Prince of Peace

I have been in Israel/Palestine for 3 weeks today and I have experienced many things. After 3 weeks of observing and experiencing fear, violence, desperation, anger, hatred, evil, as well as hope and joy, there is much I could recount.

Maybe some introduction first. I am currently in Hebron working with Christian Peacemaker Teams. Hebron is about 20 miles south of Jerusalem and houses around 200,000 Palestinians, as well as 200-400 Israeli settlers in the midst of the Old City. Settlers are individuals who have established Jewish communities built on land that was taken by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered to be occupied territory by the international community. In many ways, Hebron is the “heart of the beast,” with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hebron contains the Ibrahimi Mosque or the Cave of the Patriarchs where, according to tradition, Adam, Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are buried. This obviously produces a large amount of conflict, which plagues the city. Because of the small contingent of settlers, who tend to be ideologically radical and violent, a large Israeli military presence exists in the city. These ingredients produce a combustible reality where checkpoints, searches, unwarranted arrests and violence characterize the lives of Palestinians in Hebron, which is a microcosm for all of Palestine.

The objectives of CPT are biblically based peacemaking, nonviolent direct action and protection of human rights. (Please check out the link for latest news stories and more explanation of CPT: www.cpt.org) More specifically, since arriving in Palestine, I have been going on daily patrols through the old city, responding to distress calls from Palestinians due to violence or oppression from soldiers or settlers, supporting Palestinian led non-violent resistance, as well as many other activities. Our “weapons” are our presence as internationals, a camera, cooperation with local groups and conversation.

I could easily write about experiencing smoke bombs, tear gas and daily having a machine gun barrel pointed at me. Or I could make it less about me and repeat stories concerning Palestinians getting beaten mercilessly by soldiers. Or, maybe, the best way to demonstrate the reality of Hebron would be to write about settlers who have called me a Nazi merely because I was in Hebron, which meant, to them, that I am “supporting murderers.” However, before any of that matters it is important to determine if we, as human beings, as followers of Jesus have any responsibility to stand for peace and justice, especially concerning Israel. (I apologize for anyone I have left out by addressing this post to Jesus-followers.) This goes much deeper than realizing the US gives Israel 11 million dollars daily in foreign aid to prop up the Israeli State and the occupation or understanding the role of the Church in this conflict.

On Saturdays, the settler community takes Jews on a tour through the Old City, which CPT monitors due to the many instances of violence that have arisen when groups of 50 or so Zionist Jews have walked through the impoverished Palestinian neighborhood with a convoy of 15 soldiers. At one point, a Jewish man on the tour asked me what CPT does and as I explained to him the values of nonviolence in seeking peace he interrupted by saying, “There will only be peace when the Meshiach comes.” A couple of nights later, after attending a lecture by Mark Braverman at Bethlehem Bible College, where the lecturer communicated hope and a way forward, a leader of a Christian missions agency dismissed the presentation by declaring to the CPT team, “There will only be peace here when the Prince of peace returns.” Then, a couple of nights ago, to end a cordial and respectful conversation with an Israeli soldier, he asserted, “Peace will only come with the Meshiach.” In other words, the Messiah is solely responsible for establishing peace here; for making things right. We, as human beings, are abdicated from any role as peacemakers or justice-seekers. That is a sentiment I have heard expressed many times throughout my life, whether in reference to Israel, to the poor or to a variety of other unjust situations. In essence, it gives us an excuse, shrouded in religious rhetoric, to not stand for righteousness and to dismiss concern for others and the world at large.

In my estimation, it seems this belief possesses a kernel of truth. When the Kingdom of God comes in completion then everything will be made right. But, the Kingdom of God is here and now! Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:14, 15). Jesus, his life, ministry, death and resurrection ushered in a new age: the age of the Kingdom of God. Lately, I have been meditating on Jesus instructions concerning prayer, especially the direction to pray for “God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.” What does pursuing God’s will on earth look like? I believe the answer is standing for the oppressed (James 1:27), working for peace (Matthew 5:9), acting justly and loving mercy (Micah 6:8). This is not a matter of inner-spirituality where we separate faith from action, sacred from secular. In fact, this exact approach has allowed and even produced atrocities throughout history. Instead, by understanding the Kingdom of God as present, we reorder our values and narrative around the most important event in history, the resurrection of Jesus, the inbreaking of the new into old. We are living in the new age where, with the help of the Holy Spirit, God’s will on earth should be pursued with faith and hope that change can be effected, peace can be realized and justice can be achieved.

