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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 250
• No 251
• No 252
• No 253
• No 254
• No 255
• No 256
• No 257
• No 258
• No 259

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

9th April.

Over the last couple of years, the number of people participating in the Palm Sunday Procession down the Mount of Olives has increased, and this year there were significantly more people than last year. The weather was warm – even hot at times – and the kids were out in force selling their little bits of olive twigs and palms for a few shekels.

I suppose that in any part of the world where there is going to be a public march, there will be a police presence to ensure good order, and perhaps even safety. However, in the years that we have been here, there has never been the slightest feeling of animosity to the Christian folk from the Muslim folk through whose neighbourhood we walk. Nor has there been any animosity from the Jewish folk, because there are none present in the area at all. Nevertheless, year on year there has been a fairly heavy police presence – all armed and carrying their weapons very ostentatiously. This year we had the added protection of 6 motor-cycle crews – black suited and helmeted young men with their machine guns – literally riding shotgun beside the procession. I am not at all sure whom they thought might attack us, and what sort of protection they were providing.

Among those sharing in the Procession this year were significant number of Boy and Girl Scouts – some from Jerusalem, others from Ramallah and Bethlehem who had been given permits to come to Jerusalem for the day to share in this Procession. It certainly increased the length of the Procession, and also gave to the Christian community a sense of being able to share in this particular event, which in the past few years has often had more foreigners than local people taking part.

All in all, it was a very happy afternoon, marred a bit by the presence of so many armed police. However, that is the reality of life here.

10th April

Our Tour took us first to the Dead Sea so that folk could have a float in it. Then north along the Jordan Valley Road to The Galilee. We took the Eastern Road round the Sea of Galilee, going up on to the heights above it which were occupied by the Israeli army in 1967. There is a particular viewpoint from which one can see the entire lake, just above the place where the swine are said to have rushed into the lake, after Jesus had healed the Demoniac.

We spent a little time there, reading the story from the Bible, and then thinking about it. At the time of the story, there was occupation, just as there is now. The occupying forces were the Romans, in this particular area represented by the Tenth Roman Legion, the emblem of which was a wild boar.

The response in the time of Jesus to occupation varied from person to person. There were those who co-operated with the Roman authorities – Matthew was one who was a tax collector. There were those who opposed the Romans, and there was a “Freedom Movement” called the Zealots of which Simon the Zealot would appear to have been a member.

So, we thought about the story at a couple of different levels; the healing of someone who was ill, and who had been suffering from his illness for a considerable time. The story ended with his restoration to health.

But is there another level? The name which the demons gave to Jesus was “Legion” – possibly going to be connected in the minds of the hearers with the legion that was the occupying power. The fate of the swine was death – and one wonders if the people would have made a connection between the emblem of the Tenth Legion and the swine on the hillside. Perhaps there was a coded reference to occupation? What was the message that Matthew would have taken out of the story? And what would Simon the Zealot have made of it?


Stay well

God bless

Joan and Clarence

 

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Circular Letter No 258 1st April 2006

Monday 27th March.

When visitors come to town, it often falls to me to take them to meet various folk. Today’s visitor had to go to see some leading figures in the Palestinian community, and I had a chance to sit and listen to the conversations.

Several strands came through the meetings.

The lack of ability, or the lack of desire, on the part of the Western world in general, including the USA, to do anything to stop the Government of Israel pursuing its unilateral way to carve up the West Bank, and set its own boundaries for the State of Israel. Unfortunately, when a boundary is set for one people, it impinges on other people, and this is the case with the views being put forward at present by those who would like to be the next Israeli Government. If the world cannot stop Israel, what chances have the Palestinians of stopping it. Yet, there was a common conviction that the Palestinian people will not just fade away, and if the Israeli people want Peace, sooner or later they will have to negotiate with their neighbours.

A feeling among Palestinian Christians that, for all the fine words of the Churches in the West, the Christian community here has been left to stand alone. This was particularly the case in the matter of Jerusalem. The Government of Israel is in effect cutting off contact between the city and the West Bank, by stipulating that people have to have permits to visit the city. I have written before about the impact that the completion of the Wall within Jerusalem will have on people who now are able to work in Jerusalem, but who in future may not be able to reach the city, or who will have to spend hours longer each day just to get to work. But the same is also true of getting to school, or getting to hospital, or travelling to see families. Will they be given permits? How long will that take? What will be the restrictions? Way down the list for some, but high on it for others, will be their ability to get to their churches – we have experience of the difficulties that Helen Shehadeh faces to get a permit and then to get to St Andrew’s. Will this be yet another nail in the coffin of the Christian community?

There was a sense of incomprehension about the Statement of Mr Blair on the last day of the G8 Summit in Scotland, on July 8 2005. In the course of his Statement, he said: “Yesterday evening the G8 agreed a substantial package of help for the Palestinian Authority, amounting to up to $3 billion in the years to come, so that two states - Israel and Palestine - two peoples, and two religions, can live side by side in peace.” The words of a Christian leader apparently totally disregarding the existence of a Christian community in Palestine and Israel. This was something which caused deep offence to many people here – was the Christian Mr Blair writing off the Christian community in this part of the world?

A sense of powerlessness against the might of the Israeli/Jewish media machine. The attacks on the Church of England following the decision at the recent meeting of its General Synod even to contemplate dis-investment in such firms as Caterpillar were cited as a demonstration of the power of this Lobby.

An assessment that the Christian community can talk with Hamas – more than that, must talk with Hamas – to present its case for a Palestine where there is religious freedom, and where there will be no attempt to Islamicise the society. There was a feeling that Fatah was driven to recognise Israel, and all that it got for that was the construction of more Settlements, and the taking of more land. So, Hamas is right to insist that Israel has an obligation to recognise the Palestinian right to exist, and the right to have its own land – let the Israelis return to the 1967 borders.



Wednesday 29th March.

Joan and I took some friends to the villages of Idna and Towani. One of the aspects of our work here has been to try to assist village communities earn some money, however little, by helping them to get their handwork products to markets. Over the years, we have been able to channel thousands of shekels into several communities. This has not meant the difference between life and death, but it has meant that some women have been able to contribute to the upkeep of their families, which has been especially important when so many men have not been able to find work.

So it was good to be able to take friends to these two villages, as they might be able to maintain contact with them when Joan and I return to Scotland. On this occasion, goods were purchased for people in the West of Scotland, the East of Scotland and Pennsylvania.

