|
Other Letters:
No 25-30
No 31-36
No
37-41
No
42-48
No 49-60
No 61-69
No 70-79
No 80-89
No 90-100
No 101-109
No 110-119
No 120-129
No 130-139
No 140-149
No 150-159
No 160-169
No 170-179
No 180-189
No 190-199
No 200-209
No 210-219
No 220-229
No 230-239
No 240-249
No 250-259
No 260-270
Partnership
in Conflict
|
Circular Letter No 189
18th October 2004
Late this week – and extremely short.
We are in the throes of moving house – having found a place to move to,
we then had to start thinking about what we could put in it so that we
would have something to sit on, something to lie in, and something to
eat from! We have already started moving bits and pieces – will get
started in earnest later this morning, and come the weekend we should be
safely moved.
But that has all curtailed our ability to do other things – and one of
those that has been limited is the time and energy to sit down and write
this letter.
Someone asked for a bit more news about the Church. Yesterday we had 24
at our Service. Small, but it was a real boost to me, at least. Visitors
from Belgium, where are staying at the International YMCA, where the
husband has been playing the Carillon. Visitors from Scotland, - a
retired minister and his wife, who was a colleague on the Board of World
Mission in those far off days when I too was a policy-maker, rather than
now when I am a mere employee who carries out policy! Visitor from the
USA, who is a journalist, and a Presbyterian, so he came along to the
Presbyterian church. Visitor from Jerusalem – a Rabbi who had found our
Belgian visitors wandering and lost, and having brought them to the
church, stayed for the service. Missing was Helen Shehadeh. Others,
including Rizek and Alice, are out of the country. Music was provided by
Chang-Lim, a Korean who lives with her husband and family in Bethlehem,
playing the organ, her son Simon playing his violin, and Emiko, playing
her flute. Readers were an English woman and a Scottish woman. Elders on
duty were a Korean and an American – next week the American will be in
Scotland for a short holiday.
Afterwards, for the last Sunday, we were able to invite people to our
apartment here at St Andrew’s, and then take a visiting couple to see
something of the sights of the Wall and other places around Jerusalem.
Although widely known as the “Scottish” Church, it is really an
international, English-speaking congregation.
The work of the Minister is varied – and includes regular visits to the
Church of Scotland School at Jaffa. The school has classes from
Kindergarten to Year 13, when pupils take A-level examinations set by an
English Exam Board. The medium of instruction is English, and the
general curriculum followed prepares pupils for English Exam Board
examinations. At present there are approx 320 pupils – Christians,
Muslims, Jews – 77% of the pupils from Israel, and the remainder from a
variety of embassies and NGOs. On Tuesday when I was there for the Upper
Primary Assembly, we spent some time talking about one of the Year 6
pupils who had been injured in the bomb blast at Taba, and who is now in
hospital in Tel Aviv. Some of the pupils in the class told us all about
the visit they had made to see her.
The headline in Haaretz on Friday 8th October was: “Sinai terror :
dozens killed in Taba hotel blast.” ‘At least 35 Israelis were killed
and 120 injured last night in a massive blast at the Taba Hilton in
Egypt, police sources said.’
One of the headlines from Haaretz on Monday 11th October P1 was “Sinai
rescue operation ends with all 12 Israeli victims positively
identified.” The Israeli Police said yesterday that all the Israelis
killed in last Thursday’s terror attaches in Sinai have been identified.
According to police figures, the bombings left 12 Israeli citizens
dead.’
Although folk here had been aware of the scaling down of the figures for
Israeli casualties from the bombing at Taba, I was surprised to find
that some of our visitors from overseas had not been aware of this –
they still had in mind the higher original figure as being the number of
Israelis killed.
The whole question of “reporting” and sharing information is
fascinating. You may recall the enormous world-wide publicity given by
the Israeli army and government spokesmen to the allegation that a UN
vehicle had been used in Gaza to transport a Qassam rocket. When
challenged about this, the authorities here did initiate an
investigation. At the time the UN person most involved in the affair
said that he hoped the result of the investigation would be given the
same world-wide publicity. It was on Sunday October 3, Haaretz P2 that
the headline read: “Israel seeks removal of UNRWA director.” ‘ …The
letter (from Israel’s Ambassador at the UN) will communicate Israel’s
severe protest against Hamas using UK ambulances to smuggle arms and
terrorists through the Gaza Strip.’
Wednesday October 13th, Haaretz P2, bottom corner, without a major
headline, News in Brief. : “IDF admits it was wrong about Qassam claim”
‘IDF spokeswoman Ruth Yaron yesterday admitted to the Knesset Foreign
Affairs and Defence Committee that the army was wrong when it accused
UNRWA staffers of using a UN ambulance to transport a Qassam rocket. She
said the object the army had called a rocket was actually a stretcher,
as UNRWA officials claimed from the start.’
Recent visitors from Canada had been here on their way to Jordan to take
part in a conference bringing together Canadians, Jordanians, Israelis
and Palestinians. They mentioned to me a new project which they hoped
would be of assistance to folk here. One of those who had participated
in the Conference passed through Jerusalem on his way home, and I was
able to take him to meet a person in Ramallah, whom he had met at the
conference in Jordan. He was able to demonstrate to her the little
machine that he had brought – made in Botswana by people suffering from
hearing deficiencies, which has a light-sensitive cell to charge up its
own batteries, which can then charge up hearing-aid batteries. While
there are some potential drawbacks to the little machine, there are also
major potential benefits. By using rechargeable batteries for hearing
aids, it would in fact reduce the cost involved in acquiring batteries
for those who use hearing aids. Some may recall the problem I mentioned
a few weeks ago of the family in Bethlehem who could not afford the cost
of the hearing aid batteries for a young woman who had gained a place in
University. Also by using rechargeable batteries, there would be a
reduction in the number of discarded batteries which had no more power
left in them – millions of which have to be disposed of regularly,
creating a problem in relation to the environment.
The upshot of the morning was that I was able to “sponsor” the purchase
of a small number of sets, to be used in a sort of evaluation trial in
Ramallah, and possibly also in Bethlehem. It is my hope that I will also
be able to find an organisation in Jerusalem to be involved in this
small-scale trial here. Such support is possible courtesy of your
donations.
For ministers of the Church of Scotland in Scotland, one of the joys to
which they look forward with anticipation is the regular meeting of the
Presbytery to which they belong. For some, such a meeting is a matter of
a few hours – for others, it might involve a couple of days’ travel.
This week the Presbytery of Jerusalem met in Tiberias. All in all, it
was about a 10-hour round trip, with the business of Presbytery taking
up just over an hour! However, it enabled us to see what is happening in
various parts of the country. Perhaps the most noticeable development is
of a new, hugely enlarged checkpoint that is being built on what is
called “the Jordan Valley Road.” The Wall/Fence comes round the north of
the West Bank, and will in time reach the Jordan River. To allow traffic
to pass through it, there is being constructed a large “Border Post”.
What it will eventually become is not yet clear, but it is just one more
link in the chain that is encircling the West Bank, and separating if
off from contact with the outside world.
One of the facts of life here is the deep feelings which the presence of
Christians arouse among some of the Jewish community. I have heard from
several people of their experiences of being spat upon by Jewish people
who have seen them wearing a cross. Recently there was an incident in
which a young Jewish student spat on an Armenian Bishop during a
procession in the Old City to mark the celebration by the Armenian
Church of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. While such
incidents do happen from time to time, this most recent one has been
roundly condemned by various Jewish Rabbis. Monday 18th October, Haaretz
P1 has a follow-up to the most recent incident concerning the Armenian
Bishop. “Jerusalem yeshiva student apologises to Armenian archbishop for
spitting.” ‘A yeshiva student who spat at the Armenian archbishop in
Israel and at a 17th Century Cross ….has met with the heads of the
Armenian community and apologized for this actions, police said
yesterday. The student, Natan Zvi Rosenthal, explained that he was
raised to see Christianity as idol worship, which is forbidden by the
Torah.’
End of story for this week.
Advertisement : Holy Week Study Tour, March 19 – 27 2005. Book now!
Already 4 people have indicated they may come. Places are limited!
Stay well. God bless,
Joan and Clarence
Overheard from a passenger in our car.
“I was buying cat food at the supermarket, when I was approached by an
orthodox Jewish woman who asked if the cat food was kosher. Next day I
went to the pet shop to get kosher pet food – but was unsuccessful.”
For additional information on what is happening here, try The Other
Israel – otherisr@actcom.co.il
Top
Circular Letter No 188
8th October 2004
Friday 8th October.
In the context of this morning’s news, all the rest of the letter that
was written earlier in the week seems almost trivial. Yet it is the
context in which violence and killing occurs here. I was first alerted
to the news from Taba by an e-mail, and got much of my early information
about this horrendous event from the Haaretz website. I had to go down
to the Church of Scotland School in Jaffa for morning Assembly, and
found one of the Arab members of staff waiting for news of her family,
who had been at Taba for the holiday. News later was that they were
safe. Those affected by Taba came from all parts of Israeli society,
Jewish and Arab. What can one say, apart from what sounds so trite, that
such actions can neither be condoned nor accepted.
Headlines in the papers and on TV and Radio speak of dozens killed at
Taba.
At the same time, the Palestine Monitor carried the following report on
its web-site for 8th October : The (Israeli Army) incursion (into Gaza)
is still underway for the ninth day. Ninety-six Palestinians among whom
are 29 children, have been killed and 319, including 111 children, were
injured by the time of issuing this update (www.palestinemonitor.org)
Haaretz 8th October P2 carries the sentence: “In Jabalya in the northern
Gaza Strip, a 15-year-old Palestinian was killed when a tank shell hit
his house. Ten children were wounded.”
Violence breeds violence, and both sides are convinced they are right.
Both end up mourning.
Monday 4th October
One of the really difficult things to do here is to visualise what
Jerusalem looked like prior to 1948. From the Arab people whom we meet
regularly, we hear their stories of where they lived and worked – some
of the buildings have disappeared in redevelopment schemes, some of the
houses are now occupied by Jewish people.
This was brought right back into our minds last week when speaking with
a friend in East Jerusalem. Joan and I have to move house later this
month – decision of the Board of World Mission. So, we have been looking
for an apartment, and we think that we have found one. When describing
it to our friend, we were appalled to find that we could well be moving
into the house from which he and his family had to flee in 1948. It
certainly brought home to us some of the hurt that is carried, even now,
when foreigners like ourselves can go and live in a house whose owners
we know, and yet they are not able to go back. Below is the text of what
is known as the Balfour Declaration. In the ears of many of the people
of this part of the world, it rings very hollow, as they consider what
has happened to their civil rights.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their
best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being
clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the
civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in
Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any
other country."
