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Rev Clarence Musgrave  
and his wife Joan  
were our mission partners. 
They  worked at 
St Andrews Church of Scotland Church 
in Jerusalem before they retired in the summer of 2006.

Sunbula, the shop in St Andrew's Hospice that promotes and sells handcrafts made by Palestinians is now on the web: www.sunbula.org

• No 200
• No 201
• No 202
• No 203
• No 204
• No 205
• No 206
• No 207
• No 208
• No 209

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

Support Jayyous

Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 208
19th February 2005


The first set of meetings between representatives of the Church of Scotland Overseas Board and different church leaders here finished on Monday, and was followed by a second set of meetings between other leaders and the Convener of the Church and Nation Committee of the Church of Scotland paying her first official visit to this part of the world.

The permits issued to me and to the Middle East Secretary of our Board to visit Gaza were still valid, and so a permit was requested for the Convener. This was granted, and the 3 of us made our way to Erez Crossing into Gaza on Tuesday morning, 15th February.

The first thing that struck me was, that in comparison with my last visit in October 2004 when the car park had been virtually empty, this time the car park was full to overflowing with trucks. This is not a normal place for truck traffic bringing goods for Gaza, so why this park was full, I did not know. The second thing that struck me was the volume of construction work that was going on in the vicinity of the Check Point. No doubt, the next time I visit it will be clearer what all the construction is designed to achieve, but one thing was clear – this was not about getting rid of this check point , even though Israeli presence inside the Gaza strip is to be reduced, or even withdrawn.

Our passage through the checkpoint was similar to the last time, - without too much delay. So, about an hour after arriving at the car park on the Israeli side of Erez, we had reached the Palestinian side, where we were met by the General Secretary of the Near East Council of Churches, who was our host and organiser. We had arranged to stay overnight in Gaza, to give us a bit more time to meet people and to see around in the northern area of Gaza. Although the Gaza Strip is only 40 kms long, there are in fact two places where the Israeli army is quickly able to set up road blocks, dividing it into three hermetically sealed sections. So, rather than risk being caught by a surprise road block, we remained in Gaza City area.

The rest of Tuesday morning was at the hotel, giving the Convener a chance to get some sleep as she had travelled overnight to Israel. A snack lunch followed and we paid our first visit to the Palestinian Committee for Human Rights. After that, we had a drive round the city and area, during which we met a couple of families living in the Beach Camp and in Jabalya Camp. The evening was spent with leaders of the Near East Council of Churches.

Wednesday morning gave us an opportunity to see some of the programmes of the Council – the Secretarial course that is run for young women; a clothes making unit which gives employment to a few older women; carpentry and metal workshops at the Vocational Training Unit for teenage boys, and a Medical Clinic, providing services to two of the poorer parts of the Gaza City area. A visit to the Ahli Arab Hospital, run by the Episcopalian (Anglican) Church was next. Then it was lunch, and back to Erez.

Our return last time had included a wait for over 2 hours on the Palestinian side before we were even given permission by the Israeli Army to start our way back to Israel. This time the wait was about 45 minutes. Interestingly around the whole checkpoint area there was much more activity. As we were leaving Gaza, we were passed by quite a few families making their way in to Gaza – mostly young families, with toddlers ambling along behind their parents, which gave the whole place a relaxed and almost “normal” feel. However, we had no idea how one could explain to the youngsters what they were going through and why it was there. On one occasion two soldiers brought along a young Palestinian boy – perhaps 12 years old – who was following them with shackles on his ankles and handcuffs on his wrists. The soldiers unlocked them, got a piece of paper signed by the gate guard, presumably saying that the child had in fact left Israel for Gaza, and then he was sent through the barrier. We had no idea what he had done, nor why he was there – but there was no one to meet him, and he just had to go on his way by himself.

Our whole crossing time was about 2 hours. This compared favourably with the experience of one of the people whom we met. She suffers from Asthma, and so is medically unable to use the Rafah Crossing. Holding an American Passport, she had to go to America to consult her doctor. Permission was applied for to enter Israel and to travel through Ben Gurion airport. Permission was granted through the American Embassy 3 hours before her flight was due to leave. Such a timescale meant that it was utterly impossible for her to travel on that flight on that day. The next day she was at the crossing and waited for 3 hours, before she was finally given permission to cross. Her return journey was only slightly shorter, and unlike people like us who are able to wait inside the building where the Israeli army checks our papers, she had to wait outside. Naturally she finds this sort of treatment degrading. However, when we were speaking about the future, she is quite adamant that there has to be a way found for the two peoples to live together – she has no desire for any “revenge” – just for justice and a recognition of the rights of her people to be treated as human beings.


We asked about “the window of opportunity” which is so much spoken of in the West. Everyone we spoke to was relieved that there had been a cessation of shooting – (though it is worth noting that report in the Guardian for Friday 18th February states that the Israeli army has killed 4 people since the truce began. One wonders what would have been the reaction of the rest of the world if it had been the Palestinians who had killed 4 Israelis.) – but equally they were sure that, in the words of one person, this was a tactical cease-fire rather than a strategic cease-fire, and its endurance would depend on how the Israeli army acted, and what improvement the Israeli government made to their living conditions.

Everyone was quite explicit – the power lies with the Israeli government, and any progress will depend on its desire to reach some accommodation with the Palestinians. The words of one person whom we met recently are not encouraging on that front – the withdrawal from Gaza will give the Israeli government another 10 years before it has to think of a “final” solution.

Travel was a major topic – whether within the Gaza Strip, or beyond it. One doctor had tried to visit a clinic in the Rafah area, and having waited 7 hours at a check point, he had to return home, without visiting the clinic. People spoke of spending three days getting from Rafah to Gaza City ( a distance of just under 40 kms), waiting at the intermediate check points for hours on end. It is hoped that when the Settlements have been evacuated, this sort of experience will end, but there is a certain scepticism about that, as the Israeli Army can move in and out of Gaza at will. (While we were waiting at the Palestinian end of Erez to go back to Israel, a UN vehicle came down the road from Israel. The Palestinian soldier on duty took the passports of the passenger and driver to enter their details in his log-book, and then opened the barrier for them to pass. A few minutes later, an armoured personnel carrier of the Israeli army came down the road, followed by a large Army truck. The gate was opened without any inspection of passports!)

Travel outside Gaza is also fraught. People invited to go to attend international meetings say they have to think long and hard before accepting invitations, as they are not sure if they will be able to get back through Rafah on their return. Having been unable to get to Rafah, I cannot describe the conditions of passing through the checkpoint in my own words. However all with whom we talked spoke of long delays, of being cooped up in the front section of a bus with perhaps 100 other people, with no windows open, and having to wait in the sun sometimes for hours before being moved to the next part of the crossing procedure. It is not clear why the Israeli army has to control the crossing from Gaza into Egypt, and there are some noises that there may be changes in this area – though to what extent Israel will give up control over the access from Gaza to Egypt is unclear. Time and again, they referred to Gaza as “their prison”. It was in another meeting with a Church leader later in the week that he quoted from the New Testament: “I was in prison and you did not visit me. (Matthew Chapter 25, verse 31 ff)”.

Demolition of houses and properties was another topic which was raised in all conversations. Why should the Israeli army be able to come in to Gaza and demolish the homes of people at will. We stopped in Jabalya camp and went to one home. It was beside an area of some 60 metres square where not a house stood – all had been flattened by the Israeli army. We spoke with the young mother of the family – in her 30s – and she told of the night that the Israeli army started knocking down the houses. Everyone fled in terror, and when they stopped nearby, the Israeli soldiers shot at them, killing two people. Her house now has two rooms with a kitchen and a shelter for a bathroom. The other rooms were demolished, and beside what is now the front door of the house is a wall with a light switch – but the rest of the wall is missing.

We drove down the coastal road in the direction of Netzarim, one of the Israeli settlements, or colonies. It sits back from the sea perhaps a kilometre. Between it and the sea there used to be some form of habitation and some area of agriculture. Now there is only emptiness – great track marks in the sand where the bulldozers have cleared everything. The justification for this is that it gives the Israeli army a clear sight of anyone approaching the settlement, and so a clear field of fire at them. Yet the effect of such a policy is to leave people homeless – we saw the remains of houses that had been demolished; to leave people without their income from the food they produced – we saw the dried up roots of vines lying all over the area; to make people dependent on handouts from UNRWA and other organisations – the husband of the woman with whom we spoke has not worked for 4 years, and so they are totally dependent on food parcels.


Yet, in the middle of this devastation – economic, social, security – people get on with their lives in the best way they can. The Hospital treats patients, the schools teach children, the Vocational training unit helps young boys, many of them who have abandoned school, to gain some qualifications. We saw a group of women who had been brought to the Hospital by bus from Deir al Balah area, half way down the Gaza Strip. They were given examinations, they were screened for breast cancer, if necessary they had x-rays taken, they were given a meal, and then when all was completed, they were taken home. The Hospital reckons that the cost of such work is approx $20 per person, not including any medicines, or follow up treatment that may be necessary. On one such day they found a young boy, who had come with his mother, was suffering from a perforated appendix – he got immediate treatment. There is a constant battle to balance the budget of the Hospital, but they are convinced that they have to reach out to the community who are unable to come to them.


