Now that Israel and Hamas have declared their separate ceasefires and explosions have stopped, at least for now, perhaps news networks will tire of broadcasting the less sensational work of cleaning up. With or without the tremendous media attention of the last three weeks, the Palestinians of Gaza still have to pick up the pieces, literally, of their lives, of their homes, of their land. It has been estimated that thousands of houses have been destroyed, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. Bodies continue to be pulled from the rubble and some seriously wounded Gazans are also perishing, raising the death toll even when the troops have left. Assessing the damage is only possible now, when residents can emerge from the dark, cold waiting and see in the light what has become of their neighborhoods, and when journalists who have been camped out on the border counting airstrikes are permitted to enter and see the stricken.
I believe it is the uncountable losses that will be most devastating to the people of Gaza. When funerals are finished and buildings are rebuilt and after flesh heals and when life goes on, what kind of life is going to go on? I find the pain unimaginable. Children especially, who have no frame of reference but bombs and rockets---what will their future be? Undoubtedly, people there will pick up and begin again their lives as best they can to survive, but this war will forever alter them. I find myself wondering about the psychological damage, the unquantifiable ache and the immeasurable scar that will be left on the people of Gaza young and old, as it is on survivors of all warfare. The words of our MCC partner Majeda in Khan Younis, Gaza, have haunted me. Even the birds have suffered from the relentless fighting.
"What's wrong with your rooster?" my friend shouts down the phone line.
"It’s 9 pm and he's crowing as if it's dawn!"
"Suffering jetlag," I explain.
"They didn't sleep all night because of the explosions.
"They're hungry because there's no feed for them in the market.
"And an Apache just lit up the whole Khan Younis skyline with their flares.
"They think it’s the morning.
"But don't worry, they'll go back to sleep," I assure her.
A rooster’s confusion is somewhat comical, given the seriousness of the situation Majeda and her fellow Gazans were in. But the lack of sleep, the hunger, the fear that lingered for those chickens was much more real for the families that owned them. Maybe now the people and the animals can sleep again in this relative calm, but mental recovery will not be easy. How many nightmares, how many behavioral problems, how many bullies will this war produce? Will young people be able to see a future beyond the rising clouds of smoke from the artillery? Beyond the blockades and the crossings? Or will there be a surge of volunteers for a fanatical group bent on violent revenge?
As we read or watch the unfolding story of tragic loss and devastation, hearing those never-ending facts and figures that Peter reflected on last week, the physical dimensions, let us remember the incalculable, sometimes invisible, but very real aspects of this disaster as well. Pray for those who suffer internally who likely don’t have access to therapy or counseling and for the fragile children who don’t ever feel safe anymore.
Kimberly MacVaugh is an MCC SALT worker, serving her one year term in Israel/Palestine. She is a recent graduate of Messiah College in Pennsylvania.
Tuesday, January 20
Sunday, January 18
History did not begin with the Qassams
Israel has ended the shelling for now. Gaza residents surely welcome the chance to sleep through the night without the noise of explosions. However, it needs to be pointed out that this is another unilateral decision; Israel has, for their part, decided to stop dropping bombs. They have done this without what would seem like important gestures or steps for peace: without talking to Hamas, without withdrawing troops, and without promising to end the economic blockade and closures of borders that have been imposed on Gaza. Ceasing to drop bombs is a step, but it seems just one of several that need to be taken as people here move toward peace. The continued refusal of one power to talk to another seems unlikely to lead to long-term security for either Israelis or Palestinians.
This is an article from an Israeli newspaper about what's happening in Gaza. The title itself, "History did not begin with the Qassams," is perhaps a challenge to start thinking about the conflict here in a new way.
-------------by Amira Hass, the full article below and linked here.
History did not begin with the Qassam rockets. But for us, the Israelis, history always begins when the Palestinians hurt us, and then the pain is completely decontextualized. We think that if we cause the Palestinians much greater pain, they will finally learn their lesson. Some term this "achievement."
Nevertheless, the "lesson" remains abstract for most Israelis. The Israeli media prescribes a strict low-information, low-truth diet for its consumers, one rich in generals and their ilk. It is modest, and does not boast of our achievements: the slain children and the bodies rotting under the ruins, the wounded who bleed to death because our soldiers shoot at the ambulance crews, the little girls whose legs were amputated due to horrible wounds caused by various types of weaponry, the devastated fathers shedding bitter tears, the residential neighborhoods that have been obliterated, the terrible burns caused by white phosphorus, and the mini-transfer - the tens of thousands of people who have been expelled from their homes, and are still being expelled at this very minute, ordered to cram into a built-up area that is constantly growing smaller and is also under sentence of incessant bombing and shelling.
Ever since the Palestinian Authority was established, the Israeli public relations machinery has exaggerated the danger of the military threat that the Palestinians pose to us. When they moved from stones to rifles and from Molotov cocktails to suicide bombings, from roadside bombs to Qassams and from Qassams to Grads, and from the PLO to Hamas, we said with a whoop of victory, "We told you. They're anti-Semites." And therefore, we have the right to go on a rampage.
What enabled Israel's military rampage - the proper words to describe it cannot be found in my dictionary - was the step-by-step isolation of the Gaza Strip. The isolation turned Gaza's residents into abstract objects, with no names and addresses, except the addresses of the armed men, and no history, aside from the dates determined by the Shin Bet security service.
The siege of Gaza did not begin when Hamas seized control of the Strip's security organs, or when Gilad Shalit was taken captive, or when Hamas was elected in democratic elections. The siege began in 1991 - before the suicide bombings. And since then, it has only become more sophisticated, reaching its peak in 2005.
The Israeli public relations machinery happily presented the disengagement as the end of the occupation, in brazen disregard of the facts. The isolation and closure were presented as military necessities. But we are big boys and girls, and we know that "military necessities" and consistent lies serve state goals. Israel's goal was to thwart the two-state solution, which the world had expected to materialize once the Cold War ended in 1990. This was not a perfect solution, but the Palestinians were ready for it then.
Gaza is not a military power that attacked its tiny, peace-loving neighbor, Israel. Gaza is a territory that Israel occupied in 1967, along with the West Bank. Its residents are part of the Palestinian people, which lost its land and its homeland in 1948.
In 1993, Israel had a one-time golden opportunity to prove to the world that what people say about us is untrue - that it is not by nature a colonialist state. That the expulsion of a nation from its land, the expulsion of people from their houses and the robbery of Palestinian land for the sake of settling Jews are not the basis and essence of its existence.
In the 1990s, Israel had a chance to prove that 1948 is not its paradigm. But it missed this opportunity. Instead, it merely perfected its techniques for robbing land and expelling people from their houses, and forced the Palestinians into isolated enclaves. And now, during these dark days, Israel is proving that 1948 never ended.
--------------
It raises some important points and some things that MCC emphasizes in our work here. Causing the other 'much greater pain' is not the answer, regardless of who is causing the pain
and who is suffering. Understanding the perspective of people different than ourselves is one way to help people here move toward peace. Decontextualized pain explains why a lot of
what happens here happens, and is a danger in itself; seeking to know friends, neighbors, and the community around us is one way to combat our natural inclinations to protect 'ourselves'
and what's 'ours'.
This past Thursday night, MCC workers attended the launch of an educational packet by an Israeli partner, Zochrot. They discuss the 'Nakba', or 'Catastrophe' in Arabic, and try to educate
the Israeli public about the way Palestinians view the events of 1948. At the packet launch one of the Israeli teachers who was going to use the packet shared his thoughts (in paraphrase):
I believe that the Nakba is continuing, even now, with the attacks on Gaza. It's not only the destruction of a people, but the destruction of a culture as well. I am an old man, and I don't
believe that I will see the end of the Nakba in my lifetime; I don't think Israeli society will realize what it is doing while I am still alive. But, I think that the work that Zochrot is doing is
what needs to be done, and what can be done. Seeing the work of Zochrot gives me hope that one day we will live in peace, and I want to say thank you.
It's encouraging to hear such words from an Israeli, and we hope that more of the people who call this place home will come to realize that causing 'the other' pain is not the way forward.
Trey Hulsey is an MCC Peace Development Worker in Bethlehem, and loves both his wife Jessie and many of the people in Israel/Palestine.
This is an article from an Israeli newspaper about what's happening in Gaza. The title itself, "History did not begin with the Qassams," is perhaps a challenge to start thinking about the conflict here in a new way.
-------------by Amira Hass, the full article below and linked here.
History did not begin with the Qassam rockets. But for us, the Israelis, history always begins when the Palestinians hurt us, and then the pain is completely decontextualized. We think that if we cause the Palestinians much greater pain, they will finally learn their lesson. Some term this "achievement."
Nevertheless, the "lesson" remains abstract for most Israelis. The Israeli media prescribes a strict low-information, low-truth diet for its consumers, one rich in generals and their ilk. It is modest, and does not boast of our achievements: the slain children and the bodies rotting under the ruins, the wounded who bleed to death because our soldiers shoot at the ambulance crews, the little girls whose legs were amputated due to horrible wounds caused by various types of weaponry, the devastated fathers shedding bitter tears, the residential neighborhoods that have been obliterated, the terrible burns caused by white phosphorus, and the mini-transfer - the tens of thousands of people who have been expelled from their homes, and are still being expelled at this very minute, ordered to cram into a built-up area that is constantly growing smaller and is also under sentence of incessant bombing and shelling.
Ever since the Palestinian Authority was established, the Israeli public relations machinery has exaggerated the danger of the military threat that the Palestinians pose to us. When they moved from stones to rifles and from Molotov cocktails to suicide bombings, from roadside bombs to Qassams and from Qassams to Grads, and from the PLO to Hamas, we said with a whoop of victory, "We told you. They're anti-Semites." And therefore, we have the right to go on a rampage.
What enabled Israel's military rampage - the proper words to describe it cannot be found in my dictionary - was the step-by-step isolation of the Gaza Strip. The isolation turned Gaza's residents into abstract objects, with no names and addresses, except the addresses of the armed men, and no history, aside from the dates determined by the Shin Bet security service.
The siege of Gaza did not begin when Hamas seized control of the Strip's security organs, or when Gilad Shalit was taken captive, or when Hamas was elected in democratic elections. The siege began in 1991 - before the suicide bombings. And since then, it has only become more sophisticated, reaching its peak in 2005.
The Israeli public relations machinery happily presented the disengagement as the end of the occupation, in brazen disregard of the facts. The isolation and closure were presented as military necessities. But we are big boys and girls, and we know that "military necessities" and consistent lies serve state goals. Israel's goal was to thwart the two-state solution, which the world had expected to materialize once the Cold War ended in 1990. This was not a perfect solution, but the Palestinians were ready for it then.
Gaza is not a military power that attacked its tiny, peace-loving neighbor, Israel. Gaza is a territory that Israel occupied in 1967, along with the West Bank. Its residents are part of the Palestinian people, which lost its land and its homeland in 1948.
In 1993, Israel had a one-time golden opportunity to prove to the world that what people say about us is untrue - that it is not by nature a colonialist state. That the expulsion of a nation from its land, the expulsion of people from their houses and the robbery of Palestinian land for the sake of settling Jews are not the basis and essence of its existence.
In the 1990s, Israel had a chance to prove that 1948 is not its paradigm. But it missed this opportunity. Instead, it merely perfected its techniques for robbing land and expelling people from their houses, and forced the Palestinians into isolated enclaves. And now, during these dark days, Israel is proving that 1948 never ended.
--------------
It raises some important points and some things that MCC emphasizes in our work here. Causing the other 'much greater pain' is not the answer, regardless of who is causing the pain
and who is suffering. Understanding the perspective of people different than ourselves is one way to help people here move toward peace. Decontextualized pain explains why a lot of
what happens here happens, and is a danger in itself; seeking to know friends, neighbors, and the community around us is one way to combat our natural inclinations to protect 'ourselves'
and what's 'ours'.
This past Thursday night, MCC workers attended the launch of an educational packet by an Israeli partner, Zochrot. They discuss the 'Nakba', or 'Catastrophe' in Arabic, and try to educate
the Israeli public about the way Palestinians view the events of 1948. At the packet launch one of the Israeli teachers who was going to use the packet shared his thoughts (in paraphrase):
I believe that the Nakba is continuing, even now, with the attacks on Gaza. It's not only the destruction of a people, but the destruction of a culture as well. I am an old man, and I don't
believe that I will see the end of the Nakba in my lifetime; I don't think Israeli society will realize what it is doing while I am still alive. But, I think that the work that Zochrot is doing is
what needs to be done, and what can be done. Seeing the work of Zochrot gives me hope that one day we will live in peace, and I want to say thank you.
It's encouraging to hear such words from an Israeli, and we hope that more of the people who call this place home will come to realize that causing 'the other' pain is not the way forward.