Towards the end of last year, the main road into Idna was closed by the Israeli army. This meant that for the last few visits, we had to take side roads or a dirt road. To show our friends the main road, we drove up to the entrance to the village, and – wonder of wonders – the blocks had been removed. At that particular time, they had been replaced by an Israeli army Humvee with soldiers who were checking the papers of people wishing to leave the village. When we left a couple of hours later, the soldiers had gone. But once again, speaking with the women, they told us of a journey to Bethlehem that takes them at least 3 taxis, and up to 1 ½ hours, which for us took 25 minutes. It is now years since they have been able to travel on the “main” road, as it has been declared closed to Palestinians by the Israeli army.



Later in the afternoon we went to Towani where we met some people from the village as well as a couple of Christian Peacemaker Team members. The CPT people are there to help children from neighbouring villages get to and from school in Towani. They Israeli army and police are supposed to do the escorting to prevent Settlers attacking the children, but often the CPT people have to phone them to make sure that they are coming. Otherwise the children might not get to school. The CPT folk also go out with the shepherds when they take their flocks out – again to accompany them and lessen the possibility of attacks from Settlers. It was in this village last year that there was great anxiety for a couple of women who were pregnant. It was discovered that poison had been placed on the areas where the sheep and goats forage – and the women had drunk the goat’s milk, unaware of the threat from the poison. Thankfully, the two children were both healthy when born.

The village is a very small community, and depends on a well for water, along with the rain-water cisterns which are normally filled up by the rain during the winter. However this year, there has been little rain, and so the cisterns are still far from full. The villagers know that it will not be long before they have to buy water from the nearest town, which is on the other side of the main road – which is, of course, closed to Palestinian traffic. Enter the Israeli army. As a “security measure” it is proposing to build a wall along one side of this road for about 15kms – and the wall will be 80 cms high. What security such a wall would provide is unclear, but if it is built, one effect would be to make it impossible for a water tanker to get from the town to the village. It is said that there will be gates in it – but the experience of gates at Jayyous is not all that encouraging.

So, yet another community, struggling to stay alive, and to remain in its homes, may have more obstacles, quite literally, to overcome.

Through the efforts of such groups as CPT, and some churches, there are occasional visitors to the Village. They spend some money buying the handcrafts made by local women, and so bring some much needed financial help to the community. It is going to be a long struggle to help the people of the village.



Friday 31st March.

The Israeli elections have come and gone. The new Knesset will have the following Party groups:

Kadima, 29 seats (the party founded by Mr Sharon, and now headed by Mr Olmert); Labour 20 seats (the party headed by Mr Peretz, who by all accounts has played a very significant role in reviving the party); Shas 12 seats (a Religious party); Likud 12 seats (the party headed now by Mr Netanyahu. It has been for long the dominant party in the Knesset, but failed to win support at this election); Yisrael Beiteinu 11 seats (a party identified with the Russian community in Israel – there are something like 1 million people in Israel identified as “Russian” who come from the countries of the former USSR); National Union/National Religious Party 9 seats; The Pensioners Party 7 seats (a party that was not represented in the last Knesset); United Torah Judaism Party 6 seats; Meretz Party 5 seats (a Party of the Left); Raam-Taal Party 3 seats (an Arab party); Hadash Party 3 seats (a Jewish –Arab party); Balad Party 3 seats (an Arab party).

Haaretz 31st March P2. “New Knesset: more Ultra-Orthodox, Arabs; fewer women, settlers.” Altogether there will be 13 Arab members in the new Knesset, up from 10 in the last Knesset

With Kadima as the largest party, Mr Olmert now has the task of trying to construct a coalition to form a Government.

Pundits in the Media have been having fun with all sorts of combinations, but one that is potentially alarming is the possibility that Yisrael Beiteinu will be in the Government. “Yisrael Beiteinu ( Hebrew: "Israel Our Home") is a right-wing political party in Israel with support from immigrants to Israel who came from the lands of the former Soviet Union. It takes a very hard line against the Arabs and Palestinians. One of its founders and leaders is Avigdor Liberman a former member of the Likud. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia)” It has campaigned against any form of withdrawal from the West Bank.



The ramifications of the Palestinian election continue to rumble on. With the swearing-in of the Hamas led government in Palestine, Governments in other parts of the world are now activating their policies of not talking with those whom they define as “terrorists”. This can work out in complicated ways. Imagine a humanitarian organisation, registered in the USA, and working with Palestinians. It buys its petrol/diesel in Ramallah, so that it can run its vehicles and carry out its humanitarian programmes. However, there is tax on the fuel, which will go to the Palestinian Authority. Can it now buy petrol, or will it be accused of “aiding terrorists”? Or if it pays its employees in Palestine, who pay tax, will it be accused of supporting a “terrorist organisation” even though it is the elected Government of Palestine? While these may seem to be fairly insignificant questions, they are nonetheless real, and any USA registered organisation charged with breaking USA regulations could find its world-wide assets frozen. Worrying time for charities.



Sadly, no one around here has much optimism about the future.



Stay well.

God bless

Joan and Clarence
 

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Circular Letter No 257 25th March 2006

Over the past couple of years, the question of a new minister for St Andrew’s Jerusalem has been a long running saga. Now it seems as if the end of that process has been reached. The present proposal of the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland is that Joan and I leave Jerusalem about the end of June, and the new minister will arrive in early July.



With the news this week of the rescue of the 3 surviving Christian Peacemaker Team members in Baghdad, one particular saga has come to an end. It highlights a dilemma facing many people. Governments, concerned for the safety of their citizens, publish what are called Advisory Notices. The following is part of such a notice issued by the British Government on 21st March 2006.

“We advise against all travel to the Occupied Territories following serious threats against UK and US nationals. Since 14 March 2006, there have been a number of demonstrations, and buildings associated with British and European interests have been attacked. Some westerners were kidnapped, though all were later released. The situation remains volatile. The British Office in Gaza remains closed following the events on 14 March 2006.

We urge all British nationals who do not have adequate and continuous professional close security arrangements to leave the Occupied Territories. If you decide to stay against this advice, you should review your security arrangements and seek professional security advice on whether they are adequate. Should the security situation deteriorate further, the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem will only be able to offer limited consular assistance.

We strongly advise you to maintain a high level of vigilance when travelling anywhere in East or West Jerusalem, and to follow local advice.”

Speaking recently with the head of a major humanitarian NGO, he said that it had been months since any of his expatriate staff had been able to go to Gaza. He said also that following the Israeli Army attack on Jericho, his staff had been withdrawn from the West Bank. They had now returned to their posts.