Check out My Melody

Our most recent trip was to the north of Israel. We saw Caesarea, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth and the Golan Heights. The trip was a mixture of sightseeing and meeting with organizations working on the ground. Our experience with Golan for Development, an organization that lives up to its name, resonated with me the most. They told us the story of the Golan Heights, in general, as well as their village. (For a brief history of the Golan Heights, see here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/3393813.stm) Basically, the people there identify themselves as Syrian and perceive Israel as an occupying power. Many of them have served time in the Syrian army, have immediate relatives on the other side of the Syrian border and are proud of their Syrian identity. However, they are unable to cross over to Syria regardless of the circumstance. Our 50-year old guide had never seen his brother face-to-face. One place was especially interesting that we visited in this village. This is the picture…

So, the complex on the other side of the valley is a Syrian military outpost. On many instances, individuals come as close to the border as they can and use megaphones to communicate with one another. They do this on special occasions like funerals, weddings, birthdays, etc. However, they are unable to get any closer than this picture indicates because the Israelis built a fence in front of a land mine that has claimed many Syrian lives. Moreover, if one is lucky enough to avoid the landmines then they have to deal with the snipers firing from the Israeli military outpost that is situated firmly in the middle of the village…

Israelis have demonized the Palestinians in Gaza for using human shields when firing their rockets into Israel. However, the Israelis are using the same tactics to dissuade the Syrians from firing on people they identify as Syrian citizens.

            Moreover, if you look back at the previous picture, just to the left of the picture is a large mountain that is supposed to be hallowed out in order to store the Israelis nuclear weapon arsenal. Of course, this is just a rumor but supposedly the Israelis will detonate one of the bombs if the Syrians ever come into control of Golan, again. That seems a bit far-fetched to me, but the people living in the village are legitimately concerned of that possibility.

            Ok, time to change gears completely, no transition needed.

            I have read some other participants’ blogs and have spoken with our director and I feel comfortable using some names of local Palestinians here. My host niece, or sister, is named Loudra and we celebrated her birthday last week. Rob, my roommate, and I bought her a yellow polka-dotted dress for her second birthday. Her mom also got her a special dress and shoes for her party. They put her new clothes on her and we went to pick up her cake an hour or so before the party with my host dad and host cousin. Loudra was exhausted so she was sleeping on her cousin in the back seat, right next to me. All of a sudden, Loudra sits up and throws up all over her cousin. I tried to pick her up from behind because I knew she was going to throw up again. However, my host dad was still driving and my only options were to let her face me and throw up on me or throw up on her cousin again. (I considered holding her out the window) So, obviously she threw up on her cousin again. When we got home she needed a new dress to wear for her party. Since Rob and I bought her a dress we were pretty proud of our choice. She wore the dress for about half an hour before she came out of the bedroom wearing a different dress. Our host mom had changed her clothes while we weren’t looking, oh well; it’s the thought that counts, right? Here’s a picture of Loudra freaked out by the crazy candles…

Today was my last day volunteering at Al Khader. The kids basically line up and take turns doing handshakes with me. I’ve learned some pretty cool ones, although I can’t quite make out the songs that go with them. Also, there was a young girl who was helping run the camp. She gave me some stuff as a thank you present from the whole staff, or so I thought when she gave it to me. When I opened it there was a bottle of perfume, incense with a heart shaped stand, and a ceramic sculpture of two bears kissing with a heart in the middle. I’m not sure what to make of it, but I love it.

            I’ll be going to Jericho this weekend with my group. Then, on Monday a few participants are going to spend a couple of days in Tel Aviv before I fly out on Wednesday at 11. One participant was blacklisted by the IDF at the airport because he was caught with Palestinian paraphernalia. I am going to send all of that stuff home through the mail but I am still a little nervous how the interrogation process will go. Many participants have been strip searched, questioned for multiple hours and threatened. So, if you think of it, pray that my experience will go smooth and more importantly that I won’t be blacklisted so I can come back in the future.  