Trey Hulsey is an MCC Peace Development Worker in Bethlehem, and loves both his wife Jessie and many of the people in Israel/Palestine.
Saturday, January 17
Majdas Journal
Majeda El-Saqqa, Director of Public Relations at Culture and Free Thought Association, an MCC partner organization, graciously shares the following notes of experiences over the past few weeks with us, offering a glimpse of life in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
2 January, 2009
Wael, my four-year old nephew, loves to watch birds. For the last six days, every day he looks up at the sky and wonders why the birds take so long to go to their nests. He tells me that every day birds used to go to their homes directly, only maybe once or twice would they fly around the house. Yesterday Wael was watching his birds and all of a sudden an F16 started roaming about, occupying the sky. The birds flew from right to left and then back again -- every time they found a safe area in the sky an airplane would drop another shell and the birds would flee to the other side. In the beginning, Wael was laughing and he called all his brothers to watch how the birds were dislocated. But today Wael is really angry; he feels that the birds are not safe.
Wael tells me: "Last night when I went to sleep the airplane hit my finger... I know you don't believe me, but it fell down and set fire to our garden. I could smell the fire.
"What did you do?"
"I was looking for my airplane to go up and take all the birds to their mother because they were calling me to help them."
"Did you help them?"
He gives me a very angry look and says, "Of course not!"
"Why?"
"Because you didn't buy me an airplane, so I couldn't do anything for them
and they are really angry with me."
I look at Wael:"Listen, I promise you when this war is over I will buy you a very
big airplane, with a remote control."
He asks: "What is war?"
"War is what we are living now.
Like what you saw in your dream."
"And why would any one make this war?"
I think that he's got the idea and then he continues: "Why would anyone not want the birds to go back to their nests?"
I look at Wael and say: "We will continue later..."
He is happy with my new promise and I am happy I've managed to cut the conversation short.
4 January, 2009
Yesterday was most awful day we ever lived, I think. My mother said even the
1967 War was not this bad. No electricity, very little water, freezing cold and most horrific was the cold accompanied by the live war orchestra.
Tanks bombing from the ground incursion, F16s bombing, the drone which keeps going around in circles all day and night non-stop, making this annoying sound as if there is a bee just at the edge of your ear. Added to all of this, is the sound of shelling from the sea. War melody, is what I want to call it.
Wael keeps asking: Why does the pilot want to kill the birds? Why does the pilot hate birds? Maybe he doesn’t know that they have a life like us...
I 'm shocked by his question: "Maybe he doesn’t know that birds have a life?"
I ask Wael to come inside because it's freezing cold outside. His birds are no longer in the sky. "Come let's play the Alaska game!"
"What is Alaska?"
"It's a new game we'll all play with grandmother. Each of us has her/his own blanket to cover all of the body from head to toe."
I don't know if we were trying to warm ourselves or trying to hide from all the bombing.. Whatever it was, it felt better since there was no electricity and no birds in the sky comforting us.
"Ok, Wael, you are the head of the state of Alaska, and we are the people of
Alaska. What do you order us to do?" I started the game...
"I order you to go to the shop and buy me an airplane, a cage and seeds," he said, sucking on his thumb.
"Why?" I ask. "You need to explain to me."
"I want to fly up, up, up -- till I reach god! I will bring all my birds, and put them in a cage. I'll fly again, and I'll catch the pilot. I will bring him here and give him the seeds to feed the birds."
I look at Wael as the bombing continues, he's quite anxious.
...And I thought the Alaska game could bring some kind of creative ideas to
bring warmth to our bodies and some life under this bombardment.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a very smart idea. So I just obeyed my mother's order: we all got closer to each other and created a net of hugs that really brought warmth to our life and very little security.
We kept listening to the melody coming from outside and we started to count
the bombs out loud; 1, 2, 3, ... 28, ... 32 .... The kids don’t know how to continue counting after 50, so we stopped.
Heather and Ryan Lehman live in Jerusalem and are the Program Directors for MCC Palestine. They are here on a 3 year term and are from Johnstown, PA. They have 3 children, Tayllor (12), Ellena (9) and Elijah (2).
2 January, 2009
Wael, my four-year old nephew, loves to watch birds. For the last six days, every day he looks up at the sky and wonders why the birds take so long to go to their nests. He tells me that every day birds used to go to their homes directly, only maybe once or twice would they fly around the house. Yesterday Wael was watching his birds and all of a sudden an F16 started roaming about, occupying the sky. The birds flew from right to left and then back again -- every time they found a safe area in the sky an airplane would drop another shell and the birds would flee to the other side. In the beginning, Wael was laughing and he called all his brothers to watch how the birds were dislocated. But today Wael is really angry; he feels that the birds are not safe.
Wael tells me: "Last night when I went to sleep the airplane hit my finger... I know you don't believe me, but it fell down and set fire to our garden. I could smell the fire.
"What did you do?"
"I was looking for my airplane to go up and take all the birds to their mother because they were calling me to help them."
"Did you help them?"
He gives me a very angry look and says, "Of course not!"
"Why?"
"Because you didn't buy me an airplane, so I couldn't do anything for them
and they are really angry with me."
I look at Wael:"Listen, I promise you when this war is over I will buy you a very
big airplane, with a remote control."
He asks: "What is war?"
"War is what we are living now.
Like what you saw in your dream."
"And why would any one make this war?"
I think that he's got the idea and then he continues: "Why would anyone not want the birds to go back to their nests?"
I look at Wael and say: "We will continue later..."
He is happy with my new promise and I am happy I've managed to cut the conversation short.
4 January, 2009
Yesterday was most awful day we ever lived, I think. My mother said even the
1967 War was not this bad. No electricity, very little water, freezing cold and most horrific was the cold accompanied by the live war orchestra.
Tanks bombing from the ground incursion, F16s bombing, the drone which keeps going around in circles all day and night non-stop, making this annoying sound as if there is a bee just at the edge of your ear. Added to all of this, is the sound of shelling from the sea. War melody, is what I want to call it.
Wael keeps asking: Why does the pilot want to kill the birds? Why does the pilot hate birds? Maybe he doesn’t know that they have a life like us...
I 'm shocked by his question: "Maybe he doesn’t know that birds have a life?"
I ask Wael to come inside because it's freezing cold outside. His birds are no longer in the sky. "Come let's play the Alaska game!"
"What is Alaska?"
"It's a new game we'll all play with grandmother. Each of us has her/his own blanket to cover all of the body from head to toe."
I don't know if we were trying to warm ourselves or trying to hide from all the bombing.. Whatever it was, it felt better since there was no electricity and no birds in the sky comforting us.
"Ok, Wael, you are the head of the state of Alaska, and we are the people of
Alaska. What do you order us to do?" I started the game...
"I order you to go to the shop and buy me an airplane, a cage and seeds," he said, sucking on his thumb.
"Why?" I ask. "You need to explain to me."
"I want to fly up, up, up -- till I reach god! I will bring all my birds, and put them in a cage. I'll fly again, and I'll catch the pilot. I will bring him here and give him the seeds to feed the birds."
I look at Wael as the bombing continues, he's quite anxious.
...And I thought the Alaska game could bring some kind of creative ideas to
bring warmth to our bodies and some life under this bombardment.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a very smart idea. So I just obeyed my mother's order: we all got closer to each other and created a net of hugs that really brought warmth to our life and very little security.
We kept listening to the melody coming from outside and we started to count
the bombs out loud; 1, 2, 3, ... 28, ... 32 .... The kids don’t know how to continue counting after 50, so we stopped.
Heather and Ryan Lehman live in Jerusalem and are the Program Directors for MCC Palestine. They are here on a 3 year term and are from Johnstown, PA. They have 3 children, Tayllor (12), Ellena (9) and Elijah (2).
Friday, January 16
Tipping Point
We live near one of the largest mosques in Amman. At noon today hundreds of Muslims will stream to the King Abdullah Mosque for Friday prayers. Across the region, the scene will be repeated in thousands of locations. Sermons will focus on the crisis in Gaza. Later today there will be demonstrations in the streets throughout the Middle East.
This week, Osama bin Laden issued a call for holy jihad against Israel and criticized Arab leaders for their lack of response. Anger at the mounting suffering in Gaza is growing – and not just among Muslims.
According to BBC this morning, the Palestinian death toll has reached 1,105 -- with more than 5,100 wounded. Roughly a third of the casualties have been children. Thirteen Israelis have been killed and 233 soldiers wounded.
As Peter Miller pointed out in his posting several days ago, it is easy to get lost in the numbers. To get a scope of the losses in Gaza during the past three weeks, a proportionate number of deaths would be 18,415 Canadians or 220,980 Americans. (Some 3,000 persons were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.)
MCC partners in Gaza report that their offices are closed and that they are working from home – venturing out during the lulls in shelling to distribute food staples and relief kits to persons whose homes were damaged or destroyed. The conditions are extremely difficult and dangerous. Yesterday, the Israeli military shelled the UN complex in Gaza city, setting it on fire and injuring three persons. A Middle East Council of Churches health clinic was also destroyed by Israeli fire earlier this week. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets into southern Israel.
In the past several days, diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have increased. Leaders from Hamas and Israel shuttle in and out of Egypt for truce talks. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has been in the region meeting with Arab and Israeli leaders. Unfortunately, he does not plan to meet with leaders of Hamas, even though they are a party to the conflict.
This is day 13 of my fast for peace. At some moments it feels that – while the root issues of the conflict are far from being addressed -- the immediate fighting may be drawing to a close. At other moments I’m aware that one demonstration that turns violent, or one hostile act by a third country, or one too many egregious strikes by Israel, or one Hamas rocket that kills a large number of Israeli civilians could spread this conflict to a whole new level.
We are at a tipping point.
J. Daryl Byler, lives in Amman, Jordan. He and his spouse, Cindy, are MCC Representatives for Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. They have young adult three children living in the United States.
This week, Osama bin Laden issued a call for holy jihad against Israel and criticized Arab leaders for their lack of response. Anger at the mounting suffering in Gaza is growing – and not just among Muslims.
According to BBC this morning, the Palestinian death toll has reached 1,105 -- with more than 5,100 wounded. Roughly a third of the casualties have been children. Thirteen Israelis have been killed and 233 soldiers wounded.
As Peter Miller pointed out in his posting several days ago, it is easy to get lost in the numbers. To get a scope of the losses in Gaza during the past three weeks, a proportionate number of deaths would be 18,415 Canadians or 220,980 Americans. (Some 3,000 persons were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.)
MCC partners in Gaza report that their offices are closed and that they are working from home – venturing out during the lulls in shelling to distribute food staples and relief kits to persons whose homes were damaged or destroyed. The conditions are extremely difficult and dangerous. Yesterday, the Israeli military shelled the UN complex in Gaza city, setting it on fire and injuring three persons. A Middle East Council of Churches health clinic was also destroyed by Israeli fire earlier this week. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets into southern Israel.
In the past several days, diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have increased. Leaders from Hamas and Israel shuttle in and out of Egypt for truce talks. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has been in the region meeting with Arab and Israeli leaders. Unfortunately, he does not plan to meet with leaders of Hamas, even though they are a party to the conflict.
This is day 13 of my fast for peace. At some moments it feels that – while the root issues of the conflict are far from being addressed -- the immediate fighting may be drawing to a close. At other moments I’m aware that one demonstration that turns violent, or one hostile act by a third country, or one too many egregious strikes by Israel, or one Hamas rocket that kills a large number of Israeli civilians could spread this conflict to a whole new level.
We are at a tipping point.
J. Daryl Byler, lives in Amman, Jordan. He and his spouse, Cindy, are MCC Representatives for Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. They have young adult three children living in the United States.
Thursday, January 15
Links to News Sources
Here in Jerusalem we're able to watch CNN. We're able to watch Israeli television and news. And we're able to watch Al Jazeera, a news station that gives a different perspective than what we hear from North America or in Israel.
From Al Jazeera's youtube channel, you can watch some of their video clips. These are the very same clips that are constantly on the news in the homes of our neighbors and in coffee shops around the West Bank. They show a different side to 'Operation Cast Lead', a side that when viewed should give anyone pause in their enthusiasm for Israel's right to defend itself.
The channel hosted by Israel National News has a nationalistic bent to it. They view Palestinians, or, as they're generally referred to by Israel National News, Arabs, as at best a danger to the State of Israel, and at worst as wanting to destroy the country.
The third link is to an Israeli magazine, Ha-aretz, which means 'the Land'.
The fourth is a link to a Jordanian magazine, the Jordan Times.
1. http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
2. http://www.youtube.com/user/IsraelNationalTV
3. www.haaretz.com
4. www.jordantimes.com
Regarding the two video channels, I want to be sure that readers understand that I'm not intending to equate the two perspectives; I think Al Jazeera does a fairly good job of presenting an aspect of the situation in Gaza that native English speakers often don't hear (unless we intentionally seek out this type of coverage) and in general provides balanced reporting. I think INN reports the situation as they understand it, but they often don't present a full picture of what is happening here. They give a narrow perspective on things.
