The law takes action

 
 
Instead of doing anything to stop the settlers, the army and police began to stop cars with Palestinian drivers. Some were asked for documents. Others had their cars searched.

 
The man whose insightful question became the title of my post.
 
Soldiers following us around after dark. They stopped only after we moved away from the highway.

The law shows up

As soon as we approached the highway, we saw it packed with police cars and army trucks. Perhaps they were going to take action against the settlers for invading land that does not belong to them. The next set of pictures shows the law enforcement officers on the road. Behind them, in some of the pictures you can see the settlers celebrating. There is a picture of some of the guys walking by and looking at us through the cordons.


 
 
 
 

Settlers walking to the outpost

 
These guys came first.
 
A few minutes later, the girls and young women followed.
 
Some came by bus. The terrain can be quite rocky and it isn't always easy to walk, even if it is on land that you are stealing from other people.
 
More settlers.

Settler lady

This courageous and outspoken woman deserves her own page on my blog so here it is.

 
Picking figs from a tree on the Palestinian side of the road.
 
Walking away with her children. I feel bad for them, it isn't healthy to be raised in an environment where you are taught to hate.
This was after she called us garbage, said that the land is hers, and told us that God will kill us. After sharing her theology with us, she took them and walked away.
 
Meeting neighbours.

Al Buweyre

These pictures were taken at Al Buweyre while we were waiting for the settlers to show up. They did.

 
Grapes. I have to confess that I am not a grape lover, at least I wasn't in Canada. Grapes in this region though are so delicious it is almost impossible to resist them.
 
Kid on bike. He rode up to us and said hello and started talking to us in very good English. He asked me if he could borrow my camera and take a few pictures.
 
Picture of me. If I look hot and sweaty and exhausted it is because we were climbing rocks and fences for over an hour, there was no water, and it was over plus 40 outside. Oh happy days.
 
Some of the people in my group.

"Then why the fuck do you care??!!!"

I would like to begin this post by apologizing for the swear word in the middle of the sentence. Four letters words are usually not a part of my vocabulary, although I have to confess they do occasionally slip. However, this is a direct quote and I am going somewhere with this.

An hour after coming back from Atta’s house, we got a call from CPT that the settlers were planning a parade near Al Buweyre. Often such events result in attacks against Palestinians, destruction of property, and general harassment of non-Jewish people in the area (unless they happen to oppose the settlers, which most Israelis do).

We came to the village around 3:00 PM. Because of heavy police presence, we had to
go around the road. Like commandos, we climbed over rocks, snuck through the fields, went through grape groves and bean fields. We eventually got close to road connecting Harsina and the outpost and sat on the rocks on the Palestinian side. It is actually very close to the place where my friend and I were attacked two weeks ago.

A lady from the settlement came by with her two sons and crossed over to the Palestinian side to pick figs off the tree. A Palestinian who would dare to do the same and cross over to the settler’s side and be seen would end up either in prison or a hospital. She saw us sitting and watching and began yelling at us in English. She first told us that we are garbage. She yelled why are we standing there.

Actually, we were sitting but that didn’t really matter. She yelled at us that we do not believe in God, that God gave this land to Israel, and that God will kill us. I was about to start pointing out to her the many problems that modern Zionism has in the face of Scripture, that neither the Old Testament or New Testament condone it and that Israel’s policies towards Palestinians fly in the face of Biblical teachings on justice. My teammates advised me that this is neither the time or place for this discussion so I kept my mouth closed.

For a really good read from a Christian viewpoint, I’d recommend reading this article: http://http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/Zionism/zionism.htm

Chances are that you may not agree with everything on the website. I personally don’t. Yet that is OK, we learn by hearing different opinions and points of view.

The woman settler yelled at us some more, then said “garbage garbage, you are garbage” again and walked away. Then we saw groups of settlers walking down the road towards the outpost. Some were men, others were women with kids. They both glared at us and made comments that I could not understand. One of the girls pointed to me and said something, then her girlfriends all started giggling. Perhaps she recognized me from the news.

The settlers moved on to the hills in the Becca Valley, very close to where Atta and other Palestinian farmers live. There were about 70 of them, they just walked on the Palestinians’ land. We followed them and observed from a distance. Some of the men moved uphill, and began chasing away a small group of sheep that was walking towards them on the way to graze. They began throwing rocks and the sheep ran away. Other settlers set up a loudspeaker and began broadcasting speeches.

