Occupation 101

Another extremely helpful and very powerful documentary about the conflict. Hear from Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals about the history of the conflict, and why we have a direct responsibility as United States citizens and as human beings to care about what is going on in the region. This award-winning film is only about 90 minutes long, and I would highly recommend it as an introduction to the conflict and the situation on the ground here. 

 

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=occupation+101&emb=0&aq=0&oq=occupation#

ICAHD

"Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant to with you; You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name by Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come of you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God." Genesis 17:3-8

I am now going to finally write about an experience I had during my first week here in Israel-Palestine, and which I have given a great deal of thought to in the past three weeks. The other YAGMS and I went on a tour with an organization called ICAHD, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, which is "an Israeli peace and human rights organization dedicated to ending the Occupation and achieving a just peace between Israeli's and Palestinians." A major focus of their program is to educate and expose people to the realities on the ground regarding home demolitions, evictions, the Separation Wall, and the development of Settlement Blocs. These are all policies of Israel that take land from Palestinians, leaving the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and the West Bank in discontinuous, disconnected enclaves, cut off from one another and from resources, making the hope for a viable Palestinian state more and more difficult to realize. 

      The first stop on our tour was the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, where the residents are systematically being evicted from their homes. Because it practically impossible for Palestinians in East Jerusalem to get building permits, many refugees built without permits.  We went and talked to three brothers who were sitting vigil under an olive tree on a street corner, only a few yards away from the homes in which they raised their families. The Hannoun family was a refugee family in East Jerusalem from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and had built their homes during the period of Jordanian control of the region through UN permission. On August 2, 2009 they were forcibly evicted from their home at 5:30 in the morning by Israeli police. The women were forced to leave the house before they could cover their heads with hijab, which is a clear and obvious disrespect of the Muslim faith of the family. Internationals and activists who were staying at the house to support the family were arrested by the police, and some people were even beaten. A checkpoint sealed off the area around the house almost immediately so that the

new families of Israeli settlers could move into the homes. I would highly recommend reading this article about this particular home eviction, and how home evictions are permitted to happen. (http://www.imemc.org/article/61265). There is also a brief  Al Jazeera news video at this website that includes the brothers that we spoke to from the family.  http://ramallahonline.com/component/content/article/72-human-rights/3387-israeli-forces-evict-the-hanoun-and-al-ghawe-families-from-their-sheikh-jarrah-homes. 

      As I sat under the olive tree, leaning in as close as I could to hear the words of the one brother who was quite fluent in English, I could see the three doors marking the three houses of the brothers. And I could see the new settlers behind the fences, inhabiting the homes that were forcibly acquired for them only a few weeks prior. And the security cameras that they were being installed outside the homes. And I could see and hear the strength and hope with which this man spoke about the situation in which he and his family were in. He told us that although there seemed to be no justice for them in the courts, that they would keep fighting through the legal system, because that was their only option at the moment. What I witnessed was a man struggling to keep his dignity, but acting in peace, with a clear hope that through words and peaceful demonstration there would be some justice for his family. What was more, he asked us to tell his story- to let people know what was happening to Palestinian refugee families like his. Their homes can be demolished with bulldozers, or taken from them with no recompense. The Hannoun family was offered a tent, which they refused, because they rejected the idea of returning to the tent like after 1948, being displaced again and again, endlessly refugees. When asked how long they would sit vigil outside their homes, one of the brothers told us that he wasn't sure, because they had children returning to school, and that homework was meant to be done "...in the home- not on the streets." I can attest to the fact, though, that every time I've ridden by Sheikh Jarrah on the bus in the past weeks, there they are, sitting under the olive tree, waiting.  

The next stop on the tour was to a gate in the Separation Barrier next to the Palestinian neighborhood of Anata.  The gate is the only point of entry to Jerusalem for a Beduin community that lives on the other side of the Separation Barrier, since the road that the community was promised has yet to be built. These beduins are actually Muslim Arabs with full Israeli citizenship, and they have a key to the gate so they have access in and out. When we arrived at the Wall, though, there were IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) border control and security guards at the gate. 

We were trying to visit a beduin friend of our Israeli tour guide, but these gatekeepers refused to let us through to the other side of the Wall. There was much discussion and arguing in Hebrew and Arabic, so I'm not sure exactly what was said, but what became clear was that we were not going to be allowed through. Abu Jamal, the beduin man, was told that he could come to the other side of the Wall and speak to us, but we could not go through the gate and access his community. It is important to remember that the Separation Wall does not follow any kind of legitimate international border, and is considered illegal by the International Court of Justice. The Wall next to Anata divides East Jerusalem from East Jerusalem. Also, the man we were trying to visit was a full Israeli citizen who was inviting us to his home, and yet we were denied entry to the only point of access to that home, since there is no other road. There was no legitimate legal basis for these soldiers to keep us out, or prevent us from going through. Here we witnessed a glimpse of what it actually means to live under military occupation; whether or not you can have visitors to your home is dependent upon the whims and decisions of a few soldiers with automatic weapons. On a different day, with different soldiers, with fewer people, at a different time of day, things might have been different, but on that day, we were kept out. 

