Day 10 – last day

Our last day – we make our way to the airport in Tel Aviv later, but first a last look around Nazareth.

We were taken to the Synagogue Church – a small stone building where Jesus himself may have read and taught. Next door was the newer Orthodox church. Both buildings very beautiful in their different ways – one in its simplicity and the other with its rich decoration.

Synagogue Church

From here we walked down through the market to the Church of the Annunciation – a large basilica built over the site where the Angel announced to Mary, the mother of Jesus, that she would have a son.

We walked on through the market stopping at some of the shops, and finally meting up with our group at the cake shop – our final meeting point before boarding the coach to the airport.

At the airport it seemed that it was harder to leave Israel than to enter it. First we had to queue with our group as our group leaders were taken to one side and questioned – about who were were, where we had been etc. Then it seemed that they selected members from the queue at random and questioned them in the same way. All our bags were then x-rayed and Julie was asked to queue at another desk where she was questioned about the ceramics and plates inside – and if they had been gifts. After this we were allowed to go to the airline check-in desk.

The through passport control and finally onto the plane home!

Day 9 Nazareth and the Destroyed villages

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Nazareth

Today we met up with Jonathan Cook who is a journalist, formerly for the Guardian but now freelance, who has lived in Nazareth in 2001. He is also the author of several books on the Palestine / Israel situation. The following is based on my notes taken as Jonathan was speaking to us and subsequent reading:

Jonathan began by explaining that Nazareth is a Palestinian city – the only one in Israel since 1948. The population of Nazareth includes 60% refugees from the 1948 war. They are termed “present absentees” because they have been displaced from their homes, many of which were subsequently destroyed, but are living in Israel. “Absent refugees” are those refugees who now live outside of Israel. They do not have official refugee status.

Israel’s long term strategy after 1948  was a process of Judaisation whereby the the Palestinian population would eventually be “transferred” to be replaced by a Jewish one. The term Judaisation is not considered to be politically acceptable today however so the word “development” is used instead. The process started with ethnic cleansing under cover of the 1948 war of independance – the expelling by force of the populations of 500 Palestinian villages. The villagers were compelled to flee and most ended up in refugee camps in Palestine (like the ones in Bethlehem and Jenin) or in Jordan, Syria or Lebanon.

In Israel there are 124 recognised Palestinian communities. Nazareth is the only city (effectively the Palestinian capital in Israel). There are also about 80 unrecognised Palestinian villages, mainly in the Negev which includes Bedouin villages . Villages that are not recognised are counted as illegal by the Israeli government and receive demolition orders which mean that they can be (and are) demolished at any time.

Jonathan has Israeli citizenship which took 8 years to obtain. However there are two citizenship laws which are based on ethnicity. Jews have automatic citizenship through the “law of return” 1950. A separate law applies to non-Jews (1982?).

Since 2003 Palestinians must have a permit to enter Israel. Palestinians in Nazareth often have family in the West Bank, but the law effectively prevents them living together even if married. Israeli citizenship is not the same as being an Israeli national – there is no Israeli nationality as Israel is a Jewish state, not an Israeli state. This results in discrimination based on ethnicity. Israeli Jews have rights that no one else (least of all Palestinians) are allowed. The Issuing of identity cards allows discrimination to take place by identifying people by their ethnicity, often in subtle ways such as by writing the date of birth in a different language (e.g. Hebrew for Jews, Arabic for Palestinians).

There are 57 laws in Israel which discriminate on ethnicity or religious grounds. Although civic rights are roughly the same for all citizens, there are also “national” rights which only apply to Jews. Eg. Jewish people can lease a house from the state for 99 years – this right is not available to non-Jews. In disputes taken to court, national rights are always upheld over civic rights.

How do you prove that you are a Jew? The law of return says you must have at least one Jewish grandparent.

There is no civil marriage in Israel. Marriage can only take place within a religion. This causes problems. If  a Jew wishes to marry a Muslim or a Christian, one of them must convert – the only other way is to marry abroad. The Rabbis decide who are Jews and who are not – Judaism is passed through the female line.

In 1948 the question for the Jewish army arose as to whether to expel the Arabs from Nazareth. David Ben Gurion said to the generals that “The world is watching” because he knew that Nazareth was important to the church. This effectively saved Nazareth because Ben Gurion was concerned that expelling the population would not go down well internationally and might prevent the UN from recognising the state of Israel.

For several hundred years there has been a Christian majority in Nazareth. In 1948 many fled to Arab states and many refugees moved in, mostly Muslim. The population is now 1/3 Christian and 2/3 Muslim but most civic amenities are run by Christians and they constitute the middle class.

