I spent the last 2 days in an upscale hotel in Ramallah going through my ISM training. ISM stands for International Solidarity Movement. It is an organization that seeks to protect Palestinians from human rights abuses from the Israeli army and to challenge the military occupation of the West Bank.
W e will be going to protests against the separation wall that cuts into the West Bank. Israel claims it is for security, to separate it from the Palestinians. However the wall takes Palestinian land, and separates farmers from their fields, making life impossible for many. It does not divide the West Bank from Israel, it annexes a lot of land.
We learned about Palestinian culture. It is very honour based. Palestinian families will offer all of the food they have to guests. There is also social accountability. The women in our group were told that if they were to face sexual harassment from men on the street, it is enough to yell for help and everyone will respond. Saying the word “halas” (shame) in Arabic is enough to get most potential aggressors to back off.
We will also be working in Hebron and Palestinian villages, responding to violence from settlers and the IDF. ISM does not allow its members to engage in violence, and supports only unarmed Palestinian resistance. Most of that resistance is peaceful, however in some villages Palestinians do throw stones at soldiers- who fire teargas canisters, rubber bullets, and sound bombs. Having spent the last 2 weeks in Israel and Palestine with CPT, I have seen and heard evidence of the systematic destruction of Palestinian homes, water deprivation, and aggression by settlers and soldiers. Throwing a rock is a very small act in comparison to what the Israeli government is doing.
As a Christian however I am opposed to all forms of violence and do consider rock throwing to be an act of violence. I can understand the resentment and desperation that can lead to such action but I do not personally believe that violence will change the situation for the better, and it gives the Israeli military an excuse to use more violence. Therefore I will only be taking part in actions where the resistance is peaceful. It looks like I will be spending a lot of time in Hebron. I am excited already, I look forward to seeing the CPT team again.
We learned as well about our rights, as internationals we have a lot more rights than Palestinians do. We can be detained for up to 24 hours if arrested, and the worst thing that can happen to us as a result of our activism is deportation. Palestinians can be held for days, weeks or even months at a time before even seeing a judge. We learned about teargas, rubber bullets (or, as ISM calls them, rubber coated steel bullets- which is exactly what they are), sound bombs and other weapons in the IDFs arsenal as well as how to respond if we are grabbed and soldiers are trying to arrest us, if things come to that point.
We are using fake names and I cannot share pictures of other ISMers on the blog.
"Julia" and I took the bus from Ramallah and got into Hebron today in the evening. We are staying in an ISM apartment which is not too far from CPT. Everyone except one of us is from Europe, Sweden and Denmark in particular. I'm the only non-European there. Well, actually that's not true. I am Polish and proud of it. I am also Canadian and proud of that too. So we're all Europeans in a way and I guess I do fit in. The guys sat around smoking shiksha (water pipe) and discussing politics and faith stuff. An awesome evening in other words and not one argument. Everyone is OK with me not going to demos that will involve rock throwing, at least demos during in which rock throwing is sanctioned by the protest organizers.
Tomorrow we will be spending time in a Palestinian village, staying with a family that was attacked by settlers today in the morning. The field was set on fire and CPT has been doing a night shift. Me and another ISMer will be spending most of the day there tomorrow.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Bethlehem to Israel checkpoint
We left Bethlehem and crossed through a checkpoint to get into Israel. Thousands of Palestinians make this trip everyday as they go to work. Many work in Israel because there are very few jobs in the West Bank.
I was reminded of a prison. The steel bars, grey walls and atmosphere makes it hard for me to think of anything else when I went through there. Getting into the West Bank is relatively easy, a fact that I found initially surprising. Getting out is harder.
The guards at the booths hold people up as long as they want, treating them however they want. They asked us for passports, seeing they are Canadian and American they waved us through. The Palestinians with us did not have such luck.
I was reminded of a prison. The steel bars, grey walls and atmosphere makes it hard for me to think of anything else when I went through there. Getting into the West Bank is relatively easy, a fact that I found initially surprising. Getting out is harder.