The Jewish community among whom we live are currently celebrating the
Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot. It is a harvest festival,
which also recalls the period that the Hebrew people spent travelling in
the wilderness. To facilitate celebration of this festival, when large
numbers of people visit the Western Wall to say special prayers, there
have been major road closures and traffic diversions. On Sunday, our
service commenced with 6 or 7 people in the congregation, and ended with
25. An illustration of the power of prayer – or perhaps perseverance to
overcome traffic congestion on the roads in West Jerusalem.
One of the features of this time of the year is an influx of Christian
Zionists, who have come here to celebrate with the Jewish people. Their
presence is a graphic illustration of the very deep divisions within the
world-wide Christian community in its relationship with the State of
Israel and the Religion of Judaism. From my limited experience there is
little, if any, contact between them and the indigenous Christians here.
One of the reasons for little, if any, contact between the people who
come to spend the Feast of Tabernacles here and the local Christian
population can be seen in the headline in Haaretz, Tuesday 5th October,
P 10: “’Don’t touch Jerusalem’, Evangelical leaders warns Bush.”
‘Evangelical Christians – estimated as tens of millions in the US –
overwhelmingly support Bush for his pro-Israel policies, [influential
American evangelist Pat] Robertson told a Jerusalem news conference
yesterday.’
One of those who arrived during the service was Helen Shehadeh.
Afterwards, when we were having coffee, she was speaking of the anxiety
felt by the staff at Al Shurooq School on behalf of 3 of the youngsters
in the school. They are 7, 5 and 4 years old, and come from Jabalya
Refugee Camp in Gaza, which has been the scene of fierce fighting
between the Israeli army and the local people. Helen had not been able
to get in touch with the families of the three children. Also among the
congregation was a member of the UN staff here, and later in the day he
phoned to say that he had been able to get some information and pass it
on to the School.
What is truth? A real question, that! Read on.
Sunday 3rd October. Haaretz P2. “Israel seeks removal of UNRWA Director”
‘Israel’s Ambassador at the UN, Dan Gilerman, will send a letter to UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan tomorrow, demanding the dismissal of Peter
Hansen as commissioner-general of UNRWA. The letter will communicate
Israel’s severe protest against Hamas using UN ambulances to smuggle
arms and terrorists through the Gaza Strip. UNRWA yesterday denied
Israel’s allegations. Israeli representatives intend to screen a short
film with aerial photos taken from an unmanned reconnaissance plane that
provide proof of the use of UN ambulances for transport Qassam rockets.’
Tuesday 5th October. Haaretz P1. “Annan to probe ambulance allegation”
‘UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is launching an investigation into
Israeli allegations that Palestinians used an UNRWA ambulance to
transport rockets for use against Israel, his spokesman said yesterday.’
Wednesday 6th October. Haaretz PA1. “IDF admits ‘Qassam rocket’ may have
been a stretcher.” ‘The IDF yesterday publicly admitted for the first
time that intelligence experts are divided over the identity of the
object that was filmed being loaded into a UN ambulance in Jabalya last
week. Some think that it was a Qassam rocket, others say it was just a
stretcher as the UNRWA said all along. …. Major General Israel Ziv, head
of the IDF Operations Directorate, called a news conference and admitted
that IDF analysts who re-examined the picture had their doubts. ….. In
an interview with Haaretz yesterday, UNRWA Director Peter Hansen accused
Israel of incitement against the UN organisation and said he doubted
Israel’s “mistake” over the stretcher was innocent. He said he hopes
Israel will apologise. ‘It’s good Israel is recanting,’ he said. ‘I only
hope that the correction will be disseminated as widely as the
accusations against us were.’
Wednesday 6th October. Haaretz PA2. “How Israel created another PR
disaster” – an article critical of the Israeli Government for its
actions in relation to the stretcher/rocket.
Wednesday 6th October, Haaretz PB3. Leader Column. “Israel is
undermining its credibility.” ‘The State of Israel, via the Israel
Defence Forces , the intelligence community, and the Foreign Ministry,
and with the encouragement of the Prime and Defence Ministers, has
become entangled in and embarrassed by the affair of the Qassam-or-stretcher
in Gaza.’
Wednesday 6th October, Haaretz PB3. “What would Israel do without UNRWA?”
– an article by Amira Hass, an Israeli Jewish journalist who
consistently criticises and opposes the policies of the Government and
the Israeli Army. In the course of her articles in which she sets out
the humanitarian work done by UNRWA that would have to be done by Israel
if UNRWA were not present, she writes: ‘And as for the question of the
Qassam of the stretcher. One hopes that the UN team that looks into the
Israeli accusations will get to the real truth of the matter. Perhaps it
also ought to have a talk with Zohar Shapira, a sergeant major in the
Reserves, who is in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit. He participated in
Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002 and was astounded to discover
that the IDF was using military ambulances to surreptiously transport
troops on their way to apprehend suspects in Yazid, north of Nablus. His
commanders told him that this was a war and that ambulances were the
most protected vehicles at their disposal.’
Bet Awa is a village on the Green Line, south of Hebron. As such, the
Fence/Barrier will be passing close by it, and will be taking some of
its land. From there, the Fence/Barrier will go on in the direction of
Idna, and take some of its land. All this land that will be lost to the
villages is within the Green Line, and the line of the Fence/Barrier is
therefore illegal, according to the ruling of the International Court of
Justice. When we had finished our business in Idna, we drove on to Bet
Awa to see what was happening. Stopping in the village to pick up a
guide, we reached the area where the Fence will be built. Already
markers have been put in and preliminary work has been started. Just to
remind you that we are in the middle of the harvest season for Olives,
and Olive picking is well under way. Families derive at least some
income from their Olive Harvest, as well as supplies of food and oil for
themselves for the next year. In a couple of weeks’ time, the Olive
Harvest will be completed. Which makes all the more reprehensible the
activity of those preparing the line of the Fence. Olive tree after
olive tree had been decapitated, and the branches with their harvest of
olives left lying beside the trees. Not content with taking land from
the village, the contractors have also taken part of this years’
harvest, and next years’ food, from the people of the village.
Having seen the trees, we moved on to the next place of contention. A
cemetery reaches out from the village towards the Green Line. As things
were marked when we were there last week, the Fence will pass through
the end of the Cemetery, either obliterating graves with the bodies
still in them, or requiring that the bodies be exhumed and reburied
elsewhere. I recall what has happened in other places, including the
Church of Scotland land at Tiberias when graves were located. In
Tiberias they were centuries old, but such was the scale of opposition
to anything being built over them that the part of the Project planned
for that area had to be stopped. One wonders why the Rabbis who
protested so vigourously at Tiberias are not out protesting equally
vigourously about the line of the Fence and the proposed destruction of
part of a Cemetery at Bet Awa.
Wednesday evening.
Tonight saw the beginning of the last day of Sukkot. This last day is
given the title of Simhat Torah – “Rejoicing in the Law”. In services
tonight, the cycle of readings from the first 5 books of the Hebrew
Bible – which are also the first 5 books of the Christian Bible – will
be completed, and tomorrow it will start over again, with the reading of
the beginning of the book of Genesis. I recall that part of the Torah
contains a Commandment that states “Thou shalt not kill.” – or in the
translation in front of me at the moment – “You shall not murder”.
One of the articles in Haaretz, on Wednesday 6th October (PA2) is headed
“IDF kills girl, 13, on her way to school.” ‘Israeli soldiers shot dead
a 13-year old Palestinian girl in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. …
Military sources admitted yesterday that the killing of Iman Alhamas was
a mistake. They said the case was being investigated and confirmed the
possibility that she had been shot from several posts. … The girl was
shot dead on her way to school, accompanied by two classmates. … After
Israeli troops fired a warning shot, the girl dropped her schoolbag and
tried to run away. The troops then shot her dead. … Medical sources in
Gaza said that the girl was hit by 20 bullets. … Her body was left on
the ground for almost two hours, until the IDF enabled Palestinian
medical teams to approach her.’ Neither this, nor the killing of two
Israeli children in Sderot by a Qassam rocket, is acceptable. The world
heard much about the one incident. It also needs to hear about the
other.
From a devastated country, and peoples who wonder what barbarity will
happen next,
Joan and Clarence Top
Circular Letter No 187
1st October 2004
A response from a person in the USA about the decision of the
Presbyterian Church, and now the recommendation to come before the
Anglican Church. “My friends in the PCUSA are embarrassed by their
church - a petition addressed to Stated Clerk Rev Clifton Kirkpatrick
says the church's resolution is "anti-Semitic because NO OTHER nation is
being singled out for divestment, not even those whose violations of
human rights are truly egregious. Only the moral blindness of Jew-hatred
could lead the church to compare Israel's multiracial democracy to
apartheid South Africa. We condemn the Presbyterian divestment
resolution as an act of hatred against Israel and the Jewish people and
call for its immediate revocation" The same applies to the Anglican
Church. Fortunately for Israel and the Jewish people there are many
Christians who know the truth and stand with Israel.
I must say that I do not find anything in the decision that is
particularly anti-Semitic – it may be anti the State of Israel, but that
is of course a different matter from being against all the different
Semitic peoples.
I had intended to mention the following couple of headlines from the
papers a short while back.
Tuesday 21st September. Haaretz P1. “US to sell Israel 5,000 smart
bombs.” ‘The United States will sell Israel 5,000 smart bombs, for $319
million, according to a report made to Congress a few weeks ago. The
funding will come from the U S Military aid to Israel. … The Pentagon
told Congress that the bombs are meant to maintain Israel’s qualitative
advantage, and advance US Strategic and tactical interests. … Among the
bombs are 500 one-ton bunker busters that can penetrate two-metre-thick
cement walls …. The IDF used a one-ton bomb to kill a senior Hamas
officer in July 2002, an assassination that also took the lives of 15
Palestinians, including children.’
Wednesday 22nd September. Haaretz P2. “US okays armoured vehicles for
IDF” ‘The US government has approved the supply of wheeled armoured
vehicles to Israeli for deployment in the West Bank and Gaza. A
communiqué from the Pentagon to Congress, sent on September 7, explained
that Israel needed the vehicles for “use in urban areas.” The (Israeli)
army has shown an interest in a wheeled armoured vehicle, which can be
more easily manoeuvred than the tracked armoured vehicles currently in
use.’
Saturday 25th September. We spent the day in Bethlehem visiting
different Church-related institutions.
The Lutheran Church has its International Centre where there is a wide
range of activities offered, as well as overnight accommodation in the
Hostel. It was this Centre which I visited a couple of years ago, after
the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Bethlehem, and found it a scene
of devastation. You may recall my writing at the time that the Israeli
soldiers had been so methodical in searching for terrorists that they
vandalised the office of the architect, wrecking computer monitors and
removing hard disks. There is no record of them finding terrorists.