We travelled a short distance out of Nazareth to Nazareth Ellit – a Jewish settlement built on the hill overlooking and dominating Nazareth. Entrance was past a very large Israeli flag which conveys a very clear message. The existence of Nazareth Ellit serves to fragment Palestinian communities – it prevents the natural expansion of the city to encompass smaller outlying villages. It also pulls resources from Nazareth – Eg. buildings such as the army base are “annexed” to Nazareth Ellit so that all taxes go to Nazareth Ellit rather than Nazareth. Its situation on the top of the hill overlooking and dominating the skyline of Nazareth means that it provides a psychological message of dominance and is also well placed for surveillance and monitoring of the old city.

From here we travelled out of the city to visit the site of the demolished village of Lubya.   This is within a forested area designated as a National Park. The remains of the village, one of the ones evacuated in 1948 were clear to see. Destroying the villages and planting forests over them is a way both to ensure that the Palestinians who lived there cannot return and also to prevent awkward questions from tourists seeing the remains. There was a muslim graveyard  amongst the trees – sad to think that people had been forced to leave behind the graves of their loved ones.

Remains of a well

These Cacti plants are used by Palestinians to protect fields (like a hedge)

Remains of a cemetery

Reamins of the walls of a house

We visited another site near Tiberius where another village had been destroyed but the remains of a Mosque had been spared. This is an ancient Mosque built by Saladin after had defeated the crusaders – it should be a world heritage site but is currently a “closed military zone” with a road being built nearby. I hope they don’t have any accidents with the bulldozers!

Remains of an ancient Mosque in the destroyed village of Hittin dating from the crusader period

We continued on to the site of a further destroyed village of Saffuriyya – the site of which is now the Jewish village of Moshav Tsipori. We then returned to Nazareth to visit a museum which has been set up to remember the destroyed villages. The owner has spent many years building up a collection of artefacts from the villages.

Day 8 – Galilee

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Galilee

A more relaxed day visiting the Sea of Galilee. We drove through Cana where we stopped at the supermarket to buy lunch. Our next stop was the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha, which houses the actual rock where Jesus is said to have placed the loaves and fishes while feeding the 5000 (Mark 6: 30-43). This has been a place of pilgrimage for 2000 years. It also houses and ancient mosaic floor which includes a picture of the 2 fish that is commonly seen represented in the area.

Inside the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes at Tagbha

The rock on which Jesus placed the loaves and fishes

A short walk brought us to another church on the bank of the Sea of Galilee – the Church of the Primacy of St Peter (Mensa Christie)  – see John 21 1-17.

The Church of the Primacy of St Peter

A paddle in the Sea of Galilee was next:

Then to Capurnaum and the Orthodox Church of the 12 Apostles – the grounds of which were perfect for lunch.

The inside of this church is beautifully painted to show scenes from the life of Jesus.

 

From here we continued our journey to the mount of Beatitudes, where we sat on some rocks in some trees looking out over the Sea of Galilee. Quite a breeze had sprung up and the water had got quite rough. It reminded me of the story of Jesus calming the storm on water.

 

While there we heard read the Beatitudes by a member of the group and also a reflection by Elias Chacour:

http://www.cpt.org/resources/worship/services/be-attitudes

We had some welcome time then for quite reflection and we set up a Communion Station for those who wished to receive it.

After a round of ice creams we returned to our hotel in Nazareth. With an hour an a half before dinner, Julie and I set off to find the souk in Nazareth, not realising that it closed early. We found many closed shops! So we ended up at the Church of the Annunciation – where the Angel appeared to Mary telling her that she was to have a baby. It was open for prayer and so we went in for a few moments.

The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth

Just time for a quick shower back at the hotel before dinner!

Day 7 – Nablus to Nazareth

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Freedom Theatre, Jenin, Nablus, Nazareth, Zababdeh

We left Nablus this morning heading for church at Zababdeh:

Zababdeh

At Zebabdeh we visited the lovely St Matthew’s church. It was Pentecost and we hoped to celebrate Pentecost with the congregation there, but fortunately for them (unfortunately for us!)most of the congregation had been granted permits to travel to Jerusalem for Pentecost. So we had our own short service in their church and then enjoyed their hospitality. We met Janet and her children.

St Matthew’s Church Zababdeh

Janet showed us around the church and showed us the library which the church has recently opened for the use of the local community. They also have and ICT suite and a guest room.

Beneath the church is a clinic also for the use of the local community.

The church has a congregation of about 70 and a Sunday School of 25-30, a young adults group and a womens group.

Janet then took us to see the Latin Catholic church down the road a much larger church with a congregation of 700.

We were then treated to a delicious lunch prepared by women from the church – chicken and rice with vegetables.

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Our next stop was in Jenin at the refugee camp. The refugee camps hold refugees from the 1948 war when many Palestinians were forecibly displaced from their homes which were then demolished.

In Jenin we visited the Freedom Theatre. This was established in 2006 as a continuation of the Stone theatre which was started by Arna Mer Khanis. Arna had come to Israel in 1948 with an Israeli group against Palestinians. However she later married a Palestinian and wished to give something back to the Palestinian people and so had started the Stone theatre during the first intifada (early 1990’s) – a time when many children swere unable to go to school because of curfews.