The guards at the booths hold people up as long as they want, treating them however they want. They asked us for passports, seeing they are Canadian and American they waved us through. The Palestinians with us did not have such luck.
Welcome to Neverland
During one of our days with CPT, we were given permission to drive through a settlement. The nicely paved roads, luscious greenery and beautiful homes remind me of Canada. There are very few Palestinians who live like this.
Israeli settlers are given subsidized housing and other benefits in order to be able to live in the West Bank. Once a settlement is built, roads are constructed to connect them to other settlements. And settlements often expand, with or without permission from the Israeli government.
Palestinians who are in the way have to move or have their property destroyed.
Israeli settlers are given subsidized housing and other benefits in order to be able to live in the West Bank. Once a settlement is built, roads are constructed to connect them to other settlements. And settlements often expand, with or without permission from the Israeli government.
Palestinians who are in the way have to move or have their property destroyed.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Meeting L and B
During our delegation, we took one day to visit "the other side". We went to visit some settlers. Their names are L and B and they are a couple living in the West Bank.
L was born in the United States. She converted to Judaism. B is Israeli. They both follow the Orthodox Jewish tradition. There is a lot to be admired in being an Orthodox Jewish believer. As B said, it requires that you follow over 613 rules. The lighting of the candles has to be done just at the right time.
L and B have suffered a terrible tragedy, one that they shared with us. Their teenage son was killed several years ago by a Palestinian gunman who entered a yeshiva, a Jewish religious school, in Jerusalem, and shot dead 8 students. He was one of them. L and B and their family have experienced terrible loss. My heart goes out to them.
However, L and B see nothing wrong with living on occupied land. They moved in during the 1980s. As B claims, he has Palestinian friends and teaches his high school students to love everyone, including Arabs.
According to L and B, God wants them in the West Bank and it must be settled and ruled by Jews. Palestinians must accept that. L does not believe that Palestinians face shortages of water and blames it on their government. The constant attacks by settlers on Palestinian villagers in At-Tuwani are 'understandable', even if she does not support them. She is surprised that more people are not killed.
B fought in the Israeli army. According to him, this is a war between 'civilization' and 'barbarians'. Sometimes, force is necessary to teach the Palestinians 'a lesson'.
He admits that Israeli soldiers do sometimes commit war crimes and that he is ashamed of some of his fellow soldiers. He has also told us stories of a commander who ordered his men to be careful when crossing a Palestinian field in order to not accidentally crush a cabbage. However, the IDF is a 'very moral army'. After what I have heard and witnessed in the West Bank thus far, I cannot say I agree. There are soldiers I have met who are very decent and kind, but their orders require them to treat Palestinians as potential criminals and to destroy their property. I have spoken to many Palestinians who know unarmed people who have been killed by the IDF.
I believe L and B when they criticize Palestinian leaders. The PA's corruption and heavy handedness is legendary and a glimpse of any human right's groups website will confirm that. Hamas has still not renounced its charter which outlines the twisted vision of wanting to see Israel destroyed and rockets do fly into Israel from Gaza. Few Israelis are injured or killed and although their suffering is very real it does not even begin to compare in scale to what the Palestinians are going through on a daily basis.
I've heard L and B alternate between declarations of friendships with Arabs to using words like 'barbarians' to define Palestinians and saying that 'in Bedouin culture, a boy becomes a man if he is good at stealing'. I haven't heard such racism for a long time.
L and B graciously welcomed us to their home and shared their worldview with us, along with some delicious ice cold water. They are not raving fanatics or lunatics but often smile and speak in a very calm voice.
I will not include their pictures because I did not ask them if I can post their photos on this blog. I will also not provide their names. Although we interviewed them and they did not ask us to change their names, I have decided not to include them.
I will post some photos of a suburban settler neighbourhood where we drove by at one point during the delegation. The beautiful green lawns and shrubbery around their red roofed homes remind me of some of the richer neighbourhoods in Canada. One of our team members counted 7 playgrounds in the settlement. I haven't seen one in Hebron.