Today the centre has been completed, and offers a workshop for artists
to work and sell their works; a studio in the Media Centre where radio
and TV programmes will be able to be produced; a Hall seating several
hundred people for concerts, film shows, conferences, etc; a restaurant
and coffee shop. Impressive as are the buildings, more impressive are
the staff. In contrast to the views one often hears about the
hopelessness of the situation of Bethlehem in particular and the
Palestinians in general, there was an extremely positive assertion that
the work of the Centre would be to change people’s visions and to give
them a sense both of self-worth and confidence in their future. “This
situation cannot last” was a refrain, and they are making their
contribution to trying to enrich their society and prepare it for better
times ahead.
The Lutheran Church also has a Secondary School in Bethlehem – some 250
pupils – so it is not all that large. However, once again, it is in new
buildings, working to a philosophy that there is more to education that
merely learning from text-books, and that there is more to the future
than continued Israeli occupation and domination.
Daheisheh Refugee Camp on the southern edge of Bethlehem has a
burgeoning Community Centre, providing social services for those who
live in the camp. We did not have much time there, so I will return and
be able to say more about it later. The impressive thing, once again,
was not just the scale of the physical buildings, but the absolute
dedication of those whom we met to making life richer for those around
them, and again the confidence that, as the Occupation is ultimately
unsustainable, they have to prepare their people for new realities in
life.
At what Helen Shehadeh plans as the new site for her school, assuming
that she gets all the financial support needed and promised, we saw a
new boundary wall being erected – yet another sign of determination to
provide a place for those who are very much at risk – the blind and
partially sighted. While having lunch with her, we also met the Mayor of
Beit Jala, from whom there was a more down-beat outlook, as he is locked
in legal battles with the Israeli authorities over the route of the
Wall/Fence, which will mean the confiscation of much of the agricultural
land of Beit Jala. More of this later.
Sunday 26th September. There was a celebration in the Lutheran
International Centre in Bethlehem to mark the opening of the Restaurant
and Coffee shop. It was very much an affair of the whole Christian
community, and some of us from St Andrew’s were invited along. In the
car were Joan and myself, two Americans, and two Palestinians. Both the
Palestinians had their families in Bethlehem, and so in a sense it was a
visit to their home. Both were subjected to questioning for 5 minutes,
despite having valid papers, and despite it being made clear to the
soldiers that we were all from St Andrew’s Church and were all going to
a Church function. We eventually did get past the checkpoint and had a
very enjoyable evening. Sadly, the homecoming from the party was
spoiled. Our first visit to the checkpoint showed a long line of traffic
that had obviously been waiting for some time. We went back into
Bethlehem, and returned 45 minutes later. The original line has almost
all disappeared, and we joined a shorter one. However, even that took 45
minutes to clear!
The Jewish holiday of Succot is almost here – it is celebrated on 30th
September – and not long after that will come the Muslim Feast of
Ramadan – fasting during daylight hours, and family visits and meals in
the evenings. It is also a time when there is increased attendance at
Mosques everywhere, and so one wonders at the timing of the announcement
in Haaretz on Monday 27th September, P8. “Officials fear Temple Mount
could collapse.” ‘Officials (of the Israeli Government) said yesterday
the number of Muslim worshippers allowed on to the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem during the coming month of Ramadan may have to be limited
because of a danger the biblical-era complex might collapse. …. “We
won’t have any choice but to reduce the number of worshippers on the
Temple Mount,” said the Public Security Minister. “I think people will
understand the issues, we have no intention of preventing Muslims from
coming to pray.” ’
Tuesday 28th September Haaretz P1. “Settler shoots and kills Palestinian
in disputed incident.” ‘A Palestinian father of 6 was shot and killed by
a settler yesterday close to the Itamar junction in the northern West
Bank. The Settler, Yehoshua Elitzur, aged 33, from Itamar, told police
that 46-year old Sa’al Jabara from the village of Salem, near Nablus,
had intentionally tried to run him off the road with his vehicle that
that he had opened fire in self-defence. … A Palestinian witness told
police that Elitzur had opened fire on Jabara from closer range, without
any provocation.’
Wednesday 29th September Haaretz P1. “passengers claim shooting of West
Bank taxi driver by settler was unprovoked.” ‘Police sources said
yesterday that the shooting of a Palestinian by a settler on Monday was
an act of self-defence, but the findings of a Haaretz investigation cast
serious doubt on this conclusion.’
Wednesday 29th September Haaretz P2. “Court releases settler suspected
of manslaughter of Palestinian.” ‘The Kfar Sava Magistrate’s Court
released Yehoshua Elitzur, the settle who shot a Palestinian taxi driver
to death two days ago, to house arrest yesterday. The judge, Nitza
Maimon-Sha’ashua, ruled in her decision that she did not see any
evidence suggesting criminal intent in the shooting of 46 year old Sa’al
Jabara, and accepted Elitzur’s claim that he had fired in self-defence.
The prosecution intends to appeal against the decision in the Tel Aviv
District Court.’
I have heard from members of Machsomwatch how recently settlers have
been confronting them as they keep watch at checkpoints. There is an
anxiety among some of them that violence against them is not far off.
Tuesday 28th September. “Five Border Police to be indicted for abusing
Palestinians.” ‘five Border Police will be indicted this morning for
allegedly abusing two Palestinians. …. First, the policemen washed one
Palestinian’s mouth with soap and then told him to rinse. When he said
that he could not because there was no running water in the tap, they
kicked him and beat him until he was bleeding. ….. The five then
proceeded to beat the second Palestinian. One stubbed out a cigarette on
the Palestinian’s hand, and some of then urinated into containers and
then made him drink it by forcing his mouth open and pouring it in. ….
They then threw his papers into a pool of urine and forced him to
retrieve them with his mouth. …. On Sunday, investigators arrested the 5
and they confessed to the abuse, saying that they had committed it
because they were “angry”.’
Wednesday 29th September. A phone call gave me some news about an attack
on Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) personnel near Hebron. Among the
tasks that the CPT people undertake is to accompany Palestinian children
to school on their way close to Jewish settlements near Hebron. On
Wednesday morning, two were attacked by 5 masked assailants. The attack
was so severe that one was hospitalised with a broken arm and the other
with a punctured lung. In Friday’s paper (there was no paper on Thursday
as it was a National Holiday) it was reported on P3, and included the
following paragraph: ‘The attackers, numbering 4 or 5, were dressed in
black and wore masks. They spoke English and were carrying chains and
clubs.’
I called in to an office in town to see someone who had offered me some
help. He asked if I had heard of his latest excitement, and then he
proceeded to tell me. At 0320 hours, his home was broken into while he,
his wife and their son were in bed. They suspect they must have been
sprayed with some sort of sedative. Although they got up, they did not
go through the house, and did not open the door to the living area –
they thought the noise was outside. In the morning, they discovered
their TV, Video, DVD, camera, computer has all been taken. As they live
in occupied Jerusalem, they cannot call the Palestinian police. Where
they live, it is useless to call the Israeli police. The army will come
only if they suspect that there is a “terrorist”. Where they live, it is
impossible to obtain insurance cover. Soon, they will be on the wrong
side of the wall, and they have no idea what that will do to their
Jerusalem ID status in a year or two – they are afraid it will be taken
off them, which they see as one way for the Israeli Government to
“cleanse” the city and the country. Sorry seems such an inadequate thing
to say, but what else is there?
These personal stories pale into insignificance when set alongside what
is happening in Gaza: Haaretz 1st October P1. “5 Israelis, over 30
Palestinians killed; minister approve major Gaza raid.” On a
proportional basis, given a US population of 200 million and a Gaza
population of 1.5 million, that represents 4,000 killed in the USA.
Compare and contrast the outcry that there would have been at such a
carnage in the USA with the reaction to the deaths in Gaza.
Question time. Where do these words come from? “We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Even the Palestinians? What
will the country which owns these words do about it?
Stay well. God bless.
Joan and Clarence Top
Circular Letter No 186
24th September 2004
At the start of last week's letter I mentioned that we had met some of
the members of the Peace and Justice Network of the Anglican Church.
Yesterday, there was a report in the press here (Haaretz 23rd September
P 8) under the headline "Anglican delegation to recommend divestment."
'Leading members of the Anglican Church will recommend that their
decision-making body adopt an anti-Israel divestment policy similar to
the one the Presbyterian Church (of the USA) passed earlier this
summer.' This sort of action is not dissimilar to that taken years ago
when Apartheid was still the official policy in South Africa.
Interestingly, in one of the meetings that we had this week with a
member of staff of B'Tselem, he expressed concern about the fact that
Israel might be perceived by the world at large as another version of
South Africa, and hoped that a resolution to the current conflict would
be found before this happened.
This has been a week of meetings. The Group from Scotland came to meet
people, rather than to go and see what are referred to as "The Holy
Sites." So, much of its time has been with people. Below are some
snapshots of the week.
Saturday.
A drive to Kalandia, past the Wall which only a few weeks ago consisted
of banks of concrete slabs lying on their sides at the edge of the road,
but had been erected like a giant Lego wall.
Supper with a Syrian Orthodox man and an Armenian man.
The one spoke of sitting in his home in the Old City with his family in
1948 as a teenager, all of them very afraid, when their door was broken
open by Jewish people and their house searched. It was not long before
they were not able to continue in their home, and today he can walk past
it and see new people living in it - taken from them by force. Now, he
is on the wrong side of the wall, despite the fact that he has an
official ID permit recognising that he is a Jerusalemite. He has no idea
what will happen in the future, and though he has stayed here, he
wonders what will happen to his children. Subtle, or not so subtle,
ethnic-cleansing.
The other spoke of the way in which the land owned by the Armenian
Church for generations is under threat. They have had to go to court to
preserve some of their land on the approaches to Bethlehem, but the
Church wonders for how long will they be able to retain control and use
of it.
Sunday.
In the evening, supper with two Jewish women who are active in the
"Peace Movement", - the one in Checkpoint Watch, the other helping
victims of house demolitions in Jerusalem. One could not but be moved by
the personal story of one : her family had trekked from the Ukraine to
Poland in the 1920's; from there they were unable to reach their chosen
destination of Canada, but were given support to go to Argentina. From
there they came to Israel - but it is not the place to which they came,
and society has changed drastically. Retired now from her full-time
work, she has taken on virtual full-time volunteering to help Arab
people get registration for their land, and building permission for
their houses.
Monday.
Meetings with two Palestinian academics - the one who had been a
Fulbright Scholar in the USA last year, and who is very active in
Muslim-Christian dialogue; the other who works for the Middle East
Council of Churches.