In 2002 the theatre had to stop when the camp was attacked by the Israelis with bulldozers. Houses were bulldozed without giving time for people to escape. There were many children living in the camp who saw their parents killed and there were many others died because ambulances were not allowed in to attend to the injured. Many adults and children were extremely traumatised.

When Arna’s son Juliano returned to the theatre he found that most of those who had run it had been killed and so he opened the Freedom Theatre in 2006. The theatre aims to offer drama therapy to traumatised children and young people. It is a theatre and multimedia workshop and it also offers journalism and creative writing courses as well as cinema workshops. These all give the chance for children and young people to have a voice to say what they would like to change in their communities.

Juliano was assasinated in front of the theatre in 2011. He was loved and admired by everyone and they are determined to continue the theatre in his memory. The killer has not been found and the motive is unknown.

The Freedom Theatre Jenin

Freedom Theatre in Jenin

The theatre also has the “Freedom Bus” which goes out into the community through the whole West Bank. They also have links with Jordan and soon with Egypt. The theatre tours countries around the world and hope to visit the UK next year. They are in the process of establishing “Friends of the Freedom Theatre” in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Jenin we drove to Nazareth. This meant that we sere leaving the West Bank, which made us feel a bit sad. We had to say goodbye to our Palestinian guides, who could not pass through the check point into Israel. A stark reminder of the Palestinian situation.  At the check point the coach was pulled to one side and a guard with a large machine gun boarded the bus and scruitinised all out passports. We also had to open the luggage compartments of the bus. We were let through fairly quickly and continued our journey to Nazareth.

We first pulled up at a large very fancy looking hotel with signs to spa and swimming pool. But this tuned out to be a mistake! Our hotel just had the same name but was in the Old Town!

Nazareth is a city in Israel but is a Palestinian city with 60% of the population being Arab. The Hotel was the Golden Crown Old City. It was about 6 months old we were told. Julie and I went for a short walk to get our bearings in the immediate area before dinner and an early night!

 

Day 6 – Bethlehem and Nablus

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Bethlehem, Nablus

Unfortunately a number of members of the group were unwell during the night and this morning. The Hotel Ararat kindly allowed them to stay in bed until 12 instead of having to be out of the rooms by 9.30.

So I left Julie in bed and walked with some of the others up to Manger Square. We walked up Milk Grotto to the church there where there is a picture of Mary nursing baby Jesus. The church appears to be built in a cave.

Not the best photo of the Milk Grotto but the only one I took!

We walked back down Milk Grotto street looking in the souvenir shops and seeing some of them being made in small factories behind the shops.

We had lunch – more falafels, pitta bread and humous and then returned to the hotel. Loaded the bags and the sick people! and set off for our next stop over in Nablus.

On the way though we stopped at an olive wood wholesaler in Beit Sahour where we were able to buy olive wood souvenirs at good prices. Juie bought a wiggly fish and a bowl with 5 loaves and 2 fish. I bought some fish shaped bowls.

We reached the hotel in Nablus about 4pm and some went out to look at the old city but Julie, although feeling better than she had in morning, was still feeling tired so we stayed in and rested in our room until dinner – on the roof terrace.

Roof top terrace, Nablus

After dinner we had a group meeting on the terrace where it was good to share thoughts and to pray. An early night was welcome.

 

Day Five – Al Walaja, Battir, Cremison

This morning we were taken to the Palestinian village of Al Walaja. On the way we stopped at Beit Jalal to look down upon the road that has been built through the village.

Road built through Beit Jalal. Not open to Palestinians although it passes through the middle of their land.

While we looked dpwn upon the road (Route 60) we heard one Muslim Palestinian  tell us of his life. Growing up as a refugee his family lived in one room for 25 years. He grew up with mostly Christian neighbours but they never thought of themselves as Christian or Muslim but just as neighbours. He told us about how he had had to take his son to hospital in Jerusalem for an operation. It would have taken several hours to pass through the checkpoint so he applied for a permit to travel on the bus along the Israeli road. He was granted the permit, but when he was asked to get off the bus to have his permit checked, the Israeli guard told the bus to drive off without him. He had to return and wait to get through the checkpoint.

At Al Walaja we saw where the Jewish settlement has been built close to the Palestinian village, separated from it by the wall. Houses on the Palestinian side have been demolished, seemingly at random – one house will be demolished, leaving the one next door. Interestingly as the wall had not been completed here, we were able to see that the other side – the side facing the settlement has been nicely faced in stone to match the houses!

This shows the scale of the wall in some places

The Settlement houses peer over the wall, but Palestinian houses opposite have been demolished, leaving the families homeless.