And so one could go on.

Two other items of news.

The Cabinet of the Israeli Government usually meets each Sunday. On Monday 14th February, there was an article Haaretz P1, in which leaders of the Government, including Mr Sharon, were speaking of different threats that they had received against their safety or lives. The article included the following; 14th February Haaretz P1: ‘”It’s incredible that threats are being sent to ministers and nothing is being done” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon complained angrily in the weekly ministerial meeting yesterday. …. Ironically, when the then-Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon warned a few months before the Rabin assassination that rhetoric by right-wing figures, including Sharon and then opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging radicals and fostering an atmosphere of violence, Sharon attacked Gillon for trying to silence opposition to the Rabin government - an argument being used now by the radical right to brush off condemnations of their activities.’


A corner stone of the Israeli army’s actions against the families of suicide bombers has been to demolish their homes. There has been the hope that this would act as a deterrent to others. In a report to the Chief of the Defence Staff, it was stated that there was no evidence to support such a belief, and it recommended that this sort of action be stopped. Friday Feb 18th Haaretz P1: “Mofaz orders halt to razing of terrorists’ homes.” This does not apply to those houses which the Israeli army wishes to demolish to give it clear areas to shoot at people. In this category, ‘B’Tselem said that since the outbreak of the Intifada in September 2000, the IDF forces have razed or dynamited 675 dwellings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.’ Amnesty International said that ‘any house that doesn’t get demolished is good news. The overall number of houses that have been demolished in the last 4 years is in excess of 4,000, and out of those the category announced today was a fairly small category.’


Have to end there. We hope you are all well. We are well – having had our younger daughter and her children with us for 10 days. God bless.

Joan and Clarence.
 

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Circular Letter No 207
17th February 2005


The meetings that have been held over the weekend of February 11th - 14th February between representatives of the Church of Scotland Overseas Board and leaders of the Church here in Jerusalem and Bethlehem have been interesting in that they have given us a chance to listen to the hopes and expectations of those who play significant roles in their own society.

We met the Episcopal Bishop and the Lutheran Bishop. As one might expect, they were both utterly convinced that, come what may, the Christian community must, and will, survive in this part of the world. They were both adamant that it was not their vision for the community to remain as a mere rump, trying to protect itself, and ensure its survival. Rather, they were forceful that they had a mission to share their faith with all the folk who live here – not necessarily being always clear as to how this would be done. One important part of their understanding of the contribution of the Church to the society here was of a church at worship and prayer. There is, and there will continue to be, social work, education work, etc., but there is also that essential part of the life of the church – its worship of God, and in this its witness to what He wants his people to be and to do.

We met a couple of people from the Latin Catholic community, who spoke of the distance that there is between many young people and the Church. But they went on to share their vision of the Church empowering people to express their faith, and in doing this to find ways of communicating with people from the other faith traditions here.

We met a leading lay person in Bethlehem, who spoke of the pressures that are now becoming more visible in society in Bethlehem. As the immediate pressure from the Israeli army subsides, so there is a greater awareness of the level of domestic violence – people without work, without money, without the dignity of being able to care for families, resorting to violence within their family units as they try to cope with pressures.

When asked what the Church of Scotland should have as a priority in its contribution to the life and work of the Church here, two strands ran through their answers. Maintain your presence here. Bring people here, both to see what is happening and, just as important, to meet the local Christian community.

One spoke of the great sense of encouragement from knowing that he is not alone. He may be in a small minority here in Palestine or Israel, but he is part of the world-wide Church. He wants that world-wide church to accept its responsibilities – to support the local Christian community, and through them to challenge the wider community with the Gospel of Christ,

We had lunch in Beit Jala on 12th January with Helen Shehadeh and her niece Doris. Speaking with Doris about the Wall, she spoke of the nightmare in which not only she is living, but also her children. Where will the Wall go? When will it be put up? Will they be able to get to school? And though she tries to tell them that they will deal with all these questions when they actually arise, she is clearly disturbed that her children are having their childhood destroyed by this oppressive fear as to what is going to happen to them.

All whom we spoke with were emphatic in making a clear distinction between a “cease fire” and the achieving of “peace”. “Peace” for them will mean a resolution of the Settlements, of the Roads, of the Occupation – and they are not at all convinced that the government of Israel is at all interested in discussing such matters.

Also on 12th January, Joan and I took our daughter and her children to Jericho. It is some time since we have been down that road, and we were not really surprised to see that yet more work has been done on making it into a 4-lane highway. It is, of course, in the West Bank, but that does not deter the Israeli government from taking land to build the road.

Jericho was almost like a ghost town. It is true that it was a Saturday afternoon, that it was cold and wet, but there were very few people around. We stopped at the Sycomore tree associated with Zacchaeus. A man from a car parked there waved and greeted us as if we had known each other all our lives. He was selling beads and necklaces. Later in the afternoon we met another young man close to the Monastery of the Temptation of Christ, selling identical items. We really needed nothing from either of them, but we just could not walk away and leave them – so we now have a few more trinkets that we do not really need.

The warders at the gates of the “prisons” that are Bethlehem and Jericho were courteous, and there was little delay at either place. But it makes one realise how much ground has to be covered to undo the Occupation that has now lasted since 1967.

We drove home up the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, and one really does climb – from 400 metres below sea level to 800 metres above sea level. The Psalmists really did get it right when they spoke of going up to Jerusalem. Along the way, we passed Settlements, and then when we went round one particular corner, there on a hill top in the distance, dominating that part of the panorama, was yet another Settlement. Only after passing these outposts of Israeli Jewish colonialism did we get to see the skyline of Jerusalem itself. Time after time, it is rammed down one’s throat how pervasive is the colonization of the West Bank, of Palestine, by the Israeli machine that is out to establish “facts on the ground.”

February 15th saw me in Gaza to meet with people there. I think that it is better to send off this letter, and when I get a chance to reflect on what we heard and saw, to send another one. Just imagine, two for the price of one!

Stay well.

God bless.

Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 206
10th February 2005


You have perhaps been inundated with pictures of Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas meeting in Egypt, along with President Mubarak and King Abdullah. There are front page news here also, as one would expect. What may be missing from your papers and media coverage are some of the more mundane items that form a background to the public face of life presented at Sharm el-Sheikh. At the risk of being seen as a “Jeremiah” (you will recall the verse from the Book of Jeremiah Chapter verse ) let me offer you some snippets from our local press that you may not have seen.

1. Thursday 3rd February Haaretz P2 :Peace Now reported on settlement and road building activities on the West Bank. “Peace Now calls for inquiry into ministers who approved outposts” ‘…There are currently 3,500 housing units under construction throughout the West Bank, the movement reports.’

2. Sunday February 6th Haaretz P5 : “There’s gold in them thar hills.” ‘Here’s an especially tempting proposition for hikers; come hiking on a route from which you can see how money flowing in the mountains and winds like a gushing river between the hills. In brief, come and visit the planned route of Road 358. This road is planned to run close to the Green Line in the southern Judean Hills, between Beit Guvrin in the North and Kibbutz Lahab and Moshav Shomriya in the south. An additional part of it was approved two weeks ago by the nation planning commission. The state is willing to pour more than NIS 100 million into this road and feels an intense need to do so as quickly as possible. Why is all that money to be poured into the beautiful hills of Judea? … The answer should be sought in the depth of the grand strategic concept, that where there is no contiguity of settlements on the hills, and there are Arabs around, we must immediately build a road surrounded by new Settlements. This would prevent Palestinians from “spilling over” into Israeli territories, or Bedouin from taking control of the land.’

Monday 7th February. Not in the Press. There were at least two visitors to Ramallah today. Condolezza Rice made a very visible trip, while I went in and out without any notice being taken at all. She did not have to go through check points. I had the usual check point to get in and the same one to get out. However, in addition there was a “mobile” check point on the road as I went north, which had moved to the south bound lane by the time I was coming home.

3. Wednesday 9th February Haaretz P1. Analysis by Aluf Benn “Sharon the Peacemaker” ‘Israel and the Palestinian Authority are resuming negotiations – but about relatively minor issues like the release of a few more prisoners and the timetable to hand over the West Bank cities. This is important, makes headlines but does not touch the core issues of the conflict : Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders.’

4. Wednesday 9th February Haaretz P1 “Evacuation bill squeaks through committee” ‘After more than a week of delays due to the government not having a majority, the evacuation compensation bill passed the Knesset Finance committee yesterday in a 10 – 9 vote.’ The report tells of deadlock in the Committee with 9 Jewish MKs voting for the Bill and 9 Jewish MKs voting against it. The decisive vote was cast by an Arab MK. It illustrates the depth of divisions within the Jewish political community in Israel.

