Peace studies program proposed for Israel

Peace in the Middle East is an elusive goal. But now some Israeli Arab Christians, with assistance from Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), Winnipeg, hope to contribute to better relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in that region through a proposed peace studies program.

“Arab Christians see themselves as agents of peace,” says Gordon Matties, who was in Israel Jan. 2–7 to help develop the new peace studies program at the Mar Elias College, an Israeli Palestinian-run school in Ibillin. “They believe they can be a peaceful bridge between the two groups. This new peace studies program would aid that effort.”

Matties, associate professor of biblical studies and theology at CMU, was part of a five-person delegation of academics from schools in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Ireland that helped Mar Elias staff create the program proposal.

Matties said that Mar Elias administrators were adamant the program be practical. “Their goal is to graduate students who are equipped to be agents of change, who see themselves as transforming their society.”

In addition to regular courses, the Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies program would also feature student and faculty exchanges between Mar Elias and North American schools like CMU.

Administrators at Mar Elias hope to submit a proposal for the new program to the Council for Higher Education, which regulates university education in that country, in February. If approved, it would be the first undergraduate peace program in Israel.

But even if it is approved, “there’s a long way to go before the program becomes a reality,” Matties cautions. “The faculty need to be trained and money has to be raised to get it going.”

Matties’ trip was supported by CMU and Mennonite Church (MC) Canada. MC Canada also supports Glenn Witmer, an educational and peace worker in Israel who helped organize the trip for the visiting academics.

Mar Elias College serves the 1.3 million Arabs who are citizens of Israel. It was founded 24 years ago by Elias Chacour, a Melkite Catholic priest and a Palestinian-born Arab–Israeli who has long worked for reconciliation among the Holy Land’s conflicting religious and ethnic groups.

With nearly 400 students, Mar Elias is the largest Arab college in Israel; the student body includes Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Druze. A peace centre affiliated with the school was started in 1994, and now Mar Elias aspires to become what it calls a “university of peace.”

—CMU release