The site of a demolished house

From here we went further down into the village to see another house which had previously been demolished but had been rebuilt with help from the Amos Trust. Here we were welcomed by the family who invited all 25 of us into their home and gave us tea and coffee – in two shifts as there were not quite enough cups to go round!

In 2000 this family’s home was finished after 5 years building. In 2004 a demolition order was placed on it and the house was demolished. The family went to live in a refugee camp for 7 years. The house has now been rebuilt but it received a new demolition order giving the family 72 hours to protest in the court. The Order was posted on Wednesday evening, which meant that since the courts close at midday Thursday and all of Friday and Saturday they had to go to court the following morning or wait until Sunday. By this time the 72 hours would have expired so the house could have been demolished on the Sunday morning. However, the family managed to find a lawyer to post their protest in time on the Thursday morning. The court case is ongoing.

We then drove to another house that had been rebuilt with the help of Amos at Battir. This family had their house demolished  immediately after the 2nd intifada when an emergency order had been enacted by the Israeli military authorities. The family had no warning. The children were at school, father at work and mother visiting her mother in hospital. The house was bulldozed while they were out and so they have been living with the Father’s parents. They are thrilled that the house will soon be completed and they can return to their own home.

In between these two houses we met another family whose house is being completely annexed by the wall, leaving him to access the village through a tunnel. The village will be completely surrounded by the wall with a single check-point to get in and out. The gate has been placed to prevent the family using the road which leads to the nearby town of Bethlehem, but the children’s school is two minutes drive along the road. However, it now takes them 40 minutes to drive another way.

The wall, when completed will separate these two roads and an electric fence will surround the house, seen in this picture.

The family formerly farmed the land around the hillside here but the land was confiscated by the State although it had been in the family for several generations.

From the rebuilt house at Battir we walked to Battir village to have lunch. We walked across the countryside – the terraces belonging to the family. We reached a road which was an important route into Jerusalem. However the IDF removed the surface of the road (you can see it piled at the side here) in order to prevent Palestinians using it.

Later in the afternoon we went to the monastery at Cremisan to take part in their Communion Service in the OLive Grove. The service is particularly poignant as the separation wall is due to be built cutting the monastery off from its grounds. This means the beautiful trees that we were sat under being uprooted. There have been many protests and a court case but to no avail.

After the communion we went to meet representatives from the group Combatants for Peace. This group consists of Israelis and Palestinians who are former members of the armed forces who work together for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We met with two former members of the IDF and one former member of Palestinian forces.

They told us that Combatants for Peace began 8 years ago during the 2nd intifada. At first those who met were very suspicious of each other but formed  trust through dialogue. 5 groups now exist meeting regularly. Through dialogue they try to affect what is happening on the ground, and take part in demonstrations. Soldiers tend to be respected by their own people on both sides, and so their message has more chance of being respected also. They try to show that violence only leads to more violence and to promote dialogue instead of bloodshed.

They believe that the Israeli occupation is wrong and is an obstacle to peace. The Israeli population in general are blind to what is happening in the West Bank. So they try to take their message to Israeli and Palestinian populations through talks, tours and talks in schools.

The group has 500 members and thousands of supporters and all decisions are taken jointly.

“The cycle of violence has no meaning”

From there we traveled back to Beit Sahour to the Peace Park, where we had dinner.

Beit Sahour Peace Park

Day Four – Visit to Efrata settlement, Hebron and the Tent of Nations

This morning we met up with the Methodist Children and Youth leaders group who were also in the area and went to visit Efrata settlement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efrat

This is one of the Jewish settlements built within the West Bank, which are considered illiegal under international law. The settlements are designed to appropriate Palistinian land for Israel and to undermine the possibility of a two state solution since as more settlements are built the land available for a Palestinian state becomes less.

http://peacenow.org.il/eng/Netanyahu_Summary

http://peacenow.org.il/eng/content/what-settlement-watch-team

The settlements are in area C – Palestinian land which is currently occupied by Israel and administered by Israel.

We met Ardi Geldman at the settlement, who is orginally from Chicago. He said that he had not been religious earlier in his life but that he had found himself coming closer to Judaism over time and had recognised a need to live in Israel. Hence he had moved to Efrata settlement in 1985. He  said 10, 000 people are now living in the settlement which is named after the Biblical town of Ephratha mentioned in the book of Ruth.

He began to justify the right of Israel to build settlements and occupy land within the West Bank (which is called the Judean Hills by the settlers). Part of this justification is based on a literal interpretation of the Old Testament. Arrdi said that the area was occupied by the Jews until they were overcome by a foreign army 2000 years ago. He said that in AD 70 they had returned to re-establish a Jewish population.

He justified the forecable exclusion of Palestinians from the land by Jews, and the confiscation of Palistinian homes and land by saying that many states in the world had been settled by foreigners Eg. Australia, New Zealand, the USA who had established new regimes, violently forcing out the native inhabitants.

