Difference between revisions of "Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East"

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'''Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East''' is a zionist organization whose principal aim is to counter calls by Churches in the United States for divesment or boycott of Israel. The organization's website also devotes significant effort to smearing Christian groups which are active among the Palestinians yielding such insights as "Portrays Jews/Israel as Christ killers", etc.; in particular, C4RPME has launched a campaign against the Sabeel Center (A Palestinian Christian group based in Bethlehem) calling it a "corrupting influence" etc. C4RPME also campaigns against inter-faith meetings between Christians and Muslims. Finally, a list of groups is provided that promote "Responsible Peace in the Middle East".  Many of the reprints appearing in its website are from [[Freedom House]] and articles by neocons (Frank Gaffney seems to be a favorite).
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Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East ([[C4RPME]]) says it "is committed to educating the public, the media, and elected officials about the discrimination, intimidation, forced conversion, and violence that Christians face throughout the Middle East, especially under the Palestinian Authority."<ref>[http://www.c4rpme.org/aboutus.html About us], C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref> Its principal aim is to counter calls by churches in the United States for divestment or boycott of Israel.<ref>[http://www.c4rpme.org/divestment.html Mainline churches & divestment], C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref>
  
The origins of the group are very clear: it is an amalgam of the American Jewish Congress, The David Project and Stand with Us. In several of the C4RPME press releases all the references of the persons listed are of those three organizations. There is no listing of the people working for this group that are devoted to it full time; they all work for either of the three listed organizations.
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==Activities and campaigns==
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===US churches===
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C4RPME campaigns against resolutions by the Presbyterian Church USA, the World Council of Churches, the Episcopal Church of U.S.A., the United Church of Christ, two regions of the United Methodist Church, and the Anglican Consultative Council encouraging divestment from Israel.<ref>[http://www.c4rpme.org/divestment.html Mainline churches & divestment], C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref> The C4RPME opposes these resolutions on the grounds that they:<ref>[http://www.c4rpme.org/divestment.html Mainline churches & divestment], C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref>
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* single out Israel for condemnation;
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* portray Israel's efforts to defend itself against terrorism in the harshest terms possible; and
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* appear unwilling to acknowledge the motive and consequence of Islamic terror on Israeli society.
  
The subtitle of the C4RPME website is "Promoting Accuracy, Balance and Hope".  What C4RPME understands by accuracy is the acceptance of the Israeli/zionist narrative.  Failing that, it seeks "balance", i.e., obtain an equal hearing and the ability to contest the Palestinian narrative. The "Hope" is thrown in to convey the impression that it is an inter-faith organization; in reality it is a hardline zionist organization which aims to drown out the Palestinian narrative.
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===The Sabeel Center===
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C4RPME has launched a campaign against the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem (Sabeel), a Palestinian Christian group based in Bethlehem, which, it says:
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:undermines hope for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, for greater understanding about the conflict, and for the spread of religious tolerance by promoting intolerance, extremist theology, a one-sided perspective of the conflict that silences the Israeli side, and continued intolerance against Christians in the Palestinian Authority and the larger Middle East. Sabeel excuses terrorism and distorts facts in order to demonize Israel. Sabeel promotes policies that are impeding responsible peace in the Middle East.<ref>[http://www.c4rpme.org/activist/sabeel.html GROUPS ACTING AS ROADBLOCKS TO RESPONSIBLE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem], C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref>
  
From the About Us section of their [http://c4rpme.org/aboutus.html website]:
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==Founding members==
<blockquote style="background-color:beige;border:1pt solid Darkgoldenrod;padding:1%">
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According to the C4RPME website, these are:<ref>[http://www.c4rpme.org/aboutus.html About us], C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref>
The Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East believes that peace can only be achieved when all parties take responsibility to prevent terror and to enforce the rule of law. We also believe that the anti-Israel resolutions proliferating throughout mainline churches world-wide are roadblocks to peace. These resolutions single out Israel for taking defensive measures against terrorist attacks without calling on the Palestinians to cease terrorist attacks against Israel. Furthermore, these resolutions ignore a critical roadblock to peace in the Middle East, i.e., persecution of Christians under Muslim rule. Peace and persecution cannot coexist.<br>Therefore, the Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East is committed to educating the public, the media, and elected officials about the discrimination, intimidation, forced conversion, and violence that Christians face throughout the Middle East, especially under the Palestinian Authority.
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*[[American Jewish Congress]] www.ajcongress.org
</blockquote>
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*The [[David Project]] www.davidproject.org
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*[[StandWithUs]] www.standwithus.org
  