Speaking with Tour Operators, some had cancelled visits for their Groups to Bethlehem in the immediate aftermath of the Jericho attack, and still had not resumed them, while others have resumed taking Groups.

Speaking with contacts on the West Bank, there had been initially advice against travelling there. Now the report is one of greater calm, and asking for people to come back and continue with their work.

A message came from a Scottish member of the Christian Peacemaker Team which has its base in Hebron, who attends St Andrew’s Church when possible, stating that she has returned for a further tour of duty with CPT, and is now back at work in one of the outlying villages near Hebron.

How do we show our support for our colleagues in Bethlehem, for instance? How do we minister to our Church members on the West Bank? How does one find the balance between Safety and Service?

I recall at the time of the invasion of Iraq there was a debate about withdrawing Church of Scotland staff from Israel. At that time, all who were here indicated that they wished to remain at work, one of the main reasons being to show their solidarity with their colleagues who had no opportunity to leave the area.



Two conversations of this week.

The first was with MA, a Jewish person from USA. He had asked to meet me and have a chat with me about “the situation.” He told me his family story, of leaving Poland and finding their way to the USA; of making several visits to Israel; and of wanting to make some personal contribution to the process of trying to bring about understanding both in USA and here between Jewish and non-Jewish communities. He spoke of his sadness at the polarisation of people here, and of his assessment that the large majority of Jewish people whom he knows in the USA do really want to find a way for Israeli and Palestinian to live together in this part of the world. He had some proposals to put forward, and I agreed that I would do what I could in the remaining months that we are here to help him work them out, and if possible, put them into practice.

One of the great sticking points that he recognised is the difficulty of trying to get Jewish people from the USA to meet Palestinians from the West Bank. With the best will in the world, he feels a certain apprehension about visiting the West Bank. So, how can contact be established? How can people share their stories and begin to relate at a personal level?

Obviously there are difficulties. There were several points that made our conversation so interesting for me.

M was staying at St Andrew’s Guest House, and was most appreciative of the atmosphere, of the surroundings, and of the staff. He wants, if at all possible, to use it as a base for the sorts of encounters that he hopes to arrange.

He specifically requested to meet me – a representative of the Christian community – to try to involve that community in his emerging vision.

Perhaps most interesting was the fact that he was so opposed to the policies of the Occupation despite being both Jewish and a member of a family which had suffered the loss of relatives in the Holocaust.



That conversation was a sign of hope.



The second was with MB, an Israeli Arab Christian businessman in East Jerusalem. I had called in to his office on Friday afternoon, when most businesses in East Jerusalem were closed, it being the Muslim Prayer Day. He has consistently tried to keep his business open on Friday, and to close it on Sunday, to let people see that in their community there are not only Muslims but also Christians.

It was quiet, and towards the end of the afternoon. He spoke with sadness, with resignation, with anger, almost with despair.

Over the years he has invested quite a lot of time and effort, and money, in providing apprenticeship training for young men from East Jerusalem. Some have stayed working with him, and have become almost indispensable for the smooth running of his business. Now, two of them are on the wrong side of the Wall, and cannot get a permit to come and work in Jerusalem. What is he to do? How can he manage his work? How can he abandon these two families who will have no chance to find work on the other side of the Wall, but how can he afford to continue supporting them?

He spoke of the great economic pressures he was facing. Machinery used to have a life of up to 15 years, and so he had a reasonable length of time to recoup the cost of new machines. Now, with the advent of computers and all the processes that are associated with them, machines might last 4 or 5 years before they need to be replaced. If the economy was thriving, he might be able to recoup his investments, but the way things are at present, he cannot see himself covering the cost of new machines. However, if he does not upgrade his plant, he will lose business.

Working in the Arab section of the Jerusalem economy, there is not a lot of contact with the Jewish business world. So, he and his family have been considering the possibility of establishing a branch in Ramallah. The big problem for them would be to have adequate oversight of work that would be done there, given the increasing difficulty of people from Jerusalem getting to and from Ramallah.

He moved on to the “situation”. Speaking about the recent elections in Palestine, he mentioned the pressure that was exerted by the USA and the UK on the people of Palestine not to elect Hamas. In his view, it had precisely the opposite effect – people would not have their choices dictated to them by foreigners – so Hamas was elected. This suited the West as it could legitimately reduce its support of Palestine while continuing to support Israel. It suited Israel, which has not wanted to negotiate with Palestinians, and which is doing all it can to take more and more Palestinian land.

Whether one agrees with his observations, or feels that he is too Machiavellian in his interpretation of the situation, it was sad to see him so distressed and so ultimately without any hope of a resolution of the conflict.



Haaretz Thursday March 23rd P5. “Most Jews would refuse to live in a building with Arabs.” ‘Racism is becoming mainstream. When people talk about transfer or about Arabs as a demographic time bomb, no one raises his voice against such statements. This is a worrisome phenomenon, Bakar Awada, Director of the Centre against Racism, said yesterday while presenting the results of a survey on racism against Israeli Arabs. Racism among Israeli Jews:

41% support segregation between Jews and Arabs in places of entertainment.,

46% would be unwilling to have an Arab visit their home.

50% feel uncomfortable when they hear Arabic spoken

68% object to an Arab living in their apartment building. (Source : Geocartography Institute.)



A snippet about the election campaign from Haaretz, Friday 24th March, PA2, “Michael Kleiner run out of Jaffa.” ‘Michael Kleiner, a former MK who is running for Knesset on the right-wing Herut ticket, was attacked by dozens of Arab residents of Jaffa yesterday after he proposed that they evacuate the city in exchange for compensation. Kleiner arrived at the city’s main square yesterday afternoon and began lecturing bystanders on his political platform, which includes encouraging Arabs to leave Israel voluntarily by offering compensation. However, when the rioting began, he and his staff fled.’

Stay well

God bless

Joan and Clarence

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Circular Letter No 256 March 2006

Tuesday March 14th.

After completing some work in Jerusalem, I set out in the early afternoon to make a quick trip to Bethlehem. There was no delay at the checkpoint. As I rounded a corner near Rachel’s Tomb, I was surprised to see a group of Israeli soldiers at the roadside. Some construction work was taking place in the vicinity of Rachel’s Tomb, and it would seem that they were guarding the workers. Although it was in Bethlehem, and thus technically a Palestinian area, the ones with the guns were demonstrating their power and enforcing their decisions. I ruminated on the incessant cry from the politicians of the world for Hamas to recognise Israel, and wondered when there might be a similar cry for Israel to recognise Palestine, and its territorial integrity.