One often hears in Israeli Jewish circles about the iniquities of the
text-books used in the Palestinian school system. The ones used for many
years, which come from Jordan, were originally approved for use in the
West Bank by an Israeli army officer! Who then is responsible for all
those elements of Palestinian education criticised by Israel? Work is
well under way to complete the replacement of the old books with new
ones, produced by people within Israel and Palestine.
One of the aspects of the work of the Middle East Council of Churches
about which we heard concerned Human Rights - the way in which the
Churches feel that they are granted or denied to the Palestinians. While
it is important for Economic Aid to be given to people who are suffering
severe economic hardship, that must be seen as a stop-gap, and be
replaced with a political settlement which will give people the dignity
of being able to work and support themselves. There is growing concern
about the decline in the Christian population in Israel and Palestine.
Tuesday.
The Israel Committee against House Demolitions works to try to prevent
demolitions in the first place; to try to obstruct them when police,
army, and workers turn up to carry out demolitions; to try to assist
people in the re-construction of their homes; and to raise awareness of
this issue internationally. We met two young women, the one whose father
survived the Holocaust and who was born in Israel; the other a Mexican
person who converted to Judaism, and was thus given the "Right of
Return." She herself observed the inaccuracy of the phrase "Right of
Return" - as someone who had never been to Israel, how could she return
to it? Yet she was here, and it had not taken her long to come to the
conclusion that there was much happening to which she was opposed, and
so she is working for ICAHD.
B'Tselem is a Human Rights Monitoring organisation, with its work
centred on recording Human Rights abuses in the West Bank, which it then
publicises in its Reports. The young man who spoke with us was yet
another example of those Israeli Jewish citizens who cannot accept what
is being done by their Government, and who consequently become involved
in "the Peace Movement." The Reports issued by B'Tselem are rigourously
researched and checked, and before they are published they are given to
the Israeli army. If it wishes to make a submission or observations
about the contents of the Report, its response is published verbatim
with the Report.
Supper was with a Jewish couple, who described themselves as probably
the most right-wing people whom the Group would meet. They spoke of the
fear in which they lived, the anxiety which they had for the future, the
fact that their children could well end up living abroad but they would
remain here. One of their comments was that they would never take a
public bus.
Wednesday
There were 3 meetings in Ramallah; a school and two community
development/service organisations.
The Evangelical School has over 600 pupils and grew out of a conviction
shared by 3 women 50 years ago that they had to do something to provide
care and education for youngsters in Ramallah, particularly girls. The
School now is co-educational. Impressive was the new secondary classroom
block, begun just at the time of the start of the Intifada, and
completed last year. It is a real commitment to the future of the
youngsters of Ramallah.
Inash works mainly with women, providing a whole range of services from
Childcare facilities, to sewing and embroidery workshops which make
garments for sale, to nursing and secretarial courses, and a Folklore
Museum and Library. Through the Society sponsorship for over 1,000
children and families is arranged.
The part of Annahda Women's Association programme that we saw was the
Audiology and Speech Pathology Centre, but it also has a major facility
for work with children and adults with mental disability. In both
centres that we visited, there were apologies for the fact that there
were so few people around - the Israeli army had imposed restrictions on
movement within the West Bank during the Israeli holidays associated
with the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur.
On our way back into Jerusalem, we were caught up in the traffic jams
caused by the Suicide Bomber at the French Hill intersection. We sat for
50 minutes with no-one moving at all. On the radio we heard something of
what had happened, and when we drove past the site of the explosion, it
was plain to see the shock of it all.
In the evening we were able to see a special showing of the film "Jenin
Jenin" - set in the Jenin Refugee Camp after the withdrawal of the
Israeli army. The physical destruction of buildings was overwhelming,
and the grief of those who had seen their homes demolished and their
possessions destroyed was heart-rending. The neatly laid out rows of
tents were eloquent testimony to the numbers of people made homeless.
There were many telling moments in the Interviews, but one that remains
with me is of a man speaking in a reflective mood. "We can rebuild; we
can have more children; we have our society and our faith. It is the
Israelis who are the losers from this - they will have to live with
themselves and come to terms with what they have done."
Thursday
A representative from Machsomwatch (Checkpoint Watch) spoke of its
origins in early 2001 when Jewish women went to see for themselves what
was happening at the checkpoints. She was in many ways the most
impressive person whom we met - by her quiet commitment to what she was
doing. Each member of the organisation goes once a week to observe a
checkpoint - unarmed, unprotected, yet able to influence soldiers by the
"grandmother effect". Soldiers do not want to be seen doing things that
they would not like their grandmothers to see them doing! They produce a
report on their observations, and they have now had meetings with all
the major Israeli commanders, including the Chief of Staff. Their
reports go to the Knesset and to the Israeli army. With their network of
contacts they are often asked to intervene in human rights abuses that
have nothing to do with checkpoints. Her most recent story was of a
Schoolmaster whose ID had been taken by soldiers who had come into the
school. Whether because of their phone calls or not, the ID was returned
the next day, and the schoolmaster was convinced it was the result of
the efforts of Machsomwatch. Her story was typical of so many. Her
parents had left Germany in 1933, just after Hitler had come to power,
and had managed to settle in Palestine. Now, with many others, she is
very concerned at what the policies of the Israeli government are doing
to both Palestinian and Israeli. A recent phenomenon which was worrying
was the way in which Settlers had now come to some of the checkpoints to
harass the members of Machsomwatch.
A mid-week service at Sabeel brought together people from Samoa, South
Africa, a Congolese refugee living in Uganda having lost house, home and
possessions, England, Scotland, Israel, Palestine. It was a microcosm of
the Christian community to which we belong. It was also a time of
spiritual renewal and a re-statement of where it is that Christians get
their inspiration and what they are called to do. One of the verses in
our reading was: "First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers,
intercessions and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for kings
and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." (I Timothy 2:1-2) No
matter what we feel about the Bible, it is not always easy to put it
into practice, but it was the Congolese refugee, who had suffered as
much as anyone present, who spoke movingly about his prayers for the
people who had turned him into a refugee.
When we met our Jewish friend with whom we had dined on Tuesday, almost
her first words were to ask where we had been when the bomb had
exploded, as she had known we would be in Ramallah that day.
One of the most telling remarks made during our meetings was by a
Palestinian woman. Speaking about the recent Bombing in Beer Sheva, she
said that it had been reported that this bombing had come after a lull
of several months when no such attack had occurred. "Lull", she said,
"was only in the Israeli Jewish community, In our community the "lull"
was marked by over 70 killings of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers."
Below are a few figures just received from B'Tselem.
635 Israelis, including 110 minors, were killed in attacks by
Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians.
2,827 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces, including at
least 1,544 who were not taking part in fighting, and 558 minors.
490 Palestinians were killed in the last year alone - at least 309 of
whom were not involved in fighting.
284 members of the Israeli security forces have been killed by
Palestinians.
All statistics cover the period from the beginning of the Intifada
(September 29, 2000) through September 15, 2004
We are off to Bethlehem for an overnight visit, so I will try to get
this sent before we go.
Stay well. God bless.
Joan and Clarence
Top
Circular Letter No 185
18th September 2004
Thursday 16th September.
We were invited to a Reception for members of the Peace and Justice
Commission of the Anglican Church, which is meeting at present in
Jerusalem. There were people from all over the world, including one
person from the Episcopal Church in Scotland. After the Reception, we
had a chat with folk who have come to live in Jerusalem. He has been at
the highest levels of a humanitarian organisation which works in
countries all over the world. He has travelled extensively in the course
of his work, and this has of necessity taken him into Arab countries. A
short while ago, while leaving Israel, he was taken aside for
questioning and a security check. In the course of this he was forced to
strip absolutely naked. At one point he was threatened with having an
invasive examination of his body. His luggage was taken from him and
searched in his absence. In the end, he was released to continue his
journey.
Friday 17th September.
This is the second day of the Jewish New Year Holiday here in Israel, so
offices and shops are closed, and yesterday afternoon the parks near St
Andrew’s Church were full of people relaxing and having picnics. One of
the less positive features of the holiday season for those who live on
the West Bank was the announcement that access from the West Bank into
Israel for those Palestinians with permits would be restricted for the
period of the holiday, and on to the end of next week when Yom Kippur is
commemorated. Friday September 10th, Haaretz P 1. “Five Palestinians
killed in Gaza; closure for the holidays.” ‘Five Palestinians were
killed and some 35 were injured in the Gaza Strip during an Israeli
Defence Forces operation in the Jabalya refugee camp, where troops took
up positions inside homes. Also yesterday, a full-blown closure was
imposed on the territories. It is expected to remain in force at least
until the end of the Yom Kippur Holidays (Yom Kippur is 24th-25th
September)’
Initially also it was feared that this would mean the closure of the
gates in the Fence at places such as Jayyous – a closure which would
have been disastrous for the farmers whose flocks and crops are in the
area to the West of the Fence. So there were frantic phone calls to find
out what was planned, and to make the Israeli authorities aware of the
effect of a decision to “close down” the West Bank. A phone call to the
Humanitarian Unit of the Israeli Army which I made elicited the
information that “a meeting was in progress and that it was unlikely
that the gates would be closed for the complete holiday.” Fortunately
wisdom prevailed, and so far, during the holidays, the gates have been
open and the farmers have been able to get to their work.
While there is holiday for one part of the community, life for the other
parts of the community proceeds as normally as is possible. So, I have
been sharing in a small conference in Bethlehem to prepare for a larger
conference next year which will centres on themes dealing with Land, the
Peoples who feel they have a claim to Land, and what way Land affects
the way people see themselves, and gives them a sense of identity. To
attend this conference has necessitated the usual journeys through the
check point. These journeys would be more tolerable if there was some
sort of consistency in the way in which the Israeli soldiers on duty
dealt with the traffic. At one time, progress can be rapid and not much
time spent waiting. At another time, there is no progress, and it does
not seem to have anything to do with the business of checking vehicles
and passengers. It is almost the norm to hear people speaking of sitting
for 1 hour, or 1½ hours, to pass through the check point. Still, for
those of us who are able to travel from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, it is a
relatively minor inconvenience when compared with the fact that for most
of the people in Bethlehem who in the past have been able to make the
journey, they now are imprisoned in Bethlehem and unable to visit
Jerusalem. They would not mind the wait at the checkpoint if they could
get to the other side.
As part of the conference, we have been meeting different people to hear
their views on the matter of Land. The group comprises some Palestinian
Christians, as well as folk from overseas. So, we have been very aware
of the anger felt by those who were born in places such as Bethlehem and
who have seen their lands taken from them by Settlements. Christians say
that they worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, one of whose
descendants was the mother of Jesus. Jewish people say that they also
worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Can the same God be telling
one group who believe in him to forcibly take the land of another group
who believe in him? There is a great sense of betrayal among the
Christian population of Palestine and Israel – why has the Church not
done more to support them? It has been stressed that while one may speak
theologically about Land and God and People, for the Palestinians the
losses they are experiencing are real and actual in their day to day
existence. Why get sidetracked into Theology?