The challenge for us as MCC workers is to try to understand the feelings and perspectives of both sides here. Developing relationships is a beginning to the process of understanding the root issues of this conflict and encouraging all to look towards justice and peace as the way towards a better future for everyone who calls this land home. A few minutes perusing the links above can give you a good idea of how difficult it is to call for justice and peace in a place where each seems so far away.
Trey Hulsey is an MCC Peace Development Worker living in Israel/Palestine. He LOVES playing football (soccer) with his friends there.
From Al Jazeera's youtube channel, you can watch some of their video clips. These are the very same clips that are constantly on the news in the homes of our neighbors and in coffee shops around the West Bank. They show a different side to 'Operation Cast Lead', a side that when viewed should give anyone pause in their enthusiasm for Israel's right to defend itself.
The channel hosted by Israel National News has a nationalistic bent to it. They view Palestinians, or, as they're generally referred to by Israel National News, Arabs, as at best a danger to the State of Israel, and at worst as wanting to destroy the country.
The third link is to an Israeli magazine, Ha-aretz, which means 'the Land'.
The fourth is a link to a Jordanian magazine, the Jordan Times.
1. http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
2. http://www.youtube.com/user/IsraelNationalTV
3. www.haaretz.com
4. www.jordantimes.com
Regarding the two video channels, I want to be sure that readers understand that I'm not intending to equate the two perspectives; I think Al Jazeera does a fairly good job of presenting an aspect of the situation in Gaza that native English speakers often don't hear (unless we intentionally seek out this type of coverage) and in general provides balanced reporting. I think INN reports the situation as they understand it, but they often don't present a full picture of what is happening here. They give a narrow perspective on things.
The challenge for us as MCC workers is to try to understand the feelings and perspectives of both sides here. Developing relationships is a beginning to the process of understanding the root issues of this conflict and encouraging all to look towards justice and peace as the way towards a better future for everyone who calls this land home. A few minutes perusing the links above can give you a good idea of how difficult it is to call for justice and peace in a place where each seems so far away.
Trey Hulsey is an MCC Peace Development Worker living in Israel/Palestine. He LOVES playing football (soccer) with his friends there.
Wednesday, January 14
Lost in the numbers
"My message is simple, direct and to the point: the fighting must stop. To both sides, I say: Just stop, now. Too many people have died. There has been too much civilian suffering. Too many people, Israelis and Palestinians, live in daily fear of their lives. And in Gaza, the very foundation of society is being destroyed: people's homes; civic infrastructure; public health facilities; and schools."
-Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General, January 12, 2009
Other contributors to this blog have noted how pervasive news coverage of Gaza is within Palestine. On buses, the radio seems to constantly be tuned to the latest update from Gaza. At the grocery store, the TV behind the counter shows clips of rubble and mangled limbs and IDF spokespersons. At the internet cafe, computers display Facebook groups announcing the next demonstration. In this whirlwind of images and sounds and information, we wait for the numbers. The numbers of the dead, the numbers of the injured, the number of days that this catastrophe has continued. These numbers are always changing---always growing.
These are the numbers that I am encountering today (unless otherwise noted, figures are from the United Nations):
19 days of death and destruction
971 Palestinians dead
----311 children
----76 women
4,418 Palestinians injured
----1,549 children
----652 women
9 Israeli soldiers dead
4 Israeli civilians dead
58 Israeli civilians injured
4 UN staffers killed
6 UN staffers injured
49 UN buildings damaged or destroyed
4 aid convoys attacked
3 rockets fired from
8 shells fired back at
35,520 Gazans are displaced due to the fighting
6 pieces of bread given to each displaced person each day by the UN
38 of 47 bakeries have been closed due to shelling
28 of 58 Palestinian Ministry of Health healthcare centers have been closed due to shelling
1 Christian health clinic completely destroyed by an air strike
½ million Gazans do not have running water
170 babies born in
56% of Gazans are children under age 18
100,000 Spanish demonstrators demanding an end to attacks in
1.5 million people live in
139 sq. miles--the size of
I have a hard time keeping track of these numbers. After a while they start to lose their strength and their meaning. After 19 days of tallies and analysis, it is easy for me to forget that every number has incalculable meaning to someone else.
The difference between 5 pieces of bread and 6 pieces of bread means something to someone in Gaza. Healthcare center number 32 used to be just down the street from a family in Gaza and now they have to take their sick and injured elsewhere. The fourth Israeli soldier killed in this conflict has a mother who's life will never be the same. The 170th baby born later today—if she survives the coming weeks—will grow up in a devastated society. Protestor number 87,312 believed that he should skip work to march through the streets of Madrid as an act of solidarity with Gazans.
These numbers matter.
Behind every number is a story and a person.
-Peter Miller is an MCC SALT worker based in East Jerusalem. He is a recent graduate of Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.
Tuesday, January 13
Gazan Christians Stranded in Bethlehem
The Bethlehem Bible College (BBC) reopened Monday with somber reflections on the war that has transpired over the holiday/semester break. Many here have relatives living in Gaza, including Selwa, the wife of BBC's president and my Arabic tutor. She has been distraught about the ongoing military campaign and could only respond to me saying, "I have Gaza on my mind." It has been difficult to get going again with the routines of the new semester as so many are affected either personally or by the relationship between BBC and the Protestant church community in Gaza.
Bishara Awad, the President of BBC, said in devotions that we should begin our year by praying unceasingly as the Bible instructs, pointing specifically to the story about the persistent widow who continually nags an unjust judge until he submits to her requests. The evangelical church in Bethlehem is committed to praying constantly for the conflict to end and for God to help the suffering people. Also, BBC is raising funds to send to the Baptist Church in Gaza to distribute as aid. Tomorrow, Wednesday, Christians in Bethlehem will be fasting to remember and pray for Gaza.
One issue that has arisen is that many families, particularly elderly Christians from Gaza, were able to receive permission this Christmas time to visit Bethlehem. As the war broke out on December 27th, they have been stranded in the West Bank and their permissions have expired. To get home again will be quite a challenge due to the border problems—expired permissions—and also, clearly, because the war has devastated Gaza's infrastructure. Meanwhile dozens of families remain in Bethlehem at hotels and with relatives, unable to contact their families in Gaza to see how they are fairing. One woman was at the BBC yesterday and told me she did get to call her relatives in Gaza but that their living situation was grim without running water, electricity or heat. Their food has spoiled in the refrigerator, which cannot run.
The Church in Gaza is very small—around 2,500 of 1.5 million Gazan Palestinians are part of Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant groups. Three Christians are known to have been killed as a result of the war.
Please join Bethlehem Bible College in praying and fasting for peace in Gaza.
Kimberly MacVaugh is an MCC SALT worker, serving her one year term in Israel/Palestine. She is a recent graduate of Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and she hopes her experiences here will lead to long-term work for peace and justice in the Middle East.
Bishara Awad, the President of BBC, said in devotions that we should begin our year by praying unceasingly as the Bible instructs, pointing specifically to the story about the persistent widow who continually nags an unjust judge until he submits to her requests. The evangelical church in Bethlehem is committed to praying constantly for the conflict to end and for God to help the suffering people. Also, BBC is raising funds to send to the Baptist Church in Gaza to distribute as aid. Tomorrow, Wednesday, Christians in Bethlehem will be fasting to remember and pray for Gaza.
One issue that has arisen is that many families, particularly elderly Christians from Gaza, were able to receive permission this Christmas time to visit Bethlehem. As the war broke out on December 27th, they have been stranded in the West Bank and their permissions have expired. To get home again will be quite a challenge due to the border problems—expired permissions—and also, clearly, because the war has devastated Gaza's infrastructure. Meanwhile dozens of families remain in Bethlehem at hotels and with relatives, unable to contact their families in Gaza to see how they are fairing. One woman was at the BBC yesterday and told me she did get to call her relatives in Gaza but that their living situation was grim without running water, electricity or heat. Their food has spoiled in the refrigerator, which cannot run.
The Church in Gaza is very small—around 2,500 of 1.5 million Gazan Palestinians are part of Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant groups. Three Christians are known to have been killed as a result of the war.
Please join Bethlehem Bible College in praying and fasting for peace in Gaza.
Kimberly MacVaugh is an MCC SALT worker, serving her one year term in Israel/Palestine. She is a recent graduate of Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and she hopes her experiences here will lead to long-term work for peace and justice in the Middle East.
Monday, January 12
The Children of Gaza
As I talk or watch the news with neighbors and friends in Palestine, the subject of children and how they have been killed, injured or are frightened is the topic that we talk about most. I am not yet a parent so it’s hard for me to imagine exactly what my feelings would be, but I can easily picture our neighborhood kids, my Monday afternoon girls craft club, our friends’ children and young relatives. As I sat with a woman originally from Gaza who now lives in the West Bank, we talked about her family still living in Gaza. Tears ran down her eyes as we talked about the children suffering from this terrible event. We talked about both the children in Gaza and children living in surrounding Israeli towns. “They are children. They need food, milk and their parents,” she said. “I saw one little girl on the television who was in the hospital and now has suffered injury to her legs, saying ‘mama, mama’. I wanted to go get her, adopt her and give her clothing. What should we do? They are just children.”
Soccer practice, ballet, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, swimming, riding bicycles and playing outdoors. These are all things that remind me of my childhood. In my mind, the children of Gaza and the surrounding Israeli cities are being robbed of their childhood. Each day, they live in fear that a rocket or bomb will hit them.
So often you hear quotes like, “Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Future”. What kind of future is being created in Israel and Palestine by using violence as a way to solve conflicts? This area already has a population of adults who have suffered terrible trauma during their childhood from the Holocaust and the war in 1948, referred to by Israel as ‘Independence Day’ and by Palestinians as ‘the Nakba’ or ‘the Catastrophe’. Gaza is creating the same situation.
I found an interesting article that was written by a woman named Avigail Abarbanel. Although it was written back in 2003, I believe that it still applies:
“Although the traumatized individual might think that they have succeeded in moving on, in reality their whole existence is shaped and dominated by their trauma. There is a real risk that they will then transmit the trauma to the next generation without being aware of it. I believe that it is this dynamic that lies behind the brutal treatment of the Palestinian people in Israel. The story of Israel and the Palestinian people is the story of trauma being transmitted from one generation to the next. Trauma sufferers believe that the way they see the world is accurate but what they see is often interpreted through the eyes of their trauma.” To read the full article, click here.
This situation is creating another generation of Palestinian and Israeli children that will be traumatized by their memories of this horrible situation. Attached are some articles about the children of Palestine and Israel that are suffering trauma due to these horrific events.
In the spring, we had an MCC learning tour here. We took the group to a controversial area in the West Bank where Israeli settlers live near a Palestinian village. The children from this village need to be accompanied to school by internationals because adult settlers throw stones at them periodically. One evening, in a debriefing session, one member of our learning tour asked the group a question, not expecting an answer in return. "How can a grown adult throw stones at any child, no matter what the situation might be?"
Perhaps only by not thinking of the actual people that we inflict pain on as “people” but as our enemies. If we would think of these children as our own, or our neighbors, or our family, we might not be so quick to perform such troubling actions. We need to start thinking about the population living here as humans and treat them as so.
I pray that the people dropping bombs from aircraft into Gaza or shooting rockets into Israel would think about the long term ramifications of these events and the trauma they are creating on the children of Israel and Palestine.
Jessica Hulsey is a Peace Development Worker for MCC in Palestine. She has been married to her husband Trey for over 4 years and are in the middle of a 3-year MCC term. She is originally from the Philadelphia area. She graduated from Gordon College in Massachusetts. Before moving to Palestine, she worked as an event/conference planner.
Sunday, January 11
Day 16
Today is Day 16 of Israel’s military assault on Gaza, which began Dec. 27 with the stated goal of ending Hamas rocket-fire into southern Israel.
Code named “Operation Cast Lead” -- after a Hanukkah song about cast lead dreidels (toys that looks like spinning tops) – the war is now responsible for 875 Palestinian deaths, including some 235 children. Thirteen Israelis have been killed in the fighting.
Today Israeli troops are in a fierce gun battle with Hamas near Gaza City, which may signal the beginning of “phase three” of Israel’s military campaign. Analysts fear this stage will involve high casualties as troops penetrate deeper into urban settings and refugee camps.