He further stated that in 1948 a two state solution would have been accepted by the Jews but was rejected by the Palestinians. He said that the land had lain abandoned for years except for some subsistence farmers.

When we asked about the check point at the entrance to the settlement, and the claims of the Palestinians that they are not allowed access or to live in the settlements, Ardi said that Palestinian people are able to work in the settlement and to use the medical facilities there. The gates and check points at the entrance to the settlement are there to protect the settlers from suicide bombers such as those who had previously attempted to kill people by detonating a bomb in the local supermarket.

He was asked why the settlement had full-time running water – obvious from the many sprinkler systems and lush grass – while the nearby Palestinian homes had to carry water tanks on the roofs of their houses which they can fill only at certain times when the mains water was switched on for them. He replied that the Palestinian authority did not properly manage the water supplies available to the Palestinian areas.

When asked what he would wish to see in order for the the separation wall to be removed – he said that if he saw Palestinians marching on mass for peace in Palestinian towns he would agree to this.

Reflection

Our meeting with Ardi was in stark contrast to the meetings we had with Palestinians. We came away feeling unsettled and angry – feelings we had not had from other meetings. We did not feel welcomed in the way we had at previous meetings and we were not offered any form of refreshment  – even a cup of coffe or water – which was always a feature of Palestinian hospitality. Ardi seemed to be on the defensive from the beginning as he began by telling us that he was going to say things we would not agree with, but that there was no way we would persuade him of another point of view so would have to “agree to differ”. I felt this was incredibly arrogant considering he had not met us or had any idea what our opinions would be.

He was right though that many of us did not agree with his justifications. A member of our group who was from NZ pointed out that it was now recognised that it had been wrong to violently exclude people from their own land and that agreements and reparations had been agreed and apologies made. We should learn from the mistakes of history, not choose to repeat them.

The Zionist position seems to me to exclude part of the biblical story. Although the story in Gensis has the land being given to Abraham God, and the story in Exodus has the Israelites who were liberated from Egypt coming to live in the land, the story that continues is that the people were repeatedly warned of their unfaithfuless and did not become the example to the nations that God had wanted (see 1 and 2 Kings for example). The prophets  – Amos, Jeremiah etc, predicted their downfall which came when many were carried off to exile in Babylon ie. the land once given was now taken away.

Even that interpretation though requires a  literal approach to be taken to the Bible rather than an approach which interprets the text for each generation. Scholars now believe that Genesis was not written until after the exile. It also ignores the fact that history is never as complete as it seems. In any invasion there are always those who continue their lives virtually unaffected – this was the case in England during the invasions of Romans, Saxons and Vikings. Many were displaced but many remained. This was also no doubt the situation in Palestine also over many different invasions by different people – Jews, Muslims, Crusaders, Ottomans and so on. I therefore think that the Palestinians  have as much right to their homes as anyone else.

From the settlement we drove to HEBRON.

We learned that Hebron is divided into two zones – H1 – under Palestinian control, and H2 under complete Israeli occupation.

The 5000 or so Jewish settlers who reside in Hebron make life very difficult for the Palestinians. The main shopping street has been appropriated by the Israeli authorities and closed off including all shops and services. Some shop doors were welded shut by the IDF with the goods still inside. Palestinians are no longer allowed on the road except in a few cases for direct access to homes.

There are many shops and stalls still in Hebron, but not so many people to buy and many children desperately trying to sell things on the street. Some streets had wire mesh grills overhead – this is apparently because the Jewish settlers throw rubbish and other nasty things down upon the Palestinian people below (you would have thought they would have more self-respect than to act in so uncivilised a way). There are guard towers with armed guards, but they are not there to keep the peace and do not act to prevent the Palestinians being attacked or intimidated by the Jewish settlers. Their purpose is to protect the Jewish settlers.

We stopped at the women’s co-operative to buy souvenirs – scarfs and wall hangings.

We passed through a turnstile, administered by armed guards, to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs – the tombs of Abraham, Sarah. We entered through the Muslim Mosque – but the other side is a Jewish synagogue with a separate entrance. Julie was annoyed at being given a covering gown to wear as she entered the mosque as she thought she had taken trouble to ensure she was properly covered with her clothing.

After visiting the mosque we were given lunch on the roof top of  the home of a Palestinian family. We were served chicken and rice with salad. We noticed the difficulties faced by the family who had not had running water for 30 days, although the Israeli property next door had no such issues.

Israeli soldiers were present in the street here and an armed carrier passed by.

An armoured vehicle in Hebron

This gate closes off the main street in Hebron

After lunch we drove to the “Tent of Nations“:

http://www.tentofnations.org/

This is a mountain situated between two other mountains on which Jewish settlements have been built. The mountain has been in the same family for generations and the family have documents showing their ownership from the days of the Ottoman Empire, and also documents from the British mandate, the Jordanian period of administration and the Israeli government from 1948. This has not stopped the Israeli’s trying to appropriate their land however and they have been to court 15 times so far to state their claim – this involves them in having to meet ongoing legal costs.