We have also had a meeting with the organisation called Rabbis for Human
Rights. The starting point for the Rabbi who spoke with us was a sort of
“trinity” – The People of Israel, the Torah of Israel, and the Land of
Israel. In answer to his own question as to what it has been that has
held the Jewish people together in the 2,000 years of the Diaspora, he
said that it was their reverence for the Torah and their connection with
the Land, part of which today is called Israel and part Palestine.
Without the Torah, there would be no Jewish people. Without the Land,
there would be no Jewish people. So he placed great emphasis on the
relationship to the Land. He did stress, however, that in his
understanding of Judaism, there is a higher duty to respect human life
than to take possession of land, and this is why his organisation is so
actively involved in trying to protect the human rights of the
Palestinians. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the Jewish people are
taking more and more of the Land, and doing so without any real apparent
concern for the effect of their actions on the Palestinians.
Both the Rabbis whom we met and the Palestinian Christians with whom we
worked, are people of integrity. Yet at the moment it is difficult to
see where there is much room for accommodation of their divergent views.
Saturday 18th September
All 6 of the Study Tour Group participants arrived safely at St
Andrew’s, and we started work this afternoon. The object of the Group is
to meet as many people as possible, representing different viewpoints,
and to see as much as possible in the Jerusalem area.
This afternoon we started out on the road to Ramallah. I have mentioned
before how we have been along the road to Kalandia, and how the concrete
building blocks of the Wall were lying in place, all ready to be erected
when the Israeli Army was given a green light by the Courts to get
building. The green light has been given, and while the last time we
were there, we saw a few hundred metres of wall in place, today, it is
almost completely in place, with some gaps left in it until the time
comes for the closing ceremony. Walls continually remind me of a
photograph in one of the exhibitions at Yad Vashem, depicting the final
bricks being put in place to seal up the Ghetto in Warsaw. The
ghettoised of Warsaw becoming the ghettoisers of Jerusalem, within 60
years. It is impossible to convey the horror of this, and the affront to
human dignity it represents It is an affront to the dignity of the
Palestinians, that they should be shut off like this. It is an affront
to the dignity of Israeli Jewish people, that they should allow
themselves to be the perpetrators of such a non-human enterprise.
However, as so few Israeli Jewish people ever see the Wall, perhaps they
do not realise what is being done in their name.
Our drive took us on to Ma’ale Adumim, the Settlement of some 40,000
people on the East of Jerusalem. This is the area which the Israeli
Government says it has plans to annexe and make it part of Jerusalem. We
drove into it, to let the visitors see what a large Settlement is like.
On the way, we had to pass the army checkpoint. Though I have passed
this on a number of occasions, and been asked a question, for some
reason this time the soldier said that he would have to detain us while
he checked on our details. This took only a few moments, and he was
quite civil. However, had we been Palestinians, he left us in no doubt
as to what he would have had to do. He pointed out that behind us was
the Palestinian town of el-Azariyeh (the town of Lazarus), and he said
that his job was to ensure that no Palestinian got into Ma’ale Adummim.
Had we been Palestinians, at best we would have been turned back; at
worst we could have been detained for some time, ostensibly to check our
identities. One wonders how such policies would be reported in the press
here, if it were Jewish people being excluded from some township in
another part of the world.
We drove to the Wall which divides one part of el-Azariyeh from the
other, and once again carried out the practical test to measure the
distance by road to the other side of the wall. We had to retrace our
steps past Ma’ale Adumim, up the main Jericho-Jerusalem road, and then
over the Mount of Olives to descend past the Church of Mary and Martha
in Bethany. We confirmed the distance as being 15 kms. – literally to
cross the street!
Sunday 19th September.
We invited two Jewish women to come along and have a meal with the
Group, so that they could hear their stories and learn of their current
activities – in Checkpoint Watch and in opposing house demolitions being
two of the principal ones. It was moving to hear the story of one – the
trek of her grandparents from the Ukraine to Poland and eventual journey
to Argentina in the 1930’s, to escape the persecution which was taking
place in Europe. Her family eventually settled in Israel in the 1960’s.
“Now” she said, “we Jewish people are handing on our suffering to the
Palestinians.”
One topic of conversation recently concerned a reported decision of the
Jerusalem City Council to try to deal with what it has described as
overcrowding in the Old City, by moving people out of all areas of the
city with the exception of the Jewish Quarter. To report on this
proposal will require a wee bit of work! More later.
Stay well.
God bless.
Joan and Clarence.
P.S. Such are the vagaries of the postal service that it was today, 19th
September, that a whole batch of birthday cards for Joan arrived,
despite having been posted well ahead of her birthday. Belated thanks
for all of them. Top
Circular Letter No 184
10th September 2004
Sunday 5th September.
Some things would be laughable, if they were not so serious. I could not
believe the headline when I read it this morning in Haaretz, 5th
September P1. “Israel asks P A donors to fund new, upgraded West Bank
roads.” ‘Israel has asked countries that contribute funding to the
Palestinian Authority to finance the construction of new roads and the
upgrading of existing ones in the West Bank, according to foreign
diplomatic and Palestinian authorities. …. The Palestinians and some
donor nations believe that Israel seeks to create two separate
transportation systems in the West Bank, one for Israelis, especially
settlers, and another for Palestinians.’ Laughable at the thought that
the Israeli Government would seek to have others pay for its illegal
activities on the West Bank. Serious as, even without international aid,
or rather without aid other than that which seems to come from the USA,
there are already two road systems on the West Bank.
I remember the shock of actually seeing seats on the railway station
platforms in Cape Town in 1967, when we were on our way to Zambia, with
some labelled “Whites Only” and the others, if I remember correctly
“Non-Whites”.
We already have roads that are similarly divided – not on colour, but
most definitely on race. And now, regardless of UN Resolutions,
regardless of the International Court of Justice ruling, the Israeli
Government is reported as asking for donations to build what are
effectively apartheid roads where there are already roads.
Some things seem unreal, except that they are very much the real. “US
delays visit of officials to inspect settlement limits.” is a story on
Haaretz 5th September P2. This is the US Government that went to war
with another State because it would not abide by UN Resolutions.
Some things are obscene. One such obscenity is the landscaping that we
saw this afternoon after we had passed the Checkpoint at Tantur on the
way into Bethlehem. We were taking Helen Shehadeh home, after we had had
a lunch for members of the Kirk Session of St Andrew’s, following the
ordination of our latest Elder, Gwen Thompson, the new Manager of the St
Andrew’s Guest House. Perhaps 100 metres beyond the present checkpoint,
the Israeli government has taken Palestinian land on the edge of
Bethlehem to build a massive new Checkpoint. On the Bethlehem side of it
is the Wall, all 8 metres of it, through which will pass the road into
the Prison Camp which Bethlehem already now is. And now truckloads of
soil are being piled up, smoothed out, and on them will be planted
flowering bushes. As if a bougainvillea can somehow camouflage the
atrocity that is the Wall, and the injustice that is the Checkpoint. For
4 years we have endured the ugliness of the present Checkpoint, where no
attempt has been made to clean anything up, and now we are to be
confronted, even affronted, with the new sanitised Checkpoint. In front
of us, people were still held up. It took us 20 minutes to get through,
and on the Bethlehem side, waiting to leave Bethlehem, presumably with
valid and legitimate papers to do so, were 14 vehicles. In the 20
minutes that we had been there, only 2 vehicles had been allowed through
from the Bethlehem side. But let the world be given flower beds, and
they will not see the reality of the Wall.
I was given a preview of a Paper to be presented later in the month at
an international gathering.
It contained the following statistics:
47,000 Christians in the West Bank and 3,000 Christians in Gaza make up
1.4% of the population of the West Bank and Gaza. 117,000 Palestinian
Arab Christians in Israel, make up 1.7% of the population of Israel.
29,350 Christians in Jerusalem in 1944. Approx 11,000 Christians in
Jerusalem in 2004. These figures I more or less knew.
What I did not know were the following figures:
Egypt : Christians are between 6% and 10% of the population – numbering
over 4.6 million
Iraq : Christians are between 3% and 5% of the population – numbering
about 1 million
Syria : Christians are about 5% of the population – numbering almost 1
million.
One wonders why there are relatively larger populations of Christians in
the Muslim countries than in the Jewish country.
Monday 6th September.
I had to go to Ramallah to attend to some work. I drove on the main road
that runs from Jerusalem to Kalandia. This is the road that has been dug
up and foundations laid for the construction of another phase of the
Wall. At the side of the road, the last time I was there, the 8 metre
high concrete sections of the Wall were lying, waiting to be put in
place, once the Israeli Army had been given the permission to do so by
the Courts. Apparently that permission has been given. Yesterday, there
were several hundred metres of the Wall already built. Men were working
in several areas along the middle of the road – driving diggers to
prepare the ground, laying concrete for the foundations of the Wall,
operating the cranes that lifted the enormous pieces of concrete into
place. All of them were guarded by other men armed with automatic
weapons. Imagine your own street or road. Imagine down the centre of it
a Wall being built that is higher than most of your houses, so that even
if you go on to the highest part of the roof of your house, you may not
be able to see your neighbours. Imagine your life savings are in your
property. Who will now buy it from you? How will you get to see your
friends? What about when you are ill and need to get to the hospital?
Will you have the correct pass to get through a checkpoint? These have
been the questions people have been asking in the neighbourhood of
Jerusalem that is now being walled off – closed into its own Ghetto.
Those who were locked into Ghettoes in the 1930’s and 1940’s and now
locking others into Ghettoes. Yet another act in the Tragedy is taking
place. Each concrete slab erected in the wall is like the nail of a
coffin – and while it may be the coffin of the Palestinians at present,
one wonders if this will always be the case.
Tuesday 7th September.
One of the things that one learns here very quickly is the impossibility
of speaking about people en masse. It is impossible to speak about all
Jewish people as being for the Occupation, or the Wall. It is impossible
to speak about all Arab people as being against the Jewish people living
among them. One can only talk of some Jewish people, or some Arab
people. Which makes it so worrying this morning to read the following in
an Opinion column in Haaretz, entitled “On terror and hypocrisy” by Yoel
Marcus (Haaretz 7th September P 5): “But those who have inflated terror
to its current proportions - murdering indiscriminately, shooting
helpless children, choosing random targets – are the Muslims, and to
what aim no one has entirely figured out.” Of course, the writer is
entitled to his views. One wonders if a similar statement had been
written changing the word “Muslims” to “Jews” what would be the reaction
of the Jewish community. Would either statement be true?