We moved closer but the police were guarding them and confiscated our passports and told us to go away. We were told the area is a “closed military zone” but no documents were provided to show that. Some group members began arguing with them, pointing out that the settlers are the ones who are here illegally and that the farmers in the area have been attacked before. The soldier responded predictably, and told them to shut up.

I didn’t say much. I just asked the soldier one question: how would he respond if Palestinians held a public event in Harsina or even the outpost.

He looked at me in annoyance and asked me if I am a Palestinian. I told him I am not.

“Then why the fuck do you care??!!!” he yelled.

We were told go away or we would be arrested. It began getting dark. We were eventually given back our passports and we moved away a certain distance. We observed the event until the settlers left, around 8:30 at night. We navigated our way through the fields until we reached Al Buewyre. We stayed at a house with a family that had asked us to stay with them, they feared the settlers would attack them. Given the fact that there were between 70 and 80 of them in the area, it was a fairly reasonable request. We stayed up most of the night, drank water, ate grapes, and played chess with the young men. Thank God nothing happened.



I have to say though that the soldier’s words stayed in my mind, and still do. Why the fuck do I care? Why am I here? Why is ISM here? Why is CPT here? EAPPI? Other groups we may not even know about?

Why are we coming halfway across the world to stand up for the Palestinians? I can speak for myself. I am here because God wants me here. The call to hunger and thirst and if necessary for righteousness comes from my Lord and Saviour’s lips, and it is very real to me. I believe that by standing by the Palestinians I am standing by Jesus. I have also had many oppurtunities to be a witness to people around me.

Jesus accepted those who society had thrown away and decided are unfit to live in equality and dignity. Those, like the woman caught in adultery, whom the religious leaders of her day simply saw as unfit to live. He ate with tax collectors, hung out with fishermen and preached God’s love to the poor. He hears the cries of the Palestinians, and all other victims of injustice. If I am serious about following Him, I cannot close my ears and pretend that “it is not my business”.

Others come for different reasons. Most activists I work with do not yet know God, yet they too can sense the injustice that is taking place. They hunger and thirst for righteousness more than most Christians I know. Unlike so many people, they are not content to sit back and watch the tragedy unfold, they come down here and put their bodies on the line. I am filled with admiration. Paul speaks of them when he wrote of the people who have the Law written in their hearts, even if they do not know it. In many ways, they are already following Jesus and I pray they get to know Him. I wish more Christians had their courage and commitment.

Atta's family

 
Some of Atta's family members. The man in the gray hair is Jaoud, who came running to the house during the attack.
 
R., Atta's young daughter who was with him when the settlers attacked. They said they wanted to rape her.
 
Jaoud.
 
Atta Jabr.

Attack on Atta Jabr's farm

This morning at around 6:45, we got a frantic call from Atta Jabr. Settlers were attacking his house. Atta is a farmer who lives close to Harsina settlement. The first time I met him was when I was with CPT. The army was destroying his irrigation system and cutting his pipes. He hosted us that evening and told us about the abuses inflicted against his family by the soldiers and settlers. Full details can be found on the blog, when I was with CPT.

We immediately called Paulette from CPT- she got a call as well and was on her way there already. Jabr asked us to call the police- he called them about an hour ago and there was no response. I called them and the bored voice at the other end of the line asked me where he lived (I told him) and if he was Palestinian- once he found out that Jabr is Palestinian he asked me for his ID number. I told him I did not know what his ID number is but that his house is under attack. The officer told me that unfortunately without Jabr's ID number he could do nothing. Then he asked me where I am from. I told him I am Canadian and that I am on my way there right now, and the police really should be there.

We flagged down a taxi and got to the farm about 30 minutes after the call. By the time we got there, the police had arrived and Atta was stepping into the van along with one of his older daughters. They drove away.
We stayed behind with his family. They told me what happened.

At around 5:00 in the morning, Atta and his family were awoken with the sound of a shofar- a horn used for Jewish religious rituals. Traditionally it is blown by a rabbi. I have heard it before in Jerusalem, and it makes a beautiful sound. The shofar is used to worship God. The settlers though hold a different interpretation of Judaism than most people.