Joey & The Ging

Last week I visited Eilat, the Dead Sea and En Gedi in southern Israel. It was really cool to go snorkeling in the Red Sea, cover myself with mud from the Dead Sea and swim in the fresh water springs in En Gedi. It was also interesting to share a hostel with a 60 yr old Israeli, who fought in the Six Day War and to hear different Israeli perspectives while riding on the bus and staying in those locations. At one of the hostels, almost every other person in the place was an 18-19 yr old IDF soldier carrying around a sniper rifle or machine gun.

I came back from the trip to find out that I had a new roomate, an Irish guy who plays Gaelic football and loves to sing Irish rebel songs. I get along with him well even though his accent proves to be a bit of a challenge sometimes. He came with the new group, which consists mainly of internationals from the States, UK, Ireland, Germany, and Spain.

My host sister, or niece, now calls me ammo Joey or Uncle Joey. Her birthday is next week and I'm not sure what I should get a two year old girl but I'm not that worried, I'm sure she will love whatever it is. Right now, her favorite thing to do with me is to sit next to me on the couch and say, nami, which means sleep, while patting the couch. Then, I lay down and she pokes my eyes and tries to grab my facial hair until I wake up and scare her. She responds by laughing and saying, man, or more.
My volunteer placement at Bethlehem Bible College came to an end today but I am very excited for my next job. There is a small village to the north of Bethlehem named El Khaddar (the spelling could be wrong, but you get the idea). This village is very small, poor, Muslim and just so happens to be located along the wall. Because of its locations, most of the houses have demolition orders on them. So, my job is working with a kids' camp again, except this time, it will be with 50 Muslim kids from 7-11. They are learning Arabic and Math during their sessions and need to have something to do in their recess time. That's where I come in; I get to come up with games, songs, dances, or something to fill up the time. This is going to be pretty challenging because of the language barrier and their ages but I am very excited. I went to the village one morning and startet to try to explain a game similar to rock-paper-scissors. While I was trying to demonstrate the game, a little girl named Yasmin came up to me and grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. Then, Muhammad saw what Yasmin was doing and came and grabbed my other hand. Also, the ladies I work with are very nice and I am sure I will be drinking a ton of Arabic coffee. I officially start next week and have been brainstorming so I can be prepared with games for the kids to play. Any suggestions would be awesome, especially if it involves music.

This past week, the group did a tour of a refugee camp in Bethlehem, which was very interesting. Also, President Mahmoud Abbas was in Bethlehem and the PA police presence has been very obvious. In addition, we received a lecture from Badil, an organization dedicated to refugee rights, most specifically the right of return, which is rooted in international humanitarian law. I continue to be challenged by the diverse amount of perspectives that I have come across.

Hebrews 10:23

            The first half of the program is over, which means people are leaving and new people will be coming soon. This week has been very interesting and I am genuinely beginning to start seeing myself fitting in this place in some capacity in the future.            

            I came home after a long day last tuesday and ended up talking to my host parents about the first intifadah and my host dad’s experience during that time. He was 19 years old and thrown in jail for throwing rocks at the IDF. He said he was the only Christian in the prison and told gruesome stories of torture. He described in detail sleep deprivation, severe beating, electrocution, etc etc. He was in jail for 2 years and things he was describing in a matter of fact manner shocked me. He told a story of being forced to stay in a cell that wasn’t big enough for him to stand up, lay down, or stretch his legs out. He stayed in this tiny cell, that he said was designed for a toddler, for 22 days. I asked, why would they do that to you, to get information? He said yes and started to describe what they were looking for when my host mom said lets stop talking about this because according to her everyone was in jail during the first intifada. I was overwhelmed with emotion and she wanted to dismiss the topic so we could talk about our daily lives. I cant imagine being used to that reality.