Wednesday 8th September. Haaretz P2. “Agriculture Minister plans Jordan
Valley settlement expansion.” ‘Agriculture Minister Israel Katz plans to
expropriate 31,000 dunams of land to expand settlements in the Jordan
Valley, he revealed yesterday. … According to Katz, the goal of the
expropriation is “to hold the land and designate it for Jewish
settlements in the valley and to prevent the possibility of it being
taken over by hostile elements.”’ (What about UN Resolution 242?)
Thursday 9th September
The different ways in which countries in this part of the world are
treated is well illustrated in the Guardian for September 9th.
Attitude to Iran : The British government yesterday set a November
ultimatum for Iran to suspend all activities linked to production of a
nuclear bomb - a deadline that effectively marks the failure of more
than a year of negotiations between Tehran and the European troika of
Britain, France and Germany. Refusal by Iran to comply would produce a
new Middle East crisis in which the issue would almost certainly be
referred to the United Nations Security Council, which could opt for
punitive action. A British official said yesterday that Iran must comply
by the November board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), the UN watchdog body. Ewen MacAskill, Kasra Naji in Tehran and
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem : Thursday September 9, 2004. Threat of
referral to UN Security Council.
Attitude to Israel : Israel's plans to build 1,000 new houses in its
West Bank settlements breaches the terms of the Middle East road map and
threatens to encircle East Jerusalem, cutting it off from a future
Palestinian state, Jack Straw warned yesterday. "The latest announcement
about settlements, in my judgment, is very serious because it could lead
to the encirclement of East Jerusalem and the detachment of East
Jerusalem from the West Bank. It is outside the road map." Michael White
and Patrick Wintour : Thursday September 9, 2004. No mention of any
referral to anybody
The Interreligious Co-ordinating Council in Israel and the Jerusalem
International YMCA combined this afternoon to organise an Interreligious
Convocation of Remembrance and Hope on the anniversary of the attack on
the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. It was the
third such gathering, and the first that I had been able to attend.
Prayers were led by a Jew, a Muslim and a Christian. There were some
words from 3 young people who had shared in an Interreligious Camp in
Upper New York State in the summer, and 4 Reflections from 4 Ambassadors
– the Ambassadors of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia, Turkey and the United
States of America. I found their contributions not hugely helpful. They
spoke of Terrorism – which was implicitly defined as actions by
non-government people. There was not the slightest hint that what
Government agents such as soldiers do could also be Terrorism. There was
not a single question as to the causes of what they described as
Terrorism. One of the Ambassadors spoke of children being shot in the
back as an action of terrorists – one wonders how many children have
been shot in the back, or even in the front for that matter, by soldiers
in the vicinity of their own homes. The same person said “Terrorists are
Criminals, period.” Amen to that, but it begs the question as to who are
Terrorists.
Earlier in the day I had made a quick trip to Jayyous. Schools have
started again – in the Girls’ School, out of 360 pupils only 60 have so
far paid their Registration Fee of NIS 50. In the Kindergarten, it is
about 30 out of 130. (I was able to pass on donations to the
Kindergarten authorities to have their bus serviced and to help with
Fees. The bus is used to bring youngsters to the school from nearby
villages. Thanks to the donors.)
One of the reasons for lack of payment is lack of earnings. It will soon
be a year since the Fence was erected and the farms were isolated from
the village. The first effect was on the Guava harvest and the Citrus
harvest. For 30 days last year the gates were not opened, so the guavas
rotted, and the farmer lost any income they might have otherwise earned.
This spring came the vegetable and tomato harvest – with tomatoes
selling for 2 US cents per kilo. No income there. Soon will come the
Olive Harvest. For the past 3 years, it has cost farmers approx NIS 12.6
to produce a litre of olive oil, and they have been able to sell it for
only NIS 10.00. This year’s crop is a bumper crop – could be the
equivalent of the past 3 years’ crops combined. But – many of the trees
are beyond the Fence. To get to them, permits are needed. Many folk have
been unable to get permits. Even if they get to the farms, the dirt
roads that they have used for years to their trees have been blocked by
the Israeli army, and the result is that it will take them at least
twice as long to get to their trees. Then there is every likelihood that
the price they will get for their oil will be below the cost of
harvesting. So, why bother? This seems to be exactly what the Israeli
authorities want them to say – because if they do not harvest their
crops, and do not tend their land, for a period of 3 years – they lose
it. Of course, the Fence is about Security.
Stay well. God bless.
Joan and Clarence Top
Circular Letter No 183
3rd September 2004
Headline in Haaretz Sunday August 15th P2. “Hanegbi: Prison hunger
strikers can starve to death.” Mr Hanegbi is the Public Security
Minister.
Headline in Haaretz Wednesday September 1st P1 “Hanegbi resigns after
Mazuz [the Attorney General] orders police investigation.” ‘Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon will decide today who will replace Public Security
Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, who resigned yesterday after Attorney General
Menachem Mazuz decided to open a criminal investigation against him.
Hanegbi, who asked to continue serving as Minister without Portfolio,
will be investigated on suspicion of breach of trust and election
bribery. … Suspicions against Hanegbi were raised in last week’s State
Comptroller’s Report, which branded the minister for massive improper
and political appointments during his term as environment minister in
2001 – 2003.’
Political life in Israel is a complicated matter, and this is evidence
of its complication. As Public Security Minister, Mr Hanegbi is
responsible for oversight of the Police. It is the Police who are to
investigate him. As a leading article in Haaretz of September 2nd says,
can he then return to be in charge of the Police after they have
investigated him. What price promotion for those involved in the
investigation?
As you will know, there is an organisation called Sunbula which has its
home in St Andrew’s Guest House. It has been in existence for some
years, and among its Objectives is one that states it will promote and
nurture local handcrafts made by women and voluntary groups. To do this,
it is important to provide a sales outlet for such goods, and to do what
it can to develop markets overseas. It recently had its Annual Meeting
to receive the Accounts for 2003, and they reflect the severe impact of
the Intifada on commercial life in Jerusalem, and the effect of that on
the groups that produce the handcrafts.
Sales of handcrafts have gone from US$ 275,000 in 2000, to US$ 175,000
in 2001, to US$ 130,000 in 2002, to US$ 110,000 in 2003. Figures for
Sunbula will be considerably lower in 2004 for a variety of reasons :
change of location within St Andrew’s Guest House, closure of the shop
while the Guest House was closed for re-wiring, and the continuing
dearth of tourists. The Groups represented at the meeting spoke of a big
drop in sales in 2001 and 2002, with 2003 just about matching 2002. Any
improvement in 2004 has been marginal.
While it is obviously a disappointment for Sunbula that it has not been
able to achieve better sales, it is much more serious for the Producers,
as their income has dropped. This is then reflected in the money that
the women are able to earn for their embroidery – and so it goes on.
Less money, less food. Less money, what to do about school fees? Less
money, how to pay for medicines?
Which is why any assistance that any of you are able to offer is so
important. Check out the Sunbula website – www.sunbula.org Order goods
by mail. Contact Hadeel if you are in UK – www.hadeel.org Or get in
touch with us.
On Tuesday I was once again able to take visitors to Jerusalem to meet
the women in the Co-operative at Idna. It is the same with each group –
however large or small. We drive out through the tunnels past Bethlehem,
and into the area known to Israeli Jewish people as Gush Etzion.
Although Palestinian land, it is the scene of extensive Israeli
Settlements. Visitors never fail to be shocked at the extent of building
and Settlement activity.
For the most part, we were able to drive past places where there had
been Road Blocks, but we did encounter one road block inside Israel
after we had left the West Bank. Again, as always, the women were so
welcoming and gracious to us. When we left them, we said that we would
meet some of them again at the Sunbula Meeting the next day.
However, that did not happen, due to closures imposed by the Israeli
army after the two suicide bombs in Beer Sheva. I can only reiterate
again two things which I have said before – suicide bombing has no place
in my thinking. Building a Wall and continuing occupation will not
provide the acceptance and the security which Israel both wants and
needs.
So, the women from that part of the country were conspicuous by their
absence at the meeting of Sunbula.
Thursday was a day for walking round the Old City and East Jerusalem to
call on various people and deal with some items of administration and
business. At one stage I was sitting with a senior figure in the
Christian community in Jerusalem – whose family have been in business
for generations here in the city. He was subdued. He spoke of the
upheavals and traumas that his community had experienced – losing homes
and businesses in 1948; the same thing repeated in 1967; the effects of
the Occupation on the West Bank community; the First Intifada; the
Second Intifada, and the current programme of the Israeli Government to
build the Wall. How will his workers get to work, despite having permits
to be in Jerusalem? How will he get orders to customers – in fact how
will he get customers?!
There are the pressures on the Arab community as a whole, and within
that community there is the smaller Christian community. Just in the
past couple of weeks, some members of two of the oldest Christian
families in the city have emigrated. Certainly in conversation with
Jewish people this is one of the aims that one often hears mentioned –
“Why don’t the Arabs go to some of the Arab counties and leave Israel
for us Jews? They have plenty of countries. We have only one.” So, the
Christian community has become that bit smaller, and when you are
already small, even 2 families leaving represents a significant event,
and is damaging for the morale of the whole community.
“We will stay” he said, and I am sure that he is completely determined
to do so. His family work with him, but one wonders about his
grandchildren, and will they stay?
Following the bombings in Hebron, there was renewed emphasis on the need
to construct the Wall. Mr Sharon was taken on a tour of inspection by
helicopter of what is called the “Seam line” in the southern Hebron
hills. He was shown the amended route which is designed to bring it
closer to the Green Line, in conformity with both the opinion of the
High Court of Israel and the International Court of Justice in the
Hague. Haaretz Thursday September 2nd, P1, has the headline: “Fence
delayed in south: PM wants it deeper in W. Bank.” Mr Sharon rejected the
proposed changes.
There is a regular stream of articles and news items on the Internet to
complement what we read in the papers and see on TV. One of the pictures
in the paper today, Friday 3rd September, P2, has the caption “A
Palestinian family sitting on their belongings in front of a destroyed
apartment building in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, in the southern Gaza
Strip, yesterday.” It is a graphic illustration of information that came
in this week. It came from an organisation called ‘The Other Voice of
Israel’ – otherisr@actcom.co.il . The first part of the letter is as
follows :
‘During the Second Intifada alone, Israel has demolished more than 4,500
Palestinian homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Most of these
homes were not demolished during combat but rather as part of Israel's
pro-active policy of asserting its control over the Territories. Rafah
in Gaza has received special attention due to Israel's unilateral
decision to disconnect it from the border with Egypt. For this reason
Israel has already demolished about 1,500 homes in this tiny but densely
populated area -- an area whose inhabitants have been made refugees and
left homeless by Israel time and time again-- this time leaving 15,000
persons displaced and without a home. Israel's policy of house
demolitions is an act of war against non-combatant Palestinian
civilians, a fundamental violation of international law and the ethics
of war.” The demolition of homes is meant to serve both as a punishment
to the families of those who have been involved in what the Israeli
Government and Army would classify as “terrorism” and as a deterrent to
others to warn then of the consequences of “terrorism”. It was in the
destruction of one such home in Rafah some weeks ago that a Palestinian
man in a wheel chair was crushed to death.