5. Wednesday 9th February Haaretz P3 “High Court allows government to resume construction of fence near Jerusalem.” ‘The High Court of Justice ruled yesterday that the government can resume construction of part of a segment of the separation fence between northwest Jerusalem and Modi’in. The Court had earlier issued an injunction freezing the construction until it decided on a petition submitted by residents of Biddu and Beit Surik, villages near the planned route.’ Even while handshakes were taking place in Sharm, Palestinian land was being taken near Jerusalem to build the Fence.

6. Wednesday 9th February Jerusalem Post P1 “Shalom to lead referendum campaign” ‘Putting himself on a collision course with his own Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom announced on Tuesday evening that he would lead a campaign for a national referendum on disengagement’ (The Disengagement is the removal of Settlements from Gaza and parts of Northern Samaria.) Already the Finance Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, is said to be in favour of a Referendum, so there are deep divisions, not only within the country, but also within the Government at the highest level.

[One of the problems about holding a Referendum is will it be for all the citizens of Israel? Or only some citizens? Will Israeli Arabs be allowed to vote? If they are allowed to vote, and the Israeli Jewish vote were to be evenly split, the situation could then arise when a policy of the State of Israel vitally affecting its Jewish citizens could be decided by a vote of its Arab citizens. Would this be acceptable to Settlers and their supporters? On the other hand, if Israeli Arabs were excluded from voting, would the vote be seen as acceptable by the international community, and in particular by the champion of Democracy, the United States?]



My trip to Ramallah on Monday was to deliver 5 “Solar Hearing Aid Battery Chargers” This is a small machine, manufactured in Botswana, which uses a small solar panel to charge re-chargeable A5 batteries during daylight hours, which in turn can re-charge hearing aid batteries overnight, when they can be removed from hearing aids while users of the hearing-aids sleep. The idea is two fold – to avoid the mountains of used conventional hearing aid batteries that accumulate, and to reduce expenditure on batteries for people where there are limited incomes. It is hoped that people will find the machines – about 13cms x 10cms – both useful and cost-effective. If the “trial” is successful, it may even lead to some sort of “assembly” facility in the West Bank. A trip to Bethlehem on Wednesday took 4 of them to another clinic for people suffering hearing deficiencies. For anyone interested in information about Godisa, the makers of this gadget, visit www.godisa.org. The machines distributed in Ramallah and Bethlehem were purchased from donations sent to me for use in my work.



Thursday 10th February. One of the headlines in the “Guardian” – (an English newspaper) – Internet site this morning is “Israel to ease restrictions after ceasefire. …. Israel to lift road blocks round some West Bank cities to permit freer movement.” While the roadblocks referred to in the Guardian article control movement within the West Bank, there are also road blocks on the roads between the West Bank and Israel. One of these is at Bethlehem, and it is the one we pass each time we have to go to work in Bethlehem. At least we can pass. Wednesday afternoon I spent 35 minutes in the queue to get in, and 35 minutes in the queue to get out. In a sense, it is for me an inconvenience. But, if you were a commercial organisation, and had to pay workers to sit at road blocks and check points, you can understand the cumulative effect this would have on your operational costs. Let us say that it costs the Church of Scotland $40,000 per annum to keep me here – travel to and from UK, rent for accommodation, medical insurance, salary – and imagine that I work a 40-hour week, with 2 weeks’ holiday per year. This would work out, I think, at $800 per week, or $20 per hour. To accomplish yesterday’s passage through the check point cost the Church of Scotland more than $20. If you had a business to run, add to that the cost of salaries that of the cost of vehicles sitting idle while at checkpoints, etc. These “hidden” costs were among those given by traders who refused to go to Jayyous to get agricultural produce from farms on the Western side of the fence. The costs in waiting time made it economically unviable to do it. So, the people of Jayyous are hit economically, never mind the fact that their land is in the process of being taken away from them.



As we all know, politics is the art of the possible, and to engage in politics means that you cannot always choose the people to whom you have to relate. There is a lot said at present about releasing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and in particular those “with blood on their hands.” An interesting item of news appeared in Haaretz on Thursday Feb 10th, P1: “Yuval Diskin named new Shin Bet chief.” ‘Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to officially announce today the appointment of Yuval Diskin as the next Shin Bet security service chief. …. Diskin is considered as excellent operations man and very charismatic. As Deputy Shin Bet chief, he coordinated preparations for the targeted killing of wanted Palestinians, maintaining close ties with senior Israel Defence Forces officers … for the purpose of carrying out the assassination operations.’ This may well be one of the people with whom Palestinians will have to deal as matters develop in the coming weeks and months. How will he decide which people have “blood on their hands”?



Friday sees the start of some meetings between representatives of the Church of Scotland Board of World Mission and local Christian leaders. One of our daughter and her children are also here – so letter writing might not be all that feasible.



At the risk of disappointing you all with a short letter, I will finish for this week!



Stay well. God bless.

Joan and Clarence
 

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Circular Letter No 205
5th February 2005


On Saturday evening, I had to go to visit people staying in the David Citadel Hotel to deliver a message. While there, I picked up the Information Sheet about Shabbat arrangements for guests. It gives a glimpse into a world of which few of us have any knowledge or experience.

“The Hotel is equipped with a Shabbat Clock System, which allows guests to keep Shabbat comfortably. In order to use this service, it is important to inform the Front Desk of any special request to keep Shabbat.

The computerized system will turn off the lights, as well as the air conditioning detector on Friday at 2300 hours automatically and will reactivate on Motzei Shabbat automatically. The Shabbat Clock will turn off the following lights (as long as they were switched on before Shabbat:

1. The light above the Mini Bar. 2. The standard lamp in the salon. 3. The entrance hall light. 4. The picture light

There are certain areas that the Shabbat Clock is not connected to. It is necessary to either have these turned on/off depending on your requirements. The Shabbat Clock with not affect the following lights:

1. The bathroom light. 2. The closet light. 3. The night light next to the bed. 4. The table light.

Please note, use of the mini bar system activates an electronic charge on Shabbat. Shabbat keys, instead of electronic keys, are available upon request from the reception.”


On Sunday 30th January the last in this year’s series of services in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was held at the Episcopal Cathedral of St George. The Liturgy of Penitence included the following :

Leader : Lord, you are peace and reconciliation. All : Forgive us Lord, for often choosing jealousy and animosity rather than confidence and respect between churches.

Leader : Lord, you give us an abundance of blessings in the unity of faith. All : Forgive us Lord, for choosing isolation and refusing to be a blessing for each other, between churches.

Leader : Lord you have given joy to the afflicted, liberation to the captives, pardon to sinners. All : Forgive us Lord, for having closed our hands and turned our faces away from those who need help.

Although used in the context of relations between churches, it seems as valid when applied to relations between nations and religions.


The question of the Israeli Government’s secret decision in mid-2004 to activate the Absentee Property Law with reference to property in East Jerusalem owned by Palestinians who live elsewhere keeps going. Many thanks to the folks who have reacted to this and who have contacted their MPs and MSPs. From time to time I get copies of letters from the Churches for Middle East Peace in Washington. Below is one of the latest, which is relevant to the current problem.

January 28, 2005

TO: Churches for Middle East Peace Email Network FROM: Corinne Whitlatch, CMEP Director

RE: News and views This email alert is also posted on our website at: http://www.cmep.org/Alerts/2005Jan28.htm

1. Ambassador. Kurtzer promptly replied by fax to CMEP’s letter of January 25 about Israel’s use of the absentee property law to claim E. Jerusalem land. The letter, retyped by Julie, follows.

Embassy of the United States of America, Tel Aviv, Israel January 28, 2005

Corinne Whitlatch, J. Daryl Byler, Churches for Middle East Peace, 110 Maryland Avenue NE, #311, Washington, D.C.

Dear Ms. Whitlatch and Mr. Byler,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter of January 25. The U.S. Government shares your concern over the reported land seizures in E. Jerusalem. At this point we are working very hard to understand precisely the elements of the Absentee Property Law of 1950 and how the Israeli government intends to implement it, if at all. We also continue to urge Israel to refrain from any unilateral step that changes the status quo in Jerusalem. Mutual agreement and direct negotiations between the parties are required for final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem.

Similarly, our position on the route of the barrier construction has not changed. We remain deeply committed to a just two-state solution, and a durable Israeli-Palestinian peace. I assure you the United States Government and I will do all we can to seize the opportunities afforded by current circumstances to bring that about.

Best regards. Sincerely, Daniel C. Kurtzer, Ambassador.

Tuesday February 1st, Haaretz P1, carried at the very top of the page the headline “Mazuz pleads ignorance about East Jerusalem property decision.” (Mr Mazuz is the Israeli Attorney General). ‘The Cabinet’s decision to apply the Absentee Property Law to East Jerusalem was made without the knowledge or consent of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, Mazuz informed the Association for Civil Rights in Israel yesterday. This contradicts an earlier statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, which claimed that the Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem had made the decision “with the consent of the Attorney General’s representative” who attended the meeting and after Mazuz himself had seen a copy.’