They came down from the rocks where they were sitting, on land which also happens to be the property of the Jabr family. Atta and his preteen daughter (R.) came out to see what is going on. The settlers then began running down the hill and began pushing them. Atta and his daughter were pushed around, they managed to get in the house and close the door. The settlers then began yelling a slew of insults and threats. They said that the land belongs to them and therefore this is their house. They told Atta they wanted to “f-“ everyone in the house. They yelled they want to “f-“ his daughter. One of Atta’s relatives, Jaoud, came running out of his house to see what is going on. The settlers saw him and fled.

As I interviewed Atta and Jaoud, one of our fellow activists played with the children, and taught them paper-rock-scissors. They were laughing out loud and having the time of their lives. One of them was R. I it is hard for me to understand what kind of a sick mind could come up with horrible sexual threats towards an innocent little girl like her.

Atta and his family hosted us that morning. Although it was Ramadan and most of them were fasting (children and the elderly and the sick are exempt from fasting so Atta and his kids ate a little) they offered us a delicious meal of soup, eggplant and pita bread.


Thank God that nobody was hurt in this assault. I can’t imagine how much hatred the settlers have in their hearts, but I pray that one day they will be free from it too. It destroys them as well as their victims.


 
Army and police truck taking Atta Jabr and one of his older daughters to the station to file a complaint. It is good they arrived. It would have been better if they had came two hours earlier and when Atta, not I, called them.

 
Spot on the rocks overlooking Atta's house. The settlers actually brought a teapot with them and made tea and drank it before attacking.

 
Atta Jabr's house.

 
Harsina settlement. Notice the construction equipment and houses in the process of being built. Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced a "settlement freeze" for one year, a few months ago. Yet this settlement is being enlarged as we speak.

Some random pictures

 
Settler car riding up the road at Tel Rumeida, passing a checkpoint. In Tel Rumeida, Palestinians are not allowed to drive cars even if they make up most of the neighbourhood's population. The only people allowed to drive vehicles are the army, police, border police, settlers, and TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron- they are EU observers).
 
Soldiers stopping people at a checkpoint while others move patrol through the neighbourhood.
 
One day the soldiers got annoyed with us doing checkpoint watch, so they set up a flying checkpoint in our neighbourhood, a metre or two from our apartment.
 
A little road leading to a house in Al Buweyre. I cannot describe how beautiful it is there. The villagers are the kindest, most gracious people. Yet they live in constant fear from the settlers nearby and the army that supports them.

Checkpoint stories

Hi everyone,

I am sure that anyone who has spent some time in the West Bank living alongside Palestinians can tell you some checkpoint stories, so I have a few of my own I decided to share. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me during the first encounter, and during the second one was forced to delete my pictures.


"Soldiers as Peacemakers"

Yesterday on my way from the PA to the Israeli controlled area of Hebron, I literally walked into a fistfight. It didn't involve Israelis and Palestinians, it involved Palestinians and Palestinians. Two guys got into a fight, and one was sporting a black eye. His buddies stayed behind with him, while the one who gave him a black eye ran away with his buddies.
The soldiers at the checkpoint treated him. They had him sit down, asked him how he was doing, and then put a bandage around his head. They then let him go. One of the wounded man's friends shook the soldiers' hand and thanked him. The soldier asked me and some Palestinian observers to leave, we all did. Before leaving I told one fo the soldiers he did a good job.

Reflection: I have seen soldiers act very badly towards civilians at demonstrations and when they cruelly closed down the shops of the elderly Palestinian shopkeepers. I That fills me with disgust. I have not seen abuses at checkpoints but I have seen some soldiers check every person's bag and take their sweet time holding them up when there was no need to.
However, I have also seen acts of kindness and humanity towards Palestinians from an army that is occupying their land. The soldiers at the checkpoint really had no obligation to help the Palestinian man or provide any medical aid. They did not hurt him, this was an incident that did not involve them at all. Yet they not only treated him, they then let him go. They acted with decency and humanity and I was very impressed with that.

