I landed in Madrid this morning at the invitation of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He is convening a meeting of religious leaders from around the world as he enters the global conversation between people of faith about how their beliefs can contribute to creating a safer and more humane world. I cannot escape the tension of being pulled in two directions, neither of which make me comfortable, as the proponents of each flood me with e-mails, voice mails, and just about every other form of communication.
One the one hand, I am told that I should not even be at this meeting. The Saudis are “our” enemies and this conference fuels their nefarious plans. On the other hand, I am told that this meeting is a breakthrough moment which heralds a new moment for peace and justice in the world. Frankly, I am saddened by the fear of the first group and annoyed by the naivete of the second group. Each seems to know the end of a story whose introduction is still being written.
I simply believe that the more we know each other, the more effective we will be when we either create the genuine relationships for which so many of us long, or have to actually fight those who turn out to be enemies of decency, openess, and respect for all people.
And the complexity of this meeting is only heightened by this morning´s images from the Lebanese border with Israel, where right now two coffins carrying the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, are being exchanged for five palestinians including the notorious Samir Kuntar, and 199 bodies of Hizbollah fighters. But I think that the scenes from that border offer a powerful lesson to anyone being asked to take a chance or make what seems to be a “bad deal”. I mean what possible rationale is there for swapping five murderers and 199 corpses, for the bodies of “just two” Israeli soldiers?
But that is precisely the point. The deal is not equal and it may even subvert some definition of justice. But even the family of Kuntar´s victims support this deal because it reflects the awareness that symmetry should be trumped by compassion, even when it may empower your opponents in the short term. In the long term, and with the caveat that not all of one´s eggs be placed in the “compassion basket”, Israel believes that this deal strengthens the nation and its spiritual-ethical foundations. I could not agree more and it is with just that attitude that I am attending the Madrid Conference.
Of course there is the risk that this conference will allow some of its delegates and the nations from which they come, to take victory laps not unlike those being ridden by Hizbollah gunmen in front of the reviewing stands in both Nakoura and Beirut. But it also creates a precedent for meetings that have never before happened and about which no one will ever be able to say again, can not happen. This morning we begin to make history, and it will take time to see what will come of it. But I can think of no time when not taking such chances for peace, was not a greater mistake than taking them – especially when all the other options remain.
When I landed this morning, I was met by the side of the plane and driven by private car across the tarmack. On the way, we saw an huge rainbow over the airfield and I was struck by the brilliance of this happening (I just can´t call it a coincidence). I pronounced the blessing traditionally said when seeing a rainbow, a blessing which praises God for remembering and keeping the covenant, symbolized by the rainbow, not to destory the earth as in the flood story found in Genesis.
God remains God in the story, but also pledges to take a chance on human kind once again. And this time the chance is backed up by a pledge to keep us in play no matter what. That spirit of enduring hope about people is what animates me at this conference. If God can take a chance on the entire human race forty days after having been so evil that they were all destroyed, can we do less?
I am proud of the State of Israel this morning, and I am proud to be in Madrid.