There is so much information circling around what is taking place in Palestine/Israel. This episode is not a history lesson on the founding of Israel, the displacement of Palestinians, nor the current military occupation taking place in Gaza. There have been many books, documentaries, podcasts, etc created to do that. This episode is an invitation to join us in our journey as we wrestle to make sense of geo-politics and how religion is so often used to divide us, rather than bring us together.

As stated in the episode, neither of us are experts in terms of the Middle East. We debated bringing experts into the conversation but decided to focus on our own experiences and what has led us to our current concerns, our own going curiosity, and ultimately how we can continue to value the radical sacred in every human being, and all creation.

Resources that have been helpful to us in our journey:

• Science and Non Duality with Gabor Mate and Angela Davis
• The 100 Year War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
  
• A Palestinian Theology of Liberation by Naim Stefan Atik
• Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour and David Hazard
• The Rapture Exposed by Barbara Rossing
• Israelism
• Al Jazeera
• Noura Erakat
• Criticism of Israel and Antisemitism: How to tell where one ends and the other begins 

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Context
05:49 Reading from Richard Rohr and Setting the Intention
09:23 Phil's Journey and Experiences in Israel and Palestine
27:04 Repression of Journalists and Activists
30:05 The Misuse of Religion as a Tool for Power and Violence
35:02 Interpreting Religious Texts with Love and Kindness
42:11 Seeking Diverse Sources for a Nuanced Understanding
46:20 Embracing the Shared Humanity of All People