Yet this is only one part of the pressure that is being exerted by the Israeli Government on the Palestinian population.

Another instance of the pressure that is being applied is illustrated in the headline on Tuesday January 25th, Haaretz P1

“E J’lemites will need permits to visit Ramallah.” ‘Starting in July, East Jerusalem Palestinians will be denied freedom of movement into Ramallah, Binyamin region Brigade commander Col. Mickey Edelstein has confirmed to Machsom Watch, a voluntary women’s group that monitors checkpoints.’

There is almost continuous housing development between East Jerusalem and Ramallah. Many folk whom I know have members of their families in both areas, and some own property in both places.

On Monday, I met with a woman in East Jerusalem and after talking about some business, I asked about her own situation. Born and brought up in Ramallah, she is typical of many people, in that she now works in East Jerusalem. She has the requisite permit to make the journey each day at present, and described the way over the years that she has moved from anger at the delays at checkpoints to using her car as a mobile office, so that she has her books, and her music, with her. However, with this twin pronged attack of confiscation of land and new permits for travel, she faces a very real dilemma. Shall she move herself permanently to Jerusalem, leaving her family in Ramallah, thus safeguarding the work that she does and the apartment that she owns here in Jerusalem? Shall she resign from her work, leave her property in Jerusalem, and try to make a new beginning in Ramallah? Or shall she emigrate, to find somewhere where she can live and work without the pressures that she faces here? Already at least one of her children has made that decision, and is now a refugee from home in Ramallah.


One of the goals of part of Israeli society is the transference of Arab people out of Israel, and ultimately out of the West Bank. This person’s story is but one strand in what is, in effect, ethnic cleansing. Make life so difficult for people that they move, seems to be part of the practical outcome of policies of the Government.


It is ironic that on the day after I had this conversation, there is the following announcement of a decision of the Israeli Government. February 1st, Haaretz P2 : “Israel to bring 20,000 remaining Falashmura by ‘07” ‘The last 20,000 Falashmura who are eligible to immigrate to Israel will be brought her by the end of 2007, the government decided yesterday. To achieve this aim, the rate of immigration from Ethiopia will be doubled as of June 1, 2005 from 300 people a month to 600.’


Thursday 3rd February. During a visit to Bethlehem to do some business, I was talking with one person about what particular sort of help was most needed. He spoke of “job creation” – giving unemployed heads of families some work for a week, so that they at least felt they earned the money they were given. I agreed to try to help with this. Then he produced a box of olive wood candle holders, which a man had brought in earlier in the day. The man had been adamant that he did not want charity – but rather someone to buy his products and give him a sense of value. I had enough money with me to buy some, so if anyone wants 50 candle holders – flat, and star shaped or fish shaped, to hold a little “tea” candle, just let me know. About $3 or £1.50. Angels? Bags? Stars? Olive Oil? Our house at times is a bit like an emporium.


It has been a good rule of thumb over the years : “It is what people do, rather than what they say, that is important.”

There is a lot of talk about “the window of opportunity for peace.” “Time for negotiations.” Etc.

Fine words, but then there is the little matter of what is being done.

Wednesday, February 2nd, Haaretz P1. “IDF : Settlers still building in outposts.” ‘The settlers are proceeding with construction in illegal outposts in the West Bank, even those earmarked for evacuation, according to the Israeli Defence Forces Civil Administration. … In all four cases, the IDF had issued demarcation lines for the outposts, to facilitate their rapid evacuation. The residents lost their appeals against the evacuation and the IDF has been authorised to dismantle them. However, this has not been done. A senior IDF office explained that the evacuation was pending Prime Minister Sharon’s decision. He said political leaders have ordered the IDF to cease all the activity concerning the outposts and to await new orders. The IDF has also failed to evacuate houses the settlers seized in Hebron’s wholesale market, although the legal procedures were completed more than a year ago.’

Friday February 4th, Haaretz PA3. “High Court allows IDF to build bypass road to Rachel’s Tomb.” ‘The IDF can carry out its plans to build a bypass road that would allow Jewish worshippers to travel in relative safety from Jerusalem to Rachel’s Tomb in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the High court of Justice ruled yesterday …. The petitioners said the planned road would limit the freedom of movement of Palestinians living in the area, and said they were concerned the road was intended to help Israel annexe Rachel’s Tomb. But the Justices rejected the argument, ruling that the worshippers are entitled to freedom of religious observance and said the IDF is responsible for defending that freedom in this case, Israel Radio reported. …The route of the fence has been changed three times in response to previous petitions.’


Facilitating the movement of some to worship would be fine, if it was extended to all who wished to worship. Even with her permit in her hand, Helen Shehadeh had to wait for over an hour last Sunday to pass the checkpoint to come to church. Returning to Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon from Bethlehem, I had to sit for 65 minutes before getting through the check point. It was ironical that, as I waited, I listened to the BBC World Service news telling me that Israel was planning to pull its forces out of West Bank towns, to make life easier for Palestinians. For instance, we were told that soldiers would be withdrawn from Jericho. However, they would still patrol outside the city. And the way such things as electricity and water are supplied, the controls are all outside Jericho. For me, the image this conjured up was of Prison Warders controlling the entrances and exits to a prison, but allowing the prisoners to set up their own regime within the prison. The Warders, of course, would still control the electricity and water supplies.
 

A propos of nothing. A story was told of a Hen and a Pig that went for a walk in a town in America. They saw a poster advertising breakfast of bacon and eggs. The Hen remarked to the Pig how good it felt to be able to contribute to helping people enjoy life. The Pig replied : “Dear Hen, with you it is a matter of a Donation. For me it is a question of total commitment!”

Stay well. God bless.

Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 204
January 2005


From time to time “official” visitors come and a programme has to be arranged for them. This involves contacting different organisations to arrange meetings. One such organisation that I contacted with week was B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. (For any interested in its work, visit www.btselem.org) Business having been concluded, we chatted a bit in general about current events. I always find it interesting to hear the point of view of Israeli Jewish people, such as those who work for B’Tselem. The young lady said there were good and bad days. Sometimes she is positive, sometimes negative. However, she was heartened by a report in the paper, Haaretz Monday January 24th 2005, P1. “Ya’alon awaits two reports on Rafah house demolitions.” ‘Two major generals are soon to submit conclusions to Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon on an issue described as “explosive” by military sources: the demolition of Palestinian homes in the territories, primarily the massive razing of dwellings in the Gaza strip. … A Southern Command investigation of King’s Court indicated that the Command authorized the demolition of 2 houses of known terrorists. Something happened that led to the destruction of 25 houses. … Operation Rainbow was a little different. …. Four days into the fighting the IDF still claimed only 4 houses had been destroyed. A later examination revealed the number to be 86.” Whatever is the outcome of the investigations, the fact that they are being made, and that the existence of these investigations is being publicly acknowledged, is indicative of a new element in public opinion here, and a concern about the effect of the Intifada and the Israeli army’s response is having on public and private morality.


Thursday 27th January.

The day of Remembering the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz was spend by me on a visit to the northern area of the West Bank, to the village of Zababdeh. I was travelling with a Catholic priest stationed in Jerusalem, who was paying an official visit to the Catholic Church and School in Zababdeh. The car in which we were travelling had official CC (Consular Corps) licence plates, and the priest was on the staff of the French Consulate. Zababdeh is a predominantly Christian village, about 10 kms from Jenin. The Latin Catholic Church has about 300 families, the Greek Orthodox Church has 200 families, the Episcopal Church 40 families and the Melkite Church 20 families. Muslims are approx 1/3 of the population of the village. The School has a Crèche for the children of the staff and workers. It runs from kindergarten to A level – with about 500 pupils.

We travelled north towards Nablus. There were 2 main check points on the approach to Nablus – the one more permanent and geared to a more thorough search of all those entering or leaving Nablus on this road. There has been much talk of the need to ease travel restrictions for Palestinians – and perhaps this is the case. But the second check point on the approach to Nablus did not give the appearance of any easing – people queuing, documents being checked, baggage being checked – and these are people moving from one part of the West Bank to another – going nowhere near Israel. We drove through Nablus and out towards the north. We came towards the check point on this road, but before we got to it, there was an Israeli army jeep in the middle of the road. There were pedestrians walking towards the check point and some coming from it. They were young, old, men, women and children. A vehicle some way in front of us had passed the jeep, so we were reasonably clearly visible to the soldiers. When we were within 30 metres of the jeep, there was the sound of gun, and a teargas grenade landed not far in front of the car. We kept driving, and so were only slightly affected by the gas. What was alarming, in one respect, about this, was the way in which the pedestrians and the people standing around seemed to take it so normally, as if this was something which happened regularly. Perhaps it does. What was alarming in another respect was the way in which the Israeli soldier shot the teargas in a rather indiscriminate fashion up the road. Whether he noticed our vehicle or not, I do not know. But for him, it seemed a normal thing to do. Having fired his grenade, he then got back into the jeep.