I got to my first port of call quickly. Unfortunately it was closed.

Next stop was the Beit Jala market to get a box of oranges for Helen Shehadeh’s school. I was listening to some Scottish music on a CD in the car, and went into the fruit shop in a jaunty mood. A man at the checkout turned round to me, and asked if I was happy. I made a fairly jocular remark – and then met Doris from Al Shurooq School. She asked me if I had heard what had happened, and pointed me to the TV screen on one wall of the shop. My jaunty and jocular mood quickly disappeared, as I watched the pictures coming from Jericho. Doris spoke of the kidnappings in Gaza, and said that she did not think it was wise for me to be there. She was so concerned that she said she would wait until I have completed my shopping and that she would shepherd me to the checkpoint. For the first time in all the years of the Intifada, I left Bethlehem without having completed my business.

I had to call at Tantur Ecumenical Institute to see if a parcel had been left for me – and found a grim faced person going off duty, and a couple of equally grim faced people coming on duty – they all live in Bethlehem, and were worried about the situation there. Later in the week, I was back at Tantur and a group of Palestinian women on the staff were looking at a whole page of pictures of the events in Jericho which were in one of the Arab newspapers. They were ashamed to look at pictures of men in their underclothes, and felt a shared humiliation with them.



I felt totally depressed as I drove home. Depressed over what the Israeli army was doing. Depressed for what effect this would have on the Palestinian community, and any possibility of contacts and understanding between it and the Israeli Jewish community. Depressed at the thought that somewhere down the line, when American money runs out, Israel may have to face the world alone, and wondering what will happen to it when people come to settle their accounts.



Then at home there was non-stop coverage of the actions of the Israeli army in Jericho – including very graphic pictures of one of the Caterpillar Bulldozers at work, the ones which are also used to demolish houses. There was the coverage of the actions of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.



I have been working with a group of Christian folk from the Western USA and Wednesday was their day for Bethlehem. Their day in Bethlehem was cancelled. Instead, and we had a session in St Andrew’s Church where we shared some of our experiences, and where a Jewish friend shared with them her story and her assessment of the situation. One telling question was asked. The group had been to Yad Vashem – the Holocaust Museum here in Jerusalem. There they had seen a graphic pictures of a Jewish people woman running down a street in her underclothes, terror on her face, with German soldiers all around. On the TV on Wednesday, and in the newspaper on Thursday morning, they had seen photographs of Palestinian prison guards being forced to strip to their underpants under the guns of Israeli soldiers. The questioner asked how many Israeli people would be making any sort of conjunction between the two sets of pictures. Sadly, said my Israeli Jewish friend, not many.



The words of the person who had endured stripping revealed the depth of degradation and despair. Shouted the soldiers: “Strip! Fast! Hold out your belts and shoes” … and for us this was the true equality – nakedness, shivering in the cold. These words are the words of Elie Wiesel, who was deported along with his family from Hungary to Auschwitz in 1944.



An e-mail from Gush Shalom, Tuesday afternoon :

At this moment in Jericho, the main elections gimmick of the Kadima Party and its leader Ehud Olmert is taking is taking place with hundreds of Israeli soldiers and Palestinian prisoners drafted to serve as extras. This gimmick, designed to draw extreme right votes in the March 28 elections, shows Kadima as an adventurist and irresponsible party in whose hands it is dangerous to entrust the helm of state” says Gush Shalom (The Israeli Peace Bloc) In cooperation with the governments of the US and Britain, whose removal of their observers from the Jericho Prison proves them utterly incapable of any mediation role between Israelis and Palestinians, PM Olmert and Defence Minister Mofaz are carrying out a provocation which will only exacerbate the conflict and hatred. Theirs will be the full responsibility for bloodshed of Israelis and Palestinians, in the course of the Jericho provocation itself and in the cycle of retaliation upon retaliation which may follow. It should be noted that the people which the army was sent to Jericho to capture or kill are marked out because, when taking revenge for the targeted killing of their own leader, they did not kill innocent civilians. They selected Rehav’am Ze’evi, a general turned politician who was the foremost of Israeli racists and who built a political career upon crude hate propaganda. A targeted killing.



(The reference to “targeted killing” at the end of the e-mail is an allusion to the policy of the Israeli army of carrying out targeted killings, which, as I mentioned last week, often result in the deaths of bystanders. Gush Shalom are making the point that in the “targeted killing” of Rehav’am Ze’evi the Palestinians did not involve any bystanders. CWM)



Years ago, I used to sing with gusto a song in church, especially with the children, about Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho and the “walls came tumbling down,” making it possible for the invading Hebrew people to get a foothold in Canaan. Tuesday showed another set of walls coming tumbling down in Jericho – courtesy of the Caterpillar bulldozer. In the short term, it was a victory for the Israeli army. In the long run, one wonders what role it will all have in the creation of the Palestinian story. Scots people may care to reflect on the words of “Flower of Scotland”, written in the 1970’s, with its recollection of the defeat of the English at Bannockburn in 1314. How long does it take to forget a triumph or a tragedy?





Friday 17th March.

I have been assisting a group of people from the Church of Scotland in Melrose, and a visit was arranged to Yad Vashem. While the group was taken on a tour of the Wall that is being built in the Jerusalem area, and being shown how it divides communities and separates villages from their land, I was reading a Report from B’Tselem entitled “Under the guise of Security : routing the Separation Barrier to enable the expansion of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank.” It was speaking of A Wall/Barrier/Fence. It was speaking of people being closed in and unable to get out except through a check-point, if they had a pass. It was speaking of the deliberate taking over of land, with its drastic economic effect on the local Palestinian population. One of the villages whose case was documented was Jayyous.



When their tour finished, we went to Yad Vashem.

In Section after Section of the main Gallery, there are maps showing the ruthless progress of the German army during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Often the word “Annexed” appears on them, showing territory that was taken over by the German army and regarded as part of Germany. In one section, there is the following commentary: “In eastern Europe the Germans incarcerated the Jews in several overcrowded ghettos, behind fences and walls. They cut the Jews off from their surroundings and their sources of livelihood and condemned them to a life of humiliation, poverty, and death.”



Page 30 of the B’Tselem Report has the following personal illustration:

“My four brothers and I inherited 35 dunams of farmland in Yubaq, an area west of Jayyous. Six dunams have greenhouses in which I grow vegetables, four dunams have guava trees, five dunams are planted with plum, peach and loquat trees; there is an olive orchard on ten dunams, and on another ten dunams we grow barley which we use to feed our livestock.

