Sunday, March 25, 2007

Over the Green Line

Ten years ago I held a dream of making Aliyah (moving to Israel) and living in an area called Gush Etzion (an area over the green line just outside of Jerusalem first founded in 1946 but since highly developed). Thursday I spent the night in the home of a Palestinian in Beit Sahour, a town adjacent to Bethlehem.

I travelled with a group called Encounters. The program promotes that it provides a slice of Palestinian life to future Jewish educators, Rabbis and community leaders. I am not going to pretend that I understand the political situation any more now that I participated on Encounters, but I do feel that I was shown a 'slice' which is more exposure then I have ever had before.

Since I am still processing all of my thoughts and emotions from the experience I can't fully share what I am feeling. It is not my place to impose judgement on either side nor try to convince you of any political opinions. But I hope that through sharing some of my thoughts I am able to open you up to some questions as I am challenging myself.

We were exposed to a number of voices and opinions during our time in Bethlehem. We visited mostly with people and organizations that promote a non-violent approach to ending occupation. Encounters works very closely with a Palestinian organization called the Holyland Trust which does just that. It was very interesting to hear about the conflict from their end. I have chatted before with Palestinians on college campuses but never before in a constructive matter in the heart of Bethlehem.

Some of the places we went and people we met were:
The Hope Flower School--a co-ed K-12 school for Muslim and Christian children committed to education without messages of violent and hate. Students come from a variety of homes and backgrounds including refugee camps and upper class neighborhoods. Any child who opts to attend is allowed to come. They get their funding not by the PA but by private donations and NGOs.
The Tent of Nations: Land owned by a Palestinian named Dauad Nasser. Family has been living there since 1911 and has kept all paperwork. He has converted the family home into a grounds that runs that aims to build bridges of understanding and peace. Dauad wants Palestinians and Israelis to think in a constructive way. Face to face interactions are what need to be the foundation for this peace. The Tent of Nations creates the framework to do this. They have held tree plantings, run summer camps for kids from refugee camps, Bethlehem, Hebron and surrounding areas. He hopes to give encouragement to youth that they are valuable, respected and have a reason worth living. Unfortunately we take this ideas for granted, they are not inherent in everyone. For Dauad it is important to realize that there are people and ideas on the 'other side'. The 'other side' for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Throughout the next 2 days we heard from many speakers. We also visited with members of the Al Walaje village. Some of the villagers have had their homes demolished, others have demolition declerations pending. There we were guided by an Israeli man naed Meir Margalit who works with the Israeli Coalition against Home Demolitions. It was a lot to take in.

I am going to share just a few memorable quotes from the 2 days. Some resonate with me, some make my insides turn. I will let you read them and see which affect you. Please also look at my Encounters:Bethlehem album on my flickr site-www.flickr.com/photos/shirahrosin to see some of their faces and the things they described.

"Even if they say non-violent communication does not work, it is what we do-because it is the only thing we can do"--Elias Holy Land Trust

"Walls paint ignorance and fear. I could accept a wall, but let them build it on the Green line of 1967"--Elias Holy Land Trust

"I don't want to think negatively, instead I want to invest my frustrations in a positive way"--Dauad Nasser Tent of Nations

"We must respect each other, trust each other. To reach each other we must speak out and listen to one another. We must forgive each other."--George Sa'adeh Principle of Greek Shepherds High School at Beit Sahour, Bereaved Families Forum--Lost Daughter as a result of Israeli army mistaking his car for a Hamas vehicle and opening fire; Deputy Mayor of Bethlehem

"It is nice that you are here, but you will forget about us tomorrow"--Joni Resident of Beit Sahour

"Everytime Israel bulldozes a house we destroy Jewish ethics. I hear Yirmiyahu (the prophet) crying out: ENOUGH!!"--Meir Margalit Israeli Coalition Against Home Demolitions

"What keeps me awake at night is the question of how did we, the Jewish people get here? Two generations ago we were in ghettos in Europe. Today we build the ghettos."----Meir Margalit Israeli Coalition Against Home Demolitions

