Jerusalem Pastor Speaks on War with Hamas

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW108529518 BCX4"> <p><span data-contrast="none">Recently on</span> <a href= "https://www.colsoncenter.org/upstream/a-jerusalem-pastor-on-the-war-in-gaza-david-pileggi/"> <span data-contrast="none">the</span> <em><span data-contrast= "none">Upstream</span></em> <span data-contrast= "none">podcast</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, my colleague Shane Morris sat down with David Pileggi, the rector of Christ Church in Jerusalem. His work there involves helping Palestinian children through increased access to hospital care and combating trafficking. He also educates Christians about the Jewish context of their faith. Fr. Pileggi has served as an Anglican minister in Jerusalem for over 40 years.</span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">From that perspective,</span> <a href="https://www.colsoncenter.org/upstream/a-jerusalem-pastor-on-the-war-in-gaza-david-pileggi/"> <span data-contrast="none">he thinks that the most important aspect</span></a> <span data-contrast="none">of the Israeli-Hamas conflict is missed by many in the West. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">"Probably at its heart there is a religious underpinning that most secular people in the West don’t understand because many Westerners, especially Western elites, can’t take religion seriously. And so, they focus on land, or refugees, or human rights, etc., etc. And I don’t want to deny that any of these are important, especially to the Palestinians. But there’s something a lot deeper that’s going on."</span> <span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}">  </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">In general, shaped by a secular vision of life and the world, Westerners tend to underestimate the significance of religion. In particular, Westerners fail to understand how committed Islamists are t