secondary school were set up to serve the children of the village.

His vision was that through education, children and young adults of different faith traditions – Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Druze – should learn to live and work together in peace. He has traveled around the world with this message and, alongside the secondary school, a peace centre was built in Ibillin for international visitors to stay and join in this ministry.

This book is a reminder that there is an ancient Christian church in the Middle East. Although for many Christian Arabs their faith may be nominal and inherited, for many their faith is living and vibrant. The outward form may appear archaic and formal to those of us who are more used to a “modern” or informal expression of our faith. Nevertheless, for many their devotion to Jesus and understanding of his teaching is beyond question.