Why I'm Here in Palestine

I've recently enjoyed reading the book Challenging Christion Zionism, which is a collection of papers from a Sabeel conference from 2005. I would highly recommend it.

Naim Ateek, who is one of the most prominent theologians writing on Palestine, expresses quite clearly why I'm here.

"Indeed, there is a great threat facing the people of Israel-Palestine. It is not, however, the threat of Palestinian terrorism. It is the threat that has its roots in the Israeli military occupation and oppression of over three million Palestinians. God cannot be pleased when the forces of empire deny God's children their basic God-given rights to life and freedom. Faithfulness to God forces us to act on behalf of our fellow human beings who are oppressed and dehumanized."

More pictures have been added!

Go here to see more.


Better yet, go on an upcoming CPT delegation.


"Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God."

I'm Tired of Being a Punching Bag

Let me preface this post by relaying 3 important messages straight from the heart of the Occupied Territories:

1. I realize that it's fair for me to be a punching bag for reasons I will state below.
2. If you click on the above picture you can see the view from our roof, with a minaret on the left and a military watch tower on the right.
3. American pop music is being blasted from a nearby Palestinian home, or possibly the military base across the street, which is really random.

(By the way, sorry to be a downer, but last night I was awakened by what sounded like someone being tortured in the base. If I heard these sounds coming from across the street of my home in CA I would call the cops and scrupulously search the neighborhood to see what was happening. Last night I thought about it for a few minutes and went back to sleep, knowing that "These things happen all the time." This is what the Occupation has done to me in a month. I've been thinking a lot about what psychological effects of the military occupation must have on the Palestinians. I can tell you stories about watching a video of a brutal murder on the cellphone of a teenager, as if it were a music video, and violence being passed around families and friends, but this tangent is getting far from the point, so let me return to why I feel like a punching bag.)

Over the last month I have seen hostility towards Americans rise, especially in Hebron. When I arrived here I remember walking down the street and everyone yelling, "Welcome. Welcome to Palestine. Welcome to Hebron." The kids were cute and wanted to know our names and where we came from. The old men smiled as they greeted us with "Salaam Alaikum."

Knowing how the US government has supported Israel, despite Israel's human rights violations and disregard of international law, I found the hospitatlity of Palestinians to be excessively welcoming. On the one hand, it is wonderful that they recognize the difference between my government and my people, but on the other hand my tax dollars have been spent on weapons that kill Arabs and I haven't done enough to convince my government to stop supporting this horrible occupation.

With this in mind I happily listened to Palestinians voice their disappointment in Bush, Rice, Cheney and others. I apoligized and promised to do more. I even shrugged off direct comments and bad looks, which were quite rare until last week.

I feel a greater tension in the air now. Nasrallah is gaining much popularity since no one else seems to be denouncing Israel and calling for more than "restaint." The Israeli reaction to the capturing of IDF soldiers in the north was completely out of line with hostage trades over the last 20 years (at which time Israel freed over 1,000 prisoners). Their air raids were brutal and American support was disgusting. Rice called the deaths, displacement and attacks on civil infrastucture the "birth pangs of a new middle east." Many teachers, police men and other civil servants have gone 6 months without a pay check. And I sense that although Hebronites know we are here to help, that we are not doing enough.

I have been asked repeatedly if I support Nasrallah or Bush (as if they are the only 2 options), had stuff thrown at me, had a few boys hit me - which, in my opinion, would have never happened 3 weeks ago - and even felt scared to walk to the taxi stand because of harrassment. I feel like a punching bag and I'm starting to get tired of it. Taking responsibility for an irresponsible government is not how I wanted to spend my summer vacation.

Conscious Lifestyle - We're Winning!

The following is from an article in the International Herald Tribune from 11 Aug 2006.

It - and the enthusiasm of the title of my post - speak for themselves.

"Most Morrocan textile employees work illegally, receiving wages in cash from companies that keep no records of working hours. That has turned into a big competitive disadvantage now that Western shoppers are looking more at who made their clothes and under what conditions.”

To learn more about who made your clothes and find sweatshop-free apparel, go to ConsciousLifestyle.org.

Street Patrol - Hebron

Tonight Traci and I went on street patrol in the Old City of Hebron. Almost immediately we met a team of six Israeli soldiers doing their own patrol. They came towards us making their usual slow advance with their backs against the wall and their rifle barrels sweeping up into the air as if removing cobwebs above them. We greeted them with "Shalom" and observed smiles and smirks.