We have no idea how long it took other people to pass the checkpoints, but for us, with our foreign passports, and our car, it was a relatively easy process.

Travelling further north, we got a bit lost! Given that there are not too many roads, one might ask who was the navigator, and how did he manage to take the wrong one. As I was not the driver, it needs little imagination to guess the identity of the navigator. In his defence, it must be said that a phenomenon on much of the West Bank is the fact that the only centres of habitation which have any signs are the Settlements – their names are quite clear. The Arab villages rarely have any sign for them. Of course, if there is no sign, and no name, then for those driving past, they might as well not exist.

Later in the afternoon, when we were returning (by a different route) to Jerusalem, we came to another check point. There is a convention that cars with diplomatic number plates are not required to wait in the queues of vehicles at check points. With this in mind, we drove past the queue of some 10 – 15 vehicles waiting to pass this checkpoint. We waited on the approach to the barrier, to be signaled forward by the soldiers. In due course, they moved to take up a different position, facing our car. One was behind a barricade, and he levelled his gun directly at us – despite the markings on the car being clearly visible. To expedite our passage, we both got out of the car, and helped the soldiers decipher our documents. They were quite affable, but it was none the less indicative of how nervous they felt that they took such evasive action against us, and were prepared to shoot, if they felt threatened. With one, I had a brief conversation – he did not fully appreciate what a “minister” was, though he did realise that it was something to do with praying. I usually wear my clerical collar on such journeys, and I was wearing it on this occasion – but it did not seem to mean anything to the soldier.

Again, as with the earlier checkpoints, there was the rather bizarre situation that both sides of the check point were in the West Bank, without any direct access to Israel. What was the purpose of the check points? At various places along the road, there were places where there had been barriers of earth to block the roads. These have been lifted, and so to that extent travel is easier – if you have the papers to pass the check points and have the motivation to endure the process of being questioned and examined.


The School in Zababdeh is a modern building – donations from Spain helped with its construction. We were shown round it, and had a chat with the Director. It was a bright, modern building – but it was warmer outside than inside! Heating is not a great priority in architecture here, or in the furnishing of some buildings. One of the most imaginative facilities of the school was its Language Laboratory. We listened in to one class being taught French by a French volunteer. It made me wonder about the possibility of getting such a Laboratory for the Church of Scotland School in Jaffa.


Land is the name of the whole game here – who has it, who wants it, to whom does it belong, who can get hold of it. The “ideal” in the Balfour Declaration was that Jewish people would be able to come to Palestine, as it then was, and somehow get land to live on and to work on, without prejudicing the people who were already living there. Depending on your point of view, you will think that this has been, or is in the process of being, achieved; or you will think that it ranks as one of the great deceptions of the twentieth century. Which makes the headline on Thursday, January 27th 2005, Haaretz P1, all the more compelling.

“AG Mazuz rules JNF land can now be sold to Arabs” (Israeli Attorney General Mazuz rules that Jewish National Fund land … ) ‘All land managed by the Israel Lands Administration, including land owned by the Jewish National Fund, will be marketed without discrimination or limits including to non-Jews, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decided yesterday. The revolutionary decision followed a discussion held in Mazuz’s office attended by senior members of the state prosecutor’s office and the legal advisers to the JNF and the ILA. The ruling was made in preparation for the state’s response to High Court petitions filed on the matter. The state prosecutor’s office believes it will not be able to defend before the High Court the policy of allocating Jewish National Fund land to Jews only.’ Further on in the article there is a bit of useful background information. ‘…in order to preserve the original designated purpose of the JNF, which is formally defined as an organisation working “on behalf of the Jewish nation”, and in the name of the interests of the Diaspora Jews, it was decided that if any ILA tender for land owned by the JNF is won by a non-Jewish citizen, the ILA will transfer alternative land to the JNF. This arrangement, say Justice Ministry sources, will achieve two objectives. On the one hand, it will preserve the principle of equality and cancel the discrimination against Arabs. On the other hand, the JNF will retain its current quote – some 13% of State land – and this land will continue to come under the JNF’s principle of using this land “for the purpose of settling Jews.” …The JNF which is wholly owned by the World Zionist Organisation, was established in 1901 and has since been collecting donations from Diaspora Jews for the purpose of purchasing land in Israel. The JNF leases land to Jews only in keeping with the Fund’s regulations. … The JNF published a survey last week that shows that more than 70% of the Jewish public in Israel is opposed to allocating JNF-land to non-Jews, while more than 80% prefer Israel to be defined as the State of the Jewish people, and not the State of all its citizens.’

So far, so good. But …

Friday January 28th 2005. “JNF, Treasury seek formula for continued Jews-only land sales.” ‘The Jewish National Fund and the Finance Ministry are currently trying to draft a new agreement that would separate the JNF from the State, thereby allowing it to continue selling land to Jews only. The negotiations – which are being backed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, who is responsible for the Israel Lands Administration, have made considerable progress, and the agreement is likely to be signed in the coming months, according to sources involved in the talks. …. The State will also guarantee the JNF an income of NIS 500 million a year, meaning that if the organisation fails to earn that much by marketing its lands in a given year, the state will make up the difference. In addition, the state is considering assuming the JNF’s pension obligations to its retirees.’

This would appear to mean that income belonging to the State – including from taxes paid by all its citizens, among whom are Arabs, - would be used to support the Jewish National Fund, an organisation whose role is to be ‘a trustee for the Jewish people.’ I wonder if the Attorney General would have an opinion on such an agreement.


In Jerusalem this is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It may be a bit later than in many parts of the world, but that is because it is planned to follow the Armenian celebration of Christmas, on January 18th. Each evening, there is a service in a different church in the city – following a rather traditional rota. The divisions within the Church are highlighted by those who attend and those who do not. No participation by “evangelicals”. Almost no participation by Hebrew speaking believers. No official participation by the Greek Orthodox Church. Yet – there is a feeling of real warmth and community among those who share in the services. In the first service, in the Greek Catholic Church – the microphone was made available to anyone from the congregation who wanted to come and lead a prayer – and several did. On Tuesday, I was one of the ministers “up front” in the Lutheran Church – there were 16 of us! – all having a wee bit to lead in the service. Often, the Benediction is pronounced by all the leading Bishops etc who are there, each in their own language and tradition. To some, it seems a trifle repetitive – to others, it is good that all are invited to share, and feel able to accept. The service this evening will be in the Ethiopian Church, while the last one will be in the Episcopal Church. Please remember them, and the Christian community here, in your prayers.


Stay well. With my proof reader back home, any mistakes are now a shared responsibility.

God bless.

Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 203
22nd January 2005

Foreign Office, November 2nd 1917.

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you. on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:

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

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation

Yours, Arthur James Balfour.

I have known what I wanted to write, but I just could not bring myself to sit down at the keyboard and do the writing – I felt so angry about what has come out this week in the news here.


But to the beginning of the week.

We had often heard of a special “Garden” in the general direction of Tel Aviv, in which one could see many biblical plants etc. So, thinking that we should visit it to see if it would be a helpful place to take visitors, Joan and I went down on Sunday. It is an interesting place, with plants that are well documented, trails laid out for visitors to follow, along which there are some exhibits from the culture and agriculture of the country. Some would not have changed a great deal since Biblical times.

But you can never go far here before being confronted by the reality of the power of the State of Israel. Within sight of the park, just a kilometre or two away, there is an Arab village – and right beside it snakes along “The Wall/Fence”. It is a grazing area, and the area from which the village is now separated by the Fence was part of its grazing lands. So, where before the local people had free access to their farm lands, now they depend on the Israeli army opening whatever gate there might happen to be.

Down below their hill grazing areas were firing ranges for the Israeli army – and all the while as we were walking round looking at the plants of the Bible, there was the accompanying sound of soldiers at shooting practice.

It may well be a place where people can learn a bit about the Bible – it certainly is a place where the more violent message can be both seen and heard – where land has been taken, and where people are reminded who has the power. I doubt if the group of young adults, with their loud, brash, intrusive American accents, - the new citizens of this land -, who were visiting the Park on an educational outing, even noticed the firing ranges and the Fence.


Thursday.

Another visit to Bethlehem, and in particular to Beit Jala. Helen Shehadeh is once again in search of a Permit to come to Jerusalem so that she can join the congregation in its worship. Someone who wrote to Mr. Shaham at the Israeli Embassy in London about Helen’s situation had the stock answer from a secretary there – ‘Mr. Shaham has been in touch with Miss Shehadeh, and has given her information to help her get her permit.’ Sadly, the people at the end of the phone which Helen was given to call seem to be on holiday, and have not answered!

Anyway, we have given her yet another letter, and perhaps she will get a permit next week.

But Thursday morning was the real bombshell.