The family is also unusual in that they live on the land – in a cave because the Israeli authorities will not allow them a building permit and have even put demolition orders on their tents! Most Palestinians did not traditionally live on their land but lived in the local village community – going to farm their land during the day. Many did not register with the various occupation administrations in order to avoid having to pay taxes. Israel use this weakness to deny their ownership of their land and appropriate it for the state even though the family may have lived and farmed there for generations. The grandfather of this particular family however lived in a cave on the land.

The land is still under threat as the Israelis continue to try to intimidate the family to leave. Once when the family went to church in Bethlehem at Christmas, they returned to find settlers bringing a bulldozer onto their land. The access road has been blocked by the Israeli authorities by placing large boulders across it. The government even offered them a blank cheque to buy the land but this was rejected as for the family it is a matter of honour to hold the land in trust for future generations.

These tents are used to house visitors to the Tent of Nations. They have been served with demolition orders!

This is the entrance to a cave which has been turned into a conference room – part of the imaginiative way that the family are trying to keep their land from being taken by the Israelies.

Inside the conference room cave

Despite the intimidation they are suffering the family wishes just to work on their land peacefully – they have no wish to be enemies.

Just to make things difficult – the access road has been blocked

Third Day – Jerusalem to Bethlehem

We thought we might be able to get our breath back a bit the next day but no chance! Breakfast at 8 and on the bus by 9.

Today was the 15th May – the day on which Palestinians remember Al Nakba or “The Catastrophe”. This was the day when Palestinians began to be forcibly removed from their land and homes following the establishment of the state of Israel. We were pleased and excited to be here to show our support on this day. Our guides kept a watchful eye and warned us that we might need to move quickly if anything kicked off but there were no problems.

First stop of the day was the offices of the Holy Land Trust in Bethlehem:

http://www.holylandtrust.org/

Our speaker was Elias who spent his school years under the Israeli military rule. He told us that at school all teaching materials were Israeli and that Palestine was not mentioned. His only experience of Israelis’ was military.

Elias told us that the first initfada 1987-92 was largely non-violent and it led to the 1991 Oslo agreement which saw the establishment of the land disvisions A, B and C and the Palestinian authority take control of A and partly B with Israel in control of C. This was to be an interim arrangement for 5 years only with control gradually being transferred to the Palestinian authority. This did not happen however and growing frustrations led to the second intifada in 2000. This was a much more bloody afair and led to a greater level of military occupation.

The Holy Land trust was started by SA. He is a Palestinian Christian whose family were refugees from Jerusalem. His uncle was deported to the US and S did a degree in the US in conflict resolution. When he returned home he wondered how the occupation could be ended and his answer was to start an organisation to promote non-violence. The Holy Land Trust now train others in non-violent methods.

In 2007 they ran the first non-violent demonstration and now hundreds of people take part in non-violent demonstrations in the West Bank.

The Trust identified that there would be several challenges for the Palestinians should there be an end to the occupation:

First are Palestinians ready to form a Palestinian state? – the answer seemed to be no, so they began a leadership training programme for people entering leadership roles such as the Police, the Palestinian Authority etc. Leadership courses are for men and women – with emphasis on women since it is thought that they may be more successful in resolving the conflict!

Secondly, Palestinians feel that they need to be more connected with the international community and so the HLT started a media centre which includes an online news agency in English, Arabic, French and German. The aim is to report first hand stories and to focus on non-violence because such stories rarely feature on main stream news channels such as sky, fox etc. The main channels tend to only concentrate on the violent clashes and do not show the other side. This gives a skewed perspective suggesting that violence is more common than it actually is. (We saw none in our time even during the demonstrations on the Nakba and never once felt unsafe. In fact I felt safer there than I often do in the centre of Bristol!).

The online Palestinian news channel is:

http://english.pnn.ps/

They try to create bridges between the local and international communities through establishing a travel department to enable people to visit the “Living stones” and not just the dead ones – ie not just the standard tourist sites. The aim is to have no bias towards either Palestinian or Israeli but for the bias to be towards peace and justice.

A programme for International students enable them to come and study languages, history and to take part in volunteer projects and learn Palestinian culture.

Elias is not able to travel freely and like most Palestinians he has to get a permit to enter Jerusalem and this is only granted for special occasions such at Christmas and Easter. Groups which travel to Jerusalem have to go with one of the 43 authorised tour guides or with an Israeli guide. Although Elias has qualified as a tour guide, Israel will no longer issue authorisations for Palestinian guides to enter Jerusalem and a court case at present is attemptiong to withdraw that permission from the existing guides. This would mean that only Israeli guides would be able operate outside of the West Bank.

