A whirlwind first day indeed

Our first day in Palestine – Bethlehem, to be exact, and Bethlehem, West Bank to be even more precise - has been incredible.

THE WALL: Looming above us and beside us everywhere we turn is that massive concrete separation barrier the Israeli government has erected over the past number of years to keep all Palestinians (Christian and Muslim) out of Jerusalem, out of Israel. It has separated parents from their children, farmers from their olive trees, and employees from their places of work. It is filled with graffiti and slogans. Here are a few close to our hotel:

May the Love of God fill your heart

To keep silent is sin

Free Palestine

Yo amo a Jacqui (that’s for my wife!)

The wall, in the words of a Palestinian Christian leader, isn’t about security for Israel; rather it’s an “apartheid wall.”

First place we went this morning was the Church of the Nativity, where tradition says Jesus was born. The first church was built over top the cave/house some 1700+ years ago, added onto many times, quarreled and fought over many more times. A surprise for me was to see so many people from Eastern Christian traditions there on pilgrimages, observing their ancient rites.

Then we arrived at Wi’am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Centre, a long time MCC partner together with the director, Zoughbi Zoughbi. Wi’am seeks to instill the principles of non-violent conflict resolution throughout civil society. Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is well-respected among Muslim and secular people alike, speaks passionately about the plight of his people. Here are a few nuggets:

“We don‘t have problems of ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’, we have problems of ‘ongoing traumatic stress disorder’”; after the 2^nd Intifada, 80% of kids have been affected. Plus, many adults have died due to stress and trauma.

“We have lived in this Occupation for so long and we are exhausted. So tired we are that our talk is mostly gossip about other people. Have we forgotten how to make history?”

“We continually witness to the power of non-violence. Our message is of transformation: changing the garbage of our anger into flowers of compassion.”

“Hope is fundamental: we live in a prison, but no one can tell us how to organise our homes within our prisons.”

“We need to move from victimhood into responsibility. What’s our view from prison bars? Do we see mud or stars? Let’s move from pointing the finger to collective responsibility.”

“We seek restorative justice; we want to address the wrongs, not avenge them.”

“To save the soul of Israel, it has to stop being the occupier. Yet, while the occupation is evil, it doesn’t only demoralize us; it deeply affects the Jews also.”

In the afternoon, we went to the Aida Refugee Camp where 5000 people live in an area several blocks square. At the Lajee Community Centre we heard gut wrenching stories of adolescent boys being shot by Israeli snipers from the Wall’s security towers while playing soccer in the street or games on the roof of a house, and of the deprivations due to the apartheid of the wall. The Centre provides holistic educational experiences for children and youth along with art and media documentation of stories of life under the Occupation.

Later in the afternoon, Alex Awad, a Palestinian Christian, talked with us about Christian Zionism. This is the idea, prevalent in some evangelical circles around the world, that God gave this land to the Jews forever and ever, and Christians who help the State of Israel solidify its presence are bringing closer the second coming of Christ. The Occupation would end tomorrow without the support of Christian Zionists organizations and the US government.

Time for bed; tomorrow promises to be another full day.