--- I have to stop here and say that I really feel bad for these guys. I've stopped asking them "How are you?" because I know that if I were 18 yrs old the last thing I would want to do is work 12 hours shifts with a 40 lb pack walking the streets of another people's land. Even when some of them act like jerks/cowards/bullies/murderers, there is no denying that the job that they are mandated to do is boring at best. Nonetheless, some of them are nice guys that I would love to sit down and learn from. Most refuse to talk, but as I run into some of them over and over again I'm tempted to sneak them my email address to keep in touch. ---














Anyways, we suspected that the soldiers were going to invade a home so we followed them up to an apartment, and eventually onto a rooftop to their military fort. Apparently I followed too close and they got mad that I was in a "military zone." So Traci and I left and began talking to some Palestinian families. Minutes later we were surprised to see the same group of soldiers walking towards us again! With a loud "SHALOM" I greeted them and we all seemed to be on friendly terms again.



After that I ran into my friend Raid. He seemed so depressed. I asked him what he's doing and he responded with anger, "What can I do? All I do is work and come here. There is nothing for me to do." Raid is about my age and has a wife and 2 kids. As a young Palestinian he can barely leave the Hebron district. Yesterday over tea he told me his dream is to one day see New York City.

Passing two settler boys I said, "Shalom." They ignored me. A settler woman passed and we greeted her, as well. She called us Nazis and spit on the ground.

We met more soldiers checking IDs and taking a rooftop position overlooking a settler building. One soldier said, "What's up?" which I liked. His partner told him not to talk to us. The others ignored us and said something in Hebrew that didn't seem very nice. Approaching them we passed the apartment of a Palestinian man who seemed to be in a very bad mood. The other night his son was blindfolded and taken away.

The highlight of the street patrol was - as always - the children. I have some great footage of them skipping through the street, flying paper kites from the rooftops, crowding around us for a picture, and repeating our funny accents. I'll put the video online when I return to the States.

Little Heroes - Getting to Summer Camp

Each morning in At Tuwani we (CPT and an Italian group named Operation Dove) accompany children from the nearby village of Tuba to the school in Tuwani for summer camp. The road from Tuba and Tuwani now passes through a Jewish settlement (Maon, which is illegal under international law) and a Jewish settler outpost (Hill 883, which is illegal under international law and Israeli law) . The result is that these children have been beat up, stoned, and verbally attacked as they make their way to school.

In the past our team has walked with the kids the entire way, but after settlers attempted to murder a CPTer with bats and chains, and broke the legs of another CPTer in the process, the military got involved and now does the accompaniment under one rule: internationals should not pass through the settlement.

Now, the Tuba kids walk from their village to the edge of the settlement while half of our team observes, then the military meets them and the kids walk between an army jeep and a hummer. When they get to the other side of the settlement, the rest of our team meets them. This process allows us to see the children during much of their trip and put us in a position to monitor possible attacks on the children, and get in the way if necessary. Sometimes we do pass through the settlement with the children when the possibility of an attack seems high, knowing that even when the military is there, they don't always do enough to protect the kids.

OK...on to the good news!

The other day the military didn't arrive. Thinking that the kids would wait it out, we sat upon a hill top shifting our views from our watches, to the road, to the settlement, and back to our watches. Upset and nervious, we waited and waited. Finally, I heard something in the distance. What I found was a line of children dressed in their white summer camp outfits running down a hill and through the valley. I couldn't believe the courage and resilience of these little kids (6-14 yrs old). Instead of waiting, they took matters in their own hands, risked attack, and RAN so as not to be late. I couldn't believe it. What little heroes!

Weaving rugs in Tuwani

One of the joys of being in the small (120 persons) sustanance farming village of At Tuwani is watching the local women make rugs in the courtyard outside of our CPT dwelling.

They spin the wool into yarn by hand, and then stretch the yarn out in 25 foot strands. Having done that they use their loom to somehow weave the strands of yarn into a rug (I still haven't figured it out).

What I do know is that the women's cooperative has been an important means to keeping the village alive. In the past, when the local Jewish settlers have poisoned the village's livestock, cut down olive trees and destroyed agricultural equipment, the revenue from the women's goods have made it possible for minimal sustenance to be purchased.

(CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE.)

Facts about Lebanon

1. Lebanon has 18 religious communities.

2. It has 40 daily newspapers.

3. It has 42 universities.

4. It has over 100 banks (banks, not branches of a bank).

5. 70% of the students are in private schools.

6. 40% of the Lebanese people are Christians.

7. There's 1 doctor per 10 people in Lebanon (In Europe & America, there's 1 doctor per 100 people).

8. The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament.

9. Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times.

10. There are 3.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon.

11. There are around 10 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon.

12. Byblos (a city in Lebanon) is the oldest, continuously inhabitated city in the world.

13. Lebanon's name has been around for 4,000 yrs non-stop (it's the oldest country/ nation's name in the world).

14. Lebanon is the only Asian/African country that doesn't have a desert.

15. There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains).

16. The first alphabet was created in Byblos (city in Lebanon).

17. Lebanon is the country that has the most books written about it.

18. According to Christianity Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle in Lebanon, in Sidon (The miracle of turning water into wine).

19. The Phoenicians (Original People of Lebanon) built the 1st boat, and they were the first to sail ever.

20. Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus did.

21. The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon, in Downtown Beirut.

Oh, Ari...You were such a pawn. I forgive you.

Dear Ari,

Back when I was an avid C-SPAN viewer you used to put me to sleep. How could such a bright young man commit himself to conveying half truths with indifference? I mean, really, it must have been the dullest time of your life. Nonetheless, by rarely being passionate, honest or engaging, you did a fine job of fulfilling your duties as White House spokesperson. When it was all to much to take you resigned and joined NPR. Now I enjoy your reports, which sound sometimes silly and cute, like a weather girl's first day on the job or the boy that runs for freshman class president because he 'has a dream.'

I've included the quote below so that we can laugh together about your Bush days. If only we could turn back the clock and just say no to that dreadful offer!

Your Friend,

Michael

"President Bush has said Iraq has weapons of mass destruction; Tony Blair has said Iraq has weapons of mass destruction; Donald Rumsfeld has said Iraq has weapons of mass destruction; Richard Butler has said they do; the United Nations has said they do; the experts have said they do. Iraq says they don't. You can choose who you want to believe."

Ari Fleischer

White House Press Briefing

December 5, 2002

Ubiquitous Violence

Journal entry from 4 Aug 2006

I woke up this morning to find a dozen Israeli soldiers lining the roof opposite my window. I've been here for weeks and I still can't get over their M-16s. I don't think it's a good idea to have 18 year old boys - that are either scared out of their minds or bored enough to invent sadistic entertainment - walking around with enough live ammunition to eradicate a small village. Nevertheless, I'm becoming accustomed to the realities of occupation and decided to brush my teeth and go on with the day.

A few hours later my afternoon tea was interrupted by a team of new Israeli soldiers being trained on walking the streets. They crept through the marketplace as if stalking an enemy in the jungle. Sometimes they would peer deeply into stores or the tea room as if there was something hidden within. I confronted the lead soldier, who bumped into me and demanded, "Don't touch me!" As the soldiers crossed the marketplace they pointed their rifles at the children and older men, then disappeared. Crowds of worshippers flowed out of the mosques and enjoyed tea and treats together in the streets.

This evening, as we finished dinner, our guest speaker talked about the difficulty of explaining to his young children that not all Jews are evil. This is something that we have heard from a number of Palestinian parents. To most of us this seems crazy, but since the Palestinian children interact almost exclusively with Jewish settlers and Jewish Soldiers - who are seen as careless occupiers at best and tormenters or murders at worst - it is hard to break the cycle of hate and violence. With his 5 year old son sleeping at his feet our speaker explained that even at this young age the boy knew that Israeli soldiers had shot and abducted his father.

As he continued to speak on this subject someone noticed a squadron of soldiers entering a nearby Palestinian home. The mother was outside with her daughters. I began to film the situation and some CPTers made their way to the home. It's not unusual for Israeli soldiers to occupy a Palestinian house. Sometimes they'll destroy the home or kidnap one of the men. Other times they just put the family in a room for a few hours or until the next morning. We watched the door, waiting for it to open to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. At around 10pm the soldiers left. The next day the mother of the Palestinian family said the soldiers left because of the international presence.

More Pictures Online

More Pictures have been added to the site!!! Check them out by clicking HERE.