"The 90 minute wait"

Today, a fellow activist and I were coming back from Al Buweyre and we were stopped at the exact same checkpoint, by a different group of soldiers. There were two of them, a sergeant and his subordinate (I do not know the rank. I'll call him "A").
A immediately demanded that my friend and I hand over our passports. He said he will have to check them on the computer. He and his partner went to the office. The problem is that there is a window through which you can see them and they were not sitting beside a computer. They sat down, ate chips, drank soft drinks and the sergeant played around with his pistol. Occasionally they would emerge to randomly stop Palestinians and ask then to open their bags. They kept us waiting about an hour. I grew bored and snapped a few pictures.
A then came out and demanded that I and my friend hand over our cameras. We initially refused, since soldiers can legally only ask for passports, which we gave to them. We were told that if we did not hand over our cameras, we would not be given our passports. We refused, then A and his sergeant came out and came towards us aggresively and demanded that we delete the pictures we took of them. A said that if we did he would hand us back our passports. I have to say I was intimidated by that, and did delete the pictures of them. My partner refused.
They gave me back my passport and told me to go. I said I would leave when my friend was given his passport. A got angry and told me that internationals like us come here to cause problems. I told him about the human rights abuses that are going on, he said the army is neutral, I pointed out cases where soldiers have allowed settlers to get away with attacks on Palestinians and he finally admitted that these things do happen but that the situation is "complicated". He also said that this is Israel and that his job is to defend Jewish people.
A threatened to arrest us but my friend refused to hand over his camera or delete anything. A told me that the platoon commander gave the whole platoon orders to arrest me and that he is being a "nice guy" by not arresting me. I asked why I am to be arrested, he said it is because I cause problems. I asked him what problems and he didn't say anything. He then threatened to call the police on my friend. My friend has been arrested before at a demonstration but the judge did not ban him from Hebron. A explained again that he is just being nice and that his sergeant told him to call the police but he decided to give my friend "a chance". He said we are guilty of "stopping the soldiers from carrying out their mission". I asked him what his mission was and he didn't reply to that either.
Just then a car drove by, filled with observers from the European Union (TIPH- Temporary International Presence In Hebron). My friend waved to them and the soldier immediately handed him back his passport and told us to go and not cause any more "trouble". It was hard not to laugh as we left.

Reflections: As I look back on the incident, I am more and more sure that A was bluffing. I have walked through 4 checkpoints today, and I am sure that if an order was given to arrest me and passed around the entire platoon, it would have been carried out by now. I have seen soldiers at demonstrations and they are not at all shy or hesitant when it comes to arresting protesters, Palestinian or international.

I admire my friend for not giving in to intimidation during that moment, and he showed a lot more guts than I did. Also, if other internationals do not allow soldiers to have them delete pictures, I should not be setting a precedent for allowing them to delete mine.

On the other hand, I'm not sure how much this little exercise accomplished. The soldiers could have arrested one or both of us on a fake charge, and it could have meant being deported Israel or banned from the West Bank. That would cancel our activism here. Yes, the soldiers had no right to ask us to delete our pictures. But if we are deported for asserting that right, we would not be able to stop more serious human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Anyways, all ended well in the end. Alhamdullilah (praise be to God).


I have a lot more checkpoint tales, but I can't tell them all right now. I will be home in less than 2 weeks and look forward to telling more...

Army workout

OK, this was just a curiousity that I have never seen happen before.

Coming back to Tel Rumeida I ran into several army guys in shorts jogging through the city. Tel Rumeida is home to religious Palestinian Muslims and religious Jewish settlers. On both sides, most people are fairly socially conservative. They both really frown upon people wearing shorts, and it is one of the few things you can do in the West Bank that will equally antagonize both groups. I guess the other would be hosting a pork tasting festival.

I have no idea what these guys were thinking, or rather, what their commander was thinking when he had them jog and work out in Tel Rumeida in shorts. But I took a picture and here it is.

 

Sunday pictures

 
Orthodox worshippers at Jesus' tomb.
 
Pastor Russ and I.
 
Palestinian shopkeeper close to our apartment in Tel Rumeida. He is an extremely kind and gracious person. He speaks almost only Arabic so it is fun to practice with him. Besides being an awesome guy, he is also of great importance to our group. We buy 98% of the junk food that we consume from him.

Thank God for Sunday!

I took a personal day today, Paulette and I went to Jerusalem and to church. It was an awesome experience, and one that I needed so badly.