Haaretz Thursday 20th January P1. “”Gov’t decision strips Palestinians of their East J’lem property.” ‘The Sharon government implemented the Absentee Property Law in East Jerusalem last July, contrary to Israeli government policy since Israeli law was extended to East Jerusalem after the Six Day War. The law means that thousands of Palestinians who live in the West Bank will lose ownership of their property in East Jerusalem. Government officials estimate the assets total thousands of dunam, while other estimates say they could add up to half of all East Jerusalem property. … The decision was presented to the prime minister and attorney general and met with their approval, but the decision was not publicised until now and is not listed on the Web site of the Prime Minister’s Office. … With the recent construction of the Fence in the Jerusalem region, Palestinian landholders from Bethlehem and Beit Jala requested permission to continue working their fields, which are within Jerusalem’s municipal jurisdiction. The state’s response stated that the lands “no longer belong to them, but have been handed over to the Custodian For Absentee Property”. At stake are thousands of dunam of agricultural land on which the Palestinians grew olives and grapes throughout the years.’


For those of us who are not well versed in the Israeli legal system, it is necessary to understand something about this “Absentee Property Law.” There was more explanation about this on Friday January 21st in the Haaretz Weekend Magazine. Pp 8 – 12. “The Absentee Property Law (sometimes known as the Abandoned Property Law) was enacted in 1950. It defines an “absentee” as a person who “at any time” in the period between November 29, 1947 and September 1, 1948, “was in any part of the land of Israel that is outside the territory of Israel” (meaning the West Bank or the Gaza Strip) or in other Arab states. The law stipulates that the property of such an absentee would be transferred to the Custodian of Absentee Property, with no possibility of appeal or compensation. From there, by means of another law, the property was moved along, so that effectively the assets that were left behind by Palestinian refugees in 1948 (and also some of the property of Palestinians who were now citizens of Israeli, the famous “present absentees”, were “transferred” to the State of Israel. (Weekend magazine P 8.)

This Law, which was designed to apply to areas under Israeli control after the establishment of the State of Israel, is now being implemented in areas that are beyond the Green Line, and which I understand are not legally recognised as being part of Israel.

It was on July 8, 2004 that the Israeli Cabinet met and adopted resolutions that are not mentioned on the official Web site of the Prime Minister’s office. The heading to the article in the Weekend Magazine reads “As a result of a secret Israeli government decision, thousands of Palestinians living in the West Bank who own land or homes in East Jerusalem lost all rights to their holdings. And there are already plans to build on the expropriated land.”


The article then goes on to document the stories of individuals who have been affected by this decision. I have already written about the situation in Jayyous, where land on the western side of the Fence has, for years, been zoned for the expansion of a Settlement, without the knowledge of the Palestinian owners of the land. As it is now on the Israeli side of the Fence, there is little that they can do. In all probability, they have lost their possessions.

Now, in the area around Bethlehem and Beit Jala, the same sort of thing is happening. The Fence has been put in. It has separated people from their olive groves. They are therefore “absentees” and the land, now deemed to be in Jerusalem, has no owner present, and so comes under the jurisdiction of the Custodian of Absentee Property.


Let me quote part of the story of one man. (Weekend Magazine P10)

Johnny Atik belongs to one of the most venerable and distinguished families in Bethlehem. For many generations his family has worked an olive grove on a hill that faced north, in the direction of the post -1967 Jerusalem neighbourhood of Armon Hanatziv (East Talpiot). His house is in Beit Jala. 40 olive trees were uprooted when the separation fence was built and now it’s the fence that abuts the family home. Another 150 trees remained on the other side of the barrier, the Israeli side. When the construction of the fence began, Atik, through his lawyer, asked the military authorities to reroute the fence so that it would not separate him from his trees. That request was denied as expected, but the army acceded very courteously to his other requests. “Trees that will be uprooted form Mr. Atik’s lots of land will be moved in accordance with his request,” Captain Gil Limon, assistant to the Judea and Samaria legal advisers told Mr. Atik’s lawyer in writing in July 2002. “After the fence is in place, a permit will be used to Mr. Atik for passage of the barrier so that he will be able to go to the areas he owns, which will be north of the barrier, in order to go to work them.” In them meantime, the fence was erected, but the permit did not arrive. His lawyer made request, after request, and finally in August 2004 there was a response. “The land no longer belongs to them, but is being placed in the possession of the Custodian of Absentee Property,” a letter from the Israel Defence Forces to Mr. Atik’s lawyer stated.


What were the words of the Balfour Declaration worth – speaking about the establishment of a homeland for Jewish people. In establishing this homeland, “it (is) clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.

Try telling that to Mr. Atik and hundreds of other people like him.


Where is this “window of opportunity” for peace that is so much talked about by politicians who are far removed from the day to day manoeuvres of the Government of Israel, which will result in what amounts to the wholesale theft of land from Palestinians? Who among the readers of this would accept such a situation? Yet, the leaders of Governments who have shown no concern about the implementation of this law to territory conquered in 1967, and which is the subject of UN Resolutions, are pressuring the Palestinians to “stop violence” against Israel.


Why was the decision taken in secret, and why was it kept from public scrutiny?


To his credit, the leader writer of Haaretz on Friday 21st January, Page B4, heads his column “Injustice and stupidity in Jerusalem.” He concludes his column “It is also impossible to accept the secrecy with which the cabinet makes fateful decision of this nature, which unnecessarily damage the fabric of relations between Israel and the Palestinians. The Absentee Property Law, which might have been tolerable at the time of the state’s establishment and the War of Independence, is inappropriate 55 years later.”


“The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church” is a phrase from the writings of Tertullian, who was born about AD 160. To adapt it to the present situation : “every piece of land seized from Palestinians is a seed of continuing conflict.”

People ask me about “Hope”. Not much in evidence at present. It has been a bad week.


Stay well.

(My proof reader is not here – she is with Vivienne for a week. So mistakes are mine!)

Clarence

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Circular Letter No 202
14th January 2005

I am sometimes asked what I think about the “future” of .Israel and Palestine – flattered to think that anyone would ask me! I am not at all optimistic, particularly as I drive around the West Bank and see the relentless expansion of Settlements and Roads. My sense of apprehension was given some substance by an extract from an interview given to the Editor of the Jerusalem Post, by Mr Ra’anan Gissin, one of the figures from Israeli public life whom you may have seen as a spokesman for the Government who regularly appears on TV News programmes. He elicits strong reactions, both positive and negative. He is one of those who is close to the Prime Minister, and thus it is worth reading what he says. In this interview given to the Editor of the Jerusalem Post and published on 7th January, (P24 and P17), in response to a question about the borders of a future State of Palestine, he said “I think what has been done in the agreement between the Prime Minister (Mr Sharon) and the President (of the USA, Mr Bush) endorsed overwhelmingly by the two houses of Congress, is a sort of outline of how this state will look in terms of boundaries. First, it will not be the ’67 boundaries. It will have to have secure borders and it will have to be the kind of borders that take into consideration realities – demographic realities, economic realities, that were created on the ground. …He (Mr Sharon) is confident that there will be an eastern Security Zone and a Western Security Zone – the eastern ( in the Jordan Valley CWM) 10 – 15 kilometres wide, and the western 3 – 5 kilometres from the ’67 borders. In response to his questioner’s comment that that proposal refers to 58% of the West Bank, Mr Gissin responds : ‘Yeah. If we come to provisional arrangements, security will be left with us, and the full daily lives, and control of traffic, water and sewage, will be in the hands of the Palestinians.’



An invitation came in to “The Minister of the Scottish Church in Jerusalem” to attend a concert in Herzliya. It was entitled “Three women : three faiths” and featured an Israeli Jewish woman, an Israeli Arab Christian woman, and a Turkish Muslim woman. The programme included secular and religious music, with the choral works being sung by a Choral Society from Herzliya and a local school choir. The Orchestra was from the Tel Aviv area, and the conductor was a Guest Conductor from Turkey. The auditorium was almost full – perhaps 1,000 people. Interestingly, when compared with an audience of similar size that might be found at the Jerusalem Theatre, there were very few Jewish men wearing a kippa – it was a very secular audience indeed. One who was wearing a kippa, was the leader of the Orchestra.

The performance was of the highest standard and we greatly enjoyed it.

It was odd listening to the Hallelujah Chorus from “The Messiah” being sung by a Jewish Choir, with an orchestra being led by a religious Jewish man, and the conductor being a Turkish Muslim. It was odd later in the evening, to be listening to the Israeli Arab Christian and the Turkish Muslim woman singing extracts from “Stabat Mater”.



When doing some work in Bethlehem during the week, I took time to ask some of the folk there what they thought of the Election, and what were their thoughts about the future.

Universally, they ended up saying that the whole matter was in the hands of the Israeli Government. I am sure that there are those who read this who will respond that this is what Palestinians would say. The folk with whom I spoke acknowledged that there has to be some action on the part of the Palestinian Authority. There has to be action within Palestine to bring about a better system of government; there has to be action vis-a-vis Israel to convince the authorities in Israel that efforts are being made to stop attacks on Israel. Yet, they all have spent most of their lives under occupation, needing permits to do virtually anything. They were unanimous in stating that if the Israeli Government treats Abu Mazen now as it did when he was Prime Minister a couple of years ago when Mr Arafat was still alive, then he will have no room for manoeuvre at all. He has to be able to show people that steps are being taken to end the Occupation, or inevitably there will be more attacks on Israelis living on the West Bank, and in Gaza if any remain there.