Our final stop on the tour was an Israeli settlement in the West Bank- the largest settlement in the West Bank, in fact, and home to 35,000 Israeli settlers. Ma'ale Adumim is a very large, modern, hilltop settlement, complete with a large industrial zone, homes, schools, stores, swimming pools, greenery, flowers, parks...you get the idea. In many ways it seemed to me like a planned or gated community in the United States, self-contained, with a guard at the entry, and in a secure place on the top of a hill. The settlers that live in settlements do so for economic reasons, ideological reasons, and sometimes both. Tax breaks, affordable housing, and subsidies for education and healthcare are just some of the incentives for moving to a settlement. Just looking around you can see that the settlements are pleasant looking, clean, organized places to live and raise a family; being inside a settlement made it somewhat easier for me to understand why an Israeli would move to the Occupied Territories. On the other hand there are the ideological settlers, though, that believe that the entirety of the region, including the occupied Palestinian territories is their God-given right, and this permits them to take land and resources in the West Bank and East Jerusalem away from Palestinians. 

The day was truly an eye-opening experience, as I began to actually see the physical and human effects of an Occupation that I had only read about before. Understanding what a home eviction is, and looking into the eyes of someone who has been evicted from their home are two very different things. Another thing that ICAHD emphasized to me is that peace is not about belonging to a certain ethnic, national, or religious identity. It is not an Israeli thing. It is not a Palestinian thing. It is not about criticizing or attacking groups of people. It is about recognizing that certain political, military, and economic policies, as well as personal attitudes and habits stall and prevent peace and the preservation of human rights from being a reality. One you recognize those things, then you work to change those policies and attitudes. 

"...it is crucial to understand Abraham's response to so gracious a gift, of which he and his descendants were to be caretakers. He did not plow through the land, driving out its inhabitants, wielding power to establish ownership by "right." Though he was to become the father of the faith for both Jews and Christians, he knew he was not the first inhabitant of Canaan to worship the one true God by any means...Never did Abraham try to wrest Melchizedek's throne from him, nor did he take over anyone's land. He lived as a nomad. In fact, when his wife Sarah died, he very meekly purchased a cave in Hebron for her tomb."   

 -Elias Chacour, Blood Brothers

Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land

A documentary that I enjoyed, and which you might find interesting. Which news stories get told, and how those stories are told drastically effects how world events are understood by the international community. 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6604775898578139565#

And now, some history

Israel-Palestine: A Brief Timeline

I think it might be useful before I go any further with my blog to give a VERY abbreviated history of some of the root and underlying causes of conflict here in the region. Some of you probably know all this (and more), but hopefully it can prove helpful to those a little less aware of the situation. I offer this to allow a better understanding of some of the history and struggles of the people that I am living and serving among. 

So hasn’t there always been fighting in the Middle East? Isn’t it just a problem of clashing religions?

While there certainly has been conflict between different groups of people in the Middle East for thousands of years, this particular conflict can be traced very specifically to 20th century events relating to post-colonialism, the formation of the Jewish nation of Israel in Palestine, and the Arab response to this development.

1896: Theodore Herzl publishes Der Judenstaat (“The State of the Jews”), one of the foundational texts of the Zionist movement. The Zionist movement championed the settlement of Jewish people in the region of Palestine, and the establishment of a Jewish nation in the Biblical “Land of Israel.” Starting in the late 1900s, increasing “Aliyah” (waves) of Jewish people began immigrating to Palestine, many fleeing anti-Semitism in Europe.

1917: With the end of WWI and the defeat of the Ottomans, Palestine comes under the control of the British, beginning the period of the British Mandate.

1948: In the aftermath of WWII, the British Mandate ends, and the region is handed over to the United Nations. The UN declares the Partition Plan to divide Palestine into two states, including the establishment of a Jewish nation. This plan results in the outbreak of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which resulted in many deaths on both sides, and over 700,000 Arab refugees. The area of Palestine is divided between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Essentially the area that is now the West Bank was under Jordanian control. Israel celebrates this as their independence. Palestinians refer to this event as the Naqba, or “catastrophe.”

June 1967: The 6-Day War. Israel defeats many neighboring Arab countries and the areas of the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem come under Israeli military control.

November 1967: The United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 passed, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from areas occupied as a result of the 1967 War. Israel does not comply.

1987:The first Palestinian “Intifada” or uprising. Violence, riots, and strikes by Palestinians break out in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and are met with resistance by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). It is estimated that over a 1000 Palestinians and 160 Israelis were killed in the conflict.