Checking the figures for the Scottish Census for 2001, Dalkeith, a town
on the outskirts of Edinburgh, had 4,869 households. North Berwick, on
the coast east of Edinburgh, had 2,707 households. Kinross, a town
half-way between Edinburgh and Perth, had 1,945 households. It is as if
both Kinross and North Berwick had been bull-dozed out of existence
since 2000, or Dalkeith had been left an open and empty space on the
road to the south.
For those in other countries, I am sure you can find similar figures for
places with which you are familiar.
Schools have re-started. Some of you will be familiar with the situation
here, where in order to work in Israel, permits or visas have to be
obtained. For someone like myself, it is obtained through the Ministry
of the Interior. For the teachers at the Church of Scotland school at
Tabeetha, Jaffa, their applications have to be processed by the Ministry
of Industry ( or Labour, or Trade – its name changes from time to time)
and also by the Ministry of the Interior. Application was made in April
2003 for Visas for those teachers on the staff who required them – and
at the time of writing, the result of these applications is still
awaited.
Enough for this week.
Stay well
God bless
Joan and Clarence Top
Circular Letter No 182
28th August 2004
It has been a long journey from the ecclesiastical background in which I
grew up in Belfast, where Roman Catholics were hardly regarded as
Christians, and where the more evangelical parts of the Christian Church
were seen by some as the true and only Church, and by others as radical
fundamentalists, to the Prayers for Peace Service in St Andrew’s
Jerusalem on Monday 23rd August. Prayers were led by a Roman Catholic
Nun, an Arab Baptist Pastor, an Israeli Jewish Rabbi; scripture portions
were read by members of our congregation from England, Ghana and Korea;
the Litany for peace was led by an Israeli Arab Elder in our church.
Everyone was invited to light a Candle for Peace. Some might ask “Where
did Clarence go wrong?” to be involved in such a pot-pourri of people.
Others might feel the exact opposite.
Sunday evening, 22nd August, saw us at the Pater Noster Church on the
Mount of Olives, a place that became associated with the teaching of The
Lord’s Prayer by Jesus. The Sisters who have the responsibility for
looking after the Church are an Enclosed Order of Carmelites: we in the
congregation could hear their singing, but we did not see them! At
least, we presumed they were there, or it was a good recording. The
Latin (Roman Catholic) Patriarch of Jerusalem gave the address, partly
centred on the Lord’s Prayer. A Palestinian, he always makes a point of
praying for Christian, Jew and Muslim – all citizens of the city. I
particularly was struck by this remark about “Give us each day our daily
bread”. What is our “bread” if not “Peace” he said. So, give us each day
our daily Peace – a recognition that it is not in the power of any human
person to bring, or make, or provide Peace, except when used to do so by
Our Father. (Joan remarked that in the context of N Ireland when we were
growing up last century, “daily bread” could also be understood as
“daily piece”!)
On Tuesday evening, 24th August, the Prayer Service was held in the
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City. The present building,
erected in 1898, is home to the Lutheran Bishop and all the different
strands of the Lutheran Church in Jerusalem. The service was led by a
Palestinian pastor, an American pastor, a Swedish pastor, a German
pastor, and was presided over by the Palestinian Lutheran Bishop. Who
would have thought, in 1918, or in 1945, that the invitation to share
Christ’s peace with each other would be given by a German pastor?
You may recall the name Amira Hass. I have spoken about her from time to
time. She is an Israeli Jewish journalist, who lives on the West Bank.
On the back of her book “Drinking the Sea at Gaza”, it says: “In 1993,
Amira Hass a woman reporter, became the first Israeli journalist to live
in the grim Palestinian enclave so feared and despised by most Israelis
that, in the local idiom “Go to Gaza” is another was to say “Go to
hell”. She writes trenchant criticism of the actions of the Israeli army
all across the West Bank and Gaza. In an article on Wednesday 25th
August (Haaretz P 5) headed ‘Between violence and non-violence’ she has
written the following passage: “Even without tanks and helicopter fire,
the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza is violent and has been
since 1967, including the years 1994 – 2000, when most Israeli liked to
believe that we had left the territories. Violent are the orders
expropriating Palestinian land for “public purposes” that is only for
Jews; violent is the way Israel distributes water – as much water as
they want for the settlements near villages that aren’t even connected
to water lines; violent are the occupation lawyers who defined “state
land” as land Palestinians are not allowed to develop, and Civil
Administration inspectors who take note over every new vine and olive
planted in that land; violent is the Shin Bet officer who pleasantly
tells someone who needs a travel permit “to help us and we’ll help you”;
. . . . The occasion of the article was a visit to Palestine by the
grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, to advance the idea of a non-violent popular
struggle by the Palestinians against the Occupation. She then paints the
following hypothetical situation : ‘Let’s assume that as part of a
non-violent popular struggle, the Palestinians decide to send out 50,000
people one day to plant olive trees in areas defined as “state land”
near their villages. Would the Israeli Army impose a curfew or closure
on the village on the grounds that armed men might infiltrate the
planters, or that there is a risk to a nearby settlement? And let’s
assume that 20,000 Palestinian planters decide to take the chance and
ignore the army’s order closing the area: can we be sure that no Israeli
commander would order soldiers to shoot – first with tear gas and then
live ammunition - on the thousands of people carrying only hoes?’
This is not an academic question : there are the plans for 1,000 new
homes in West Bank Settlements already announced. In Haaretz 24th
August, P2, there is the statement that in Upper Betar (just a few
kilometres to the West of Bethlehem) with 27,000 inhabitants,
construction is continuing unabated and there are plans for 100,000
inhabitants. Some will recall the story of Shukran, the little girl from
the village of Husan who was born with Aperts Syndrome. Betar is just
across the road from her village. If it grows to 100,000, it can only do
so on her and her family’s land – what will happen to her when she grows
up? Who is showing violence to whom?
Thursday 26th August.
One of the jobs I do is to serve as Chairman of the School Board of
Tabeetha School, the Church of Scotland School in Jaffa. The new term
starts next week, and so things are being got ready for it. Each summer
for at least the past 5 years there has been a programme of building
works. This year, it included work on upgrading a classroom; installing
pipe work for the future installation of air-conditioning in the
classrooms; provision of safety railings; and resurfacing the basket
ball court. This was a major task and involved knocking down part of a
wall to enable equipment to get on site, and to facilitate the removal
of the debris from the breaking up of the old court. The results of all
the work have been quite remarkable, and now the school is not only
visually more attractive, but is much better equipped to provide a safe
and stimulating environment for the students to pursue their education.
On the way down to Jaffa, the car thermometer was showing an outside
temperature of 33 ˚ C. You can imagine how such heat would affect
students in what are rather small classrooms, with limited possibilities
of natural ventilation. With the pipes etc in place for air
conditioning, all that is now needed to install it is the money to but
the equipment! – a mere matter of NIS 100,000 or so. I am sure that the
school would not refuse donations!
Snapshots
No 1. Thursday afternoon
After visiting the School, we went along the road to a Supermarket. It
has a very good delicatessen area – selling all sorts of cold meats –
pork, ham, beef, salami, and so on. One of the anomalies of life here is
the way in which traditions of different people influence what is, or is
not, available. This store has a large Russian clientele.
No 2. Later on Thursday afternoon
We visited the home of a family which has had a connection with Tabeetha
for well over 50 years. In 1948, their father sent his wife and children
to Jordan so that they would be safe during the fighting that heralded
the setting up of the State of Israel, thinking that they would be away
only a number of weeks. They spoke of the fact that it was 18 months
later when they tried to get back to Jaffa. First they came to the West
Bank, and tried unofficially to get through into Israel. They were
stopped and sent back. Then they were one of the first families to be
reunited under a programme supervised by the Red Cross, and so
officially were able to return home. When they went back to Tabeetha,
they were the only Arab pupils there, in what had been a largely Arab
school. It is difficult to comprehend the changes which they have seen
in their life-time.
No 3. Friday at the Bethlehem Checkpoint
I had to meet a young woman Social Worker from Beit Jala, who had been
given a permit to come to Jerusalem for the first time since last year.
I had material to give to her, and so had arranged to meet her at the
Bethlehem Checkpoint as she was coming through to meet a friend. It was
an emotional meeting for them. The young Palestinian woman from Beit
Jala looks across the valley to what was once Beit Jala land, but is now
the land on which the Settlement of Gilo is built. The slightly older
Jewish woman looks across from her home to Beit Jala – knowing that she
is living on land seized from the village that she sees from the windows
of her home. Yet, somehow, they are able to remain in contact, and to
remain friends. The Jewish woman’s husband had died last year, and this
was the first time that they had been able to meet. When I had completed
my business, I got back into my car, and in the mirror was able to see
them embrace. One embrace does not take away the pain, the injustice,
the violence – but perhaps it does illustrate the complexity of our
human minds and feelings – that there are ways in which we can relate
which allow us to set aside some of the elements in a situation which
would normally keep us apart.
No. 4. Friday morning at Al Shurooq
I talked with Helen Shehadeh about a variety of matters – including the
new building that is being constructed within a few metres of the one
which she rents. It is going to affect the light that comes in to her
building; it has already meant the destruction of the play area which
had been at the front of her building; and who knows what sort of noise
there will be when it is occupied, and how the neighbours will react to
having the School so close to them. Although there has been a promise of
money to buy the plot of land for a new school, it still has not
actually been transferred to her. Let’s hope it does come. Speaking
about the work of her school, one of the bright parts of it is the
Project in which it is involved with an Israeli Jewish group of blind
children – sponsored by the EU. On their travels, the whole group so far
has been able to use Ben Gurion Airport, with the Beit Jala pupils
getting special permits to travel that way. This summer other school
parties have been refused permission to use Ben Gurion – she hopes that
her children will continue to get their permits.
The new term starts in a few days, and there is always some uncertainty
about which children will be able to even reach school. There are the
ones from Gaza, who if they do manage to get to school, probably will
only get home to see their families a couple of times in the school
year, relying on such organisations as the Red Cross and Red Crescent to
make travel arrangements. There has been an enquiry from a family in
Tulkarm. The parents have heard of the school and would like their child
to come – but how can the travel be arranged? Although both Tulkarm and
Beit Jala are on the West Bank, and so theoretically should have access
to each other, there is the small matter of road blocks and check
points, and also of permits being needed to travel from one area to
another. It is not that much further than the distance between Glasgow
and Edinburgh – between 50 and 60 kms - but how will a young blind child
negotiate even that short journey?