Nonviolence

"The only people on earth who do not see Christ and His teachings as nonviolent are Christians."

-Mohandas Gandhi

"Open the Gates" Action in Hebron

This is an action that our delegation did in Hebron. The idea came from a song with these lyrics:

"The Kingdom of God is justice and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Come, Lord, and open the gates, the gates to Your Kingdom."

Check out a slideshow of pictures here. You can slow down the show with the "delay" time option. Also, click on the link called "Hebron" to see a lot of pictures of where I'm staying.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Middle East Delegation Demands Freedom for Political Prisoners and Freedom of Movement for Palestinians

By Michael Del Ponte

8 August 2006

HEBRON--On Friday, 8 August CPT delegates from Sweden, Canada and the United States engaged in a public witness at the Beit Romano checkpoint in Hebron, Palestine to call for the opening of all gates that confine Palestinians under military occupation.

Joined by members of CPT Hebron and local Palestinians, the delegation held a prayer service and sang “Open the Gates” while armed soldiers observed from their watch tower above.

The group chose to witness at the Israeli military base in the Old City of Hebron because its military gates clearly represent the obstacles to Palestinian freedom, such as prison fences, the separation wall, checkpoints and the obstruction of unbiased international media coverage of the occupation.

Knowing that there are more than 9,000 Palestinian prisoners who are often deprived of legal rights and subjected to abuse, the delegation felt compelled to call for the freedom of all political prisoners.

James Thomas, a delegate from the United States explained, “No prisoner’s life is more valuable than another’s. We are demanding the freedom of the women, men and children being held without due process and denouncing the hypocrisy of Israel for valuing the lives of 3 kidnapped soldiers over the thousands of Palestinian prisoners and all casualties of the war in Lebanon. By publicly demanding that these gates be opened, we are reaffirming our commitment to work in Palestine and our home countries for a just end to the Israeli occupation.”

Photos of the action can be found at http://www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album178.

Mt 26: 36-46

Today I cried in the Garden of Gethsemene;
It was all to much to bear.
Like the bread boy in Hebron with cart overflowing,
Exhaustion made the invitable immediate
And loaves came crashing down.
Inevitable indeed,
But surely not accepted;
Disappointment turned to despair
And the prisoner began to run.

Today I cried in the Garden of Gethsemane;
Not in anticipation of what might happen to me,
But rather the realization of what is happening to our world.
I have met a family of 22 made homeless in an instant
By Caterpillar bulldozers and demolition orders.
I have watched Israeli soldiers invade and occupy apartments
Stating "security" as their only reason.
I have seen M-16s shoved in the faces of Palestinian children
As well as ambulances attempting to maneuver
passed Israeli checkpoints - before it's too late.
I have walked the lands of West Bank farmers
Whose orchards have been made graveyards
By brutal settler attacks.

Today I cried in the Garden of Gethsemane
Next to olive trees blessed with tears divine.
Roots reach passed rocks towards soil soft and
Living long beyond the hardest times.
These trees 2,000 years of age
Still bear fruit like tribal storytellers.
Gnarled and knotted trunks introduce
Strong branches flexing in the mid-day sun.
They hold bouquets that dance with wind
And fall gracefully to the ground when their time has come.

Today I cried in the Garden of Gethsemane,
Then remembered wonderful faces.
Phone calls from friends, the emails of family,
And inspiration from Israeli activists struggling
With Palestinians against the occupation.
Many meals in the homes of gracious hosts and
Sincere "Salaam Alaikums" make me feel welcomed
In the West Bank despite my country's cruelty.
They know that the guns and tanks,
the fighter planes and helicopters,
were purchased with my dollars,
any yet they pour me tea and wish me peace;
Like Jesus forgiving Judas.

Wonderful faces of children, elders, and Imams,
Nuns and rabbis alike.
These have been redemptive.
Babies are born neither soldiers nor saints,
Simply persons with much potential.
The potential for silent selfishness
Or the potential for giving one's self for others.
None are made without a choice.
All can strive towards greatness.

Today I cried in the Garden of Gethsemane,
then realized an important lesson.
The tears will end and walls will fall,
And occupation will be deemed useless.
All that are needed are wonderful faces
Willing to open their eyes and walk towards greatness;
Willing to change the way they live
And cast the silence into darkness.
Willing to cry, then dry their eyes and
Invite more wonderful faces.