Yesterday, Khaled Meshaal, chairman of Hamas’ political wing, called Israel’s attack “a holocaust” in Gaza” and said Israel has ruined the chance for peace. Meshaal demanded that Israel immediately end its aggression in Gaza, withdraw its troops, lift the economic siege and open all crossings into Gaza. He called for Arab nations and all Palestinians to unite in resisting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In Amman, Cindy and I worship with an Anglican congregation. In our service last evening, the priest read a letter from Rev. Suheil Dawani, the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem. Bishop Dawani described the dire conditions at an Anglican-run hospital in the Gaza Strip:
“Our Diocese has one of 11 hospitals serving a population of 1.5 million residents in the Gaza Strip. The Al Ahli Arab (Anglican) Hospital has been in operation for over 100 years and has a very dedicated medical staff. . . .
During the best of times they are stretched to their maximum meeting the medical needs of this populous community. Now, during the current military conflict with its heavy toll on human life and material, the hospital faces even greater responsibilities and challenges. . . . Every day since the beginning of military operations, the hospital has received 20-40 injured or wounded patients. A large proportion of them require hospitalization and surgery. . . .
In addition, the conflict has brought new types of medical and surgical conditions. For example, patients with burns and acute, crippling psychological trauma are being seen more frequently. Because it is not possible for aid workers to enter Gaza at this time, the hospital’s staff is working around the clock, struggling with the effects of exhaustion and against limited resources in a conflicted area of ongoing military operations. . . .
The hospital’s windows have all been blown out or shattered from rocket and missile concussion and cold permeates the entire premises. Plastic sheeting to cover the windows could alleviate some of the cold but is unavailable now. Food supplies are scant throughout the Gaza strip and maintaining patients’ nutritional needs at the hospital has been difficult, especially for the most vulnerable. . . .
Efforts to help alleviate some of the shortages are underway and we hope that the shipments will arrive quickly. Through the ICRC limited amounts of diesel fuel are being delivered to keep the electrical generators functional for life saving and other essential equipment. We are working with a number of related governmental and international voluntary agencies to speed up the delivery and steady supply of needed medicines and food. . . .
On a “normal” day, approximately 600 life line trucks a day bring supplies to the Gaza Strip. Many are under the auspices of UNRWA and international relief agencies because about two-thirds of Gaza’s residents are Refugees and living in UNRWA Camps. During this time of conflict, that number of trucks is not seen in a week or more. Because of the reduced deliveries, medical items, nutritional food, and other basic supplies are now scarce items, if available at all, for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.
As we continue to pray for communal Palestinian and Israeli PEACE, we especially remember these dedicated individuals who cannot leave, but most importantly do not want to leave, but continue to do all they can to help.”
Bishop Dawani’s depiction of Gaza matches those reported by three MCC partners in Gaza. The situation is chaotic and fearful.
Today I am in the 8th day of a liquids-only fast for peace, which began at the time of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza. While truce talks continue in Egypt, neither Israel nor Hamas seem ready to make the first move to meet the other’s demands. In my gut, I fear that this conflict will escalate further.
It may be some days before I eat again. More importantly, it may be many days yet before the children of Gaza have enough to eat, a warm place to sleep and a safe place to play.
J. Daryl Byler, lives in Amman, Jordan. He and his spouse, Cindy, are MCC Representatives for Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. They have three young adult children living in the United States.
Code named “Operation Cast Lead” -- after a Hanukkah song about cast lead dreidels (toys that looks like spinning tops) – the war is now responsible for 875 Palestinian deaths, including some 235 children. Thirteen Israelis have been killed in the fighting.
Today Israeli troops are in a fierce gun battle with Hamas near Gaza City, which may signal the beginning of “phase three” of Israel’s military campaign. Analysts fear this stage will involve high casualties as troops penetrate deeper into urban settings and refugee camps.
Yesterday, Khaled Meshaal, chairman of Hamas’ political wing, called Israel’s attack “a holocaust” in Gaza” and said Israel has ruined the chance for peace. Meshaal demanded that Israel immediately end its aggression in Gaza, withdraw its troops, lift the economic siege and open all crossings into Gaza. He called for Arab nations and all Palestinians to unite in resisting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In Amman, Cindy and I worship with an Anglican congregation. In our service last evening, the priest read a letter from Rev. Suheil Dawani, the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem. Bishop Dawani described the dire conditions at an Anglican-run hospital in the Gaza Strip:
“Our Diocese has one of 11 hospitals serving a population of 1.5 million residents in the Gaza Strip. The Al Ahli Arab (Anglican) Hospital has been in operation for over 100 years and has a very dedicated medical staff. . . .
During the best of times they are stretched to their maximum meeting the medical needs of this populous community. Now, during the current military conflict with its heavy toll on human life and material, the hospital faces even greater responsibilities and challenges. . . . Every day since the beginning of military operations, the hospital has received 20-40 injured or wounded patients. A large proportion of them require hospitalization and surgery. . . .
In addition, the conflict has brought new types of medical and surgical conditions. For example, patients with burns and acute, crippling psychological trauma are being seen more frequently. Because it is not possible for aid workers to enter Gaza at this time, the hospital’s staff is working around the clock, struggling with the effects of exhaustion and against limited resources in a conflicted area of ongoing military operations. . . .
The hospital’s windows have all been blown out or shattered from rocket and missile concussion and cold permeates the entire premises. Plastic sheeting to cover the windows could alleviate some of the cold but is unavailable now. Food supplies are scant throughout the Gaza strip and maintaining patients’ nutritional needs at the hospital has been difficult, especially for the most vulnerable. . . .
Efforts to help alleviate some of the shortages are underway and we hope that the shipments will arrive quickly. Through the ICRC limited amounts of diesel fuel are being delivered to keep the electrical generators functional for life saving and other essential equipment. We are working with a number of related governmental and international voluntary agencies to speed up the delivery and steady supply of needed medicines and food. . . .
On a “normal” day, approximately 600 life line trucks a day bring supplies to the Gaza Strip. Many are under the auspices of UNRWA and international relief agencies because about two-thirds of Gaza’s residents are Refugees and living in UNRWA Camps. During this time of conflict, that number of trucks is not seen in a week or more. Because of the reduced deliveries, medical items, nutritional food, and other basic supplies are now scarce items, if available at all, for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.
As we continue to pray for communal Palestinian and Israeli PEACE, we especially remember these dedicated individuals who cannot leave, but most importantly do not want to leave, but continue to do all they can to help.”
Bishop Dawani’s depiction of Gaza matches those reported by three MCC partners in Gaza. The situation is chaotic and fearful.
Today I am in the 8th day of a liquids-only fast for peace, which began at the time of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza. While truce talks continue in Egypt, neither Israel nor Hamas seem ready to make the first move to meet the other’s demands. In my gut, I fear that this conflict will escalate further.
It may be some days before I eat again. More importantly, it may be many days yet before the children of Gaza have enough to eat, a warm place to sleep and a safe place to play.
J. Daryl Byler, lives in Amman, Jordan. He and his spouse, Cindy, are MCC Representatives for Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. They have three young adult children living in the United States.
Saturday, January 10
How Do We Let This Happen?
There's a war in Sri Lanka. Something about Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government.
In Zimbabwe, the man in power rigged an election through power and violence. People were beaten on the premise that they might vote the wrong way.
In Gaza, a military is flying airplanes and helicopters over populated areas and dropping bombs and firing missiles.
All three of these things are wrong. I try to make sense of how we (the world, people in general, North America, anywhere that's a center of power) let these things happen. And I kind of understand. I don't know anyone from Sri Lanka and don't know the ins and outs of what's happening there. I don't come across Zimbabweans in my daily life, so I tend to think of the situation there when it comes across the news, or occasionally when something randomly reminds me of that part of the world. So I understand why the people with power let these things happen; they're not 'on our radar' on a daily basis. MCC has people in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and I'm sure they confront some of the same questions about why the world watches while injustice continues.
For me, though, and the rest of the people here in Palestine, what's happening in Gaza is a part of our day. Two nights ago we went out for coffee with some international friends, intentionally looking for a break from the news of the killing and destruction being rained down on Gaza. Our favorite place, one we go to often, had the news on instead of the usual Arabic television show or the latest football game. Over coffee we kept hearing updates about how many dead, how many wounded, and the latest on the Israeli military's plans.
Last night I went to a Palestinian friend's house for dinner. He's a single guy and lives with two of his brothers. We had the news on and were watching updates about Gaza and what's happening there. His brother mentioned that there had been a protest in Bethlehem against the airstrikes in Gaza. Palestinian security forces showed up to disperse the crowds and children started throwing stones at them. "It's sport," the brother said. "They're just getting in some exercise." I don't think he was emotionally ready to talk about why people would gather in protest, or why they feel frustrated and helpless and choose to express that through throwing stones. It was easier to make a joke.
I went to a barber here in Bethlehem. He's from Gaza and lives in the West Bank as an undocumented resident. The Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, doesn't mind that he's here. If Israel caught him living in the West Bank with a Gaza ID they would send him back. His extended family still lives in Gaza. I asked how his family was. "Ok, thank God. Ok." Nothing else. I wonder if he's worried to say more since he doesn't know what could happen tomorrow, or even tonight.
We were talking with a close friend from home in the United States. "Israel has a right to defend itself." What to say? If she could see what we saw, I don't think this would be the first reaction. I read a book that talked about the end of civilization being when the Allied powers during WWII decided to bomb German cities, full of people. The premise doesn't seem wrong to me: watching helicopters and airplanes launch missiles into populated areas seems barbaric to me. What is Israel defending? Hamas firing rockets at Israeli towns isn't ok; it's even less justifiable that a state that calls itself Western, progressive, and democratic forces a closure on an entire geographical area and launches a military campaign there. Israeli leaders say they've been forced into this war and that they're not targeting civilians. It sounds right to North American ears, but I don't think it's any comfort when buildings are exploding around you. Can a bomb or missile tell the difference between a militant and a civilian?
I'm glad I don't live in Gaza. I'm glad I was born in the United States into a position of privilege. But with that privilege there is a haunting responsibility. People often ask us why we're here, and depending on who's asking the answer is slightly different. I explain to other Christians that this is what I think Jesus meant when he talked about loving our enemies and caring for the poor. I tell other people who work for humanitarian aid organizations that I like what MCC does and how they do it. For people that I can't find much common ground with, I answer that we don't choose where we're born, and that if I was born in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, or the Gaza Strip, I'm sure I would want others to understand my situation and help me change it. I'd want her or him to care about the fact that I had never left the Gaza Strip, never carried a weapon, and wanted a good life for me and my children. I'd want her to care that there were airplanes flying over my house dropping ordinance designed to kill, maim, and destroy.
Trey Hulsey is a Peace Development Worker in Palestine for MCC. He has been married to his wife, Jessica for 4 years. They plan to live in Palestine for 3 years.
In Zimbabwe, the man in power rigged an election through power and violence. People were beaten on the premise that they might vote the wrong way.
In Gaza, a military is flying airplanes and helicopters over populated areas and dropping bombs and firing missiles.
All three of these things are wrong. I try to make sense of how we (the world, people in general, North America, anywhere that's a center of power) let these things happen. And I kind of understand. I don't know anyone from Sri Lanka and don't know the ins and outs of what's happening there. I don't come across Zimbabweans in my daily life, so I tend to think of the situation there when it comes across the news, or occasionally when something randomly reminds me of that part of the world. So I understand why the people with power let these things happen; they're not 'on our radar' on a daily basis. MCC has people in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and I'm sure they confront some of the same questions about why the world watches while injustice continues.
For me, though, and the rest of the people here in Palestine, what's happening in Gaza is a part of our day. Two nights ago we went out for coffee with some international friends, intentionally looking for a break from the news of the killing and destruction being rained down on Gaza. Our favorite place, one we go to often, had the news on instead of the usual Arabic television show or the latest football game. Over coffee we kept hearing updates about how many dead, how many wounded, and the latest on the Israeli military's plans.
Last night I went to a Palestinian friend's house for dinner. He's a single guy and lives with two of his brothers. We had the news on and were watching updates about Gaza and what's happening there. His brother mentioned that there had been a protest in Bethlehem against the airstrikes in Gaza. Palestinian security forces showed up to disperse the crowds and children started throwing stones at them. "It's sport," the brother said. "They're just getting in some exercise." I don't think he was emotionally ready to talk about why people would gather in protest, or why they feel frustrated and helpless and choose to express that through throwing stones. It was easier to make a joke.
I went to a barber here in Bethlehem. He's from Gaza and lives in the West Bank as an undocumented resident. The Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, doesn't mind that he's here. If Israel caught him living in the West Bank with a Gaza ID they would send him back. His extended family still lives in Gaza. I asked how his family was. "Ok, thank God. Ok." Nothing else. I wonder if he's worried to say more since he doesn't know what could happen tomorrow, or even tonight.