The separation fence does great damage and loss. For example, in September 2003, a closure was placed on the West Bank, which meant that farmers were unable to get to their land on the other side of the fence. The guava season began, but for a whole month we couldn’t reach our land, and the guavas that had not been picked rotted on the tree. We lost almost an entire season’s revenue. Generally I produce more than 1,200 crates of guavas in a season, which comes in September and October, That year, the crop fell to the ground, destroyed, and almost nothing was left to harvest and sell.”



Saturday 18th March.

A headline in the on-line edition of Haaretz for today is:

IDF extends seal on territories as humanitarian state worsens

‘A closure on Palestinian areas, meant to end Thursday after Purim, has been extended until at least next week, and the Israel Defence Forces is inclined to continue it until after the March 28 elections. Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz extended the complete closure on the territories and security forces are on high alert for fear of Palestinian retaliation for the Tuesday raid of a Jericho prison holding Palestinians wanted for the assassination of former minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

The closure bars Palestinian labourers from entering Israel, and also shuts down Gaza's main cargo crossing, Karni. Israel, citing security concerns, has closed Karni on and off for most of the past two months. Karni's closure led the Palestinian Mill Co., which says it supplies about 60 percent of Gaza's flour, to idle last week because it used up its flour stocks. On Friday, Palestinians flocked to bakeries in Gaza City, fearing a bread shortage.

"People have been lining up to buy bread since the morning," said one bakery owner, Mohammed Madhoun. "Some are buying more than they need, because they are afraid we are going to run out of bread very soon. If Karni doesn't open on Sunday, there won't be a single loaf of bread left in Gaza City." Madhoun said.The Palestinian National Economy Ministry said Friday it expects bakeries to run out of flour within a few days because of the mill's shutdown.’



Stay well.

God bless

Joan and Clarence






 

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Circular Letter No 255 13th March 2006

Pictures tell a story. Think of all the times that you have seen leading sports personalities interviewed, and think of the way their sponsors always get themselves in the picture – sponsors emblems on their clothes, their names at the head of the item on TV, the background board with the names of sponsors behind every Manager of a soccer team in the English Premier League when being interviewed on TV. Hard headed businesses would not go to the expense of all that if they did not think that it was conveying a message.

Last week when we looked at TV News when on holiday with our daughter and family in Kuwait, two reports caught my eye. Both were of leading American political figures speaking about the need to deal with Iran over its uranium enrichment programme. The speeches were routine, but what caught my eye on both occasions was the background message behind both Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Condolezza Rice. The backdrop carried the letters: AIPAC. They may not mean much to many folk, but they stand for American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The first entry in a Google search reads : “America’s Pro-Israel lobby. Works to strengthen US – Israel relations by encouraging Jewish political activism and student activism in campaigns…” I could not help wondering what message was being conveyed – in both an overt and covert fashion to the audience of AIPAC supporters. What message was being conveyed to the Israeli audience, and what was being said to the wider world, in particular the Muslim world?

The irony of the USA on one day signing a nuclear agreement with India to assist it with the development of its nuclear programme, and on the next day stating that nuclear activity by Iran was unacceptable, was not lost on the people with whom we were in conversation in Kuwait.



On our Sunday evening in Kuwait, we attended a church service in a large Roman Catholic church in the centre of Kuwait City. The congregation numbered well over 500, and this was just the first of 3 services that evening. As people were preparing for the service to begin, they had been following a Meditation on the Stations of the Cross. It was a memorable experience to share in this – the leader being from India or the Philippines, the congregation being largely Asian, the place being in the centre of the Muslim Middle East, and the places referred to in the Meditation being where we regularly walk when in the Old City of Jerusalem.



Two thoughts about Kuwait linger in my mind:

The opulence of the society, and the contrast between what we saw there and what we see regularly in the West Bank.

The dependence of the society on the labour of foreign workers, mostly from Asia.



It was also interesting to read Arab reports on the situation in Israel. It was interesting that in one of the papers, the correspondent filed his report from “Occupied Jerusalem.” One wonders how it would be perceived if all the diplomatic missions which have their headquarters in East Jerusalem were to refer to their locations as being in “Occupied Jerusalem” – truthful but perhaps not diplomatic?



Thoughts about travel.

Our route to Kuwait is via Amman. We fly from Ben Gurion airport to Amman airport, where we catch a flight to Kuwait. On our outward journey, the plane was full with over 200 Israelis heading off via Amman to the Far East on holiday. On our way back the plane was half-empty, and it only had 48 seats!

But as we walked around Kuwait, and shared some jokes with folk in the Souk, we felt really sad at the fact that almost all of the people who had been on our flight to Amman would not have been able, or perhaps felt able, to travel to Kuwait, and so not able to experience what its people are like. We felt quite secure, but would Jewish people have felt the same? Would any anxiety they would have felt been grounded in actuality, or only in mythology?

How fortunate we are to be able to show our British passports and to travel almost as widely as we would wish – when passing through checkpoints on the West Bank it is often sufficient to show a soldier one’s passport, and one is allowed to proceed.



(An aside on travel. One of the Palestinian families we know here currently has two sons living in Dublin. For the parents to visit their sons there are numerous flight options. Being Palestinians, their journey would have to take them to Amman airport in Jordan to catch an international flight. One option would be to travel through Heathrow airport in London, and remain in the transit area between arrival from Amman and departure for Dublin. However, to do that would require them to obtain a visa. A different option, of travelling through Frankfurt and remaining in Frankfurt airport did not require a visa. So, Lufthansa and Frankfurt gained, while BA lost out on the revenue from a couple of passengers, and more importantly the UK lost out on good will.)



While away, I was able to do a bit of reading, and started to read “Madam Secretary”, the memoirs of Madeleine Albright, the former US Secretary of State. People’s choice of words is always illuminating – as I am sure readers of these letters will appreciate only too well. Vocabulary can indicate one’s partiality, or one’s bias. In the Epilogue about the choices that face different areas of the world, she wrote about the Middle East: “The reality we see today is not the product of history; it is the result of present day choices. Seizing the sword instead of the olive branch; teaching children to hate, pretending that murderers are martyrs; dehumanising and disrespecting the dignity of others – all these are choices. .. We cannot make choices for those who live in the Middle East. But we can insist that Arab leaders cease to finance, shelter and make excuses for anti-Israeli terrorist groups. We can expect Israel to defend herself while leaving the door open to peace.” (Madam Secretary : A Memoir ; Madeleine Albright, published by Miramax Books.)