            Last night we spent the day in Jerusalem, touring the old city, the temple mount, Al-Aqsa mosque, the Wailing Wall, Via Dolorosa (check my facebook for pics in the next couple of days). I ended my day on the Mount of Olives speaking with a Sufi family about the conflict. This family fed the small group I was with more food than I knew I could eat. The father works to reconcile the different groups in Israel and around the world, emphasizing the need of individuals to find God and themselves in “the other.” He told a story about a student and a master. The student was in a conflict with another student and very angry, so he was asking the master about who was wrong and right in the situation. The master replied by saying, I can either tell you the truth or something greater than the truth. The student didn’t know there was something greater than the truth and opted for that. So the master said well, the truth is good but sometimes reconciliation is better, basically saying that sometimes one needs to give up a little bit of what is due to him in order to live in peace with the other. Pretty cool, I’m not sure exactly what I think, but definitely challenging, especially with reference to the conflict here.

            We also talked to Rabbis for Human Rights, an organization consisting of Rabbis from the whole spectrum of Judaism that stand up for Palestinian Human Rights, especially focusing on home demolitions in the old city and the right to access and movement in the West Bank. Their work was extremely interesting and the Rabbi who spoke with us seemed to have a very good, balanced view on the situation. He, along with the organization, is Zionist, meaning that they believe in a Jewish homeland in the present state of Israel, which was promised to them by God. However, he said that promise was conditional, and that the Jewish people had to act morally and righteously in order to realize that promise. I thought that perspective was extremely interesting.

            Today I spent the day rebuilding a house, which has been destroyed twice by the IDF.  It was cool to do something tangible to help a local Palestinian family with their daily life.

rack me, i'm out...

Tiflee

Coming here I expected to learn things I didn’t know before, things about the conflict, about the Arabic language, etc. However, I thought I had a decent understanding. My ignorance of the issues here has definitely been exposed. I believe lots of things I’ve learned have come from a personal encounter, whether it is with my host family or listening to individuals who offer a fresh perspective I hadn’t considered before. I had one of those experiences last weekend in the Jenin refugee camp. Jenin is well known for being a stronghold for the Palestinian resistance during the second intifada. The group talked to a young guy close to my age about his experience with the conflict. His grandfather was forced out of his home in Haifa in 1948 when Israel declared its independence. When leaving his house, the Israelis killed the grandfather and his family went to the refugee camp without him. Refugee camps are meant to be temporary and the idea of living in such a place for over 60 yrs wouldn’t be something you would wish for anyone. He told stories of the Israeli invasion in the refugee camp where young children spent up to 10 days in the same room with their dead parent. 65 people died during this invasion with less than 10 actually being combatants, meaning that over 50 civilians died in this raid. One can speak of stats, like the reality of over 4 million Palestinian refugees existing as a result of the establishment of the state of Israel, but personal encounters are much more powerful. Hearing this guy talk about his experience of the invasion in front of the mass burial ground was powerful, especially considering burying the bodies together was the only option because only pieces existed. I experience personal testimonies like this on a daily basis (perhaps not quite as extreme). I know that I am only getting a taste of what life is really like in the two months that I’ll be staying here and cannot claim to have a grasp of reality. My knowledge and understanding has developed and will continue to do so. Therefore, I try to ask questions and to avoid thinking my perspective is exactly on point.

A similar theme can be found in many situations in my life. I remember when I was positive that anything the Israelis did had to be unequivocally supported because after all, they are God’s chosen people and have a right to the land that was given to them in the Old Testament. In fact, I couldn’t see anything other option as to how to understand the OT and God’s promises to Israel. I definitely thought the modern state of Israel was the realization of these promises and demonized anyone that could stand in the way. I saw Palestinians as Muslim terrorists who wanted to kill the Jews merely because of their identity as Jews. My perspective has developed since then but I continue to try to stay away from being dogmatic, instead attempting to discourse with humility. Of course, I fall well short of this ideal many times but it continues to be my goal. As I began to learn about the conflict, some questions began arising in my mind. Questions like…If God is love and Jesus came to die for the sins of the entire world, then how does it make sense that God wants the Jews to treat the Palestinians as they are? What if Palestinians are Christians, are the Jews still allowed to do whatever it takes to realize the promises? In God’s eyes, do the ends justify the means in this or any case? I realize that these aren’t extremely theological questions but they were the thoughts that started me on my path to see if there was another viable option. I am struggling with how to approach this belief, instead of laying out what I feel like the correct belief is, I think I’d rather raise questions so as to not be dogmatic in my position. So, is there another viable option? Is it possible that our understanding of the OT with regards to this land and the Jews is a little skewed? Does Jesus force us to reinterpret some of those prophecies? Even if the Jews do have a right to this land, are we really supposed to support them unequivocally, despite the methods they use to accomplish this end? Shouldn’t we stand for justice and against injustice, to fight for the oppressed?