It is difficult to convey the sense of oppression that there is among many folk. Three little examples.

An expatriate : A senior citizen coming to Israel, where she has lived for many years, had booked to fly on El Al, the Israeli airline. As this was a short visit due to family reasons, she was bringing a couple of empty suitcases to take clothes back to Europe. This aroused the suspicion of the security personnel, and resulted in her being taken to a special holding area, and then escorted to the plane – in the eyes of the security personnel, a grandmother with empty suitcases who was a security threat.

An Israeli-born Arab now living outside Israel. The young man coming to Israel for a visit, was taken aside at the airport, and had to undress to his pants and T-shirt – said the security people it was easier to check his trousers when he had taken them off than when we was wearing them. Is it at all connected with the fact that he is of Arab descent?

A resident of Bethlehem. The young woman is on medication, and for her particular symptoms there is now no doctor in the West Bank. So she has to travel outside. When I asked if there was a doctor in Israel who could treat her, she said that it was easier for her to see a doctor in the USA than in Israel.

There is a conviction that if one is Arab, or a Christian who supports the Palestinian Church and people, then there is a level of discrimination that has nothing to do with security, and more with a long-term policy to try to make life so difficult for people on the West Bank that they will leave.



Below is a news item carried on the BBC on 6th January 2005, published in the Scotsman in Edinburgh on 4th January, and can be found on Google.

LONDON: A court yesterday cleared an Israeli holidaymaker who had flown into Britain saying he had forgotten he had a loaded pistol in his hand luggage. Benjamin Lehman, 48, was cleared in a London court of two counts of "having a dangerous article" at Heathrow Airport on June 17 last year. Lehman, who said he needed the weapon because he lives in the West Bank, took the 9mm Steyr M9 self-loading pistol containing 10 rounds of ammunition through a security check at Tel Aviv before flying to Britain last year.

Lehman, who holds dual Israeli and British nationality, then also passed through Heathrow and spent several days in London with the weapon still in an inside pocket of his rucksack, London's Isleworth Crown Court had been told.

It was only when Lehman returned to Heathrow on June 17 for a flight to New York that the pistol was picked up on an airport X-ray machine.

One of the discriminatory features of passing through the old International Airport at Ben Gurion airport was the way in which luggage of all non-Israelis was put through a scanning machine, along with the luggage of Israeli Arabs. It was this airport that this man used in 2004, and it was through this airport that he was able to get a gun on to a plane.



Is it a legitimate question to ask what would have been the verdict of the Court, and the action of the security services when his gun was discovered, if he had been a man of Arab descent, living on the West Bank where he could have argued that he needed a weapon to defend himself against Settlers. Certainly, Palestinian folk feel that there would have been no acquittal for one of their folk.



Coming home one evening during the week, I met a friend who was just leaving his office. He is of American descent, and came to live in Israel some 30 years ago. He works with people from all parts of the two major communities, and is one of those who was actively involved in moves to bring together Jewish and Arab people as part of the “Oslo process.” He came in for a chat, as it was still early evening. We talked over many things, and inevitably, as conversation progressed, we came to “the situation”. In many respects, his comments were the mirror image of those I had heard earlier in the week in Bethlehem. He stressed the need for Trust between Israeli Jewish people and Palestinians. Without Trust there can be no progress. He spoke of the traumatic feelings he and his family had after the outbreak of the Intifada – how could such violence be used against the Israelis? He spoke of his attachment to this Land, and how much more at home he felt here than in the country where he had been born. When I asked if he would consider leaving Israel, he was emphatic in his response that he would stay here, as this was his home.

Speaking of the possibility of new “negotiations” with the Palestinians, again he emphasised the need for Trust. On the subject of Land, there might be some discussion about some Settlements, but such places as Ma’ale Adummim and the major Settlements round Jerusalem would remain, even though they were on Palestinian land.

When he went home, I was left wondering where there was any possibility of common ground between the professional people I had met in Bethlehem and the professional people I had met in Jerusalem.



Perhaps it is a mark of my naiveté that I still hope to find some connection between Morality and the actions of the military forces of countries such as the UK and the US. There is a sort of “campaign” among some people to get the armed forces of Israel more involved with the forces of NATO. “WJC wants NATO to grant Israel ‘associate membership.” (Haaretz Sunday Jan 9th, P2) ‘The World Jewish Congress will call today on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to grant Israel associate membership in the alliance to bolster Israel’s security and smooth relations between Europe and the Middle East, a WJC official said on Friday. ….. A NATO official said on Friday the Alliance did not have a provision for associate membership, but said Israel was a valued member of the Mediterranean group.’ The Jerusalem Post of Wednesday 12th January, P3, carries a picture of 3 warships in line astern, over the heading “Ships Ahoy!” ‘Israeli, US and Turkish warships sail off the coasty of Haifa yesterday during “Reliant Mermaid 7” the seventh annual joint search-and-rescue naval manoeuvres the countries have held.

Having an Army which has killed 174 Palestinian minors during 2004 – one every two days – does not appear to affect its being a “valued member of the Mediterranean Group of NATO.”



The news today, of a bombing in Gaza, and then the Israeli Government breaking off all contacts with the Palestinian leadership, really shows the extent of the problems here. It takes me back to times in Edinburgh when news came through of yet another bomb in Northern Ireland. Resolution of the conflict there appears still to be a long way off. Resolution of the conflict here is likewise a distant goal.



May you all stay well. God bless.

Joan and Clarence
 

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Circular Letter No 201
7th January 2005



On the last afternoon of 2004, Joan and I went for a walk in our neighbourhood, to get to know some of the roads and places close to us. It was a glorious afternoon, and we were strolling along in shirt sleeves, it was so warm.

I have said before how difficult it is for folk like us to get any sense of the enormous change that came over Jerusalem in the days of 1948 when Arab people, afraid for their safety following such events as the massacre of Arabs by Jews at Deir Yassin, fled from their homes and the Jewish forces took control of their neighbourhoods. Their feelings were reinforced by the advice that they got from the leaders of Jordan to leave for a couple of weeks, until things would calm down. That feeling came back to us this afternoon, as we walked through this area of the city which is almost totally Jewish. We passed by most elegant houses which once were inhabited by Arab families, and as you are aware, we in fact know some of the folk who owned the houses in this part of the city.

One of the things that made the end of the walk most difficult was passing through a local park. The ground showed the marks of recent digging by large machines, and there we saw 4 large olive trees. They were exactly like the trees we saw in a picture of Jayyous last week – uprooted to make way for a Settlement, and then sold to people in Israel. It is difficult not to think that these trees have come from the West Bank – and they are now part of a West Jerusalem park. It is sometimes hard to control one’s sense of outrage. And without doubt, the local people will know where the trees have come from, if they ever stopped to ask themselves where trees of this age would have grown.

The park is within 10 minutes’ walk of the house of the President, who spoke of Terrorism as a purely Palestinian phenomenon; yet here were examples of a different sort of Terrorism, - trees uprooted by workmen protected by the barrels of Israeli settlers’ guns, supported by the instruments of the Occupation.



The following is an extract from an account of a Demonstration in Jayyous on 30th December. It comes from Gush Shalom:

“In spite of police threats, hundreds of Israeli and international peace activists and Palestinian villagers planted olive trees at the site of a planned new settlement: North Zufin, next to Qalqilya. "We, Israelis and Palestinians, shall campaign together against the landgrab of the Separation Fence" ….. "I warn you, this is private property belonging to the settlers, and the planting of olive trees here is a violation of the law. We shall photograph every single person planting trees" called the police officer over his megaphone to hundreds of Israeli peace activists who gathered this morning at the site of the new settlement-to-be "Zufin North", next to Qalqilya. The activists responded to his words by chanting "Police State", "Stop the Occupation" and "No soldier and no policeman – we shall not rule over another nation". The hundreds of demonstrators, members of Gush Shalom, Ta'ayush, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, MachsomWatch and the Anarchists Against the Wall, came to the site in a convoy of buses and private cars from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. To the west of the Tsur Natan (inside the Green Line) they were stopped by a large force of police and army, including a team of YASSAM (special forces). The demonstrators descended from the vehicles and marched five kilometres by a rough country path, escorted by the police and army, holding olive saplings and signs reading: "Settlement behind the smokescreen of the Gaza Disengagement" "In Gaza we are disengaging, here we are settling" "Stop the land grab" "Demolish the Separation Wall", "We will build trust, not walls", "There is no peace with settlements, there is no peace without justice" and also signs displaying the joined Israeli and Palestinian flags. The police at the site photographed the faces of the people planting the trees, but did not stop them in their work. A rally developed on the spot, where Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom (the Peace Bloc) said: "Two years ago, when the fence was built here, we had a hard time convincing people in Israel that the purpose of the fence was not security or prevention of suicide bombings, but was erected for political and settlement purposes: first they separated the people of Jayyous from their land, preventing them from working on it. Now, everything is clearly visible: they are passing over the land over to settler possession. That is part of the plan of Ariel Sharon, to annex into Israel 58% of the lands of the West Bank and to leave the Palestinians in isolated enclaves, which means never ending war with the Palestinians and with the entire Arab world."