We were talking with a close friend from home in the United States. "Israel has a right to defend itself." What to say? If she could see what we saw, I don't think this would be the first reaction. I read a book that talked about the end of civilization being when the Allied powers during WWII decided to bomb German cities, full of people. The premise doesn't seem wrong to me: watching helicopters and airplanes launch missiles into populated areas seems barbaric to me. What is Israel defending? Hamas firing rockets at Israeli towns isn't ok; it's even less justifiable that a state that calls itself Western, progressive, and democratic forces a closure on an entire geographical area and launches a military campaign there. Israeli leaders say they've been forced into this war and that they're not targeting civilians. It sounds right to North American ears, but I don't think it's any comfort when buildings are exploding around you. Can a bomb or missile tell the difference between a militant and a civilian?
I'm glad I don't live in Gaza. I'm glad I was born in the United States into a position of privilege. But with that privilege there is a haunting responsibility. People often ask us why we're here, and depending on who's asking the answer is slightly different. I explain to other Christians that this is what I think Jesus meant when he talked about loving our enemies and caring for the poor. I tell other people who work for humanitarian aid organizations that I like what MCC does and how they do it. For people that I can't find much common ground with, I answer that we don't choose where we're born, and that if I was born in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, or the Gaza Strip, I'm sure I would want others to understand my situation and help me change it. I'd want her or him to care about the fact that I had never left the Gaza Strip, never carried a weapon, and wanted a good life for me and my children. I'd want her to care that there were airplanes flying over my house dropping ordinance designed to kill, maim, and destroy.
Trey Hulsey is a Peace Development Worker in Palestine for MCC. He has been married to his wife, Jessica for 4 years. They plan to live in Palestine for 3 years.
Friday, January 9
A Message from Christians in Gaza
On Sunday, January 4, four hundred Palestinian Christians and Muslims gathered with Christian internationals at St. Stephen's Dominican Basilica in Jerusalem for a prayer service on behalf of the people of Gaza. At the service, Rev. Naim Ateek (an MCC partner and director of Sabeel) read a message from Father Manuel Musallam of the Roman Catholic Church of Gaza. The following is translated and adapted from Father Musallam's message:
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
From the valley of tears, from Gaza which is drowning in its own blood, I send you a word of faith and hope. The word "love" is choked in our throats. We cannot, even as Christians, dare to speak it to ourselves. As priests, we lift up the virtue of hope so God may have mercy on us and allow the light of Christ—which was first lit by Phillip, the deacon of this city—not to be extinguished but to keep shining in the midst of the remnant Christian community in Gaza.
I share with you the sad news about our young daughter—a student at our Holy Family School and the first Christian girl to die in this war—Kristine Wade Attork. She was in the tenth grade and she died on Saturday morning, January 3, 2009 as a result of fear and the cold [Kristine died of a heart attack]. She could not bear the sound of missiles and bombs and she went to God seeking a better home and refuge where there is no weeping or wailing but joy and happiness.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, what you see on TV is nothing compared to the terrible reality in Gaza. The siege and the war on Gaza have become a crime against humanity. It is only the just and righteous judgment of God that can give a fair trial of what is happening here.
The human trauma for the children is unbearable. People are sleeping in the corridors of their homes to avoid the bombings. The density of the population makes it difficult to hide because the people live so close to each other. This is why the toll of human life—including that of women and children and the destruction of homes—has been so extensive.The conditions in the hospitals, the lack of utilities, and the shortage of medicine are all tragic. Flour is scarce and some of the bread this is baked is not healthy because it lacks pure ingredients.
I implore you to pray without ceasing for the people of Gaza every time you hold a mass. Continue to sing—O God of peace, shower your peace upon us. Your prayers will move the world because nothing can stand in the way of true Christian love. This love makes us all feel that we are a part of the one holy and catholic church; and our Muslim brothers and sisters are our family with whom we share a common destiny, for we are one Palestinian people.
In the midst of all this, our people in Gaza reject war as a means for peace; and we emphasize that the way of peace is peace. We choose to live in order to give praise to God and to witness for Christ. We want to live for Palestine and not die for Palestine. However, if we have to die, we will die strong, brave, and with honor.
We join you in your prayer so that Christ may give us his true peace. So the wolves and the sheep can live together in peace, the leopards and goats can lie together, and babies can place their hands in the mouths of snakes and not be harmed.
The peace of Christ, which has called you to be one body, be with you and protect you. Amen.
There are 2500 Gazan Christians. The majority are Greek Orthodox although there are Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant congregations as well. For more on Palestinian Christians, click here and here.
-Peter Miller is an MCC SALT worker based in East Jerusalem. He is a recent graduate of Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.
Thursday, January 8
Christmas Canceled in Bethlehem
The biggest holiday of the year in Bethlehem is obviously Christmas. In the Holy Land, the town of Jesus’s birth, this is the height of the tourist season as well as a time of great joy for local Christians. Because every denomination and sect of Christianity reveres the Incarnation, there are three periods of celebrations every winter in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity: for the western churches, December 24th and 25th, for the eastern churches January 6th and 7th, and for the Armenian Orthodox, January 18th and 19th. This year, however, after the western Christians (Catholics and Protestants) had their festivities, Israel began its bombing campaign of Gaza, December 27th. In a show of support for the Palestinians in Gaza, the Bethlehem municipality (and all of the West Bank) canceled most parties and celebrations, including those for the New Year and for the remaining two Christmases.
Lights were turned off, decorations taken down, and the mood around Manger Square has been quiet and somber. This January 6th, Christmas eve for Eastern Orthodox churches, there was no fanfare and pomp in the streets. Usually, as on December 24th for western Christians, there is a huge parade with boy and girl scout troops and bands playing triumphant music; and choirs from around the world sing carols in front of the church. This year, the city merely welcomed the Patriarchs of the various Christian communities such as Syrian, Greek Orthodox, and Ethiopian Churches into the Nativity Church. Services were held as normal but the season’s typical public cheer was absent.
I had personally looked forward to enjoying the holidays here in Palestine, in the place where it all began. I saw the fanfare of the Catholic Christmas and was excited to see what the Orthodox holiday had in store. But canceling the celebration seemed one small way in which residents of Bethlehem could stand in solidarity with the population of Gaza, at a time when we all feel so helpless in the face of such violence. The continued war will dampen more than just spirits here. Tourists have already fled what they feel is an insecure situation and take with them much of the business that keeps Bethlehem running. Quietly though, we Christians still take hope in this Christmas time, having faith that Christ is still present, amidst the pain and suffering, and that ultimately peace will reign on earth.
--Kimberly MacVaugh is an MCC SALT worker, serving her one year term in Israel/Palestine. She is a recent graduate of Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and she hopes her experiences here will lead to long-term work for peace and justice in the Middle East.
Lights were turned off, decorations taken down, and the mood around Manger Square has been quiet and somber. This January 6th, Christmas eve for Eastern Orthodox churches, there was no fanfare and pomp in the streets. Usually, as on December 24th for western Christians, there is a huge parade with boy and girl scout troops and bands playing triumphant music; and choirs from around the world sing carols in front of the church. This year, the city merely welcomed the Patriarchs of the various Christian communities such as Syrian, Greek Orthodox, and Ethiopian Churches into the Nativity Church. Services were held as normal but the season’s typical public cheer was absent.
I had personally looked forward to enjoying the holidays here in Palestine, in the place where it all began. I saw the fanfare of the Catholic Christmas and was excited to see what the Orthodox holiday had in store. But canceling the celebration seemed one small way in which residents of Bethlehem could stand in solidarity with the population of Gaza, at a time when we all feel so helpless in the face of such violence. The continued war will dampen more than just spirits here. Tourists have already fled what they feel is an insecure situation and take with them much of the business that keeps Bethlehem running. Quietly though, we Christians still take hope in this Christmas time, having faith that Christ is still present, amidst the pain and suffering, and that ultimately peace will reign on earth.
--Kimberly MacVaugh is an MCC SALT worker, serving her one year term in Israel/Palestine. She is a recent graduate of Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and she hopes her experiences here will lead to long-term work for peace and justice in the Middle East.
Wednesday, January 7
What can I do to help?
The Gaza Strip situation brings great concern to all of us as we follow the news. As we talk to our neighbors and friends here in Palestine, they desire to take action for those in need, yet feel so helpless. I spoke with my neighbor about the situation in Gaza. They said “If the people in Gaza could stop the fighting, they would. Israel is killing the regular people….where is Hamas? There is nothing we can do from the West Bank. I hope I can help the people in Gaza to get out. They should open the checkpoints for all those people who don’t like situations like this. Nobody would stay in Gaza. Nobody can do anything….only America.”
We have also received many emails from friends and family back in North America asking if there is anything they can do to help. This seems to be the big question. What can I do to help those suffering?
We would like to highlight some options on how you can advocate for the people and situation that is taking place in Gaza and the surrounding Israeli towns.
What is advocacy and where do I begin?
Advocacy:
1. Contact your governmental officials:
This is extremely important! Make your voice heard to your representative or Member of Parliament. Send them a letter, fax or email. For helpful information on how to do this, please visit the following MCC advocacy office websites:
2. Write an article for a newspaper or magazine
3. Prayer
We encourage you to take action.
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." -Helen Keller
Jessica Hulsey lives in Palestine. She and her husband Trey are Peace Development Workers for MCC. They have been married for 4 years and plan to live in Palestine for a total of 3 years. She is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia but has also lived in Boston, MA and Durham, NC. She enjoys event planning, hosting people and cooking.
We have also received many emails from friends and family back in North America asking if there is anything they can do to help. This seems to be the big question. What can I do to help those suffering?
We would like to highlight some options on how you can advocate for the people and situation that is taking place in Gaza and the surrounding Israeli towns.
What is advocacy and where do I begin?
Advocacy:
- Can promote positive change to structures and policies, which will be of benefit to people who are being treated unjustly.
- It can change a community's attitudes and misconceptions about a particular situation.
- It ensures that you have a voice and that it will be heard.
- Call for an immediate cease-fire: The fighting will not bring about security for either Palestinians or Israeli's. Israel needs to stop the bombing, air strikes and other military activity that is killing hundreds and injuring thousands of innocent civilians. Hamas must stop the rocket attacks that continue to hurt Israelis and bring about fear.
- Humanitarian aid into Gaza: Humanitarian aid must reach the most vulnerable people. A humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip is in no one's best interest.
- Encourage them to join others in pursing a peaceful solution that will bring an end to the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
1. Contact your governmental officials:
This is extremely important! Make your voice heard to your representative or Member of Parliament. Send them a letter, fax or email. For helpful information on how to do this, please visit the following MCC advocacy office websites:
- In Canada: http://www.mcc.org/canada/ottawa/
- In the United States: http://www.mcc.org/us/washington/
- In Canada: http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/index.asp?Language=E
- In the United States: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
- http://www.mcc.org/news/
2. Write an article for a newspaper or magazine
- Draw the attention of many people through an article in your local newspaper or church magazine. Many readers are inundated with the media, which continues to portray a one-sided story.
- Perhaps you have read a news story that you might not agree with. Send a letter to the editor with your opinion on the situation in Gaza.
- If you have visited the West Bank in the past, relate to them on a personal level with a story about your visit.
3. Prayer
- Pray for the civilians who are physically and emotionally traumatized due to the situation in Gaza.
- Pray for the families who have had a member killed or injured in the fighting.
- Pray for doctors that they would have wisdom as they treat patients and work under tense conditions. There is a lack of supplies, overcrowded hospitals and emotions are extremely high.
- Pray for those in leadership, that they would work towards a peaceful solution that is in the best interest for everybody.
- Pray that humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza.
We encourage you to take action.
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." -Helen Keller
Jessica Hulsey lives in Palestine. She and her husband Trey are Peace Development Workers for MCC. They have been married for 4 years and plan to live in Palestine for a total of 3 years. She is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia but has also lived in Boston, MA and Durham, NC. She enjoys event planning, hosting people and cooking.
Tuesday, January 6
Here is an excerpt from an article written on the website of Israel National News (IsraelNN.com) with some commentary from MCC. You can read the full article here.
Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, the number four man on the National Union's Knesset list [a political party in Israel], thinks the leaders of Israel should follow King David's advice from the Eighteenth Psalm regarding Gaza: "I will chase my enemies and catch up to them and I shall not return until I annihilate them."
"This should be the slogan of every leader and IDF commander," he said. "The enemy must know that whoever raises his hand against Israel, we will teach him a lesson and annihilate him as well as all his helpers and supporters, and only thus will we take out their will to fire missiles at us."
It's difficult to understand the situation in the Gaza Strip. The average Israeli views the situation differently than the average Palestinian.
The average Israeli hears about the constant rocket fire towards Israeli towns and cities. They see images of demonstrations against Israel, demonstrations with guns and men calling themselves 'martyrs', swearing their readiness to die in defense of Palestine.
