A Palestinian Theology of Liberation

Overview

"Merits wide attention and close sustained study . . . . "--Walter Brueggemann

Addressing what many consider the world's most intractable conflict, Naim Ateek offers a succinct primer on the theology of liberation in the context of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination. From the historical roots of this struggle, Ateek shows how the memory of the Holocaust has served to trump the claims and aspirations of the native inhabitants, and how later Israeli occupation and settlements in the West Bank have contributed to their suffering and oppression.

As a Christian theologian himself, Ateek shows how Western Christian support for Israeli claims to the land rely on a particular and exclusivist reading of the Bible. In contrast, a Palestinian theology of liberation responds with a counter-strategy for biblical interpretation, one that emphasizes the prophetic themes of inclusivity and justice. Ateek concludes by providing broad principles of achieiving security, peace, and justice for all the peoples in Israel/Palestine.

Rev. Dr. Naim Stifan Ateek, an Anglican priest, is a Palestinian Arab and a citizen of Israel. A former canon of St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem, he is founder of Sabeel, an ecumenical center in Jerusalem that uses a theological approach to work for liberation for Palestinians. He is the author of Justice and Only Justice and A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation.