Circular Letter No 119
22nd March 2003


Sunday March 16th. While the rest of the world busies itself with a potential war, the headline today is "No 'independent' Palestinian state." This is the response of the Government of Israel to what is euphemistically called "the Road Map", and which is being conveniently wheeled out in a time of crisis by governments in the West seeking to gain some sort of political support. 'All mention of an independent Palestinian state has been eliminated in Israel's response to the Road Map prepared by the US, the European Union, the UN and Russia. An "independent" Palestinian state, which would be initially established along temporary borders, is replaced with "certain attributes of sovereignty" and any such state is required to be "credible" and "law-abiding" …Israel also rejects the demand of immediate removal of all illegal outposts set up in the territories during the government of Ariel Sharon. … Israel rejects the notion that the freeze on settlement activity will also include the natural growth of settlements. … The Israeli document says the future of the settlements will be determined only by a final agreement and therefore Israel is only willing to grant territorial continuity to the Palestinians only "where this is possible."

Admittedly this is a bargaining paper, and one would not expect the Government of Israel to give away all its bargaining positions before the negotiations have even started. However, anyone taking a drive on the West Bank can see the extent to which the illegal settlements are spreading like a cancer across the hills of Judea and Samaria, and with each caravan that is placed on a hill top, the eventual separation of the two people becomes more difficult.

It is good to have this paper on the table. At least it will let people judge about the charges of hypocrisy that are flying round concerning the zeal of the US and the UK to enforce compliance with UN Resolutions on Iraq, while colluding in the breach of UN Resolutions by Israel.


The fear of the Palestinians, that with the attention of the world on Iraq, the Israeli army will feel that it has a free hand to do what it wishes, certainly seems to be borne out by the inside pages of the paper. Six Palestinians were killed in a clash in the Jenin refugee camp early on Friday morning. "We broke into a house containing four wanted men, who were armed" said Brigadier-General Gershon Yitzhak,. "The soldiers beat them to the punch and shot them. An armed guard on the roof was also shot. In all, five terrorists were killed. A sixth person was shot and killed while trying to flee. More than four weapons were seized during the operation, as well as IDF uniforms and badges." Necessary force? Excessive force? And this is the Army report on the incident.


We had planned to have some soup and rolls after church on Sunday morning. Elias, the cook who lives in Bethlehem, and who was given a permit to come to work at the Hospice, agreed to come and do the cooking for us. 0930 hours he phoned from his home - he had gone to the checkpoint and had been refused permission to cross - despite having valid permits.

Helen Shehadeh did manage to get in to the service - but it took her a long time, and she spoke of the "tightness" of the closure. It is better not to ask too many questions as to how a blind person manages to pass through the Closure.


It is the time of the Purim Festival, when Jewish people recall the events recalled in the Book of Esther in the Bible. There is a lot of dressing up, parties, and generally fun. On our way to the Post Office after church, we passed some youngsters on their way home from school, with their costumes. One of them was dressed in a light brown tunic, carrying a Cross, and a Crown of Thorns. When I spoke with one Jewish person about this, he said that it was meant in fun, and should not be taken seriously. Can one imagine the outcry that there would be if a "fun" costume appeared during a Christian festival, denigrating one of the most sacred symbols of the Jewish faith?


Monday 17th March. Front Page : "American activist killed by army bulldozer in Rafah (Gaza Strip)." Israeli officials expressed "regret" over the incident to American officials, sources in Jerusalem said, and in Washington a State Department statement said it had received reports of the incident and was "assessing the situation".

Page 2 : 3 Palestinians killed by IDF. 'Two Palestinians were killed in Gaza and one in the West Bank yesterday as the IDF enforced a closure, preventing any Palestinians from entering Israel during the Purim holiday.' Given the fact that it is almost impossible for people to get out of Gaza, it is perhaps a little disingenuous to say that two people were killed in Gaza as part of the Closure for Purim. In all instances, it turns out that there was nothing to do with attempting to get into Israel at all.


With most of you, we have watched today the events and announcements about the coming War. I think the hardest to take is the way in which speaker after speaker justifies the action against Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein has not implemented UN resolutions.


There has been contact with the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, about our personal safety and the question of evacuation. I know of no Church minister leaving Jerusalem at present. The Church of Scotland has accepted the wish of its staff here to stay and demonstrate solidarity with the communities of people here - all people, regardless of race or religion. It has also made provision for staff to be accommodated on Cyprus should anyone decide to leave. We are grateful for this concern, and for the provisions made for us. We are also grateful for the recognition of our feeling that this is where we should be at this particular time.


{It is interesting to note the change in TV coverage of the Middle East in the past few days. We are now being subjected to reports from this aircraft carrier and from that army unit, showing forces getting ready for war. I personally find it obscene, making it all look like a hyped up version of Eastenders or some other TV soap programme. }


Tuesday 18th March. With the eyes of the world elsewhere, the headline makes grim reading this morning. We are told by the Army to stock up on 'sealed room gear'. Below that is the almost incidental headline '13 Palestinians killed, including toddler, two teens.'


From time to time, a letter or a donation will arrive that is for someone in Bethlehem. One of the reasons for posting it to St Andrew's is the lack of certainty that a letter will actually get through to Bethlehem. One such letter arrived for Helen Shehadeh, and so, to pay a visit before the war started, I went off to do some pastoral visiting. This time the wait at the check point was 30 minutes. As I drove through in mid-afternoon, I saw a group of Palestinian men standing at one side of the road, obviously waiting for their documents to be returned to them so that they could go home.

Helen was well - at home making a few extra preparations, as she did not know what might happen if and when the war started. There was already Closure, so that people were not able to get to Jerusalem, even if they had the correct documents. Would there also be curfew? She felt it was wise to be prepared. We had a chat, about her coming to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh this year. We talked about the School. In Israel, the emphasis is on what preparations need to be made to ensure safety and health. Youngsters here have gas masks. The youngsters in her school have not. I asked about water supplies, in case the regular supply became contaminated. Her reply was to ask how she could get in sufficient water for 24 children, and the staff who would be there to care for them - for washing, cooking, drinking etc. There was just no answer. I did not have the hundreds, or even thousands, of shekels that would be required to provide an adequate supply of drinking water.

A couple of hours later as I was going home, again having to wait for about 20 minutes at the check point, I saw the group of men still there, still waiting for their documents. It was cold, and the one concession that the Israeli Army had made to them was to allow them to move to the other side of the road into some shelter from the wind.


As the week progressed we were given instructions in the press and on the TV and radio as to what we should be doing - Wednesday, getting a sealed room ready; Thursday, carrying gas masks. Driving around on Thursday, less than 10% of the people whom I saw were carrying gas masks. On Friday, it was an even smaller percentage. Although the Ministry of Education had said that schools should be open on Thursday and Friday, reports were that quite a large percentage of parents had kept their children at home. Tabeetha School, of the Church of Scotland closed for a couple of days, as although it has a bomb shelter, it will only accommodate about 50% of the children. To have made preparations to seal a room, or a hall, for the other 50% would have been difficult. So, it was felt the wise course of action was to close for a short period.


On Thursday morning, I attended the monthly "Men in Ministry" Prayer Breakfast. This is a group of theologically right-wing men who minister in the Jerusalem area. They largely see their ministry as being to the Jewish community. By and large there is little contact between them and the other "historic" Christian churches, and not a lot of contact with the Palestinian Christian community. The minister of the Church of Scotland is part of this group, ex officio, rather than because he necessarily identifies with their theology or their ministry. It was noticeable that, despite all the notices from Embassies and Consulates, and perhaps also from churches, that there were some 60 people there that morning, all of whom felt that this was the place for them to be at this time. In one of the prayers, the person leading the group prayed for "all those who would go to eternity today." I assume that he meant those who would be killed in the war in Iraq!


The eyes of the world are directed at Iraq, and the crimes that Saddam Hussein perpetrated on his own people - even using chemicals against them. There is an article in the Weekend Ha'aretz this Friday (21st March) about the action of the Israel Lands Administration in pursuing its dispute with a Bedouin community in part of the Negev Hills. "On March 4, in the early morning hours, two crop-dusting places flew over the Negev Hills, spraying field crops with a toxin that cause them to wither and die. Ten people, most of them children, inhaled the substance and required medical treatment. The farmers, whose crops were sprayed are Bedouin who have been living in the region for generations. …. These farmers are Israeli citizens, who have been living in recognized villages since the establishment of the state." Could this possibly be chemical warfare against its own citizens?


The TV news channels are giving us almost non-stop War coverage. Any time we turn on the news, we get more about the war - and there is not all that much real news. Pundits are interviewed in the safety of the studios; pictures show us Baghdad being bombed, and the commentators talk about it as if they were watching a Carnival Parade - here comes another plane etc. BBC World gives us the war - BBC Prime gives us Ready Steady Cook and The Weakest Link! And there is not all that much difference in the tone of many of the participants.


We are well. We think we will go to Ein Gedi, at the Dead Sea, for a walk, It has been cold and wet here for a couple of days - might find some heat there. May you stay well.

God bless. Joan and Clarence.

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Circular Letter No 118
15th March 2003


Saturday 8th March. We went on a "Walk" to Ramat Hanadiv, just inland one or two kilometres from Caesarea. It was led by Father Jerry Murphy-O'Connor who has lived here for some 30 years, and is an acknowledged expert on the history of the Holy Land. The particular sites that we visited on this excursion were a farm that dates back to the 1st century AD, and a sort of Manor House of a wealthy family, dating from much the same period. Standing on the hill, looking down to the coast, and seeing the remaining signs of the works of the Roman Empire - the ruins of Caesarea, the lines of the aqueducts that had been built to bring it water, the ruins of these buildings which had serviced the population of Caesarea, brought home the transient nature of human governments and civilisations. What must have seemed impregnable at the time of Christ was gone a few centuries later. It is a salutary reminder of the frailty of what people are trying to build today.


Sunday 9th March. 33 people attended the Morning Service, the largest number for a long time, except for one Sunday when a group was staying in the Guest House. We were a very mixed bunch - indigenous Palestinian Christians, a couple of Jewish young people, expatriates of many different theological positions, including a young man who has come to Israel to live and to preach the Gospel to the people of Israel.

Monday 10th March. We were all very glad when Elias ( a long-time employee at St Andrew's ) found a job recently within Bethlehem, as we hoped that this would give him and his family some security as well as financial support. Sadly, it did not work out, and he is once again looking for work. So, it is back to making marmalade, chutney, lasagna and anything else that might sell. A quick trip into Bethlehem on Monday enabled me to collect his latest production.

Before going on leave last year, it was not uncommon to sit for 30 minutes, and even longer, waiting to get through the Check Point. Now the situation is quite different. It rarely takes more than 10 minutes - but even that could be shorter if the soldiers were more efficient. There is now almost no traffic at all between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, such is the virtual total blockade that has been put on it, and the almost complete ban on people from Bethlehem travelling into Jerusalem.


Tuesday 11th March When Mr Sharon announced the members of his new government a few weeks ago, there was wide-spread surprise at the person whom he nominated to be the Minister of Public Security, Mr Tzachi Hanegbi. This was because he has been the subject of police investigations on a number of occasions, and as Minister of Public Security, is responsible for the work of the Police. A Petition against the appointment has been submitted by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, arguing that Mr Hanegbi is unfit to be the Public Security Minister, as he has been investigated several times, though never been indicted. Now the High Court of Justice has issued a show-cause order requiring Mr Sharon to explain his refusal to rescind Mr Hanegbi's appointment. (Tuesday 11th March Ha'aretz.).


In a sense, it is a sort of storm in a tea-cup, as Mr Hanegbi has held other posts, including that of Justice Minister and Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Committee, and no one ever challenged those appointments. However, the article immediately below the one about Mr Hanegbi is headed "Beit Hanina home demolished despite judge's order to wait." It commences 'The Interior Ministry yesterday destroyed a house belonging to a Palestinian family in the northeastern Jerusalem suburb of Beit Hanina, despite a court order delaying the demolition. The court was due to discuss the case next week. The head of the ministry's supervision department in Jerusalem, Tzvi Schneider, personally initiated and oversaw the demolition.


One of the great anxieties within the Palestinian community is what might be done by the Israeli Government and Army when the attention of the world is completely taken up by a war in Iraq. When even a Court Order does not offer protection in Jerusalem, what will happen on the West Bank, where there is even less likelihood of getting a court order, and less chance of the world finding out about any breach of such an order.


Thursday 13th March. "Have you got your gas mask?" Such is a routine way in which many conversations open at present. Today's paper has, as its lead story, "Thousands of child gas masks are faulty". "Thousands of protective kits handed out in the Dan region in recent days for babies and children have been revealed to have a severe technical fault with their screw-in mechanisms. The screw-in connection between the bellows and the pipe that provides air is critical and determines the level of the protection provided by the masks. …… The Home Front Commands operates distribution centres to hand out gas masks. Although the Army had known about the problem of inconsistency in the screw-in bellows for at least 6 months, it had failed to inform the Home Front Command.


Beside this article is one headed : "18% of 1,945 Palestinians killed in Intifada were innocent civilians, IDF says; 130 were children." 'The casualty figures, which are not published officially, are lower than those compiled by Palestinian organisations and human rights groups. …. Those killed include 365 (18%) who had nothing to do with terrorist activity; 130 (7%) children under the age of 16, and 235 (11%) adults, many of whom were women and elderly people.'


Friday 14th March. One of the facts with which we all have to contend is the management of news. Reading these letters, you are just as much subjected to my view of the world as you are when you read any paper, when you are provided with what the Editor feels is newsworthy. This is said in relation to two stories that have come up in the past few days.

One of the facts of life here is that the Israeli army on the West Bank and Gaza has a virtual policy of shoot first and ask afterwards. There are those who will say this is tantamount to murder. There are others who will say that it is a perfectly justified approach, given the situation in which it is operating. Be that as it may, today's paper has the leading headline "IDF kills 2 Israelis in 'tragic mistake'." 'Two Israeli security guards at an illegal outpost south of Hebron were killed yesterday by an IDF combat unit that was lying in wait for suspected Palestinian terrorists…..The source of the mistake that led to the tragedy was the misidentification by the observer force of the hill of the outpost as another nearby hill with buildings on it where wanted men were presumed to be in hiding.'

Beside this story is an Analysis Column by Amos Harel, which commences : 'Had yesterday's incident near the settlement of Pnai Hever ended with the death of two Palestinians, the story would probably not have merited more than a few lines in this morning's papers.'

This is one of the most frustrating aspects of living here - how to get ordinary people (a) to hear the news and (b) to do something about it. It would be even better if governments could be got to listen to the news which is given to them.

On Page 2 of the same paper there is a report that 4 Palestinian gunmen were killed by Israeli army troops in Tamun in the Northern Jordan Valley. It is said that Palestinians opened fire against the patrol and were killed in the ensuing fight. No Israeli soldiers where wounded in the incident. This sort of report occurs regularly - Palestinians open fire, they are killed, and no soldiers wounded. It makes one wonder why the Palestinian gunmen are so inaccurate as to miss their targets with monotonous regularity, which the Israeli soldiers are so accurate as to be able to kill all their attackers without suffering any injuries, let alone any fatalities. Or is it perhaps some sort of manipulation of news, for which no independent witnesses are available? Or am I being too Machiavellian?


One of the principal roads serving the illegal settlements that are spreading south of Bethlehem is what is called the "tunnel road" - because it passes through two tunnels which take it past Bethlehem and Beit Jala. It is reserved for the use of Israeli traffic. Expatriates like ourselves are also able to use it. On Thursday, this road was closed to Israeli Arabs. There was a warning of a possible terrorist attack from the Judea area, aided by Israeli Arabs. But on Thursday they were not allowed to use the road. After some hours the restriction was lifted. Thus someone like Rizek Abusharr, identified as an Israeli Arab, born and brought up here, would have been denied access to that road had he wished to travel on it. One of the Israeli Arab MKs commented that "this move brings the racist political culture to the level of official apartheid." Can you imagine what it would be like if the police in Glasgow got some form of warning that there was going to be an armed attack on a building in Glasgow, by people who were black and who would be travelling from the Edinburgh area, and as a result they went out and put road blocks at every entrance to the M8 motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Cars would be stopped, and any vehicle with a black person in it would not be allowed to continue its journey. A black person on a bus would be taken off and turned back? It sounds preposterous, yet that is what in effect was done for a few hours on Thursday. Having done it once, what is to stop the Israeli army from doing it again?

On that road, as you approach Jerusalem, there is a vehicle checkpoint. (Vehicle, as there are no pedestrians allowed on that road.) All cars have to slow down, and there is an initial visual inspection by a soldier. In our case, the inspection notes that our numberplate is white and so we are automatically separated into a traffic lane where we can have our Passports checked. This usually only take a few moments, and is routine. Occasionally, there are some additional questions, and even more occasionally is the car given any sort of search. If however, the soldier decides in his visual inspection that you are an Arab, then the questions are rather more lengthy, the inspection of documents takes longer, and it is rare in my observation that the vehicle is allowed to proceed without some form of inspection. When you pass this visual inspection by the soldier, you drive straight past the inspection area, and continue on your way with only a minor delay.


Cheerful news. (Surprise, surprise) Twice a month for the past while, on Friday mornings, Joan and I have gone down to Idna, a village to the west of Hebron, to visit the leaders of the Women's Co-operative there. Toshiko, the Japanese woman who used to work at Sunbula, also goes with us. She is working with them to develop their embroidery design skills; they are responding to her by producing quite a few suggestions for new products; and Joan and I spend an hour or so with them, doing some "English teaching". We were amazed to find out yesterday how many people in the village are said to have computers in their homes (the women said 20% - perhaps an over optimistic assessment). One of the women at the group meeting had one of her sons with her - a smart young boy from Primary School. He was too polite to try to find the place in the book for his mother, but it was clear that he was well ahead of her in English! He also has a computer at home - though it is broken!! There are also two Internet cafés. We have asked to meet one of the Teachers from the local schools, to see if we can help arrange some sort of teaching programme for the women, and who knows, even some sort of computer lessons.

They had prepared lunch for us - sensibly they had not asked us if we would be able to stay - they just presented us with a fait accompli, and lunch was served! Rice and chicken. It gave us a chance to talk a bit more with them. Three of the four are married and between them have 27 children. The husband of one of them works as a labourer in orange groves - obviously very temporary and seasonal work, but it is good that he at least has work. He leaves at 0500 hours each day he is working, and gets back about 1700 hours. For this, he earns NIS 120 per day - about ₤15. To coin a phrase, not a lot.


Happy St Patrick's day. Stay well. God bless.
Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 118a
16th March 2003


Sunday Evening Reflection.


I am writing this more for my own reflection than for any other purpose. If you wish to read it, please do so. If you feel that one letter a week is enough, and so this is more than enough, please feel free to delete it!


This morning, the readings from the Bible according to the Lectionary that we use, featured Abram, or Abraham as he become. They evoked the question as to who, today, is a "descendant" of Abraham? Someone according to genetics? Someone according to faith? Someone according to "works" - what a person does? For me, the whole environment in which I might have discussed such a question was in the past, was radically questioned this week in chance conversation. It was outside a house in Idna village, near Hebron. I was talking to a man whom I had met the previous week while on his way to the Mosque. He is the brother of a couple of the women in the Embroidery Co-operative. He came back again this week, obviously looking for me, and wanting to have a chat. He was a school teacher, and now is a school administrator. We talked about Curriculum, and I asked if there was any instruction about Judaism or Christianity. To illustrate his answer he drew a little diagram with a stone on the concrete roof beside which we were standing. It had one starting point, and two lines moving out from it. The starting point was Abraham, and the two lines were representing Isaac and Ishmael - the forerunners of Judaism and Islam. The point he was making was that in teaching about Abraham, there was reference to the prophets of Judaism and Christianity, and that was sufficient for the pupils.

The brief conversation brought a new - and living - perspective to the readings about Abraham. No longer were they purely academic, or even theological, about distant matters, but about one which is exceedingly relevant here. Just what does it mean to be descended from Abraham?


Once a month we have an Evening Service, following what we call "The Taizé Tradition." We share it with the community from the Ecce Homo convent, on the Via Dolorosa. This evening, as it was at Ecce Homo, I walked down there through the Old City. I remember the excitement which I felt the first time I walked along the Via Dolorosa, and the life that there was. Streets were full, shopkeepers were busy, and there was a bustle about the place. This evening, even allowing for the fact that it was 1630 hours, it was almost deserted. Was it just familiarity with the City that made it seem so ordinary? Was it because it appears to have changed from being a cosmopolitan centre where you could meet the world, to being the shopping centre for the community of East Jerusalem? Whatever it is, it certainly lacks the excitement of a few years ago. The one place where there was some sort of "life" was at the Jaffa Gate. There were many Jewish people heading for the Western Wall, on what is the approach to the holiday of Purim. Armed police mounted a sort of road block, stopping some people - not surprisingly those stopped were all Arabs. The police were watched by the old men sitting along the side of the road - all of them Arab. One wonders what was in their minds, and in the minds of the police.


The Chapel of the Ecce Homo Convent is below current ground level. The wall behind the Altar incorporates a Roman Arch. Probably a bit later than the time of Christ, the Arch represents not just the architecture and the public buildings of Rome, but something of the power of the Empire. There was one super-power at the time, and it bestrode the world. The Arch represents that period. In time it became a ruin as the Empire crumbled, and now is an integral part of a church building. Sitting in the silence of the church before the service started, I was able just to look at the Arch and the wall into which is has been built. In the very special circumstances of today, and the prospect of war, there came to mind Revelation 11:15 - "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever." How strange that an arch which represents the power and affluence of the Roman Empire should now be part of a Christian Church - the founder of which was executed by these same Romans. Sic transit gloria mundi.


I am sure that we are not unique in having a sense of foreboding, as to what is going to happen in Iraq. Certainly none of the people with whom I speak have any optimism about the outcome of the war. Today it has been hard to share in worship, and say the Lord's Prayer. Many's the time I have said that the Kingdom of God will come in due course - but it would be nice to think that we would be preparing for it by getting better. It takes a bit more effort to see signs of getting better. So, coming into the church this evening I was not feeling all that positive. Strangely, sitting just looking at the Arch somehow put things into a different perspective. It seemed to be saying that over the long period of time, the powerful got their come-uppance. There came into mind the confrontation between Jesus and those who were upset at the exuberance of the welcome given to him on the Mount of Olives. If people were silenced, he said, then the stones would cry out. In a calming sort of way, the stones of the Arch were giving their own silent witness to the transience of the power of a super-power. I found their silence eloquent, and so there came a certain lifting of some of the foreboding. Sadly, there will be destruction. The superpower will inflict it on Iraq. Our local superpower will probably also inflict it on the West Bank and Gaza.


On the BBC World Service this evening there is the news of a young American being crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer as she tried to protest about the demolition of a house in the southern end of the Gaza strip.


The Gospel reading at the service this evening ended with these words :

"I have told you this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave; I have conquered the world."


I will add here an excerpt which I typed from the Ha'aretz Weekend Magazine, and which I might have put in next week's letter. Putting it here will save space in the next letter


Some of you may remember the raid that the Israeli army carried out on Gaza, during which a woman in the ninth month of her pregnancy was killed. Although a bit long, (miss it out if you wish) here is the opening of an article entitled :"Save the children, Shukri!" written by Gideon Levy, and published in Ha'aretz Magazine, March 14th.

New widower Shukri al-Makadama lies on the floor of his brother's house, lighting cigarette after cigarette. His neck is encased in plaster, due to a possible fractured vertebra caused by a wall falling on top of him. He mourns his dead wife and moans in pain.

Staring at the ceiling, he quietly describes - in fluent Hebrew, for all the years he worked in Tel Aviv - the events of that terrible night when the Israel Defence Forces destroyed his house and his world, and killed his wife, Noha al Makadama, a mother of 10, who was in her ninth month of pregnancy.

Late one night last week the Army came to demolish the house of the family of teenage terrorist Sami Abdel Salam, who was shot dead on February 9 after he and several others started shooting at IDF soldiers in the El Bureij refugee camp in Gaza. In the process, they also demolished the homes of seven other families -- without warning and while the residents were inside. Before she lost consciousness, Noha, who was due to give birth any day, managed to shout to her husband to protect the children and to hand him the small purse that held the money she was saving for a washing machine. He shows us the blue purse, still full of coins.

Noha was buried alive under the rubble of her house last Monday, and her unborn child died with her. Brigadier General Gadi Shemani, the Gaza division commander, said the next day that the IDF has "no evidence" of the woman's death, and thereby exempted himself and his soldiers from any responsibility for the despicable killing. Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said something similar and just as outrageous at the cabinet meeting. So, as a service to the Defence Minister and the Division Commander, the full story of the killing of Noha al-Makadama and her unborn child, crushed to death when their home was demolished by the IDF, is hereby presented.

Quotations from remarks by Shukri : "This Sharon is increasing the hatred. I have 10 children. What am I going to tell them? That the Jews killed their mother? Not true. Only Sharon and Mofaz killed their mother." "Where are your religious people? Where are the Haredim, when they see children being slaughtered? Is this what it says in your Torah? That you should kill children? That you should kill pregnant women? What can I do? This is my fate. But I don't hate the Jews and anyone who knows me - I'm sure that they're angry and they would have come to visit me if there ware able to. I send regards to all the people who knew me in Tel Aviv."

(Gideon Levy) A week after the killing and destruction, the IDF spokesperson's office had this to say in response to questions : 'The IDF regrets the harming of innocents and investigates each incident. The investigation of this incident has not yet been completed. Once it is ,we will be able to answer the reporter's questions.'

(Suggestion - a letter to the Israeli Embassy in your country, asking for the Report on the Incident - and keeping on asking until it is delivered.)



Clarence.

 

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Circular Letter No 117
7^th March 2003

Last week I wrote about Bassem, an architect from Bethlehem. . It elicited the following response from a Jewish correspondent in the USA : "Clarence: Your story re this architect is illustrative of the unfortunate results of conflict. As you know, Arafat's Tanzim terrorist forces chose the Christian town of Beit Jala as an outpost from which its snipers shot at Jerusalem. They hid in Christian homes, schools and churches so that return fire would rain death and destruction on Christians. As far back as l997, the London Times observed "Life in Bethlehem has become insufferable for many members of the dwindling Christian minorities".

Information is supposed to be the material on which people base their discussions before the reach decisions. It is also supposed to be the material which enables people to judge decisions and actions.

There is a regular stream of articles in the Press here about who knew what, and did what, in Europe, prior to and during the Second World War – with relation to the persecution of the Jewish communities across Europe. At the risk of generalisation, I think that a widely-held view would be that, although some individuals performed heroic and often dangerous actions to assist Jewish people as they tried to escape from persecution, the majority did nothing, whether because they knew little, or because they did not want to get involved.

A full page article in the Week’s End section of Ha’aretz on Feb 28^th, entitled “They just did what they knew best" contains this sentence : "The myth of the heroic Dutch who fought the Nazi occupiers and saved Jews has been nurtured ever since World War II – not only in Holland, but in Israel as well. The truth is different.” The article sets out the conventional picture of the Dutch as “5% of the Dutch saved Jews, 90% fought actively against the Nazi occupations, and only 5% collaborated.” However, it reports on a study that has proved that there were more volunteers in Holland for the Waffen SS than in any other country in Western Europe. How much did the ordinary person know? How much did they ignore? What did they do about it? All the questions are asked in the context of the responsibility of the Dutch people for what happened in their country to Jewish people.

I said last week that there would be a comment on the complexion of the new government. In any comment, there is the natural bias of the commentator to be taken into consideration. There were those who thought that Mrs Thatcher was the greatest leader the UK has had, there were those who thought that she was the greatest disaster.

Allow Uri Avnery, another of the left-wing, radical Israeli journalists to provide the comment, in an article quoted in Gush Shalom, of 1^st March, 2003.

“Also wrong are those who believe that Sharon has no vision. He certainly has one. And what a vision it is! He does indeed want to enter history as the man who realized the dream of generations. But this is not the dream of peace, about which he prattles day and night. Peace interests him as last year's snow. He strives for an aim that seems to him vastly more important: to fulfil the aim of Zionism as he understands it: to create a Jewish state that will comprise (at least) all the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, and if possible without Arabs.

When one understands the aim, the composition of the new government is eminently reasonable. It is custom-made. Sharon at the helm. The army in the hands of Shaul Mofaz, the most brutal Arab-fighter of them all. The police in charge of Tsachi Hanegby, a man who has a criminal record, sentenced for organizing racist hoodlum attacks upon Arab students, and himself having been investigated by his now subordinate police officers for suspicion of corruption and bribery. Moreover, Sharon and his sons' investigations for many billion-dollar corruption, money laundering and foul financing of election funds, are still on the table. Eytam ( who is on record as favouring the ‘transfer’ of Arabs,) building housing units in the settlements. Liberman, himself a settler, responsible for the roads. The treasury, that must finance all this, in the hands of Netanyahu.

Monday 3^rd Shukran came to lunch, on her way home from hospital where she had been for a check-up. She brought her Mum, one of her brothers, and Victoria. A good time was had by all. She is the little one having corrective surgery to deal with Apert’s Syndrome.

Those who have driven through Jerusalem will recall that as Route 1 makes its way north from New Gate, it first descends and then climbs again. A few weeks ago, a few new yellow road signs appeared just halfway up the incline, written in Hebrew and English. The English reads : “Cohanim drive in the left-most lane.” It illustrates the complexities of life for members of the Clan “Cohen” –the priestly class, who have to maintain their purity. Coming into contact with the bones of dead people will render them impure, and needing to undergo purification rituals. It has recently been “discovered” that there may be a cemetery under part of Route 1, and so to ensure that Cohanim do not become inadvertently impure, there is the warning that they have to drive in the outer lane. After a short distance, there is a notice advising them that they can drive in the inner lane with impunity.

One of the saddest parts of life here is the way in which the killings go on.

Monday 3^rd March – Front Page Ha’aretz. 3 shot dead by IDF in Gaza Strip. 72 Palestinians killed last month in West Bank and Gaza Strip – including 3 children under the age of 10 and 4 people over 50 years old. 8 of these were killed in IDF assassinations

Tuesday 4^th March - Front Page Ha'aretz. IDF kills 9 in Gaza, West Bank raids. Among the dead a pregnant woman and a 16 year old boy

Wednesday 5^th March Page 2 Ha'aretz. Bedouin, aged 75, killed in Gaza; 16 year old shot dead in Jenin.

Thursday 6^th March Front Page Ha'aretz. 15 killed, 40 wounded in Haifa bus bomb

Friday 7^th March Front Page Ha'aretz 11 Palestinians killed, over 80 wounded in Jabalya (Gaza) raid ; ate least half are civilian dead.

. ( Clarence. On a pro rata basis, comparing the population of the USA with that of Palestine at a ratio of 200:3, the death toll of Palestinians this week represents 1,666 people killed in the States, and for the UK, on a basis of 50:3, something like 416. On a similar basis comparing the population of the USA with that of Israel at a ratio of 200:6, the death toll of Israelis this week represents 500 people killed in the States, and for the UK, on a basis of 50:6, something like 125.)

Tertullian, who lived from approx 160 - 225 AD, wrote in his book "Apology" : Plures efficimus quoties metimur a vobis, semen est Sanguis Christianorum, the traditional translation of which is "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." If there is any truth in his words, then this week so far has seen an enormous sowing of seeds of enmity.

What will happen here during and after the War in Iraq does not bear thinking about.

In spite of all this, the bright red anemones are carpeting fields and open spaces, cyclamens are all through the woods, the birds are singing and nesting. We met a couple this week who were overjoyed with life - they had just adopted a baby, and were thrilled at this new chapter in their lives.

Stay well.
Joan and Clarence

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Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 115
22nd February 2003

"Tot homines, quot sententiae.” As you are all very well educated in the Classics, I would not dream of offending you by translating this saying – but it has something to do with there being as many opinions as there are people. Such wisdom is evinced by watching the pictures of the Rallies last Saturday all over the world – some seeing them as answers to prayers, others as fulfillment of nightmares.

For what they are worth, here are the two versions of the English language papers here on Sunday 16th February. Guess which one is from Jerusalem Post, and which from Ha’aretz.

“ARAB ISRAELIS, LEFTISTS PROTEST US WAR PLANS. Some 1,500 people calling for the US to abort its planned attack on Iraq marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, joining a rally at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art that was as much a protest against the Israeli government as it was against the putative American targeting of Iraq. The marchers gathered outside Tel Aviv’s Cinemateque, where they waved the orange banners of Balad and the red flags of the communist Hadash party. They chanted anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans to the well know rhythm of Israeli-Palestinian peace demonstrations.”

“ISRAELI, PALESTINIANS JOIN ANTI-WAR PROTEST. About 1,500 Israelis and Palestinians gathered at the Cinemateque in Tel Aviv last night and marched through Tel Aviv, adding their voice to hundreds of thousands of people around the world opposed to the looming U S war on Iraq. Jewish men in kippas walked alongside Arab women in headscarves holding banners reading ‘Israelis against Bush’s war’ and ‘War is not the answer.’”


Monday 17th Headlines.

Government approves Yishai’s plan to bring 20,000 Falashmura (Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity) to Israel.

• IDF readies for major Gaza strike. Six Hamas members killed in Gaza Strip, two dead in Nablus.
• Jerusalem’s first ultra-Orthodox mayor to replace (outgoing Mayor) Olmert.
• Expect even more terror in 2003, says police boss. (Israeli statistics : 2002, 456 people were killed and 2,300 were injured. In 2001, 208 people were killed and 1,525 injured.) The Police Chief makes no mention of the number of Palestinian killed and injured.
• IDF wants to double capacity of Ketsiot (Detention Centre near Be’er Sheva) to 2,400 inmates.
  
  
  One of the privileges that comes to a Minister of St Andrew’s Jerusalem is being on the official Invitation List for such events as the Swearing-in of a new Knesset. So, on 17th February, I duly presented myself at the Knesset to join the others who had been invited to witness the Swearing-in of the 16th Knesset, the members of which had been elected on January 28th. But first, one had to get in! Although my name was clearly on the invitation, and my Passport said I was whom I claimed to be, at two check points I was politely asked to wait for a moment while a superior officer was called. The reason what that the slip of paper with my name printed on it had become partially detached from the invitation card. Was I an impostor, or was it a genuine invitation? On both occasions it was decided that it was genuine, and so I was admitted to the Knesset.
  
  There is a section reserved for “Church dignitaries” – one of the rare occasions when I get a chance to sit near the Greek Orthodox Patriarch and the Papal Nuncio. I was able to have a conversation with Elias Chacour, and it was interesting to hear him say that while there has been some economic improvement for Israeli Arabs, there is a great crisis of identity among his people. .) It is understandable that there is a crisis of identity, when among the Members of the Knesset sworn in yesterday are some who wish to “transfer” all the Arabs out of Israel. Two major themes in the speech of President Katsav dealt with Terrorism, and with the need for the political parties to work to protect Israel’s democracy and combat the negative attitudes towards the political system. Also, in one part of his speech President Katsav appealed to Israeli Arab leaders to take full pride in being Israelis. In another part he referred to the need to raise the standard of living in Arab communities in Israel. (This particular matter was the subject of a Petition to the High Court on Monday – demanding that the Government implement its multi-year programme for development in Arab communities. According to the Petition, while the monies originally earmarked for Arab development constitute some 6% of overall development funds, some government ministries never spent any of their share for that purpose. Special allocations were included in the 2002 Budget for this purpose, but data in the hands of the petitioners indicates most of the money ended up going back to the Reserves). The other speaker yesterday was Mr. Peres, in his role as most senior Member of the Knesset, of which he has been a Member since 1959. He, too, spoke of the need to end terrorism, and said “Peace is waiting for a Palestinian government of peace, and for an Israeli peace process.”
  
  
  How hard it is to fit rhetoric with words – from whatever source the words come. All the following are taken from Ha’aretz, Tuesday 18th Feb.
  
  IDF kills leading Hamas man in Gaza – ambushing him in his car and wounding him. He later died in hospital.
  
  Also on Monday, two Palestinian gunmen were killed and four others wounded trying to block a home demolition, that of the man the army alleges is responsible for Saturday’s deadly attack on an Israeli tank (in which 4 soldiers were killed).
  
  On Sunday 6 Hamas operative were killed while handling a mysterious unmanned drone – reported by some people to have been booby trapped.
  
  State (of Israel) says that Palestinian Authority is responsible for its own gas masks. The State last night asked the High Court of Justice to reject the petition by human rights groups that want the court to order the state to hand out gas mask kits to all 3,000,000 Palestinians, arguing that as the Palestinian Authority is responsible for heath, shelter construction fire prevention and emergency rescue services in the territories, so it should be responsible for the provision of gas masks.
  
  Arab Mayor asks Mofaz (Minister of Defence) for gas masks. The Mayor of Umm al-Fahm (an Arab town in Israel) has sent an urgent letter to Defence Minister Mofaz, asking for his intervention to have the Home Front Command open a gas-mask distribution station in the town. Umm al-Fahm has a population of 40,000 and the station could supply all the surrounding Arab villages, which have a combined population of 100,000. When the Mayor approached the officer in charge of distribution in the Haifa region, he was told that the Home Front does not have sufficient manpower and the staff is not prepared to go to Arab towns and villages. The officer suggested instead that residents of Umm al-Fahm and the surroundings go to two other centres.
  
  It is in the Herald Tribune that there is a report about the possible annexation of land to the north of Jerusalem to enable Jewish people to come to Rachel’s Tomb to worship. Claire Anastas, 34, spent most of the last week trying to keep her four children playing or studying while they were cooped up in their home there, under Israeli curfew. Then, on Sunday, the army informed her that it would soon build a new wall, at least 7.5 metres high, outside her house. The wall will separate her neighbourhood from the rest of Bethlehem, and her children from their schools. Under the plan, Palestinians like Anastas will be left on the Israeli side of the wall, and they will have to pass though an army checkpoint in the wall to reach the rest of Palestinian Bethlehem.
  
  
  Is it any wonder, given the items from one day’s Newspaper, that there is a crisis of identity among Israeli Arabs, and also among Israeli Jews, as they wonder who they are, and what is being done in their name, and how they can ever find some sort of peace?
  
  
  Wednesday evening. A “Prayer for Peace in Iraq and the Middle East Service” held in St Stephen’s Latin Catholic Church had a congregation of 250 – 300. Most of those there were Palestinian Christians, and it was mostly in Arabic, so our comprehension was a bit limited! The Intercessions were led by representatives of different denominations – and led in Arabic, Aramaic, English, French and German Greek and Italian.
  
  
  Thursday morning. There is a monthly Prayer Breakfast for MEN called MEN in Ministry. I sometimes go, as it is the one time in the month when I can meet this particular group of men. Note the Men – their theology does not allow them to recognise that women might be ministers also! There is breakfast, then a time of sharing information, and a time of prayer. I was sitting beside a person who is a leader in Jerusalem of what is called “Christian Friends of Israel”. The man beside him was unwise enough to ask me how I was, and when I said that I was not feeling great, he wanted to know why. So we got into a conversation about the seizure of land and houses in Bethlehem. The CFI mans asked me to understand that the seizure of land etc was all to do with security. The other person said that he would not now go to Bethlehem, as he would feel uncomfortable and perhaps unsafe, so how about me passing on greetings to a person in Bethlehem..
  
  Just before we were ready to “pray” – having heard the concerns of the men present, one person remarked that none of those who had spoken had mentioned the fact that there is the possibility of a war just round the corner!
  
  
  Friday. The litany goes on – Iraq has not obeyed UN Resolutions, therefore we will have to attack Iraq to get rid of its leaders, and hopefully find some who will agree with UN Resolutions.
  
  There is of course another UN Resolution on the table, No 242 – which has to do with withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory which Israel occupied in the 1967 war. Recognising that this Resolution talks about both sides having to comply with it, one wonders why there is noise about the removal of Mr. Arafat, and none about the removal of Mr. Sharon.
  
  Ha’aretz, Friday 21st February. “The Government issues tender for Efrat construction.” Efrat is that settlement to the south of Bethlehem which is spreading across the hills at a great rate, and which is part of the encirclement of Bethlehem. Never mind that the Israeli government has spoken about settlements only expanding to meet the needs of their current population, and never mind the fact that there are empty homes already in Efrat – “The Ministry of Housing and construction yesterday morning issued a tender for the building of 126 residential units in the Olive Hill neighbourhood of the West bank settlement of Efrat, while the Finance Ministry agreed to invest NIS 6 million on road lighting in the territories.”
  
  
  The article above this one is headed “2 Palestinians killed, 2 soldiers hurt.” In the course of it, there is this paragraph: “Since the attack on an Israeli tank on Saturday, when four Israeli soldiers were killed, 29 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 8 Hamas members.”
  
  
  Friday afternoon saw us heading north to Ramallah for a party! An Irish couple who live there had decided that, war or no war, they were having a party. So about 20 folk gathered for a while, - good food, good wine, and good conversation. However, it was all an illusion of goodness. On the way there, we had to drive on Settler Roads, we had to pass through a checkpoint, and on the way back through 2 checkpoints, and have the visual assault on our eyes of seeing the spreading band of settlements round Ramallah, doing to it what the Efrat and other Settlements are doing to Bethlehem. To get to the checkpoint going into Ramallah, you have to turn off the main north road to Nablus. Last time I was there, there had been a sign-post. Now there is a cluster of caravans, and hey-presto, you have a new Settlement. The Israeli government will share in telling the UN to get on with its business of making Iraq obey UN resolutions. It will, at the same time, tell the UN what to do with its resolutions about the building of settlements.
  
  
  At the party, I talked with N. He is Palestinian, now working with a UN agency, and so has a UN travel document, and travels in a UN marked vehicle. He went to Nablus a few weeks ago, to see his family – the first time that he had been able to go for 6 months, so it was the first time that his family, living 25 miles from him, had seen this 4 month old baby daughter. Notwithstanding his UN travel papers, and his UN car, he was still held up at check points, still searched, still humiliated. Within Nablus, his family had their own small factory making snack foods. His extended family of about 25 people drew their livelihood from this factory, and in addition it employed 60 people. The Israeli army decided that it would make a good building to house soldiers – so it has been taken over. No redress, no compensation, no possibility of getting it back – so all the dependants of the 60 workers are affected, as are the owners.
  
  
  Sorry, overrun the space again. Have a good weekend. God bless. Love from Joan and Clarence.
  
  
  

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Circular Letter No 114
15th February 2003


It is rarely easy to be a critic of your own people, your own country. Yet, there are those here who do voice criticism. Sometimes it is a Palestinian being critical about the administration of Mr. Arafat. In the Press in Israel, it is more often Israeli journalists being critical of the actions of the Israeli government and army. Two such people are Amira Haas and Gideon Levy. Both write for Ha’aretz, and both are trenchantly critical of what is happening on the West Bank and what it is doing to the soul of Israel.

An article by Gideon Levy on 9th February commenced : “A War in Iraq will soon break out, and with it a great darkness will descend on events in the territories. As long as what goes on there doesn’t affect the war’s execution, no one in the world will take an interest. No one will so much as cast a glance at the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This is the time to caution us all that under the cover of that darkness, grave things may come to pass. Not that there is much light there now, either: for some time, it has seemed that anything goes in the war against the Palestinians. The fact is that there are no longer any voices of outrage over the situation in the territories. Not about flechette shells fired at a soccer field, not about innocent farmers who are shot to death, not about the demolition of homes at an appalling rate – 22 in one day – not about the destruction of an entire outdoor market, or about the razing of the home of a wanted individual who has not yet been apprehended, burying his tenant Kamala Abu –Said, aged 65, under the ruins. All these event took place in the course of last week.”

Thursday 13th February. The main front-page headline in Ha’aretz today is “ Israel recalls envoy following Belgian court ruling on Sharon.” The story begins “Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday recalled Israel’s Ambassador to Belgium after the Belgian Supreme Court ruled that Defence Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron could be prosecuted for his involvement in the Sabra and Chatila massacres in 1982 in Beirut, when we was commander of the IDF forces in the Lebanese capital at the time. The court also ruled that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could be put on trial for his alleged involvement in the affair, but only after he ceases to be Prime Minister, when he no longer has diplomatic immunity.”

On an inside Opinion Page, there is an article by Rabbi David Forman, Chairman of Rabbis for Human Rights, headed “Put Sharon on trial. Here.” He writes about the collapse of the military ethic, and sees it connected with the career in the army and now in the office of Prime Minister, of Mr. Sharon. He writes, “It’s possible that for the Prime Minister, ‘all is fair in love and war.’ We have a Jewish answer to that : “Justice, and justice alone, you shall pursue,” (Deuteronomy 16 : 20). The rabbis say that the word justice appears twice to say that a just cause must be achieved through just means. That biblical commandment is the earliest form of the IDF’s principle of purity of arms.’

It would be inaccurate to say that the main topic of conversation is the conduct of the Israeli army on the West Bank and in Gaza. But the quotations above are indicative of the enormous sensitivity of the Israeli government to what is happening in the world outside Israel, and the need it sees to react to any decision which may pose a potential threat. They are also indicative of the deep divisions within Israeli society, though it has to be admitted that at present the views of Rabbi Forman are those of a tiny minority – or of a tiny minority that is prepared to be vocal.

What is the main topic of conversation is The War. Are you leaving? When are you leaving? For how long are you leaving? It is impossible to hold a conversation without this topic being raised at the very outset.

On Tuesday, we had a meeting of the School Board of Tabeetha School – the Church of Scotland School in Jaffa. One of the items on the Agenda dealt with preparations for the War, and what has to be done. (Our discussion was prefaced by a report that the American School north of Tel Aviv has decided to adjust its academic calendar with effect from 21st February. It is ceasing full time classes and going on early holidays, for 5 weeks. This is a recognition of the likely effect on the school of families being evacuated from Israel. However some provision has to be made for those pupils who are Israelis, and those who will not be leaving the country. Also for the ongoing education of children who may be out of their normal environment for some time.)

As Tabeetha is an accredited school in the Israeli system, we naturally have to be subject to the decisions of the Ministry of Education, and the Government. If the Government closes all schools, then Tabeetha will close. If the Government keeps all schools open, then Tabeetha will stay open. But being a fee-paying school, we also had to address the subject of whether or not fees would have to be paid, if the school were to be closed. What would be the status of any pupil where a family refused to pay fees? What would be the status of any teacher who opted to leave the country? Should there be a closure of the school for a prolonged period, who will pay for the on-going costs, as people will have to be paid, but there may well be no income from pupils?

Interestingly, while many diplomatic and secular organisations are withdrawing some staff, no person working within any of the Churches, and with whom I have had a conversation, has any other feeling than that this is where they should be, and none are making any plans to leave the country. There are probably two reasons behind such attitudes : the relatively small perceived danger from any war, and the feeling that we have to live through the difficult times with our Christian colleagues here, and not just through the easy times.

Again in Thursday’s paper are the results of an Opinion Poll.

The chance of Israel being attacked. 37.2% - Iraq will not attack with missiles. 18.5% - Iraq will attack with conventional missiles. 24.2% - Iraq will attack with both conventional and non-conventional missiles. 20.1% - don’t know/no reply.

Should the US attack? 46.3% - should attack as soon as possible. 23.4% - should attack only if mediation and inspection efforts fail. 20.4% - should not attack. 9.9% - don’t know.

The security threat that most concerns you? 43.4% - Suicide bombers. 12.4% - Iraqi missile attack. 11.1% - Hezbollah missile attack. 20.5% - all to the same degree. 9.1% - none of them. 3.5% - don’t know/no reply.

Whatever the pros and cons of a War, and the likelihood of Israel being attacked or not attacked, it is a fact that organisations such as hospitals are laying in stores. In the event of a war, it would not be at all unlikely that there would be closures and curfews on the West Bank – and what would hospitals do then if they did not have sufficient food etc? From donations you have sent, assistance has been given to a centre in Bethlehem which cares for traumatised children and their families, and to a church programme to assist people with the purchase of medicines. A real problem for the folk in Bethlehem, is that at the moment there is yet another curfew, following the killing of an Israeli soldier in Manger Square.

I mentioned last week the case of a farmer who had planted olive trees where his former orchard had been uprooted. What I did not know at the time was that the family of one of the women who come to church is involved also. Over coffee she was asking about the gift by God of the land to the Jewish people, which is the basis for the expansion of the Jewish state. Yet, her family has documents to prove that it owns its farm, which is slowly being taken over by Settlements. They have gone to the Court, which has deferred hearing the case and making a decision. She asked – what about the commandment not to steal? Does it not apply to the Settlements also? Answers on a postcard please.

One evening this week Joan and I took a walk in our neighbourhood. We passed many very imposing homes, and it brought back again to us the enormity of the change that took place here in the space of a few days and weeks in 1948. The owners of these imposing homes became, almost overnight, homeless and refugees. I wonder how I would feel if I had to walk past a house which had been my family home, and see that is now belongs to someone else, who did not buy it, nor has ever paid for it – just moved in when my family left in fear in 1948. We visited a Jewish family not long ago, and in telling us how to find their home, they said to come along their street, and they lived in the “Arab” house.

The life of the church goes on. After the service last week one of our members said goodbye. She will be evacuated by the UN some time this week or next – and may well be away for some months. An American family has left for some months, for family, but also for security, reasons. So, we are smaller than we were. It makes the choice of hymns interesting – have we enough puff to sing a particular hymn? In the Dormitian Abbey across the valley from us, there are daily prayers for peace each afternoon at 1500 hours. This series of services will culminate in a larger service next week. Sabeel, the Palestinian Liberation Theology centre, is helping to organise an ecumenical service next week, - mostly in Arabic – but with some English participation from folk like us.

One of the anomalies of life here is that if you are working with the Palestinian community, yet based in Jerusalem, you still need to have a valid Visa from the Israeli government. Speaking with the Director of the Lutheran World Federation which administers, among other things, the Augusta Victoria Hospital, he said that his Visa has not yet been fully renewed – he was given a shortened extension in the autumn and is still awaiting an answer about his application. Similar experiences have been reported by others who are also involved in what can be described as “humanitarian” work.

Friday saw us going down once again to Idna, travelling most of the way outside the Green Line, and having to go through a check point only a few kms from the village. ‘Village’ is perhaps a bit of a misnomer to those unaccustomed to the size of villages here – this one has some 17,000 inhabitants. It has been raining quite heavily, and this has a detrimental effect on roads – ballast washed out and holes created. Wherever one points the finger of blame or responsibility, it is always hard to see the relative conditions of people living in Israel and those living on the West Bank. This time, we brought home a large quantity of goods from Idna, just as a precaution as one does not know what will happen if and when a war will come. Not that one expects there to be tourists to buy what we brought, but at least it will be here should someone drop in for tea! This worry about what might happen on the West Bank under the cover of a war in Iraq was voiced in a TV interview with a former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and he was expressing his concerns.


Friday afternoon also saw the arrival of a message from the Board of World Mission, about looking at preparing contingency plans should events deteriorate further. It was interesting to share in a conversation recently with an American couple – he is now an Israeli citizen, while she is still an American citizen. Would they go? Who would pay? If they go, where would they stay? Would she go? If so, for how long? All these little things that add spice to life. We had two meetings this week in which the matter came up, and in both it seemed fairly clear to those of us here that our place is to be here.

While all this proceeds on the world stage, on the West Bank there are still the closures, the curfews, and all the attendant misery attached to them.

Saturday tea-time : Curfew lifted in Bethlehem for a few hours – we went in, got more angels, handed over some donations, and then home – 15 minutes at the check-point, but an ambulance that came while we were there was still there when we left.