On a completely different note, I am really enjoying my time here. I have started to play basketball in Jerusalem with a group of internationals, Palestinians and Israelis and it has been so enjoyable. My host niece (she calls me uncle) is starting to say my name in her sleep according to my host mom. I am in a groove now and feel comfortable with my surroundings. I continue to meet amazing people that inspire me to do something meaningful with my life. 

Action Jackson

Nearly every place I have been in the West Bank a common theme has persisted. Activists who give lectures talk about how they persevere despite lack of progress. Locals talk about how the window for change is very small before the hope of the Palestinian completely runs out.  This situation is becoming increasingly difficult to see. Especially considering the hardships faced by people with whom I am developing a personal connection. Hope in Christ is the bottom line answer because He is not situational.

For us, who have already found that hope, the question is, “How can we best love Palestinians?” Doesn’t it have to involve helping to change the situation they have lived under for more than 60 yrs?

            So, how can change happen? Where does progress come from? It appears that regardless of the approach taken by Palestinians nothing can change on the ground without outside intervention. Israel will continue to exploit and enact restrictions designed to cleanse the area of Palestinians as long as they are able. Some will say that this land has always seen severe conflict and there is no potential for peace. It is easy for one to dismiss the issues by making these simplistic and inaccurate claims. If this statement is addressing modern day Israel and the OPT specifically then there are many historical examples of the people in this area living in peace, in fact it’s the rule and not the exception.

            I honestly am still wrestling with the approach I would like to take in regards to Palestine. I am very confident that the only worldly power that can change what is happening here is the American government. Some people are boycotting Israeli products, others are lobbying, and still others are attempting to change the perspective of their friends and family. I have it on very good account that the documentary Occupation 101 is an accurate description of the situation on the ground in Palestine and I think this is a very logical starting point for my friends and family. So, check it out. Tell me your thoughts after you see it.

            Since blogging last I have began to fall into a routine. I wake up in the morning to eggs, pita, hummus, jam, and zakkar. Then I walk to the bus stop and take a bus to Bethlehem Bible College where I volunteer until lunch. After lunch I have either Arabic class or a lecture on comparative religions. Then, in the night, we have different optional group activities, most of which I choose not to take part in because I prefer to spend the night with my host family.

            Comment on my blog, send me a facebook message, or email me at taylor.228@wright.edu, I would love to hear what everyone is thinking.

JT

Peace

I have been volunteering at Bethlehem Bible College for the past week and it has been a unique experience, to say the least. My job responsibilities have been assigned according to the College’s needs. I've set up rooms for lectures, helped with the summer kids’ camp, helped in the kitchen and shelved books in the library. On Wednesday I started helping out with the “sports” aspect of the kids camp, which actually consisted of me making up games for kids in groups of 20 with ages ranging from 5-14. They gave me a bag with balloons, water balloons, 3 Frisbees and about 10 wiffle balls. The first day we played some games with water balloons and since then they have wanted to play water balloon games every single day. It’s very difficult to communicate the directions of a game with the language barrier and especially because I am making up games on the spot. However, it’s been fun and I am really enjoying being with the kids. I came up with a game where the kids had balloons taped to their back and they had to run around and try to bust each other’s balloon and whoever was the last one with their balloon won. I have found that any game with a slight aspect of competition will almost certainly produce sore losers and a controversy.