On the last evening of 2004, there was a service in the Church at 2330 hours. Given the fact that the Church is in West Jerusalem, we are more likely to get Jewish than Arab visitors. For our service we were joined by a three Jewish people, one of whom we knew, and two were visitors to the Guest House. It was good to have them sharing in our prayers and their presence counter-balanced the experiences of the afternoon.



If, and it is a big “if”, one accepts the perspective of the Israeli Army about its actions in the West Bank and in Gaza, then one is disposed to accept its version of all the different shooting incidents in which soldiers are involved. Routinely, they are shooting at “terrorists”, and only trying to establish “security”. On Monday, January 3rd, the Jerusalem Post, P3 carried a story about the shooting of a cameraman who was filming near Jabalya Refugee Camp in Gaza on behalf of the Israeli Channel 10 TV station, under the headline : “IDF investigates cameraman’s shooting.” A scrutiny of Haaretz for the same day failed to show any mention of this incident – certainly no “headline” for it. However, in Haaretz on Wednesday January 5th, P2, there is a headline “Local media silent on IDF shooting of Channel 10 cameraman in Gaza.” The cameraman was Palestinian, while the reporter with whom he was working was Israeli.

Another big “if” surrounds the practice of the Israeli Army of demolishing the homes of those associated with suicide bomb attacks – either the home of the bomber or homes of relatives. It was therefore of more than passing interest to read in Haaretz Sunday January 2nd P2, “IDF to review its policy on terrorists’ house demolitions.” ‘Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon recently appointed a committee to re-evaluate the Israel Defence Forces policy of house demolition in the territories,. The committee is also looking in to the destruction of houses in Khan Yunis and Rafah that was carried out without proper authorisation. … Since the Cabinet authorised renewed house demolitions in the summer of 2002 and until last summer, the Israel Defence Forces destroyed 270 houses, mostly in the West Bank, according to army statistics. According to the United Nations figures, the IDF has destroyed 1,500 houses as of June 2004.’

What the practical effect of such re-evaluation will be, one has to wait to see.

However, one more sign of the debate taking place within Israeli society – Government and Army – is the headline on Wednesday January 5th, Haaretz P3 “State readies opinion on Hague ruling.” This introduces an article about the work of the Attorney General in preparing a statement for the High Court of Israel setting out the State’s response to the ruling of the International Court of Justice in the Hague about the Separation Wall/Fence/Barrier. ‘The Attorney General certainly is attaching more importance to international law. International law has already infiltrated the internal affairs of every state. One cannot ignore the Hague, because it has excellent judges, and one can try to ameliorate the influence of their opinions, but we can no longer say we are not part of the international community.’ Such sounds are encouraging. Again, it will be a case of “Wait and See.”



It may, or may not, have made the headlines in your part of the world, but it certainly has provoked serious and diverse reactions here. It was the violence that flared between members of the Israeli Army and “settlers” who had gathered to try to prevent the Army from removing two caravans from an ‘outpost’ near the Settlement of Yitzhar on Monday.

The report in Haaretz, 4th January P1, starts “The Israel Defence Forces’ General Staff believes that the time has come for the legal establishment to start cracking down on Israelis who use violence against soldiers and policemen in the territories’. The event that sparked this was part of the process of removing ‘illegal’ settlements on the West Bank, which the Government has undertaken to do in terms of the Road Map, and understandings with the American Government. ‘The IDF’s sense of urgency on the subject was sparked by yesterday’s violent clashes between settlers and soldiers during the removal of two caravans from an outpost near Yitzhar. Dozens of settlers threw stones at soldiers and policemen, vandalised military vehicles and called the evacuating forces “Nazis”’.

Wednesday January 5th, Haaretz P1 Headline: “Dichter (Head of Shin Bet): Some settlers will fire on evacuating forces.”

Friday January 7th, Haaretz P1 Headline: “IDF Chief; Refusenik officers will be dismissed.” ‘Any officer who fails within 24 hours to retract his signature from a declaration of intent to refuse to evacuate settlements will be stripped of his rank and ousted from the Israel Defence Forces, Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon said yesterday.’ The story refers to a letter signed by a group of army officers stating that they would refuse orders to carry out evacuation of settlements.



The depth of the conflict within Israeli society and leadership is well illustrated by the centre pages of Opinion and comment in Haaretz on Friday 7th January. I do not recall seeing such a comprehensive coverage of different points of view on any previous occasion.

“Time to take off his gloves” by Yoel Marcus – an article about a visit paid by Mr Sharon to the Paratroop Unit involved in the clash on Monday. Apparently Mr Sharon was very forceful in his condemnation of the actions of the settlers, and outspoken in his support of the Army.

“Something’s gotta give” by Doron Rosenblum. ‘As the clouds of winter gather, the gloomy understanding descends on Israel that it is no longer possible to delay and repress the need for a decision in the confrontation between Israeliness and the settlement revolt that is defying it. The civil war over the essence of Israel and its definition is long since here.’

“The disengagement plan of religious Zionism” by Yoval Sherlo. ‘The disengagement of the religious-Zionist movement from the State of Israel is taking place without sufficient attention being paid.’

“What goes on ‘over there’” by Natan Sharansky. ‘Albert Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting to achieve a different result. (He goes on to discuss the Palestinian Election.) … I am less than confident however, that Israel’s government, whatever its eventual composition, will take advantage of this unique opportunity to begin a real peace process based on helping the Palestinians to build a free society. Instead, we are divided among those who are determined to return to Oslo, those who endorse unilateralism, and those who refuse any concessions under any circumstances. But none of these approaches will advance peace because none of them will help change what is going on ‘over there.’

“A disengagement of disenchantment.” By Jonathan Spyer. ‘The political direction of which Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan forms a part is the most significant development in Israeli policy making since 1967. ….(He goes on to speak of the demise of the Left. Then he turns to the Right.) … Moshe Feiglin, ( a leading figure in Likud) openly advocates disobedience by the Israel Defence Forces soldiers to thwart disengagement. No-one can overcome God’s will to keep us in Gaza. Feiglin favours stripping Arab Israelis of their citizenship, ending military service for women, and establishing a Sanhedrin on the Temple Mount.’



I apologise for such a long list of references to articles in the Press – but I hope they give you some idea of the tension and struggle within Israeli Jewish society – and the extent to which the conflict about withdrawing 7,500 settlers from Gaza would be dwarfed by a real move to withdraw hundreds of thousands of settlers from the West Bank.



Good News!!! We had a good time on Wednesday at the Al Shurooq School for the Blind Christmas Party. The excitement of the kids was infectious and for a short while, the cares of the world were definitely outside the windows.



Stay well. God bless.
Joan and Clarence


 

Circular Letter No 200
31st December 2004


As I am sure is the case with you, there has been only one real story this week – the unfolding of the appalling tragedy that happened in the Indian Ocean Basin. Everything else pales into insignificance when one watches the reports coming from different countries. It is one of those occasions when all I personally can say is “I believe, … despite…” I am a reasonably regular visitor to the Bank (!) and this week the Teller, before attending to any business, shared how he felt about it all. He was typical of most of the people whom I have met this week. Yesterday at the annual Eve of New Year Reception for leaders of the Christian Churches hosted by the President of Israel, he commenced his speech with reference to the catastrophe and with a prayer.


Writing about more mundane matters is perhaps a sort of therapy – maybe even reading about them will be a sort of therapy for you also.


Christmas has come and gone – that is, the “Western Christmas” on December 25th. We still have the Orthodox Christmas on January 6th/7th, and the Armenian Christmas on January 17th/18th! However, compared with the pressures that most of you are under at Christmas time, life here is idyllic. There is little of the commercial pressure to be parted from one’s money, unless one lives within a largely Christian community, and by December 27th it was back to work as usual.



Our Christmas Eve service was the first which I had experienced taking place on Shabbat, and I was a bit concerned if there would be a congregation at all, as there is no public transport. I need not have worried – we were full as usual, and it provided the annual opportunity both to sing some carols, and to share with the congregation our belief that Christmas offers an insight into God’s remedy for the ills of the world. Again, most of the 200 or so who were at the Service were young Jewish people, and as they left it was refreshing to see so many smiles.

Our Christmas Day service was attended by about 40 people, and the only Scots present were those employed by the Church of Scotland! Afterwards we had a room reserved in the Notre Dame Centre, where 25 of us shared a Christmas meal. It was good to welcome a young Dutch woman with her Jewish husband; and to have Helen Shehadeh with us also. It poured with rain, and was rather cold. When all had been eaten, we took Helen back home to Beit Ja