In area C there are many issues of home demolition. In Israel military law and civil law are different. A project exists to rebuild homes that have been demolished in a non-violent message which says “we intend to stay here”. There is no restriction on building materials except in Gaza, but all imports are taxed by the Israelis. Thousands of homes in the West Bank have demolition orders placed on them by the Israeli authorities. Permission for building is usually gained from the local Palestinian council but Israel requires that a permit is also gained from the military authorities and these are not usually granted. This means that homes cannot be built to house growing families and populations. The natural expansion of Palestinian towns and villages is therefore prevented and this leaves a housing shortage, and overcrowding in existing homes. Many Palestinians therefore take a risk to build without a permit. Once a demolition order has been issued, the demolition may or may not take place in practice. However the family may be given less than 48 hours notice that they must either demolish their own home or allow the military to do it for them. Sometimes they are given less than 2 hours to remove their possessions. Often the demolitions take place early in the morning. If the house is demolished the family then receive a bill for the demolition. No compensation is paid and the family have to go and live with other family or friends adding to the overcrowding and the stress that this causes.

In East Jerusalem and in the C areas land is often confiscated without any compensation being paid.

Christian / Muslim relations in Palestine are very good. Religion is not usually an issue. (We found the Palestinian people, Christian and Muslim alike, friendly and hospitable and welcoming.)

Bethlehem Live:

http://vicbethlehem.wordpress.com/bet-lahem-live-2013/

An art and culture festival to revive the area and and promote Palestinian culture and produce. Tours of Bethlehem usually are limited to arriving at the Bus station going to the Church of the Nativity and back to the bus. Not many people stay in Bethlehem – they miss out on much! We stayed there for four days and enjoyed visiting the markets, the churches, the Bethlehem Peace Centre, the souvenir shops the Milk Grotto and even the shop at the top of Milk Grotto Street where you can see olive wood souvenirs and religious artefacts being made out of the local olive wood.

It is hoped that Bethlehem live will become an annual summer festival encouraging more tourists to visit and stay in the town.

Making souvenirs from olive wood at the top of Milk Grotto

The busy souk in Bethlehem

After visiting the Holy Land Trust we were guided by R whose grand father had been a shepherd. We visited the church of the Nativity just off Manger Square – a site of pilgrimage for many Christians. We then traveled just out of Bethlehem to Beit Sahour – the Shepherds Field. This is where the Angels appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of Jesus just up the road. There we enetered a cave which was just like one of thousands in the area where people lived and where animals were cared for. Thats why it is certain that Jesus was born in a cave type stable rather than in a victorian wooden job!

Our guide told us how his family lived in caves until 1948 which was normal.

We had lunch at Ruth’s Field Cafe which I can highly recommend.

In the afternoon we went back to Bethlehem and viewed the progress of the separation wall which separates Palestinian and Jewish communities. It is built down the middle of former main shopping streets and roads and encircles houses.

In the evening we were hosted at the Wi’Am conflict resolution centre:

Home

Who offered us fantastic hospitality and a great meal!

First and second days: – Uk to Jerusalem

The first day of our trip to Palestine began at the Premier Inn near Heathrow airport, with the alarm going off at 4am. We dressed and packed our cases and set off for the T1 car park, too early for breakfast we hoped to eat something at the airport. We met with the other members of our group from Amos Trust, then checked in and eventually boarded our flight Ba165 which left on time at 8.15. We duly arrived at Tel Aviv at 3pm local time (2 hours ahead of UK time) and collected our bags.

Passport control at Tel Aviv was stricter than anywhere else I’ve been as our passports were closely scrutinised and we were asked questions about what we were there for and who we were going to meet and where we intended to go, before being issued with our visa valid for 3 months. This was in the form of a small card like a business card with our photo on it.

We then had to wait several hours before we could leave the airport as our group leader was taken away to be more closely questioned and kept waiting before being allowed through. Eventually though we were able to board the bus and travel to Jerusalem. I won’t mention that we managed to leave one of our group at the airport! We eventually arrived at the National Hotel in Jerusalem in time for dinner and then settled into our room for the night.

Our first full day in Israel began at 7am with breakfast. We were only staying here for the one night, so suitcases were packed and loaded into the bus before we set off for the day.

SABEEL

Our first visit was to the Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre, known as Sabeel, in Jerusalem. Sabeel was estsblished in 1948 and means “The Way” or “A spring of fresh water”. We were met by one of the founders who gave us a passionate talk about her life and experiences and the struggle to form a theology that speaks meaningfully into the situation of the Palestinian people.

C told us that she was brought up in Haifa where, as a child in the1940s, she remembers the grown ups talking about the many ships that were arriving with Jewish migrants from Europe. This was met with mixed views by the local community since some felt that they would be overrun if the immigration was allowed to continue, others felt it was their humanitarian duty to be hospitable and to help people who had suffered greatly from persecution and the holocaust.