            Also, this week the little girl in my family has continued to warm up to me. Since my host family doesn’t have a car we walk wherever we need to go and she insists that I carry her. Also, she follows me around while we are at the house with a hairbrush and constantly tries to brush my hair. I’m not sure why, but for some reason she loves my hair. Then, whenever I am eating, drinking or doing something she tries to copy me. Yesterday I was drinking Arabic coffee, which is very hot and very strong and she wanted to be drinking some too. So, she went and found a spoon and gave it to me so she could try some. I would put the spoon close to the glass and act like I was taking some out and then give it to her. She would put the spoon in her mouth and act like she loved it so much and we repeated the process at least 15 times. In addition, we always have Arabic music on at the house and she is constantly dancing. Imagine a little girl less than 2 years old who can barely walk straight moving her hips back and forth and clapping her hands. I have a feeling she will be a main topic of my blogs…

            Yesterday, we took a day trip to Hebron and in order to get there we had to go through a flying checkpoint. The term flying checkpoint is pretty self-descriptive but it is a temporary place where Israeli soldier’s check individual’s ID’s and determine if they can pass through. Before Hebron, we were planning on stopping in Atwini, a Palestinian village of shepherds and farmers. Their children are being attacked by Israeli settlers when they walk to school. So, at the checkpoint our leader told the IDF that we were going to Atwini. They forced us to sit there on the side of the road for more than an hour. Evidently, the Israelis aren’t especially keen on allowing foreigners to see the settlers brutalizing the local Palestinian population. When we were allowed to leave, a humvee with 4 soldiers including their machine guns escorted us to the small village for “security purposes.” It’s pretty unnerving to be so close to high-powered weapons in an extremely tense situation. When we got to the village, a Palestinian activist told stories of the settlers poisoning the water, an extremely precious commodity in the West Bank, and IDF soldiers coordinating with the settlers attacking the villagers in an attempt to drive the villagers out. The people in this area, according to the Oslo accords, is supposed to be provided with all their needs by the Israeli government, but they continue to only have electricity and water through their own efforts ( ie a generator for 4 hours per day) because it is a “security threat” for Palestinian villagers to have their basic needs met. This entire presentation was in the shadows of the IDF soldiers. Christian peacekeepers were in the village, as well. They document the happenings in the village by videotaping and taking pictures.

            When we finally left, we went back through the checkpoint that we had stayed at for an hour and it was gone. Then, we went to Hebron, which has Israeli settlers living inside this large Palestinian city. In greater Hebron, there is something like 750,000 Palestinians, including Hebronite Jews, Christians and Muslims. Then, there are 300-400 Israeli settlers, which need more than 2,000 IDF soldiers to protect them. In fact, the Palestinians are the ones who need protection from the settlers. Israelis and Palestinians are under the jurisdiction of different laws, which allow the settlers to do whatever they would like to the locals. We went down one road in the Old City, which was below a settler building. There was a fence above the road so that the settlers couldn’t throw things at the locals, but this didn’t stop liquids, which was especially a threat on the Sabbath, where settlers were known to throw acid water and urine on passerby’s.  The height of this brutalization was when a settler entered the Abraham mosque in Hebron with an M-16 and killed 29 Muslims who were praying. We went to the mosque, which is now part mosque, part synagogue. Our guide said this place is the most contentious place on earth because of the meaning it holds for all three Abrahamic religions.

            My favorite aspect of the stay has been my time with my host family’s extended family. Last night we went to my host dad’s sister’s house for a family get-together. His father, mother, sisters, brothers, and all their kids were there. The family dynamic is so much different here, where spending time with one’s ENTIRE family is a daily event. One interesting conversation I had was with the brother of my host mom. He loves WWE and claims to have watched every American movie ever made. Interestingly, his favorite movie is Jumper, which I thought was a horrible movie and couldn't understand how someone could enjoy it. Then he explained that he loved it so much because he loves the idea of being able to go wherever he wants whenever he wants. I think it’s amazing how even his movie choice is directly affected by the occupation, which disallows him from traveling outside of the West Bank.

            There is much discussion about what the best solution is for this situation with some arguing one state, and others arguing two states. The guide of the program here at PSE asserts that any peace agreement now would only be on paper and the only way to have true peace is between the people of the conflicting groups. He said peace will only come when we love one another.