"We deal with the Government of Israel, not individual parties. We feel Israel should do the same. The PLO recognizes Israel, why should Israel be concerned with all the other factions [Hamas]?"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Israel must make peace with its neighbors. They are a natural part of this area. War cannot continue for another 50 years. Peace will happen, even if it takes another 100 years"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Fightine the Occupation is not a terrorist action. It is a war. Civillians will always suffer. Suicide bombers are terrorist actions like 9/11. But here in Bethlehem, we don't have a definition for terrorist. We believe Humans should be respected Everywhere"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Israel is the only country in the world that the army made the state instead of the state making the army"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"They [Israel] are not self-critical, they are too proud to accept their problems and mistakes."--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Israelies and Palestinians, we are noisey players, but we are not the power. The power is in the East"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"The West placed Israel here to divide Egypt and Syria, two major powers in the Middle East"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Through acting humane on both ends we can live peacefully. If you feel you are superior than acting human you will be disappointed"--Yousef Al Harimi Professor of Islam, Bethlehem University

I was only handed a slice. I hope to go back and gain more. Priviledged with my American passport I had no problems walking through the checkpoint. I cannot begin to imagine what life is like day to day on the other side of the wall. But I hope to learn more. Although I know it is only a minority I was constantly amazed at the hopeful future the Men and Women I encountered painted. That dispite their frustrations they only want to build up constructively and non-violently. I hope this voice will spread and maybe one day soon it will be the majority--on both ends.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:15 PM

    Thanks for making your impressions public! I too dreamt of making aliyah, and finally did so at the age of 47 (in the late 1980s), by which time I'd lost most of my earlier Zionist illusions. After living in Jerusalem for seven years, I returned to Canada, and a major frustration for me has been talking about what I've seen--especially the worsening situation each of the seven times I've returned since then--only to be dismissed as a "self-hating Jew" or worse. I think it's hugely important that young people like yourself go with an open mind and report on their experiences. Little by little, hopefully more people over here will realize that we need to stop supporting the enormities being perpetrated in our names by the Israeli government.
    By the way, I found your blog because I was Goobling Fouad Kokali to verify his name--I was part of a delegation in November 2007 from a group called Peace For Life (www.peaceforlife.org), and he spoke to us at length. What really impressed me was that a person with his stature in Fateh would speak so far from the "party line" of the "two state solution"--expressing a clear preference for human rights for Palestinians within a shared state, rather than political rights to a separate one. Or even for a regional confederation (such as described by Jeff Halper, Meir Margalit's colleague in ICAHD.
    All the best in your endeavours to find your truth and communicate it.
    Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
    British Columbia, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:15 PM