The following are my notes from her talk:

Christian theology played a part in the creation of Zionism and the Zionist narrative on which the state of Israel is based Jews were often persecuted by Christians who blamed them for the crucifixion of Jesus. The Zionist view is that Jews must never again be in the position of being a minority, that they must retake the land given to them by God as described in the Old Testament in the book of Exodus.

However God is a God of justice – the land must accomodate two peoples – Palestinian and Jewish otherwise it will always be a place of unrest. “Palestine” is not an ethnicity – Palestinians are the people who live in Palestine (or lived there before being expelled) and include Jews and Christians as well as Muslims and people of various ethnicities. 1/5 of people who live in Israel are non-Jews. Many Palestinians have lived on the land for generations and many can claim to be descended from the original Canaanites who were living in the land in Old Testament times.

Following the establishment of Israel in 1948 people of 500 villages in the Gallilee region were forced to flee their homes, often at gun point. These people fled to places like Lebanon or Jordon or to other Palestinian cities like Nazareth or Bethlehem. Many believed it would be only for a few days and that the international community would not allow this to happen, but they were never allowed back to their homes and many still live in refugee camps today 65 years later. Many are now third generation refugees and one reason many remain is that they wish to retain their “right of return” which they have under international law.

The government of Israel is trying to change the definition of “refugee” so that it applies only to the people who were expelled from their homes, not their living descendants. This would mean that most of the people living in the refugee camps would be left homeless and stateless.

The people in the refugee camps are now largely Muslim because many of the Christian refugees were helped by churches to set up homes elsewhere.

There are 5 groups of Palestinians:

• 1.6 m in Israel;
• The residents of East Jerusalem (34% of Jerusalem and falling, Israel wants to see this figure fall to 12%).
• West Bank – Areas A, B C
• Gaza
• Refugees scattered in Arab countries such as Jordon or Syria.

No other state in the world is currently built on ethnicity or religion alone – yet Israel wants a “Jewish State” – what does this mean in reality? How can this be achieved without discrimination on grounds of religion or ethnicity?

The Jewish people have been scattered since AD 70. They have often led a difficult life as a persecuted minority. The Christian world feels guilt for this and the need to atone for the antisemitism that led to the holocaust. The Bible has been part of the problem – it must also be part of the solution.

Josuha 6 – the flight from Egypt is a story of liberation, as far as Jewish people are concerned. But if they are the “chosen” people then what of the “unchosen” (ie the rest of us). Palestinians are the people driven out.

In 1948 10% of Palestinians were Christian. They were educated from the point of view of British missionaries. The dominant story of the Bible is the Jewish story – the people of the land didn’t matter. The situation is the same today – the Palestinans are the “burnt offering” for the fate of the Jewish people. How can we read the Bible today from the point of view of the “unchosen”?

Israel has no constitution. How is it possible to define what is a Jew? Many are secular with no particular religious belief or practice only 27% are religious. 1.1% of Palestinians are now Christian.

TOUR OF JERUSALEM

From Sabeel we were led by our guide for the day (one of 43 Palestinians authorised to work as tour guides in Israel). As a guide he is able to stay in Jerusalem but as a Palestinian he is not allowed to rent or live there, to drive or do anything other than tour guiding. Most Palestinians are not allowed to go to Israel without obtaining a special permit. He is a Christian and was very knowlegable about the Bible.

First we went to the Mount Of Olives – to a small church supposedly in the shape of a tear drop, reminding us of the time that Jesus looked across the valley to Jerusalem and wept (Luke 19:41). We had a fantastic view accross Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount at the centre. This is the site where Isaac was almost sacrificed by Abraham in the Genesis story. For Muslims it is a holy site because it is where Mohammed was brought on the night journey mentioned in the Quran. To the left is the Al Aqsa mosque – the third most holy place for Muslims.

This area is where the first and second temples were built although only the foundations remain after it was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.

From there we descended to the “Garden of Gethsemene”. This is one of several possible places that represent the garden where Jesus prayed and was arrested. But authentic or not it contains some ancient olive trees that apparantly could be 2000 years old.

The Mount of Olives also has many cemetaries because this is the place where the Messiah is expected to arrive first. Muslims are burried accross the valley under the city walls.

We drove down to Jerusalem stopping at Silwan where Palestinian houses are being demolished to make way for a garden.

We entered the old city through the Dung gate and walked to the Western wall plaza.We spent some time there. And then We then walked through the souks in the Arab quarter to the start of the Via Delorosa – the church of the flagelation.

We followed the stations of the cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulcre, and then lunched at a local cafe where we met our first falafels and delicious lemonade with mint.

We walked back through the souks and out of the Zion gate and on to the site of Caiaphas house – which contains a pit where Jesus is thought to have been kept over night and tortured after his arrest.

We then drove out of Jerusalem and through the check point into Bethlehem where we settled into the Ararat hotel.

These olive trees are thought to be up to 2000 years old