This will be my last post on this trip blog. So here you get the bits and pieces and pictures that I want to share, even if they don’t hold together in some cohesive flow!
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| Banner on an apartment balcony in West Jerusalem |
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| Barrier wall in East Jerusalem |
Here’s one point I’ve been wanting to set forth. Under international law, it is illegal for nations to carry out collective punishment. This means that if there is a thief that lives in my city, my whole city cannot be punished. And it means if the radical fringe in Palestine sets off a bomb or launches a rocket, the whole Palestinian people cannot be punished. We don’t punish all Americans when a few American security contractors open fire unprovoked, killing innocent people at an intersection in Iraq. We don’t try to wipe out all the citizens of Saudi Arabia because Osama Bin Ladin was a Saudi. To punish people simply because they are of the same race or ethnic group as others who have committed violence is unjust; it is horrible racism. Palestinians are daily the subject of collective punishment that violates international law and standards of fairness.
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| Near the village of At-Tuwani - Palestinian children daily walk to and from school with an Israeli military escort to protect them from settler attacks. |
I was surprised to find that there is a strong and growing commitment to non-violent action among the Palestinians. For those with whom I spoke, it was a strategic choice – they are convinced that it is the most effective way to bring about the desired outcomes. For me, non-violence is a theological commitment – I believe Jesus calls his followers to non-violence, whether or not it is an effective strategy in the short-term (and it is effective more often than many will acknowledge). On a strategic level, it doesn’t matter to me that our motivations differ -- I’m happy to join with anyone who embraces non-violence as the way to resist and confront human rights abuses.
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| Two Palestinian Muslims, an Orthodox Jew, and an international visitor, all desiring the just treatment of Palestinians |
I am encouraged by Israeli and American Jews who are speaking out against unjust and cruel policies of the Israeli government. This helps immensely, since these people, being Jewish, cannot be shut down with the charge of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is an evil that must be challenged at every turn. To critique the Israeli government and the many individuals who support the anti-Palestinian policies and actions of the Israeli government does not constitute anti-Semitism. I’ve talked throughout these blogs about different Jews I had the privilege of meeting who no longer buy into the official narrative of the Israeli government. Some have organized into groups such as Breaking the Silence, Rabbis for Human Rights, the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, Women in Black (Israel) , and Dukium.
In the U.S., blind support of Israel is not a partisan issue – both Democrats and Republicans are equally eager to support Israel to the tune of $3 billion per year. When the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke to the U.S. Congress a couple weeks ago while I was in Israel, he received 29 standing ovations during his speech – all the members of congress present, both Democrats and Republicans, stood in approval of his policy statements. Both Democrats and Republicans are turning a blind eye to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
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| Jewish settlers may drive or walk on the left of the barrier on this street; Palestinians must walk on the right of it. The West Bank is full of such segregated roads and highways. |
Many Palestinians are not fond of their own leadership. In the conversations I had, Palestinians expressed little hope or trust in Mahmoud Abbas (the Palestinian president), Fatah (the main political party in the West Bank), or Hamas (the more militaristic political party that dominates Gaza, and that has recently formed an uneasy coalition government with Fatah). Where will strong, brave, trustworthy leadership come from for the Palestinians?
What is the solution to the situation in Israel and Palestine? It has become clear to me on this trip that this is not a question for me to answer; the answer must come from the Palestinians and the Israelis. But it is my place, and the place of the international community on every level, to push for some parameters to the answer: any solution must be fair to both sides; any solution must respect the dignity of people of all races; any solution must not be forced upon one side by the other side, and the answer must come soon -- the suffering inflicted by Israelis on Palestinians must stop.
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| Graffiti in a Palestinian refugee camp -- maybe one day the tables will turn! |
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| One day a year a Palestinian farmer is allowed through this yellow gate in the Security Fence to harvest his olives on the other side. |
I want to tell so many more of the stories we heard – of Palestinian children on their way to school having stones thrown at them by settlers, being called whores; of the 14-year-old Palestinian boy detained in an Israeli army jeep, slapped across the face every time his friends angrily threw stones at the jeep; of teen-aged Palestinian boys coerced into being informants for the Israeli army with the threat of photo-shopped pictures with them in sexually explicit situations being released to their community, something that would be incredibly shaming and humiliating; of the fig tree under which Palestinian children sought relief from the heat of the day on their walks to/from school – until one day settlers hid in the tree and jumped down on the children seeking shade; of children waking up in the night screaming with nightmares; of the security wall stealing land, cutting apart farms and families. But I must bring this to a close for now, though I must not stop speaking. To be silent would mean complicity – for me, and now, I’m afraid, for you. I’m sorry – I did not warn you of the consequences for reading this blog.
I’ll end with some ideas about what you can do to oppose injustice against Palestinians.
1. Learn more about the situation and speak with others as you do so. You do not have to become an expert before you begin talking about this. If you learn just a bit here and there, the sadness and anger will sustain your resolve to speak out. You might start by going to the websites of organizations listed above, or by watching videos of settler violence against Palestinians on YouTube
2. For those of you from the U.S., write your members of congress and state strongly that you want the Israeli government to be held accountable for human rights abuses. Tell your members of congress that you do not want them blindly supporting the Israeli government.
3. Go on a trip with Christian Peacemaker Teams to get in the way of injustice, to see first-hand what is going on, and to support the longer-term CPTers working there.
4. Give money to groups that are doing good work on this issue. You might consider the ones listed a couple paragraphs above. Give money to friends who would be willing to go on a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation (like many of you did for me).
5. Channel your anger and discomfort toward addressing injustice in your local community.
6. Pray earnestly for peace, peace for both Palestinians and Israelis, a peace that is strong because it is built on justice.
I would be pessimistic, but I have two reasons not to be. First, I met so many Palestinians who believe that a peace deal is reachable. I met many Palestinians who refuse to be defined by bitterness, who choose not to hate, who choose hope. If they can hold onto hope, I want to also. Second, part of the Gospel message is that we are never without hope, that the God who raised Jesus from the dead can work again in astounding and unexpected ways.
Peace. Salaam. Shalom.
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