Paulette is a Catholic nun and does amazing work for the Kingdom both in the West Bank and in the United States. We went to different churches, though. Paulette said she only goes to a Catholic church back home so whenever she is abroad she checks out other churches. She went to a Lutheran church. On the other hand, I really wanted to go to a Catholic church at least one time during my trip. I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Six denominations actually "own" the place: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox. When I came in, there was a Catholic service and an Orthodox service taking place simultaneously in different parts of the church. The Orthodox service was in Russian, for Russian pilgrims.

I really managed to luck out. Not only I came on time, but the Mass was in Polish! There are literally millions of tourists in Israel and Palestine every year, and many of them are Christian pilgrims. The Mass was conducted in Polish. The homily (sermon) focused on Mary's pain and faith as she gave birth to Jesus and later watched Him get crucified. I think it is good for us to remember what she went through and that faith often requires commitment. She was definitely a woman of God and a role model for all Christians to follow.
I really enjoyed being able to say the Lord's Prayer in Polish, we held hands and prayed and it felt very good.

On the other hand, I was very saddened by the complete lack of any mention of the situation happening just a few kilometres away. You can see the wall from Jerusalem. On the other side people are being deprived water, they are being arrested, they are being beaten and chased out of their homes, they are tortured, sometimes they are killed.


While hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims from Orthodox and Catholic and Lutheran and Baptist and Evangelical and Pentecostal and multitudes of other denominations from all corners of the world traipse around the sites where Jesus was born and preached and was crucified and rose from the dead and buy religious souvenirs and paraphernelia and touch and kiss the tomb where He is believed to have been buried, I can't help asking myself how many of them actually see Him right now. While I am in awe of the beauty of the churches and paintings and murals and art, I doubt if Jesus is really there.

I know where Jesus is, though. He is present in the faces of Palestinian kids who are living in refugee camps across the West Bank. He is among the farmers who are under attack every night by settlers. He is with people in prison who are in handcuffs and are covered in bruises for standing up for victims of injustice. He is present among every Palestinian and Israeli family mourning the death of a child or loved one whose life has been snatched from them by the violence. In Matthew 25:31-49 Jesus explicitly points out that He is with the suffering and the poor. In other words, He is on the other side of the wall.

Many Christians who come to the Holy Land, regardless of denomination, completely seem to miss that. My first Sunday here I went to a Baptist church that ministers mostly to American visitors. The pastor managed to very skillfully avoid any mention of the tragedies and suffering unfolding around us. I guess it could have been worse. In the US and Canada many Baptist churches openly back the policies of the Israeli government in the occupied territories.

I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to worship God and I am very glad I did. I needed to spend time with other believers praising Him and hearing Scripture and learning about Him. The paintings and beautiful artwork remind me of Christ. But in reality, I run into Him everyday in Hebron.


The Mass finished a bit early and the priest said he wanted to speak to everyone with the Polish pilgrim group, so those of us who were not part of the group left. I went to the Lutheran service which was coming to an end, and arrived just in time for closing prayers. It was really encouraging to hear the pastor lift up the Palestinians and pray for justice. Paulette and I chatted a bit with the people after the service, and we learned that about half of them are Catholic. They shared an awesome and really encouraging love and concern for the Palestinian people. Some of them said they wanted to come to Hebron.

The Lutheran pastor, Russ, is from the United States. He shared his experiences raising awareness to the plight of the Palestinians. He also told us about Israeli soldiers who come home after serving in the West Bank and commit suicide, not being able to live with themselves. He also told me about Palestinian Catholic priests and leaders who are standing up for their people and peacefully leading the struggle for justice.

He is also aware that more and more Western evangelicals are beginning to question and oppose support for the repression of the Palestinian people. There are also Palestinian evangelicals and baptists and surprise of surprises they do not share the unquestioning support for Israel. Somehow their voices often go unheard in Canada and the US.

After church, Paulette and I went for lunch and hung out most of the day in Jerusalem before heading back to Hebron for the evening. It was an amazing day.

Thank God for Sunday!

Final shots of demo

 
The soldier who tried to run after me. I also have pictures of the people who warned me but for their safety it is probably best I not show them.
 
Applauding the soldiers.
 
We were about a block away from each other once everything was over.
 
Some Palestinian kids gathered and began yelling at the soldiers. One of them threw a rock. He is not in this picture. One of the leaders immediately came and shooed them away.