The average Palestinian hears about the siege of the Gaza Strip, and friends or family members explain that they're largely unable to cross borders to go to university abroad, visit family in the West Bank, or leave Gaza for medical treatment. They feel the humiliation and frustration of living under and occupying power, and having that power decide who can go where, and when, and how long it will take. They know the frustration of being stopped on a daily basis simply because they are Palestinian.
No one can say for certain what will happen when the Israeli military has finished its actions in Gaza. No one knows if popular support for Hamas will be stronger (which Hamas expects) or weakened (which Israel expects). No one knows how long the Israeli military will continue to occupy Gaza in an attempt to stop rocket fire from Hamas. There are things that can be said for sure though:
Dropping missiles and bombs on a population is not a way to bring peace. Hamas launching rockets at Israeli towns hasn't convinced Israel to acknowledge the wrong done in 1948 or 1967, when Israel forced Palestinians from their homes. Previous Israeli military action in Gaza, the closing of the Gazan borders, not allowing people to leave or people to enter, hasn't stopped the rocket fire. This military action won't stop the rocket fire.
Over 500 are dead and 2500 wounded. Hamas will claim victory if, when Israeli military action has ceased, they are able to launch even one rocket. Israel continues to tell the media that this war is not against civilians. And yet civilians continue to die. Should we judge our actions based on our intentions or on the results of our actions? Dropping bombs and missiles from the air into cities and towns is safe for Israelis and poses little risk to soldiers. But bombs and missiles don't have eyes; they can't tell who is and who isn't in a building. Israel says it was 'forced' into this war. Is it forced to deal with rockets in this way, by dropping bombs from airplanes?
Yes, Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Yes, they hide rockets and ammunitions in schools. Does Hamas also force Israel to drop bombs?
There is a better way. For every person killed in Gaza, it's likely that the attitude of the people in Gaza hardens. Regardless of what you're told, if missiles are falling on your neighborhood, you're going to have a hard time believing you're not the target. Gazans feel abandoned. In their eyes, Hamas is one of the only parties to stand up for the rights of the people living in Gaza. While the rest of the world pleads with Israel to stop military actions, Hamas is the only group actually doing something about it. This doesn't make it right, but it helps explain the popular support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, while Israelis weren't dying on a large scale, there was no international outcry for Hamas to stop launching rockets at Israel. Israel feels that the international community doesn't understand it's situation and that it must act unilaterally in order to take action to protect Israeli Jews living in the south.
The better way involves speaking to one another, seeking to understand what the other wants. Not all Gazans support Hamas, and if the population there saw a viable solution to their current situation, one that acknowledged the wrongs done to them and provided them with a material, civic, and emotional way to move forward, most likely a majority of them would support it. Not all Israelis think the best way to deal with extremists is to bomb the towns and cities they live in, and if they were able to overcome their fear and believed that a majority of Palestinians wanted peace, they'd be willing to encourage their government to find such a solution. The problem is that both sides play on the anger, fear, and distrust of the other. The extremists on both sides are loud enough that moderates and others willing to pursue peace are pushed out. Each side has in the extrememists of the other a ready excuse as to why they the ones responsible for peace.
The quote with which this post opened was from an Israeli Jewish rabbi running for office in Israel. We in North America often hear such things from Hamas, but it is because people on both sides speak in such ways that peace will be difficult to find here.
The enemy must know that whoever raises his hand against Israel, we will teach him a lesson and annihilate him as well as all his helpers and supporters, and only thus will we take out their will to fire missiles at us.
Hamas firing rockets hasn't convinced Israelis to leave the country. The Israeli military attempting to 'annihilate' the enemy hasn't convinced Hamas to stop launching missiles. Violence is not the way. There is not a path to peace; peace is the path. Acknowledging the absurdity of continuing to expect violence, whether from the Israeli military or Hamas, to bring peace and security, is one of the first steps that needs to be taken. Seeking to actively live peace, even at a great cost to oneself, instead of waiting for it to come, is another.
Saturday, January 3
This article seems to support a just war perspective, which MCC doesn't agree with. However, he raises some interesting points about what each side might be more willing to accept and actually carry out. His suggestions would require some optimism, but after decades of pessimism and pragmatism, and with little or no improvement after all that time, perhaps optimism is an option that needs to be tried.
His main point, that domination is not the way to security, is one that desperately needs to be taken to heart here in the Middle East.
His main point, that domination is not the way to security, is one that desperately needs to be taken to heart here in the Middle East.
Tuesday, December 30
Making Sense of Jesus
As I write, Israel is bombing the Gaza Strip. Israel says the goal of the bombing is to stop a stream of rockets being fired from Gaza at Israeli towns and cities. Hamas says the rockets are a response to Israel’s economic blockade of Gaza.
There are several things that are difficult about this bombing. I've just walked home from speaking with neighbors about why the bombing of Gaza and why firing rockets at Israel are both wrong. People are dying. Numbers start to become meaningless and leave you numb: Israeli news tells us that hundreds of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip in the past six months. Our Palestinian neighbor's TV tells us that 350 people have been killed, 1500 wounded. Do these things even matter? There's no way we can know the names of all the people who have been killed. There's no way we will ever understand what it's like to live in an Israeli town close to the border and have seconds to get to cover because another rocket has been fired from Gaza.
Both of these issues lead us to a different set of questions: how should we respond to these things? What do we say to Israelis that point out what it's like for residents of those Israeli towns? What do we say to Palestinians in Gaza who have had homes come crashing down on them as a result of missiles fired from airplanes? In such a heated atmosphere as this, people are quick to dismiss you if you seem to support either 'side'. One thing we try to do is to help those around us see what we see; when I talk with Mohammed, Ahmed, Noora, Moshe, Jacob, or Ronit, I'm not talking with 'one of them', I'm talking with neighbors, acquaintances, friends. We wish those militants launching rockets or the pilots dropping bombs could see the same. PEOPLE live there, not Jews or Arabs; people.
At home, in North America, we feel so helpless. We can raise our voice in protest but we alone can't change the fact that people here are committing violent acts against one another. We can't help that Israel begins bombing the Gaza Strip, treating all the men, women, children, all the families there, as if they are the very same people committing the horrible acts of launching rockets towards Israeli towns.
Sitting here, in Israel/Palestine, we still feel helpless. We can speak to friends and neighbors and explain why not all 'Jews want to take over all of Palestine' or why not all 'Arabs want to kill Israelis.' It's something, but it feels like so little when rockets are being fired, bombs are being dropped, and entire people groups have made each other the 'enemy'. So what can we do? One small but (we think) significant thing, is to love the people around us well. We can live what it means to be in the Kingdom of God and provide an example of what it looks like to follow Jesus in a world that is fallen. 'Love your enemies and do good to those that persecute you' seems easy enough, until you actually have enemies and are suffering persecution. It's not easy to live in God's Kingdom and physically be in a different place, but this is what God asks of his followers. Because we are not Palestinian or Israeli, we aren't invested in the conflict here in the same way. And yet we love those around us, who are invested in it. We can touch their lives and speak to them as close friends. Living in a place like this, Jesus suddenly starts to make more sense. This is why Jesus talked so much about loving 'others' and our 'enemies' and there being a 'narrow gate'. He makes more sense when we have to fight through our natural reaction to protect ourselves and what's ours and start the striving required to truly love other people that are different than us. We live in God's Kingdom, while residing in a different place.
Please pray for the people of Gaza. Pray for those who are trapped in homes or have missiles being shot at them and haven't done anything wrong. Pray for those who live in Israeli towns like Sderot and Ashkelon who have had rockets shot at them. Pray for those firing missiles from helicopters and airplanes and those launching rockets, that they will see the humanity of those they view as enemies. Pray that this place of long-standing conflict will know peace and that all people here, whether Jew, Christian, or Muslim, can live with equal rights in a place free of war, suspicion, and hatred.
There are several things that are difficult about this bombing. I've just walked home from speaking with neighbors about why the bombing of Gaza and why firing rockets at Israel are both wrong. People are dying. Numbers start to become meaningless and leave you numb: Israeli news tells us that hundreds of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip in the past six months. Our Palestinian neighbor's TV tells us that 350 people have been killed, 1500 wounded. Do these things even matter? There's no way we can know the names of all the people who have been killed. There's no way we will ever understand what it's like to live in an Israeli town close to the border and have seconds to get to cover because another rocket has been fired from Gaza.
Both of these issues lead us to a different set of questions: how should we respond to these things? What do we say to Israelis that point out what it's like for residents of those Israeli towns? What do we say to Palestinians in Gaza who have had homes come crashing down on them as a result of missiles fired from airplanes? In such a heated atmosphere as this, people are quick to dismiss you if you seem to support either 'side'. One thing we try to do is to help those around us see what we see; when I talk with Mohammed, Ahmed, Noora, Moshe, Jacob, or Ronit, I'm not talking with 'one of them', I'm talking with neighbors, acquaintances, friends. We wish those militants launching rockets or the pilots dropping bombs could see the same. PEOPLE live there, not Jews or Arabs; people.
At home, in North America, we feel so helpless. We can raise our voice in protest but we alone can't change the fact that people here are committing violent acts against one another. We can't help that Israel begins bombing the Gaza Strip, treating all the men, women, children, all the families there, as if they are the very same people committing the horrible acts of launching rockets towards Israeli towns.
Sitting here, in Israel/Palestine, we still feel helpless. We can speak to friends and neighbors and explain why not all 'Jews want to take over all of Palestine' or why not all 'Arabs want to kill Israelis.' It's something, but it feels like so little when rockets are being fired, bombs are being dropped, and entire people groups have made each other the 'enemy'. So what can we do? One small but (we think) significant thing, is to love the people around us well. We can live what it means to be in the Kingdom of God and provide an example of what it looks like to follow Jesus in a world that is fallen. 'Love your enemies and do good to those that persecute you' seems easy enough, until you actually have enemies and are suffering persecution. It's not easy to live in God's Kingdom and physically be in a different place, but this is what God asks of his followers. Because we are not Palestinian or Israeli, we aren't invested in the conflict here in the same way. And yet we love those around us, who are invested in it. We can touch their lives and speak to them as close friends. Living in a place like this, Jesus suddenly starts to make more sense. This is why Jesus talked so much about loving 'others' and our 'enemies' and there being a 'narrow gate'. He makes more sense when we have to fight through our natural reaction to protect ourselves and what's ours and start the striving required to truly love other people that are different than us. We live in God's Kingdom, while residing in a different place.
Please pray for the people of Gaza. Pray for those who are trapped in homes or have missiles being shot at them and haven't done anything wrong. Pray for those who live in Israeli towns like Sderot and Ashkelon who have had rockets shot at them. Pray for those firing missiles from helicopters and airplanes and those launching rockets, that they will see the humanity of those they view as enemies. Pray that this place of long-standing conflict will know peace and that all people here, whether Jew, Christian, or Muslim, can live with equal rights in a place free of war, suspicion, and hatred.
Tuesday, December 16
A Modern Christmas Story
(A little tough to follow, but so are the realities of this place...)
In Luke chapter 2 we are told of Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem from Nazareth. It’s a familiar story this time of year, the travel of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where Mary gives birth to Jesus. Thousands of travelers will come to Bethlehem this year to celebrate Christmas in the place where Christ was born some 2,000 years ago. However, the people who live here in Israel/Palestine who would be able to follow the same path that Jesus’ parents took so long ago are few in number.
There are two major groups of Israeli citizens in Israel; there are Israeli Jews, and there are Israeli Palestinians. Israeli Jews aren’t allowed to enter ‘Area A’. Israeli Palestinians are at the moment. The West Bank is currently divided into three separate ‘Areas’ as a result of the Oslo agreements from 1993. Area A is where the Palestinian government has full security and civil (water, electric, utilities, etc.) control. Area B, where Palestinians have civil control and Israel has ultimate security control. And Area C, where Israel has civil and security control. Driving through the West Bank there are signs indicating Area A as being illegal for entry by Israeli citizens. This is generally only applied to Israeli Jewish citizens, and Palestinians that have Israeli IDs are allowed to cross checkpoints and enter Area A. Looking at a map, one can see that the West Bank is far from being mainly Area A. In fact, the West Bank currently looks like Swiss cheese, with large Palestinian population centers, like Ramallah, Nablus, and Bethlehem designated as Area A, and most of the rest o
f the land Areas B or C.
So, Israeli Palestinians would be able to go from Nazareth (an Israeli town whose population is mainly ethnically Palestinian) to Bethlehem (‘Area A’, a Palestinian town whose population is almost exclusively ethnically Palestinian). Who else would be able to make the trip? Well, Palestinians born in the West Bank are issued West Bank IDs by the Israeli government. Palestinians with West Bank IDs aren’t allowed to enter into Israel proper (Tel Aviv, Nazareth, anywhere in the Galilee, or Jerusalem) without special permission. Often our Christian friends and neighbors are given this permission from the Israeli government at Christmas or Easter; it’s rare for our Muslim friends and neighbors to get this permission. So any Palestinian born in the West Bank is out, unless they’re granted special permission.