Reading the passage through what I understand of Palestinian eyes, she would seem to be placing all the weight of her observations on the Palestinian community, and placing little responsibility for the conflict on the Israeli community. Reading the passage through my interpretation of Israeli eyes, she would have got the story right – they are the bad guys and we are the good guys defending ourselves but always ready for peace.



Back home, it is back to reality, and back to business as usual.

In the week that we were away, there was an Israeli missile attack on a vehicle in Gaza. (Haaretz 7th March, P1) “Air strike kills five Palestinians, including two children. (Small type) Jihad vows to target Ashkelon (large bold type)” The article reports reaction to an air strike by Israel. ‘The military operation took place in Gaza City at about 5.30 p.m. when Israel Air Force jets fired two missiles at an ice-cream van in which Munir Shukar, 27, and Ashraf Saluf were travelling. [They were killed] … However, the strike also killed Raad Al-Batash, 8, and Mahmoud Al-Batash, 15, and Ahmed A-Susi, 24, who were nearby when the missiles hit. … Afterward, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz declared that “Israel will lay its hands on everyone who acts against it” and particularly those involved in planning or carrying out Qassam (rocket) launches.’



Friday March 10th, Haaretz P1.: “Olmert to offer settlers: Expand blocks, cut outposts.” ‘Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to open an “internal dialogue” with the Yesha council of settlements if he wins the elections, in an effort to reach an agreement about Israel’s withdrawal line in the West Bank, he told Haaretz in an interview. Olmert said he plans to offer the settle leaders a deal: convergence into the large settlement blocs and the expansion of those blocs, and evacuation of those settlements beyond whatever border is set. “I believe that in four years’ time Israel will be disengaged from the vast majority of the Palestinian population, within new borders, and with the route of the fence – which until now has been a security fence – adjusted to the new line of the permanent borders,” he said. “We will take a crucial step forward in the shaping of Israel as a Jewish state, in which there is a solid and stable Jewish majority that is not at risk.”’



Over a meal, or in a discussion group, perhaps you could indulge in some role-play. Choose some to be representatives of the Israeli Jewish community, and some to be representatives of the Palestinian community. Let them then discuss the proposals of Mr Olmert, and see what conclusions you would come to. To prepare yourselves, you could look at the website of B’Tselem or ICAHD to get a map of Israel and Palestine. Perhaps a good place to include would also be the passage that we had as one of our Bible readings yesterday; Genesis 17, verses 1 – 8. Verse 8 reads: “And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding and I will be their God.” The accompanying Gospel passage was Mark 8, verses 31 – 38, which includes the verse: “What will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” It would be interesting to have some response if any of you followed this suggestion.



One of the places we have visited from time to time is the home of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in Hebron. In one sense, the folk whom we meet there are quite ordinary people. In another sense, they are quite extraordinary in the depth of their commitment to their faith and its practical outworking. On the wall of their main room have been the pictures of the 4 people kidnapped in Baghdad. It was a real shock to hear of the killing of one of the four. We ask for your prayers for the three still held in Baghdad, and for all those who work with and for CPT.



Stay well

God bless

Joan and Clarence






 

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Circular Letter No 254 24th February 2006

Sunday 19th February

At vast expense and, one would have thought, a certain degree of planning so that its design would meet the purpose for which it was built, the Checkpoint at Rachel’s Tomb was opened towards the end of last year. It is through this checkpoint that people with permits are allowed to pass and enter Jerusalem. Which would seem to mean that they have all been subjected to security checks long before they even arrive at the checkpoint. However, notwithstanding any previous checks, they have to go through a long and time-wasting procedure – turnstiles, metal detectors, more turnstiles, and most of the time with no physical contact with the people whose voices they hear through the loud speakers.

It was therefore somewhat of a surprise to find that, within weeks of the checkpoint being opened, it was undergoing modifications. Instead of being allowed to walk through the main gate, Palestinians were being directed down a passageway between the Israeli wall and the wall of the adjacent Palestinian property in Bethlehem. A new door had been cut in the Israeli wall, and people had to queue to be allowed through it. Slowness seemed to be the order of the day. As a result, scores of people, perhaps even hundreds, were confined in a narrow space, waiting to be summoned by the soldier on duty to pass through the “preparatory” turnstile which gave them access to the next turnstile to take them into the checkpoint building.

This morning, one of the workers in the Guest House, Najla, was in tears. She had got to the Wall not long after 0530 hours. Those who have met her will know that she is quite short. She was confronted with a wall of men all trying to get through the initial turnstile. By dint of pushing and pleading, she got to the turnstile and was able to pass – but all in all it took a couple of hours to pass. This is the procedure which we have been told has been put in place to facilitate the passage of Palestinians to their work in Jerusalem – for which they have already been given permission in the form of a Permit.

[ Later in the week, she told of giving up on the that checkpoint and going to the one several kilometres to the southeast of Beit Sahour, from which she was able to get into Jerusalem. What used to be a 20 or 30 minute journey turned into at least a 2-hour marathon, and one that cost at least double what she normally had to pay.]



At our service this morning, we welcomed 3 different groups – the first such time that his had happened since October 2000. One group included people from Ireland and Scotland – it was good to have a chat with folk from the town where my mother had lived as a young girl, and where her parents are buried. There was an interfaith group from Philadelphia, USA. The largest group was also an inter-faith group from Texas. It was made of up several Jewish people, a smaller number of Muslim people, and Christians. A similar group had been here last year, and had shared in worship with us then. After the service, we had a chance to chat with them. I was completely taken aback – though perhaps I should have been a bit more prepared – by the statement that the Group would not be visiting Bethlehem, as it was “too dangerous”. They were going to be taken to the Settlement of Har Homa so that they could look across to Bethlehem. In 2000 we were told to be prepared for such an eventuality, that a “replica” of Bethlehem would be built so that people could see it, without having to go to Bethlehem itself. With a proposal to have a “Christian Themepark” on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, it could well be that a visit to Bethlehem or any of the other places associated with Jesus, will become superfluous.



Thursday 23rd February.

One of the facts of life here almost since October 2000 has been the almost complete lack of tourists/pilgrims at Christian religious sites. As a result, those people whose incomes depended on tourism have suffered very significantly. Today, we were on a visit to Galilee with some overseas visitors. The thing for which we were not prepared was the large number of buses that we encountered at all the sites – at the Mount of the Beatitudes there were 7 large buses; Mount Tabor had 6 in its car-park. There were several bus loads of Nigerians, an annual phenomenon - people sent to Israel by the Government of Nigeria, which also sends people to Mecca to take part in the Pilgrimage there. There were parties of Americans and groups of people from the Far East.

