And what's so different, the Rev. Ateek asks, between a Palestinian suicide bomber and, say, the Hebrew hero Samson? "Obviously from the perspective of the Israelites he was regarded as a hero and a freedom fighter while from the perspective of the people of power, namely the Philistines, he was, in today's language, a terrorist."

The Rev. Ateek understands the rationale behind suicide bombings — but he condemns them, nonetheless, as crimes against God and innocent people. The Christian response to oppression, he argues, is nonviolent resistance.

"This is not passive resignation," he writes. "It is total surrender to the God of justice who established this world on justice and who is going to make sure that injustice does not have the last word. . . . . We condemn suicide bombings because they are trapped with the same violent logic exercised and perpetuated by the Israeli government."

The Sabeel Center has translated his booklet about suicide bombing into both Arabic and Hebrew, and the text is available on the group's Web site, www.sabeel.org.

In Utah, Friends of Sabeel member Frances ReMillard says she believes the Mideast conflict won't end until Americans "decide how they want their dollars spent."

"We have a very big voice." The Israelis she talked to when she visited the area last fall told her "we couldn't afford this occupation without your dollars."

She, too, knows this is a hard sell. "We have such a long narrative coming from the other perspective."

"Working for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel: A Conference for Peacemakers" will be held Saturday, Feb. 21, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Mark's Cathedral, 231 E. 100 South. Speakers will include the Rev. Canon Naim Ateek; Phyllis Bennis, co-chairman of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation; Joseph Carr of the International Solidarity Movement; Jeff Helper, coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions; and John Reese, coordinator of the U.S. branch of the Stop the Wall Campaign. Cost of the conference is $35 if received before Feb. 21, $40 at the door. For more information, contact Nancy Appleby at 484-1965.

A shorter panel discussion, free to the public, will be held Friday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Salt Lake Public Library, 210 E. 400 South. Panel presenters will also speak at Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah Valley State College and several area churches.

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E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com