==Principals==
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==People==
*[[Roberta P. Seid]] --Director of Research and Education StandWithUs and Member C4RPME  
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*[[Roberta P. Seid]] - Member, Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East. Director of Research and Education, StandWithUs<ref>Roberta P. Seid, [http://c4rpme.org/bin/articles.cgi?Cat=media&Subcat=mentions&ID=60 Interfaith Dialogue], C4RPME website, December 12, 2005, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref>
*[[Roz Rothstein]] -- Executive Director StandWithUs and Member C4RPME 
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*[[Roz Rothstein]] - Member, Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East. Executive Director, StandWithUs<ref>Roberta P. Seid, [http://c4rpme.org/bin/articles.cgi?Cat=media&Subcat=mentions&ID=60 Interfaith Dialogue], C4RPME website, December 12, 2005, accessed 20 Jan 2010</ref>
*[[Dexter Van Zile]] -- Christian Outreach Coordinator for the David Projec
 
 
 
 
 
==Affiliations==
 
*[[American Jewish Congress]] -- principal funder and organizer
 
*[[David Project]]
 
*[[Stand with Us]]
 
*[[Christians for Fair Witness in the Middle East]] (a group created at the same time as C4RPME).
 
  
 
==Contact==
 
==Contact==
:Website: [http://c4rpme.org/aboutus.html c4rpme.org]
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:Website: http://www.c4rpme.org/
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==Notes==
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<references/>
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[[Category:Middle East Watch]][[Category:Israel Lobby]]

Latest revision as of 15:57, 20 January 2010

Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East (C4RPME) says it "is committed to educating the public, the media, and elected officials about the discrimination, intimidation, forced conversion, and violence that Christians face throughout the Middle East, especially under the Palestinian Authority."[1] Its principal aim is to counter calls by churches in the United States for divestment or boycott of Israel.[2]

Activities and campaigns

US churches

C4RPME campaigns against resolutions by the Presbyterian Church USA, the World Council of Churches, the Episcopal Church of U.S.A., the United Church of Christ, two regions of the United Methodist Church, and the Anglican Consultative Council encouraging divestment from Israel.[3] The C4RPME opposes these resolutions on the grounds that they:[4]

  • single out Israel for condemnation;
  • portray Israel's efforts to defend itself against terrorism in the harshest terms possible; and
  • appear unwilling to acknowledge the motive and consequence of Islamic terror on Israeli society.

The Sabeel Center

C4RPME has launched a campaign against the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem (Sabeel), a Palestinian Christian group based in Bethlehem, which, it says:

undermines hope for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, for greater understanding about the conflict, and for the spread of religious tolerance by promoting intolerance, extremist theology, a one-sided perspective of the conflict that silences the Israeli side, and continued intolerance against Christians in the Palestinian Authority and the larger Middle East. Sabeel excuses terrorism and distorts facts in order to demonize Israel. Sabeel promotes policies that are impeding responsible peace in the Middle East.[5]

Founding members

According to the C4RPME website, these are:[6]

People

  • Roberta P. Seid - Member, Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East. Director of Research and Education, StandWithUs[7]
  • Roz Rothstein - Member, Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East. Executive Director, StandWithUs[8]

Contact

Website: http://www.c4rpme.org/

Notes

  1. About us, C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  2. Mainline churches & divestment, C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  3. Mainline churches & divestment, C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  4. Mainline churches & divestment, C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  5. GROUPS ACTING AS ROADBLOCKS TO RESPONSIBLE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem, C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  6. About us, C4RPME website, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  7. Roberta P. Seid, Interfaith Dialogue, C4RPME website, December 12, 2005, accessed 20 Jan 2010
  8. Roberta P. Seid, Interfaith Dialogue, C4RPME website, December 12, 2005, accessed 20 Jan 2010