It is good to see them back – although it is alarming to think that the whole circus of “pilgrimages” will be starting up again, with people being brought here and taken round to see geographical locations, and rarely given any chance to meet with local people.



Friday 24th February.

I know that it is far too simplistic simply to take information from newspapers and put it down as if it gave the entire picture of any event. Nevertheless, in the Case of Israel v. Palestinians concerning Violence and Terror, the following are headlines from Haaretz in the past week:

Haaretz 20th Feb. P1: “Four Palestinians killed by IDF in West Bank, Gaza.”

Haaretz 21st Feb. P2: “Jihad man killed in Balata Refugee camp.”

Haaretz 22nd Feb. P3: “Explosives factory destroyed in Nablus during IDF operation.” ‘At least 3 Palestinians were wounded in yesterday’s operation. … No IDF soldiers were wounded in these incidents.’

Haaretz 24th Feb. P1: “Five Palestinians killed in clashes with IDF in Nablus.”

The score :

Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers in the past week : 10.

Israelis killed by Palestinians in the past week : 0.



At the end of an article in Haaretz 24th February, P1: “Third terror hub in the making”, there is the following paragraph: ‘The question is when to end the operation. With five funerals a day, Nablus will burn regardless of the identity of the dead. The conclusion is that the IDF has only days left to act unless “ticking bombs” are discovered whose hunt justifies continuing the operation.’

Israelis are getting worried about the actions of their Army, and are apprehensive about the longer-term effect of operations such as the one that has been going on in Nablus this week.

From my limited perusal of UK papers, I have not noticed comment about this action of the Israeli army in Nablus. One is left to wonder what would be the reaction of the international media had the deaths been those of Israelis, rather than Palestinians.





It is a fact of life here that the medical facilities in Israel are much more highly developed than those in Palestine. So, it is often the case that arrangements are made for people from the West Bank and Gaza to come to Israel for treatment. In the past, through your generosity, we have been able to help a couple of families to get treatment – some years ago it was the little girl Shukran who had been born with Apert’s Syndrome. More recently it was the child Ibrahim who was born with hip deformities. Both were treated in Israel.

In both instances, quite apart from the cost of treatment in hospital, there were the associated costs of transport and of parents staying at the hospital to be with their children. For many families, even if treatment is provided free, to find the money for the other expenses is often difficult.

This week there has been the story of the man who suffers from HIV/Aids. Haaretz 24th February P1. “Palestinian AIDS patient required to hire guards for treatment in Israel.” ‘The Israel Defence Forces required a Palestinian man with AIDS to hire two armed Israeli bodyguard to accompany him to treatments at the AIDS clinic at Hadassah Hospital. The demand was made after the man, who worked as a cleaner for 22 years in Israel, was declared a security risk by the army, although he had only been briefly arrested a few times over the years for illegal residency in Israel. … Y, who lives in a village south of Hebron, was brought to the hospital in a special vehicle, accompanied by the guards. When Y, whose wife is HIV positive, said he could not afford the NIS 2,000 (approx £250 or $425) daily fee for the guards, the Physicians for Human Rights offered to pay it this time. Y’s next appointment is in April. However, he currently is unable to pay for the trip.’





In the press, and in conversations, there is a great deal of time being spent on what is going to happen on the West Bank. Should payments to the Palestinian Authority be stopped? Should they be continued? Even if money is given for humanitarian purposes, will that not mean that there will be more money available to “terrorism”? If “the West” does not give money, will this leave the way open for other governments to take its place – and money come from Iran, or Russia, or …?” So the debate goes on.

There is an added twist to it when one considers the Jordan Valley. It is an integral part of the West Bank, and so one would assume that, according to international agreements such as UN 242 etc, it should be part of Palestine. Not so, say some of the Israeli establishment. The head of Shin Bet, the security service, is on record as painting the picture of radical Islamic governments in all the countries to the east of the Jordan. Should this happen, then it would be vital for the safety of Israel to maintain an iron grip on the Jordan Valley. In this scenario, Palestine, if it ever came into being, would be similar to those tiny states in Europe which are totally surrounded by larger countries – a sort of larger version of Andorra.





Footnote : I had a phone call yesterday from Helen Shehadeh so say that the olive trees in the ground where she hoped to build her new school have finally been moved. One was so heavy that they had to bring in a large crane to move it. Thanks to all who helped with this part of her project.





Next week, we are going to see our daughter Vivienne, her husband Gordon, and their baby Darcy. No letter for a couple of weeks.



Stay well.

God bless

Joan and Clarence


 

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Circular Letter No 253 18th February 2006

It is interesting to look up people on the Internet. I got a shock when typing in my name! However, the name which I was looking up was Flemming Rose, the Danish journalist who was the then current cultural editor of the Danish newspaper

Jyllands – Posten, when the cartoons about the prophet Mohammed were first published. I had not realised that these had been published for the first time some months ago, with apparently little reaction from anyone outside Denmark. Then they were republished. According to Israel Shamir, eleven newspapers in seven countries republished the pictures simultaneously. (Satanic Pictures by Israel Shamir) If Shamir is correct, it raises the interesting question as to why they were published in this fashion, and who might have co-ordinated the exercise.



From time to time I mention the fact that we had travelled on Route 90, the main road in the Jordan Valley. From time to time I have commented on the dearth of Palestinian traffic on what is one of the main roads on the West Bank. These thoughts came back this week with two articles which appeared in Haaretz. Both were written by Amira Hass, an Israeli Jewish journalist who is outspoken in her opposition to the current policies of the Israeli Government.

Haaretz Monday February 13th, P1: “Israel cuts off Jordan Valley from rest of West Bank.” ‘While the international community busied itself with the disengagement from the Gaza Strip last summer, Israel completed another cut-off process, which went unnoticed: Israel completed cutting off the eastern sector of the West Bank from the remainder of the West Bank in 2005. Some 2 million Palestinians, residents of the West Bank, are prohibited from entering the area, which constitutes around one-third of the West Bank, and includes the Jordan Valley, the area of the Dead Sea shoreline and the eastern slopes of the West Bank mountains. Military sources told Haaretz that the moves have been “security measures” adopted by the Israeli Defence Forces and have no connection to any political intentions whatsoever.’