L was born in the United States. She converted to Judaism. B is Israeli. They both follow the Orthodox Jewish tradition. There is a lot to be admired in being an Orthodox Jewish believer. As B said, it requires that you follow over 613 rules. The lighting of the candles has to be done just at the right time.
L and B have suffered a terrible tragedy, one that they shared with us. Their teenage son was killed several years ago by a Palestinian gunman who entered a yeshiva, a Jewish religious school, in Jerusalem, and shot dead 8 students. He was one of them. L and B and their family have experienced terrible loss. My heart goes out to them.
However, L and B see nothing wrong with living on occupied land. They moved in during the 1980s. As B claims, he has Palestinian friends and teaches his high school students to love everyone, including Arabs.
According to L and B, God wants them in the West Bank and it must be settled and ruled by Jews. Palestinians must accept that. L does not believe that Palestinians face shortages of water and blames it on their government. The constant attacks by settlers on Palestinian villagers in At-Tuwani are 'understandable', even if she does not support them. She is surprised that more people are not killed.
B fought in the Israeli army. According to him, this is a war between 'civilization' and 'barbarians'. Sometimes, force is necessary to teach the Palestinians 'a lesson'.
He admits that Israeli soldiers do sometimes commit war crimes and that he is ashamed of some of his fellow soldiers. He has also told us stories of a commander who ordered his men to be careful when crossing a Palestinian field in order to not accidentally crush a cabbage. However, the IDF is a 'very moral army'. After what I have heard and witnessed in the West Bank thus far, I cannot say I agree. There are soldiers I have met who are very decent and kind, but their orders require them to treat Palestinians as potential criminals and to destroy their property. I have spoken to many Palestinians who know unarmed people who have been killed by the IDF.
I believe L and B when they criticize Palestinian leaders. The PA's corruption and heavy handedness is legendary and a glimpse of any human right's groups website will confirm that. Hamas has still not renounced its charter which outlines the twisted vision of wanting to see Israel destroyed and rockets do fly into Israel from Gaza. Few Israelis are injured or killed and although their suffering is very real it does not even begin to compare in scale to what the Palestinians are going through on a daily basis.
I've heard L and B alternate between declarations of friendships with Arabs to using words like 'barbarians' to define Palestinians and saying that 'in Bedouin culture, a boy becomes a man if he is good at stealing'. I haven't heard such racism for a long time.
L and B graciously welcomed us to their home and shared their worldview with us, along with some delicious ice cold water. They are not raving fanatics or lunatics but often smile and speak in a very calm voice.
I will not include their pictures because I did not ask them if I can post their photos on this blog. I will also not provide their names. Although we interviewed them and they did not ask us to change their names, I have decided not to include them.
I will post some photos of a suburban settler neighbourhood where we drove by at one point during the delegation. The beautiful green lawns and shrubbery around their red roofed homes remind me of some of the richer neighbourhoods in Canada. One of our team members counted 7 playgrounds in the settlement. I haven't seen one in Hebron.
Saying goodbye
Yesterday, we drove back to Jerusalem. We had a goodbye ceremony and prayed for each other. We shared communion. I almost cried. It was such a powerful experience to partake in sharing Christ's body and blood with other believers in the holiest city in the world where our Lord and Saviour walked, a city that He cried for and that is sorrounded by so much suffering and cruelty and injustice.
However, there is always hope and where there is darkness there will one day be light. He lives in Israel and Palestine. He is present in the refugee camps and with grieving families and at the checkpoints and in destroyed villages. His eyes are not closed to what is happening here, and neither can ours. He will come again and the tears in this city and land and world will be turned to laughter and joy.
I will miss my delegation members and am looking forward to starting ISM.
However, there is always hope and where there is darkness there will one day be light. He lives in Israel and Palestine. He is present in the refugee camps and with grieving families and at the checkpoints and in destroyed villages. His eyes are not closed to what is happening here, and neither can ours. He will come again and the tears in this city and land and world will be turned to laughter and joy.
I will miss my delegation members and am looking forward to starting ISM.
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