There’s a third type of ID that some Palestinians have (Just to review, so far we’ve got Israeli Palestinians, who are Israeli citizens, and West Bank Palestinians. In Area A, West Bank Palestinians live under Palestinian law. In Areas B and C, they are governed by an Israeli military authority, but have no vote in Israeli elections or any chance of getting Israeli citizenship.). The third type of ID that some Palestinians have is called a ‘Jerusalem ID.’ Palestinians born in Jerusalem have the option of taking Israeli citizenship or taking a Jerusalem ID. A Jerusalem ID is different from a West Bank ID. Palestinians with a Jerusalem ID have freedom of movement both in Israel and in the West Bank. Generally, Palestinians from Jerusalem don’t want to take Israeli citizenship as a way of protesting what they view to be Israeli occupation of east Jerusalem. That’s three possible IDs that a Palestinian born in Israel/Palestine could carry: an Israeli ID (if s/he holds Israeli citizenship), a West Bank ID, or a Jerusalem ID.
So who would be able to make the same trip today that Joseph and Mary made over 2,000 years ago? Well, Israeli Jews wouldn’t be allowed to enter Bethlehem today (being forbidden by the Israeli government out of concern for individuals’ safety). Israeli Palestinians are currently allowed to enter Area A. Palestinians with West Bank IDs could get to Bethlehem, but they’re not allowed to places like Nazareth unless they’re granted permission from the Israeli government. Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs could make the trip since they’re allowed to live in Israel and allowed to enter the West Bank. There’s a whole other category of people we haven’t talked about yet though, one that Jesus himself would be included in: Jews born in the West Bank.
Jews born in Areas B or C qualify as Israeli citizens (since Bethlehem is Area A, I don’t know how Jesus would be categorized today). This is one of the biggest problems we have with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Israeli Jewish citizens live in the West Bank and live under Israeli civil law. They can vote in Israeli elections and use the Israeli airport in Tel Aviv. Palestinians born in the same place are ruled by Israeli military instead of civil law and have to travel to Amman when they want to fly.
Seeking justice in this part of the world often involves working not for something extreme, liberal, or radical. Often it involves asking for basic, simple things: the application of law equally to all people regardless of race or religion. Asking Israel to take practical steps as regards the West Bank: make Israeli citizens leave and pull out of the area militarily, or annex the land and make all the people living there citizens, regardless of their ethnicity. Calling for an end to Israeli occupation of the West Bank is often viewed as radical or extreme, but looking at modern day conditions in light of the Christmas story helps us see the situation for what it really is: an absurd arrangement that in the end isn’t really good for anyone, be they Jew, Christian, or Muslim.
In Luke chapter 2 we are told of Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem from Nazareth. It’s a familiar story this time of year, the travel of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where Mary gives birth to Jesus. Thousands of travelers will come to Bethlehem this year to celebrate Christmas in the place where Christ was born some 2,000 years ago. However, the people who live here in Israel/Palestine who would be able to follow the same path that Jesus’ parents took so long ago are few in number.
There are two major groups of Israeli citizens in Israel; there are Israeli Jews, and there are Israeli Palestinians. Israeli Jews aren’t allowed to enter ‘Area A’. Israeli Palestinians are at the moment. The West Bank is currently divided into three separate ‘Areas’ as a result of the Oslo agreements from 1993. Area A is where the Palestinian government has full security and civil (water, electric, utilities, etc.) control. Area B, where Palestinians have civil control and Israel has ultimate security control. And Area C, where Israel has civil and security control. Driving through the West Bank there are signs indicating Area A as being illegal for entry by Israeli citizens. This is generally only applied to Israeli Jewish citizens, and Palestinians that have Israeli IDs are allowed to cross checkpoints and enter Area A. Looking at a map, one can see that the West Bank is far from being mainly Area A. In fact, the West Bank currently looks like Swiss cheese, with large Palestinian population centers, like Ramallah, Nablus, and Bethlehem designated as Area A, and most of the rest o
f the land Areas B or C.So, Israeli Palestinians would be able to go from Nazareth (an Israeli town whose population is mainly ethnically Palestinian) to Bethlehem (‘Area A’, a Palestinian town whose population is almost exclusively ethnically Palestinian). Who else would be able to make the trip? Well, Palestinians born in the West Bank are issued West Bank IDs by the Israeli government. Palestinians with West Bank IDs aren’t allowed to enter into Israel proper (Tel Aviv, Nazareth, anywhere in the Galilee, or Jerusalem) without special permission. Often our Christian friends and neighbors are given this permission from the Israeli government at Christmas or Easter; it’s rare for our Muslim friends and neighbors to get this permission. So any Palestinian born in the West Bank is out, unless they’re granted special permission.
There’s a third type of ID that some Palestinians have (Just to review, so far we’ve got Israeli Palestinians, who are Israeli citizens, and West Bank Palestinians. In Area A, West Bank Palestinians live under Palestinian law. In Areas B and C, they are governed by an Israeli military authority, but have no vote in Israeli elections or any chance of getting Israeli citizenship.). The third type of ID that some Palestinians have is called a ‘Jerusalem ID.’ Palestinians born in Jerusalem have the option of taking Israeli citizenship or taking a Jerusalem ID. A Jerusalem ID is different from a West Bank ID. Palestinians with a Jerusalem ID have freedom of movement both in Israel and in the West Bank. Generally, Palestinians from Jerusalem don’t want to take Israeli citizenship as a way of protesting what they view to be Israeli occupation of east Jerusalem. That’s three possible IDs that a Palestinian born in Israel/Palestine could carry: an Israeli ID (if s/he holds Israeli citizenship), a West Bank ID, or a Jerusalem ID.
So who would be able to make the same trip today that Joseph and Mary made over 2,000 years ago? Well, Israeli Jews wouldn’t be allowed to enter Bethlehem today (being forbidden by the Israeli government out of concern for individuals’ safety). Israeli Palestinians are currently allowed to enter Area A. Palestinians with West Bank IDs could get to Bethlehem, but they’re not allowed to places like Nazareth unless they’re granted permission from the Israeli government. Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs could make the trip since they’re allowed to live in Israel and allowed to enter the West Bank. There’s a whole other category of people we haven’t talked about yet though, one that Jesus himself would be included in: Jews born in the West Bank.
Jews born in Areas B or C qualify as Israeli citizens (since Bethlehem is Area A, I don’t know how Jesus would be categorized today). This is one of the biggest problems we have with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Israeli Jewish citizens live in the West Bank and live under Israeli civil law. They can vote in Israeli elections and use the Israeli airport in Tel Aviv. Palestinians born in the same place are ruled by Israeli military instead of civil law and have to travel to Amman when they want to fly.
Seeking justice in this part of the world often involves working not for something extreme, liberal, or radical. Often it involves asking for basic, simple things: the application of law equally to all people regardless of race or religion. Asking Israel to take practical steps as regards the West Bank: make Israeli citizens leave and pull out of the area militarily, or annex the land and make all the people living there citizens, regardless of their ethnicity. Calling for an end to Israeli occupation of the West Bank is often viewed as radical or extreme, but looking at modern day conditions in light of the Christmas story helps us see the situation for what it really is: an absurd arrangement that in the end isn’t really good for anyone, be they Jew, Christian, or Muslim.
Friday, November 21
YMCA Women's Training Program
The YMCA Women's Training Program (WTP) is one of MCC's partners here in Israel/Palestine. The YMCA works with women and their families in small villages and partners with them by giving loans for animal production and agriculture. They provide 6-9 month training sessions where they teach about economic development and marketing, as well as agriculture and animal husbandry.
One man who works part-time with the YMCA recently told us that the reason he likes working there is because they deliberately seek out the poorest of the poor and try to help them change their lives. In their training sessions, trainers look for responses in the women depending on the topic; for example, if they begin talking about raising chickens and notice that some women are suddenly more interested, trainers make a note of it, and if those women ask for loans regarding chickens, they're usually approved. The YMCA tries to provide a means of earning income that beneficiaries are passionate about.
When beneficiaries have paid back their loans, they're given a certificate from the YMCA showing that they've paid the loan back in full. This woman showed us her certificate on a recent visit. She was extremely proud of the fact that she and her family were able to earn enough income from their grape arbors that they could pay back their loan. This system allows people a chance to improve their financial situation with help from an outside organization, but allows them to do so with dignity and a sense of pride in their accomplishment.
Tuesday, November 4
PHOTO ESSAY: Wells Near the Dead Sea
This week MCC workers were able to visit Bedouin and other rural communities near the Dead Sea. One of our local partners, the Bethlehem YMCA, is working with these communities to rehabilitate old wells to help provide these often-marginalized communities with water. They would use this water for agriculture and livestock, the two staples of their communities and their only source of any type of income.
One Palestinian man that accompanied us on the trip told us that he really appreciated working with the Bethlehem YMCA (link to the right). As he explained, "They're not like most large organizations that look for projects that will promote their name. They specifically seek out the poorest of the poor and look for ways to actively help them." We're proud of our partners here in Israel/Palestine, and this is just one example of why...
Photo Essay
One Palestinian man that accompanied us on the trip told us that he really appreciated working with the Bethlehem YMCA (link to the right). As he explained, "They're not like most large organizations that look for projects that will promote their name. They specifically seek out the poorest of the poor and look for ways to actively help them." We're proud of our partners here in Israel/Palestine, and this is just one example of why...
Photo Essay
Saturday, October 25
The Heart of the Conflict
There is no issue in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict that is more explosive than the status of Jerusalem. Although the topic is often set aside during negotiations because of its contentious nature, there are some who believe that the city which represents “the heart of the conflict" must be the starting point for negotiations. Ir Amim (which means "city of peoples" in Hebrew) is a local Israeli organization that promotes this belief and is working towards creating a stable reality for all the peoples of Jerusalem. Today, I had the opportunity to join Ir Amim on a tour of Jerusalem, revisit the wall which surrounds much of the eastern part of the city, and more closely examine the current realities "on the ground" that are working against a shared future and hopes for a viable Palestinian state. Because most of the tour's participants were Israelis who had never or perhaps infrequently visited this part of the city, it was also an opportunity for me to gain a better understanding of the Israeli perspective.
Following the Second Intifada that occurred in 2002, construction on the "separation barrier" began for the alleged purpose of providing security to the Israeli population. Yet the current route of the wall grabs undeveloped West Bank territory for the purpose of Israeli development, includes the major settlement blocks of Gush Etzion, Maale Adumiim, and Pisgat Ze'ev (some of which are quite some distance from the city center) and excludes Palestinian neighborhoods like Abu Dis and Azaryia which had traditionally been considered suburbs of the city.
The Wall as a Tool for Land Confiscation. Hailed as Jerusalem's fastest growing neighborhood, Har Homa offers Israelis "all the staples anyone could ask for: health services, supermarket (with many American foods), pizza, and falafel stores plus regular bus service throughout the day are easily available. Residents are friendly and eager to welcome newcomers. Sitting atop a mountain overlooking Ramat Rachel and Bethlehem, residents enjoy breathtaking views and breathe fresh mountain air daily. There are playgrounds and greenery scattered throughout and many more on the way. All the homes are new and more are planned to meet the growing demand." Subsidized housing makes this settlement appealing to many Israeli Jerusalemites. What developers don't mention is the fact that this land was once West Bank territory--a forested area that provided an open recreational space to the residents of the crowded city of Bethlehem. Confiscation of the area by the Israeli government, development and now adoption into the city of the Jerusalem as a result of the wall insures that Palestinians of Bethlehem and the West Bank will never again be able use the area to hike and picnic.
The Wall as a Tool for Exclusion of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and from One Another. In the Shofat Refugee Camp, an area clearly within the municipal boundary, residents maintain Jerusalem ID status, but the path of the wall now limits access to the city and essentially declares a new municipal boundary. Many Palestinians are moving inside the wall to hold on to their Jerusalem ID card, but this has only added to the East Jerusalem housing shortage, and contributed to overcrowding and economic decline. A similar situation has occured in fringe Palestinian neighborhoods which surround the city like Abu Dis, Azaryia, and Kafr 'Aqb; half of the residents are included in the city and half are cut off. From a security standpoint, there has been no evidence to suggest that those living outside of the wall have engaged in more violent activity than those living on Jerusalem's side of the wall. There is evidence to suggest ulterior motives for the path of the wall.
The Wall as a Tool to Shape Future Borders and Create Irreversible Facts on the Ground. In Abu Dis the wall not only cuts through the community but also runs just in front of the Palestinian Authority's Parliament Building which was to serve as the Palestinian seat of authority of East Jerusalem. Was the path of the wall in this place chosen as a way to prohibit a future Palestinian capitol in East Jerusalem? The question must be asked.