    Thanks for making your impressions public! I too dreamt of making aliyah, and finally did so at the age of 47 (in the late 1980s), by which time I'd lost most of my earlier Zionist illusions. After living in Jerusalem for seven years, I returned to Canada, and a major frustration for me has been talking about what I've seen--especially the worsening situation each of the seven times I've returned since then--only to be dismissed as a "self-hating Jew" or worse. I think it's hugely important that young people like yourself go with an open mind and report on their experiences. Little by little, hopefully more people over here will realize that we need to stop supporting the enormities being perpetrated in our names by the Israeli government.
    By the way, I found your blog because I was Goobling Fouad Kokali to verify his name--I was part of a delegation in November 2007 from a group called Peace For Life (www.peaceforlife.org), and he spoke to us at length. What really impressed me was that a person with his stature in Fateh would speak so far from the "party line" of the "two state solution"--expressing a clear preference for human rights for Palestinians within a shared state, rather than political rights to a separate one. Or even for a regional confederation (such as described by Jeff Halper, Meir Margalit's colleague in ICAHD.
    All the best in your endeavours to find your truth and communicate it.
    Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
    British Columbia, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Thanks for making your impressions public! I too dreamt of making aliyah, and finally did so at the age of 47 (in the late 1980s), by which time I'd lost most of my earlier Zionist illusions. After living in Jerusalem for seven years, I returned to Canada, and a major frustration for me has been talking about what I've seen--especially the worsening situation each of the seven times I've returned since then--only to be dismissed as a "self-hating Jew" or worse. I think it's hugely important that young people like yourself go with an open mind and report on their experiences. Little by little, hopefully more people over here will realize that we need to stop supporting the enormities being perpetrated in our names by the Israeli government.
    By the way, I found your blog because I was Goobling Fouad Kokali to verify his name--I was part of a delegation in November 2007 from a group called Peace For Life (www.peaceforlife.org), and he spoke to us at length. What really impressed me was that a person with his stature in Fateh would speak so far from the "party line" of the "two state solution"--expressing a clear preference for human rights for Palestinians within a shared state, rather than political rights to a separate one. Or even for a regional confederation (such as described by Jeff Halper, Meir Margalit's colleague in ICAHD.
    All the best in your endeavours to find your truth and communicate it.
    Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
    British Columbia, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Thanks for making your impressions public! I too dreamt of making aliyah, and finally did so at the age of 47 (in the late 1980s), by which time I'd lost most of my earlier Zionist illusions. After living in Jerusalem for seven years, I returned to Canada, and a major frustration for me has been talking about what I've seen--especially the worsening situation each of the seven times I've returned since then--only to be dismissed as a "self-hating Jew" or worse. I think it's hugely important that young people like yourself go with an open mind and report on their experiences. Little by little, hopefully more people over here will realize that we need to stop supporting the enormities being perpetrated in our names by the Israeli government.
    By the way, I found your blog because I was Goobling Fouad Kokali to verify his name--I was part of a delegation in November 2007 from a group called Peace For Life (www.peaceforlife.org), and he spoke to us at length. What really impressed me was that a person with his stature in Fateh would speak so far from the "party line" of the "two state solution"--expressing a clear preference for human rights for Palestinians within a shared state, rather than political rights to a separate one. Or even for a regional confederation (such as described by Jeff Halper, Meir Margalit's colleague in ICAHD.
    All the best in your endeavours to find your truth and communicate it.
    Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
    British Columbia, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Thanks for making your impressions public! I too dreamt of making aliyah, and finally did so at the age of 47 (in the late 1980s), by which time I'd lost most of my earlier Zionist illusions. After living in Jerusalem for seven years, I returned to Canada, and a major frustration for me has been talking about what I've seen--especially the worsening situation each of the seven times I've returned since then--only to be dismissed as a "self-hating Jew" or worse. I think it's hugely important that young people like yourself go with an open mind and report on their experiences. Little by little, hopefully more people over here will realize that we need to stop supporting the enormities being perpetrated in our names by the Israeli government.
    By the way, I found your blog because I was Goobling Fouad Kokali to verify his name--I was part of a delegation in November 2007 from a group called Peace For Life (www.peaceforlife.org), and he spoke to us at length. What really impressed me was that a person with his stature in Fateh would speak so far from the "party line" of the "two state solution"--expressing a clear preference for human rights for Palestinians within a shared state, rather than political rights to a separate one. Or even for a regional confederation (such as described by Jeff Halper, Meir Margalit's colleague in ICAHD.
    All the best in your endeavours to find your truth and communicate it.
    Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
    British Columbia, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Thanks for making your impressions public! I too dreamt of making aliyah, and finally did so at the age of 47 (in the late 1980s), by which time I'd lost most of my earlier Zionist illusions. After living in Jerusalem for seven years, I returned to Canada, and a major frustration for me has been talking about what I've seen--especially the worsening situation each of the seven times I've returned since then--only to be dismissed as a "self-hating Jew" or worse. I think it's hugely important that young people like yourself go with an open mind and report on their experiences. Little by little, hopefully more people over here will realize that we need to stop supporting the enormities being perpetrated in our names by the Israeli government.
    By the way, I found your blog because I was Goobling Fouad Kokali to verify his name--I was part of a delegation in November 2007 from a group called Peace For Life (www.peaceforlife.org), and he spoke to us at length. What really impressed me was that a person with his stature in Fateh would speak so far from the "party line" of the "two state solution"--expressing a clear preference for human rights for Palestinians within a shared state, rather than political rights to a separate one. Or even for a regional confederation (such as described by Jeff Halper, Meir Margalit's colleague in ICAHD.
    All the best in your endeavours to find your truth and communicate it.
    Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
    British Columbia, Canada

    ReplyDelete