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June 22, 2026

Episode #77, John Dear in conversation with Zoughbi Zoughbi of Bethlehem, Palestine

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks one of the great peacemakers of our time, his friend Zoughbi Zoughbi of Bethlehem, Palestine.

Zoughbi is a lifelong Catholic Palestinian activist, organizer and teacher of Gospel nonviolence. Long ago he founded the Wi’am Center, the Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center in the center of Bethlehem. Wi’am is widely recognized as a place of nonviolent conflict resolution that helps Palestinians in the day to day struggle for justice and peace (www.alaslah.org) For the last few years, he has also served as the president of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, which is the oldest peace group in the world (www.ifor.org). Whenever you think you are working too hard for justice and peace, remember Zoughbi!

“This is the first time in history that Bethlehem and Jerusalem are separated, that you cannot travel between them,” he says. “We are living in reservations, separated from each other. Bethlehem is becoming a smaller reservation surrounded by 23 settlements and many outposts. The West Bank is a prison; Gaza is a concentration camp. Every day, we see more prisoners, houses being demolished, state violence, settler violence, environmental violence. The situation is moving from worse to the worst.”

“I want my people to live their life and know their rights, to work for a culture of acceptance, to resolve conflict nonviolently. We are exposing the atrocities of the Occupation, and ask people to be in solidarity for us. We are all global citizens of a global world. I want all Christian brothers and sisters to walk in our shoes. Come and visit. Stop aiding and supporting Israel, its weapons, wars and occupation. I don’t want the Holy Land to become a museum without people.”

When asked about the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, he says, “Our dream is to educate all children in the world in peace and nonviolence, to get all religious leaders to preach the refusal of war, terrorism and violence, to get everyone to work for a world without war and nuclear weapons.”

“Jesus was soft on people, but hard on the system,” he concludes. “He asks us to love each other and to struggle against injustice…. Be the salt, the yeast and the light… Hope for me is a form of nonviolent struggle. We are going to become the Beloved Community one day!” Listen in and be inspired! God bless you!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Wes Howard-Brook! For more information, visit here.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter

June 15, 2026

Episode #76, John Dear in conversation with Mel Duncan

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with one of the great peacemakers of our times Mel Duncan. Mel has been a leader in developing the practice of unarmed civilian protection for over two decades. He started providing nonviolent protective presence along Nicaragua’s northern border in 1984 during the Contra war. In 2002 along with David Hartsough and Mary Lou Ott, he co-founded Nonviolent Peaceforce (www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org). NP’s “nonviolent civilian protectors” provide direct protection to civilians caught in violent conflict and work with local groups to prevent further violence and sustain peace in a variety of conflict areas including South Sudan, Ukraine, the Philippines and the United States.

Mel has represented NP at the United Nations where the group has been granted Consultative Status. Recent UN global reviews as well as Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions have cited and recommended unarmed civilian protection. The American Friends Service Committee nominated Nonviolent Peaceforce for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2018 Nonviolent Peaceforce received the Luxembourg Peace Prize.

Since retiring in 2023, Mel has helped organize a team of unarmed civilian protectors who are now working in Palestine as “Unarmed Civilian Protection.” He worked there for six months in 2025. For the past few months during the ICE occupation, he has been providing protective presence in St. Paul where he lives.

“How do you confront violence with strategic disciplined nonviolence?” Mel asks. “We’ve had thousands of people over the last 25 years who have learned Nonviolent Peaceforce skills to take back to their own communities. There are now over 60 other civil society groups now doing this kind of work in 24 areas of the world. We stress the two hand approach: we resist the injustice with one hand while we reach out to the humanity in every one of us with the other.”

When John asked about Palestine, he said, “The violence has intensified greatly since the attacks on Iran and Lebanon. It’s provided a cover for Israelis to brutally attack Palestinian civilians. What can people do? As Rabbi Abraham Heschel said, we pray with our feet. Know that the Kingdom of God is here and now; it’s a consciousness in all of us. Even when it’s hopeless, we can continue on.” Listen in and be inspired to step up your Gospel nonviolence! God bless you!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Zoughbi Zougbhi! For more information, visit here.

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