Dear Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,
I am a British-born Jewish survivor of Palestinian terrorism. In 2010, while I was guiding Kristine Luken, my American Christian friend, we were accosted by two terrorists, held at knife point for 30 minutes, then gagged, bound and butchered. I watched my friend chopped up in front of my eyes. I myself sustained over 30 broken bones and 13 machete wounds. I survived simply because I played dead. Later, I faced my would-be murderers in court. The unrepentant Palestinian terrorists said that they murdered an American Christian because they believed her to be Jewish.
I am currently on a speaking tour in the UK, educating people about Israel and sharing my work as a peace activist. I was sickened and shocked to discover that vis-a-vis an exhibition in London, the Methodist Church views Israel’s security barrier exclusively as an obstacle to peace. Ostensibly, this is a “Christian concern,” but truthfully, it is in fact, none other than a one-sided, inaccurate and frankly appalling and dangerous distortion of truth.
I am only regretful that in December 2010, there was no security barrier where we were hiking (within the Green Line.) If there had been then my Christian friend would still be alive and I would not be disabled and in acute pain every time I breathe.
My hope is that if our Palestinian neighbors ever recognize Israel’s right to exist, the barrier will come down. I want this not just for my people Israel, who for millennia have dreamed and yearned to live in peace, I also want this for my Palestinian Christian friends.
I wish that they could live in Israel where our own Christians, a protected minority, are equal citizens with full rights. Israel’s Christians move freely and fearlessly and therefore contribute greatly to our democratic society. This of course is in contrast to Palestinian Christians who are persecuted by the murderous regime of the Islamist Palestinian Authority – that same regime that teaches its children institutionalized incitement such as ,“Jews are pigs and monkeys,” and “Jews must be slaughtered.”
If according to your conscience, you are unwilling to cancel your exhibition, I ask you to at least ensure that prayers are publicly said each day for:
- Kristine Luken’s family
- The families of the thousands of Jewish people who were murdered before the barrier was erected
- For my Palestinian Christian friend, Pastor Naim Choury, His church has been bombed fourteen times by Palestinian Islamists. In addition, he has been shot at five times and has tragically buried two congregants.
I hope that you will see fit to exhibit the other side of the coin as well – by showing that the security barrier has saved thousands of Israeli lives and the lives of countless visitors.
Kay Wilson