1993: Oslo Accords signed by Yasser Arafat (president of the Palestinian Liberation Organization or PLO) and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. These accords were intended to grant interim self-government to Palestinians in phases. In most places, military occupation continues to some degree.

2000: The Second Intifada, or Al-Aqsa Intifada breaks out, not long after the peace process breaks down at the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David. Violence continues on both sides until 2006. By the end of the Intifada, over 5000 Palestinians and 1000 Israelis were dead.

2002: Israel begins construction on the Israel-West Bank Separation Wall, a measure designed to decrease the instance of suicide bombings in Israel. The result of the wall and the checkpoints that have been set up all over the West Bank has been severe restriction of movement for Palestinians, along with serious human rights violations.

2004: The International Court of Justice declares the separation wall to be illegal, and calls for the removal of the wall. Israel has not complied, and continues to construct the wall today.

2005: Israel withdraws its military and settlers from the Gaza Strip, but continues to control its airspace, coastline, and most of its borders.

2007-Present: The situation is Gaza is dire, following a continued blockade of the region, along with the recent 22-day war between December 2008 and January 2009, in which over 1300 Palestinians were killed.

The situation is so much more complex than this very brief outline, and I encourage you to read more and understand more. Some useful, very readable resources that I highly recommend:

Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer
                                Phyllis Bennis

The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East        Sandy Tolan 

A Recent Victim of the Conflict

An article about the death of a 15-year old boy from a West Bank refugee camp at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Just something to think about...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8231130.stm

And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

—2 Samuel 12:15-23

WCC Statement on Settlements

A statement released by the World Council of Churches, calling for the freezing and dismantling of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/wcc-calls-to-freeze-and-d.html 

Beyond Babel

"'Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so they will not understand one another's speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."  Genesis 11:7-9

Salaam Aleikum! I have arrived at last in Jerusalem/West Bank to begin my year of international service through the Young Adults in Global Mission Program and ELCA. We had a great week of orientation in Chicago with all 50 of the YAGMs who are headed to locations throughout the world, then the six J-Crew (Jerusalem Crew) girls headed off to the Holy Lands! We had a week of in-country orientation, during which we stayed at a guest house called Talitha Kumi in Beit Jala. Now we have moved into housing near our placement sites for the coming year. I am very excited to tell you that I will be living in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem called Beit Hanina, and will be serving at the Helen Keller Center for the Visually Impaired also located in Beit Hanina. I live with another volunteer (Anna) at the home of a Palestinian Christian woman who works at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City. Many of you have asked me where I would be living, and what I would be doing, so I am very happy to finally be able to tell you! 

While I have been here only a week so far, I am beginning to see what an eye opening experience it will be to live here for a year.  The situation in Palestine-Israel is utterly complex and multifaceted--politically, socially, and emotionally. I will never pretend to be an expert on the conflict; rather I can only communicate the stories that are told to me, the experiences I have, and the acts of oppression or reconciliation that I witness. I humbly and timidly ask you to learn with me, though, to share your thoughts and questions, and to not be afraid to challenge your own assumptions. I know that I am daily trying to challenge mine and grow in the process. 

Arabic, Hebrew, English, German, Italian...A multitude of languages enter my eyes and ears when I walk down the narrow, uneven streets of the Old City in Jerusalem. When I used to think about the story of the Tower of Babel, I admit that I was mostly perplexed about what God was doing- I mean, why mess with perfect communication? There are certainly many times in this past week since I arrived in the West Bank/Jerusalem when I have already felt the "effects of Babel." Any time you go to a new place you can more or less feel the effects of our having being scattered across the earth. I do not yet understand the Arabic language, nor do I read its elegant script, and I am frequently reminded of my inability to speak to the many wonderful Palestinians I am meeting in their own language.  I happily attempt to wrap my tongue around the new sounds, but at the same time often find myself smiling docilely because I do not know what is being said around me. 

But is Babel actually a story about God wanting to divide, confuse, and even frustrate us? I think not. Can we look at Babel instead as showing us how God wanted humans to be multifarious- different and unique within His creation? To come from different lands, to create different traditions, speak different languages, eat different foods, sing different songs? And then, what I find myself thinking now: how do we move beyond Babel? Beyond the differences that arise from the scattering of humankind? While it perhaps sounds cliche to say that I am talking about seeking our commonality, our shared humanity, I think it is vitally important to think this way within a context such as this one. There are great divides between groups of people here, but I am searching for the moments in which we look at one another and realize that we are each of us blessed, flawed, unique, connected- we are utterly and exquisitely human. So while we are scattered, while our tongues are confused, I look at this year as a time to focus on recognizing the beauty and holiness within the differences along with the similarities.