A little bit of humour from a local paper. One of the weighty matters discussed in an article this week was a Patron Saint for the Internet. At the end of a long discussion of this “pressing” matter, the author wrote “A Catholic Church spokesman told the news agencies that at this stage, the Holy See has not yet made a decision on the patron saint of the Internet. He also refused to confirm or deny the rumour that the selection would eventually be the Archangel Gabriel.” One wonders how they would consult Gabriel about his (or is it her?) views on the matter!


Stay well. God bless. Love from us both.

Joan and Clarence.

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Circular Letter No 113
February 2003

Back once again in Jerusalem, it is time to try to reflect on the things that we were able to do in Scotland and Prague, as well as to try to get back into the swing of things here.

Scotland. We had some reasonably good news about Pensions! – but with the continuing fall in the value of investments on the Stock Market, one wonders how it will all look in a year’s time, when pension funds have to be realised. However, the really significant thing in Scotland was the fact that over 850 people turned out to the meetings which had been organised, and had the chance to hear Diana Kattan, the Israeli Palestinian Christian woman, and Judith Keshet, the Israeli Jewish woman, sharing a platform and re-inforcing each other’s message about what is happening here. Our very sincere thanks go to the folk who put the effort into organising the meetings. We hope that they were not disappointed. Before our last meeting, the 4 of us – Diana, Judith, Joan and myself - had a meal during which we thought about what might be done to build on the commitment of those who had come to share in the meetings. Of one thing we were sure – we did not want the meetings to be both the beginning and end of it all.

We all felt that one very real way in which folk in the congregations we visited – but indeed folk everywhere - could help would be to form a small group of two or three people, who would undertake to read regularly e-mails put out by various organisations about the situation here. I would hope that the formation of such a group would be done with the approval of the minister and the leaders of the congregation. The members of the group could then prepare a short digest of some of the most significant items of news each week and share it with their congregation. They, and others, could then also contact people like the Israeli Embassy in London – or whatever country – to ask for comment about particular events, and to express their concern about them.

Information is available for various places, representing all sorts of views.

Organisations such as Gush Shalom, an Israeli human rights group, will provide much material which will help people to be aware of what is happening on the West Bank and in Gaza – www.gush-shalom.org.

Searching for the Web page of the Scottish Palestinian Forum will also give a whole series of addresses from which to obtain material.

At the risk of trying to teach others who are far better informed than I am, what to do and how to do it, I would nevertheless make a couple of suggestions:

1. there is such a lot of material available, and it would take such an enormous amount of time to read and check it all, that my advice would be to select two or three sites at most for regular reading, and from which digests could be made to circulate to those who might be interested. Keep the digests short! – but perhaps also give sources where people could get more information should they want it.

    

2. Should a letter be written to an official body, it is good to make it quite specific, and ask for a response to specific questions.

Three stories in particular are uppermost in my mind this week, and I share them with you, though neither of them are particularly new.

The following is part of a message sent by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem on 24^th January:

More details of this story are available from the Diocese : Nancy Dinsmore, Development Office, Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Email: devedjer@netvision.net.il

The second story in e-mails this week is one that will have some resonance for those who heard Diana Kattan speak about the programme to replant olive trees which had been uprooted by members of the Israeli army or by settlers.

The article goes on to give details of the history of the family, the Settlements round its land, and the actions that are being taken in court to try to protect them.

You will also all know, as I am sure it has been widely reported, that the Israeli army destroyed two of the main wells supplying potable water to Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The message I received was : Date: January 31, 2003 Author: Will Hewitt Area: Gaza

I am sure that many of you are familiar with this sort of information, but like me, you wonder what can be done about it. Perhaps by establishing some sort of regular network for contact with the political authorities, both of our own countries, and those of Israel, it may be that support can be given to those who are already engaged in this sort of action.

A word about Angels from Bethlehem. While in Scotland, we sold all of the 100 angels we had obtained before we left Jerusalem. We received orders for approx 400 more! The people at the Lutheran Church in Bethlehem tell me that they now have orders for about 1,000 angels, which they are in process of making. As you can imagine, it will take some time for them all to be made – but at least it sort of guarantees work for one artist for some weeks.

A word about Donations. Since coming back to Jerusalem, I have not had time to contact many people about current needs for support. However, I have heard from Sabeel that it has 11 families in immediate need.

A Report about the work of the Shepherd Society in Bethlehem – an off-shoot of the Bethlehem Bible College – to which we have give funds on several occasions, gives the following information : In December 2002 Shepherd Society completed another three-month installment of its humanitarian relief project. Although implementation of the project was delayed because of the August and November military invasions and imposition of 24-hour curfews, Shepherd Society was able to help 451 families with the purchase of groceries, 346 families with the payment of utilities bills, and 338 families with temporary employment. In addition, 191 individuals received medical assistance, 20 severely traumatized school children received intensive counseling, and 7 community social workers received trauma therapy training. Currently, 74 needy families are receiving monthly support payments of $50 to help with tuition fees, groceries, and utilities bills. Rev. Nihad would like to see this number increase to at least 100 families enrolled in the program by the end of 2003.

On Friday morning we had a message from Bethlehem to say that Nadia, the wife of Hana Azar, formerly employed at St Andrew’s, had suddenly died that morning. Her funeral had been arranged for 1500 hours that afternoon. 4 of us left Jerusalem about 1400 hours, to make sure that we would be on time for the service – just 5 miles away, but on the other side of the check point. We were surprised to find that we were the only vehicle at the check point, and it took but a minute to pass through it. In Bethlehem we wondered why we saw so few people, even for a Friday, the day of prayers at Mosques. Later we heard that the day had started normally, with the kids going to school, people to work etc. Then about 0830 – 0900 hours, the Israeli army had sent round jeeps saying that people should go home, as the Curfew was being imposed again. Just like that!

Hana’s wife had wakened on Friday morning not feeling too well. She had been to the doctor on Thursday about a cough, and had been given medicine. By about 0900 hours, she was obviously not at all well, and so the family called for an Ambulance. It could not come, the people said, because of the Curfew. Doctors could not come because of the Curfew. A neighbour took Hana, his wife and some of the family, to the Hospital, but she was dead on arrival at the hospital. It is doubtful if the arrival of an ambulance would have made any difference, but just the fact that it could not come when needed is a small illustration of what life is like for the people on the West Bank.

Thankfully, despite the Curfew, the funeral was able to go ahead without any interference by the Israeli army. Following prayers in the house, we all made our way to the Church of the Nativity for the Liturgy. It was the first time that we had actually shared in a “regular” service in this Church, and it gave a new dimension to our understanding of it as a “working” church of the Greek Orthodox community, and not just a historical shrine.

War conversation is everywhere – what will happen, when etc. and how will it affect us here. There is still a certain incredulity that one nation is about to be invaded because it ignores UN Resolutions, while another nation which is also ignoring UN Resolutions is seen as a partner in the war. It is not what you do, but who your friends are, that matters.

Domestic politics continue, with the negotiations getting under way to form a Coalition government. Will Labour join the Government? Will it stay out? Etc

The Economy is in difficulty : (Wed 5^th Feb headline) Record budget deficit is double January forecast.

Saturday morning : Joan and I are off for a walk (despite the cold and the rain), led by Father Jerry Murphy-O’Connor, hopefully to learn something of the City of David! (

For us, it is good to be back – I hope you feel it is good to get our letters again!

God bless. Love from us both.

Joan and Clarence

Sign Joan saw in Ram

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