No. 5. Friday afternoon in Jerusalem.
I was sitting with a Jewish man. We were speaking of “life” and how we
both felt. He was saying that he was sometimes up, and sometimes down.
He is among those who do not support the actions of the present
Government of Israel, but feels powerless to do anything about it. Yet,
he said that this was “home” even though his family came here only after
the Second World War. “We were not wanted, or accepted, in Europe, so we
came here, and it is the only place where I feel I am accepted.” He
fully acknowledges the fact that his taking over even a small part of
this land as his “home” has meant that many of those who were living
here prior to the creation of the State of Israel have lost their homes.
He said the current situation is like a Greek Tragedy – but what can be
done to avoid a catastrophic outcome?
Hunger strikes continue in the Prisons. The Israeli Attorney General is
apprehensive about the legal ramifications of the ruling on the Wall by
the International Court of Justice, and the possibility of sanctions.
There is increasing awareness of the Boycott that was imposed on South
Africa in its Apartheid Days. Israel has won its first ever Gold Medal
at the Olympic Games.
Stay well. God bless.
Joan and Clarence
Top
Circular Letter No 181
20th August 2004
One of the pleasurable activities here is to attend such functions as
Weddings. Pleasurable despite the invasive presence of photographers and
video makers – who appear to have no feeling for the fact that people
are engaged in a religious service. Last week, the wedding service was
held in a Catholic church, although the priest who was solemnising the
wedding was Maronite – their building in the Old City being too small
for a large gathering. A few weeks before, the service was in the Latin
Catholic Church, following a Catholic liturgy.
It is after the service that there is time to meet folk from the local
community – and just to be aware of the great social occasion that a
wedding is. It is a time of joy for a community that feels itself very
vulnerable – where will the bride and groom live, where will they work,
in fact have they a future here in Jerusalem at all? For the one
afternoon at least, these questions take second place. The women are out
in all their finery, the men in formal suits, and there is much social
business taking place.
It was while watching the people at the weekend that one became aware of
how few Jewish people were present. Out of perhaps two hundred people, I
knew only two. And then there was the thought as to how would Jewish
people ever get to be invited to such a ceremony, as there is so
relatively little social mixing between the communities. The
mirror-image of the question would be how would Palestinian people get
invited to a Jewish wedding, and the same problem would apply there
also. Yet, if there is no social mixing, how can there be the necessary
coming together of minds and hearts for there to be any hope of
understanding.
While mulling over these thoughts, I was speaking with a friend from the
West Jerusalem YMCA. It has a programme called the MVP Programme. MVP –
can be interpreted in a number of ways, but Moderate Voices for Peace is
as good as any other. This summer there are 4 groups of young adults
going to YMCA organisations in the USA. Each group is made up of approx
12 people – young adults in their mostly 20’s. It is the policy of the Y
to try to ensure that each group is half Jewish, half Palestinian. It is
in the preparatory meetings here in Jerusalem that one becomes aware of
the fact that for many of these young adults, this is the first time
they have had the chance to have any real social contact with “the other
side”. What a huge gap there is between the communities, and how
difficult it is to bridge it.
One of the ways in which working here is different from working in
Scotland is the large number of ex-prisoners whom one is likely to meet
– in the Palestinian community. All whom I have met have been imprisoned
either under what is called “Administrative Detention” – where there is
no evidence of an offence, but the possibility that one might be
committed – or for some aspect of resistance to Israeli army activity as
part of the Occupation – commonly throwing stones. Their experience is
not glorified, or flaunted, but just accepted as part of their CV. I
have no personal experience of conditions for prisoners, apart from that
which most members of the public might have – driving past prisons.
However, the stories told by those who have been in prison indicate that
life is far from easy. Which leads to an article in Haaretz on Sunday
August 15th P2. “Hanegbi: Prison hunger strikers can starve to death.”
Mr Hanegbi is the Public Security Minister. It has been reported that up
to 4,000 security prisoners were going to go on Hunger Strike to protest
at the conditions in which they are held. Obviously one’s understanding
of the various practices such as strip searches and invasive body checks
depend on whether one is a prisoner or an officer of the Israeli
Government. Mr Hanegbi spoke to reporters on Friday 13th, when he is
reported in the article quoted as having said ‘The prisoners can strike
for a day, a month, even starve to death , as far as I am concerned’. He
said that the mass hunger strike was designed to put a dent in Israeli
policy aimed at preventing security prisoners from planning terror
attacks in their cells.
The story continued on Monday August 16th, Haaretz P1 “Prisons Service
will set up barbecues to combat hunger strike by Palestinian security
prisoners.” ‘Barbecues have been set up to grill meat near the cells of
Palestinian security prisoners in an effort to combat a hunger strike
that the prisoners launched yesterday. Prisons Service guards
confiscated cigarettes and candy along with large quantities of salt
which the prisoners had hidden in their mattresses to provide themselves
with minerals during the strike. The guards also removed pens and
newspapers.’ [The temperature in the Jordan Valley as I drove through it
on Tuesday was over 40˚ C.]
In a Comment Column on Wednesday 18th August Haaretz P5, a writer
Yitzhak Laor includes some very trenchant remarks. “Israel equating the
Palestinian prisoner strike with a security risk is part of a pattern
that does not necessarily having anything to do with such a risk or with
terror. The existence of the Palestinians is the problem in that
equation. … Those who want more evidence of the moral depths to which
Israel has sunk can find them in the utter silence that met Tzachi
Hanegbi’s response: ‘Let them starve to death.’ … Those who do not
understand the connection between the death that the Public Security
Minister is offering them and the daily newspaper reports about
assassination warnings that are no longer “exact” – but still kill
dozens of Palestinians who are all “on their way to terror attacks
inside Israel” – does not understand that the Israeli world view really
only has room for one solution for the Palestinian people: that they
disappear. It is not terror that is the problem from the perspective,
nor borders but the very existence of that people.”
Tuesday 17th August. Work took me briefly to Tiberias and then on to
Nazareth for a meeting there. Listening to the BBC World Service radio
bulletins, the second or third item mentioned was the decision of Mr
Sharon to give his approval to the construction of 1,000 more housing
units on the West Bank. It is almost impossible to convey in words the
enormity of what is happening in the way of Settlement construction,
Wall/Barrier building, and the creation of road networks all over the
West Bank.
Before taking some Scottish visitors to Tiberias, I took them to visit
Bethlehem. Quite apart from the fact that there is so little movement
into and out from Bethlehem, and that there are so few visitors in
Manger Square, which brings its own feeling of depression, there is an
even more profound feeling of despair induced by just looking North,
South, East and West.
Imagine any town that you can think of, and then try to superimpose on
it the following sort of scenario as you look out
North : towards Jerusalem: Land taken for the Settlements of Gilo and
Har Homa. “Security” or “Apartheid” Wall/Fence already almost completely
across this Northern side of the Bethlehem area, with a huge new
checkpoint area being built by the Israeli Government on Palestinian
land.
East : Settlements towards Tekoa; new road for Settlers running up
towards Jerusalem; Fence already in place past Shepherds’ Fields and
further East.
South : Settlement of Efrat enlarged by the new building called Efrat
North {the use of such a title as “North” added on to the name of the
Settlement is meant to show that it is an extension of an existing
Settlement and not a new one, although it may be some distance from the
existing Settlement}; leading off the road between Bethlehem and Hebron
is the road to Efrat North, effectively enclosing that part of
Bethlehem.
West : A string of settlements constitute part of what is called the
Etzion bloc – Elazar, Newe Daniel, Betar Illit. These are serviced by
the Bethlehem by-pass road – along which Palestinians may travel if they
have official permits.
It is in Betar Illit that permission has been given for another 604
housing units.
All of this is land on the Palestinian side of the Green Line – governed
by UN Resolutions and Geneva Conventions.
We are told in today’s paper (on P2 of Haaretz on August 18th ) that
other areas where additional units are expected to be built include 200
units at Har Gilo, said to be next to Jerusalem, but in reality on land
of Beit Jala, behind the home of Helen Shehadeh’s niece Doris; 98 plots
at Immanuel, which is up on the road to Jayyous, deep inside the West
Bank {In Isaiah 7 : 14 is the verse Behold the young woman is with child
and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel – that is God with us
On the West Bank the name is used for a Settlement}; 690 plots inside
the Jerusalem boundary at Har Homa, Gilo and Pisgat Ze’ev. The Acting
Minister of Housing is quoted as saying “Israel committed itself to
evacuating settlements in northern Samaria and Gush Katif as part of the
disengagement plan. At the same time understanding was reached with the
US administration over continued building in the larger settlement
blocs”.
While the eyes of the world are on Gaza and will there, or won’t there,
be a ‘Disengagement’, the reality is that on the West Bank land is being
taken, and construction occurring that will be almost impossible to
reverse. One wonders what authority has been given to the US to allow it
to give its permission for more Palestinian land to be taken. A
pertinent quotation from Hanan Ashrawi, Christian Palestinian political
leader is: “God did not speak to George W Bush to tell him to give away
our land.”
Wednesday 18th August.
Normal service was resumed today. The entry into Bethlehem, to go to
Helen Shehadeh’s for lunch, took 20 minutes; the exit from Bethlehem
took 90 minutes. During that time, perhaps a total of 30 vehicles passed
through the check point. It actually took most of them about 1 minute to
be checked by the Border Police on duty – one wonders what was the
necessity for the other 60 minutes to be spent sitting in the rather hot
sun – temperature about 33 degrees C.
It was made all the more difficult to accept, because there was
virtually unhindered movement by Jewish people going to Rachel’s Tomb
and by construction personnel working on the building of the new
Checkpoint and Wall.
One has a certain feeling of unease at the existence of positive
discrimination in favour of Jewish people. Should there be , at some
stage in the future, a different power structure in place here, would it
not be able to set in place measures of negative discrimination against
Jewish people, basing its argument on what is being done now?
Lunch was interesting. Among those at the table were an American
psychiatrist who comes here regularly, just to get away from the stress
of his work and to find space to get back on an even keel (an
interesting concept for those who think this is a dangerous place!), and
an American university professor, who has specialised in studying the
use of Scripture passages by Shakespeare. Although American, he is in
fact of Palestinian origin, and returns each year to spend part of the
summer in Ramallah.
He told us an amusing story. Having arrived at Ben Gurion airport in the
middle of the night, he went with his friends to the checkpoint at
Kalandia hoping to get to his home. However, it was closed and would not
open for another 3 hours. He started quoting Hebrew Scripture to the
soldiers – Isaiah 40 verse 1 – “Comfort you, comfort you my people” –
and other texts. One solider referred him to |