The development of Maale Adumiim, the large settlement block to the east of the city, essentially divides the Northern part of the West Bank from the Southern part making a viable Palestinian state increasingly difficult.
Although these tours are often difficult for anyone, I was encouraged this time by the reactions of some of the tour's participants. Many were disturbed by the obvious lack of social services provided to the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem who pay the same taxes as residents of the Western side of the city. Garbage pickup is clearly less frequent, antiquated water and sewage lines are in desperate need of repair, streets are in need of paving, lights and sidewalks are infrequent, and few playgrounds exist. Education is a huge problem as well. Approximately 1500 classrooms are needed in East Jerusalem and although the Ministry of Education has promised to provide these facilities, they have been slow to act. Many Palestinians are forced to provide private educations for their children, yet Israeli children in West Jerusalem receive these services free. Further, the municipality has refused to zone portions of East Jerusalem, making construction for Palestinians on this side of town illegal. Obviously there is a huge disparity between the city's treatment of its Israeli and Palestinian residents. Many of the tour's participants acknowledged that this could not be morally justified.
Some questioned why so many decisions are made between private individuals and the municipality without public debate. "After all, these decisions affect us all," said one participant. A few recognized that the current realities only aggravate strained Palestinian-Israeli relationships and will not lead to a more secure Israeli State. Perhaps tours like this will encourage more Israelis to become better educated about the realities of the current situation and call their own government to accountability for its actions.
Following the Second Intifada that occurred in 2002, construction on the "separation barrier" began for the alleged purpose of providing security to the Israeli population. Yet the current route of the wall grabs undeveloped West Bank territory for the purpose of Israeli development, includes the major settlement blocks of Gush Etzion, Maale Adumiim, and Pisgat Ze'ev (some of which are quite some distance from the city center) and excludes Palestinian neighborhoods like Abu Dis and Azaryia which had traditionally been considered suburbs of the city.
The Wall as a Tool for Land Confiscation. Hailed as Jerusalem's fastest growing neighborhood, Har Homa offers Israelis "all the staples anyone could ask for: health services, supermarket (with many American foods), pizza, and falafel stores plus regular bus service throughout the day are easily available. Residents are friendly and eager to welcome newcomers. Sitting atop a mountain overlooking Ramat Rachel and Bethlehem, residents enjoy breathtaking views and breathe fresh mountain air daily. There are playgrounds and greenery scattered throughout and many more on the way. All the homes are new and more are planned to meet the growing demand." Subsidized housing makes this settlement appealing to many Israeli Jerusalemites. What developers don't mention is the fact that this land was once West Bank territory--a forested area that provided an open recreational space to the residents of the crowded city of Bethlehem. Confiscation of the area by the Israeli government, development and now adoption into the city of the Jerusalem as a result of the wall insures that Palestinians of Bethlehem and the West Bank will never again be able use the area to hike and picnic.
The Wall as a Tool for Exclusion of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and from One Another. In the Shofat Refugee Camp, an area clearly within the municipal boundary, residents maintain Jerusalem ID status, but the path of the wall now limits access to the city and essentially declares a new municipal boundary. Many Palestinians are moving inside the wall to hold on to their Jerusalem ID card, but this has only added to the East Jerusalem housing shortage, and contributed to overcrowding and economic decline. A similar situation has occured in fringe Palestinian neighborhoods which surround the city like Abu Dis, Azaryia, and Kafr 'Aqb; half of the residents are included in the city and half are cut off. From a security standpoint, there has been no evidence to suggest that those living outside of the wall have engaged in more violent activity than those living on Jerusalem's side of the wall. There is evidence to suggest ulterior motives for the path of the wall.
The Wall as a Tool to Shape Future Borders and Create Irreversible Facts on the Ground. In Abu Dis the wall not only cuts through the community but also runs just in front of the Palestinian Authority's Parliament Building which was to serve as the Palestinian seat of authority of East Jerusalem. Was the path of the wall in this place chosen as a way to prohibit a future Palestinian capitol in East Jerusalem? The question must be asked.
The development of Maale Adumiim, the large settlement block to the east of the city, essentially divides the Northern part of the West Bank from the Southern part making a viable Palestinian state increasingly difficult.
Although these tours are often difficult for anyone, I was encouraged this time by the reactions of some of the tour's participants. Many were disturbed by the obvious lack of social services provided to the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem who pay the same taxes as residents of the Western side of the city. Garbage pickup is clearly less frequent, antiquated water and sewage lines are in desperate need of repair, streets are in need of paving, lights and sidewalks are infrequent, and few playgrounds exist. Education is a huge problem as well. Approximately 1500 classrooms are needed in East Jerusalem and although the Ministry of Education has promised to provide these facilities, they have been slow to act. Many Palestinians are forced to provide private educations for their children, yet Israeli children in West Jerusalem receive these services free. Further, the municipality has refused to zone portions of East Jerusalem, making construction for Palestinians on this side of town illegal. Obviously there is a huge disparity between the city's treatment of its Israeli and Palestinian residents. Many of the tour's participants acknowledged that this could not be morally justified.
Some questioned why so many decisions are made between private individuals and the municipality without public debate. "After all, these decisions affect us all," said one participant. A few recognized that the current realities only aggravate strained Palestinian-Israeli relationships and will not lead to a more secure Israeli State. Perhaps tours like this will encourage more Israelis to become better educated about the realities of the current situation and call their own government to accountability for its actions.
Monday, October 6
Jonah's Lessons for Today
Today is the celebration of the end of Ramadan, the nearly month-long Muslim holiday where Muslims fast from sunup to sundown. They refrain from eating or drinking, and the end of the month is marked by a feast when people exchange presents.
This week begins a series of Jewish Holidays. Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, and then Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance.
During the holiday season, both observant Jews and Muslims turn their attention to spiritual matters. Both mark their holidays by fasting. Observant Jews specifically get themselves ready for Yom Kippur by taking stock of their lives over the past year.
On the holiday of Yom Kippur, to be celebrated a week from Thursday, many texts from the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, are read. One of those texts is the book of Jonah. There are deep implications regarding peace between Israelis and Palestinians from the book of Jonah. Jonah is told to go to the capital of Assyria, Nineveh, and warn them to repent. Assyria was an empire that had invaded Israel and deported many of its citizens. When God tells Jonah to go his enemies so that they have the opportunity to repent, he refuses and runs from God's call. And when the Assyrians finally do repent, "...It displeased Jonah, and he was very angry." (Jonah 4.1).
How similar a situation we see ourselves in now. There are a people here who are being oppressed. There are many Palestinians living outside the land that would like to return but are not allowed. Where is the Jonah of today, the one who would be willing to go to Ramallah and speak to the Palestinians about how to work with Israel in an effective way? Not only to the leadership, but to the people on the other side that are willing to do what's necessary for the hard work of pursuing peace. Even after hearing God's call, Jonah still resisted. No wonder then that we so often too shun the work of pursuing peace with our enemies; it's human nature that we want to see them 'get what they deserve' rather than receive the grace and forgiveness God offers.
As we work with MCC in Israel/Palestine we are often reminded that we are outsiders to the conflict here. Ultimately, the people here have to move forward themselves. But as we try to learn from the people we build relationships with, one thing we begin to understand is how each side sees the 'other'. For us, soldiers at checkpoints represent an inconvenience and a frustration; for our Palestinian friends who have experienced them as an immovable part of their lives, they represent something else. Settlers represent injustice to me, but I've never lost a home because of one. In the same way, when militant Palestinian groups speak of destroying the Jewish state, or call Jews pigs and thieves, it doesn't resonate with our identity in the same way it would if we were Israelis or Jews. When leaders rail against the Zionist regime, we don't immediately think about how that will affect our future lives in our current home. But, despite the fact that we are outsiders, we're beginning to understand. Through the relationships we're building we're learning of the pain, frustration, and misunderstanding that is found so often on both sides. We're learing to see the 'other' as our friends see them. And as we understand these things we're able to enter into some of that frustration with our friends, and by doing so, we legitimize something inside them. Suddenly our encouragements to work towards peace and to love our enemies begin to mean something. Here is someone who is learning their language, listening to their story, hearing their pain. So when we talk about loving our enemies, our words carry weight. Recently we've come to understand the grace God has shown us on a deeper level. Perhaps if I had been born in Tel Aviv I would be standing at a checkpoint. Perhaps if I'd been born in Gaza I would march in parades for martyrs. Either way, understanding that grace has kept us from these things is a move towards understanding those on either side who have legitimate grievances. By not cheapening the pain felt on both sides we're able to speak with integrity about the necessity of working towards peace. We realize that as outsiders it's not up to us, but we can often fill the gap that people from here aren't able to. One afternoon we can be in Ramallah helping to train young people to see themselves from others' perspectives and think about the responsibility they have towards their society, and that evening we can sit down with rabbis in Jerusalem to talk about ways to educate the Israeli public about the injustices being carried out by their government.
One of the most significant aspects of Jonah's stories is that not only does he see his enemies redeemed, he actually plays a role in bringing them to that redemption. We look to inspirations like these as we work with partners and friends, urging them to play a role in the redemption of the other side. As outsiders it's not up to us, but we can encourage and support those on both sides who will decide when peace and justice will come to this land.
This week begins a series of Jewish Holidays. Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, and then Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance.
During the holiday season, both observant Jews and Muslims turn their attention to spiritual matters. Both mark their holidays by fasting. Observant Jews specifically get themselves ready for Yom Kippur by taking stock of their lives over the past year.
On the holiday of Yom Kippur, to be celebrated a week from Thursday, many texts from the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, are read. One of those texts is the book of Jonah. There are deep implications regarding peace between Israelis and Palestinians from the book of Jonah. Jonah is told to go to the capital of Assyria, Nineveh, and warn them to repent. Assyria was an empire that had invaded Israel and deported many of its citizens. When God tells Jonah to go his enemies so that they have the opportunity to repent, he refuses and runs from God's call. And when the Assyrians finally do repent, "...It displeased Jonah, and he was very angry." (Jonah 4.1).
How similar a situation we see ourselves in now. There are a people here who are being oppressed. There are many Palestinians living outside the land that would like to return but are not allowed. Where is the Jonah of today, the one who would be willing to go to Ramallah and speak to the Palestinians about how to work with Israel in an effective way? Not only to the leadership, but to the people on the other side that are willing to do what's necessary for the hard work of pursuing peace. Even after hearing God's call, Jonah still resisted. No wonder then that we so often too shun the work of pursuing peace with our enemies; it's human nature that we want to see them 'get what they deserve' rather than receive the grace and forgiveness God offers.
As we work with MCC in Israel/Palestine we are often reminded that we are outsiders to the conflict here. Ultimately, the people here have to move forward themselves. But as we try to learn from the people we build relationships with, one thing we begin to understand is how each side sees the 'other'. For us, soldiers at checkpoints represent an inconvenience and a frustration; for our Palestinian friends who have experienced them as an immovable part of their lives, they represent something else. Settlers represent injustice to me, but I've never lost a home because of one. In the same way, when militant Palestinian groups speak of destroying the Jewish state, or call Jews pigs and thieves, it doesn't resonate with our identity in the same way it would if we were Israelis or Jews. When leaders rail against the Zionist regime, we don't immediately think about how that will affect our future lives in our current home. But, despite the fact that we are outsiders, we're beginning to understand. Through the relationships we're building we're learning of the pain, frustration, and misunderstanding that is found so often on both sides. We're learing to see the 'other' as our friends see them. And as we understand these things we're able to enter into some of that frustration with our friends, and by doing so, we legitimize something inside them. Suddenly our encouragements to work towards peace and to love our enemies begin to mean something. Here is someone who is learning their language, listening to their story, hearing their pain. So when we talk about loving our enemies, our words carry weight. Recently we've come to understand the grace God has shown us on a deeper level. Perhaps if I had been born in Tel Aviv I would be standing at a checkpoint. Perhaps if I'd been born in Gaza I would march in parades for martyrs. Either way, understanding that grace has kept us from these things is a move towards understanding those on either side who have legitimate grievances. By not cheapening the pain felt on both sides we're able to speak with integrity about the necessity of working towards peace. We realize that as outsiders it's not up to us, but we can often fill the gap that people from here aren't able to. One afternoon we can be in Ramallah helping to train young people to see themselves from others' perspectives and think about the responsibility they have towards their society, and that evening we can sit down with rabbis in Jerusalem to talk about ways to educate the Israeli public about the injustices being carried out by their government.
One of the most significant aspects of Jonah's stories is that not only does he see his enemies redeemed, he actually plays a role in bringing them to that redemption. We look to inspirations like these as we work with partners and friends, urging them to play a role in the redemption of the other side. As outsiders it's not up to us, but we can encourage and support those on both sides who will decide when peace and justice will come to this land.
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