Haaretz Monday February 13th, P3: “’Deported’ Palestinians return via mountain paths.” ‘He can’t recall the exact date; it may have been a few days, or maybe a week, before last month’s elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council when A.D. aged 35, and his family were awakened in the middle of the night by loud knocks on their front door. He knew immediately what they meant – soldiers were going from house to house and ordering their occupants out for a few hours. … “They took me, my three small children, aged 4 to 8 – and their mother, and another three labourers who are working here in construction, put us into a military jeep and threw us out behind the Tayasir checkpoint,” A.D recounted early in the week. … A.D’s Identity Document does indeed list him as a resident of Tubas, southeast of Jenin, but he has been living in one of the villages of the north-east Jordan Valley for 20 years. Bardale, Kardala and Ein el Beida are sister villages to northern West Bank communities that were established in the middle of last century by their residents from Tubas, Tamun and Tayasir.’ The story continues with the extreme difficulties that people face to try to get confirmation of their residence in the villages where they have lived for years – the cost, the travel through checkpoints and the ever present possibility of arrest as they have not got what are considered by the Israeli Army to be proper documents.



In the past Israel has spoken of building a Wall/Fence/Barrier down the Jordan Valley, to prevent Palestinians getting anywhere near to the Jordan River. There has been international opposition to such a proposal, and to the best of my knowledge, no construction is taking place at the moment. However, from the information contained in these two articles, there is no need to build a wall – just put in fairly aggressive army units and with their searches and the control that they exercise through checkpoints, the same result will be achieved – and at a fraction of the cost.



Tuesday 14th February

One’s faith, or what is left of it, in the international community’s ability, or even desire, to influence and perhaps restrain the Government of Israel, was not strengthened by an article in the International edition of the Herald Tribune (which comes with Haaretz). IHT Tuesday February 14th P1 : “American and Israelis aim to undo Hamas rout.” ‘The United States and Israel are discussing a strategy aimed at destabilising a new Hamas Government in the Palestinian Authority, Israeli officials and Western diplomats say. The officials and diplomats, who discussed the strategy on the condition of anonymity because of the extreme sensitivity involved, said the intention was to starve the Palestinian Authority of money and international connections to the point, some months from now, that the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is compelled to call new elections. … The idea, say the officials and the diplomats, is to force Hamas to choose: either to alter is stances and recognise Israel, forswear violence and accept previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements or face isolation and collapse.’



A morning spent in Bethlehem did little to lift the gloom caused by the early morning papers. Hamas is being asked to recognise as legitimate the Government of Israel which is at present engaged in the construction of another Checkpoint complex, on Palestinian land, on the road known locally as “The Tunnels Road”, which runs past Bethlehem southwards to Settlements in Gush Etzion and on to Hebron. At present, the Wall has not been constructed on the short section of road from the north end of the Tunnels to the location of the new checkpoint, but if the projected route is followed, it will cut off the residents of Beit Jala from their farm land. And this is the policy of the Government which Hamas is being asked to recognise. Looking out to the south from Bethlehem, from the edges of the Daheisheh Refugee Camp, the houses of the Efrat Settlement are becoming ever clearer and building proceeds nearer and nearer to Bethlehem. Counting Settlements in and around Jerusalem, and those on the West Bank, there are said to be some 250,000 Settlers – people living on Palestinian land which the State of Israel has taken, against what I understand to be international conventions and UN Resolutions. It is this State, which has planted such a large number of people on Palestinian land, that Hamas is being asked to recognise. And if it does not – Israel will keep the taxes that it charges on goods that are imported though Israel destined for Palestine –and which even Israel accepts belong rightly to the Palestinians. It will put them into escrow until such time as it thinks the Palestinians deserve to get their own money.



Speaking with the owner of a 120 room hotel in Bethlehem, he showed me a fax telling him that 5 groups had cancelled their reservations. Speaking with a young woman who has a Social Work training, she was desperate to find a job. Driving down the main street to Manger Square, the dominant visual feature are the hundreds of able-bodied young men standing around – no work for them to do.



It was a thoroughly dispiriting morning – dreich in the weather sense with rain and a cold wind. It was dreich also in a spiritual sense – one’s total inability to do anything to help people. Walking out of the hotel, there was not a word that could be spoken to ease the pain and the plight of the hotelier.



"The international community is not going to allow those individuals who are responsible for gross human rights violations or blocking the peace process to escape the consequences of their actions." These words were spoken by Mr Jack Straw, the British foreign Secretary. Not surprisingly, he was not talking about the expansion of Settlements and the building of roads, the construction of a Wall/Fence/Barrier and the uprooting of olive trees, nor the allocation of water resources on the West Bank,, but he was addressing Sudan about Darfur. The Guardian: “Resolve Darfur or face sanctions”, says Straw. Article by Ewen MacAskill Wednesday February 15, 2006



Wednesday February 15th

Jerusalem Post, P1. “Planting trees among the ghosts.” ‘Kissufim. - Looking over the rolling farm land to the west, Yaffa Dahan took a deep breath. “Over those hills, that’s it,” she pointed, before falling silent. Half a minute later, she continued. “It’s so hard to be so close, because really we’re so far away.” Like nearly everyone else at the Tu Bishvat tree-planting ceremony, Dahan, a mother of four, used to live over those hills, in Gaza. But seeking to bridge that distance, spiritually if not physically – some 2,000 Gaza evacuees gathered next to the Kibbutz Kissufim on Monday, just a few kilometres from the Kissufim Checkpoint that once led to their homes, to plant trees in honour of Tu Bishvat.’ Tu Bishvat is an festival when people often plant trees, and is known as “The New Year for Trees.”

It is a sad story, as no-one likes to lose their home. However, there is the very real question as to what they were doing occupying the land of others in the first place. As those of you who have read previous letters will remember, the same words could have been spoken by the people of Jayyous – now watching their land being dug up to build a new Settlement. Sadly, their feelings and their plight gets minimal attention, while that of the Gaza Settlers is regularly written about.



Thursday February 16th

A visiting group organised by the Palestinian Craft Shop Hadeel in Edinburgh has been around since the weekend. Today was their time to visit 3 villages south of Bethlehem. The first was Surif, where there is a co-operative which currently has some 270 women on its books – down from over 400 when they were able to sell their products. As with all such groups, they had one request – find us markets.

From Surif, they went to Idna, the village which Joan and I visit most frequently. It was good to see the confident way the women met them, spoke with them – and then sold them some of their products! Lunch was also provided. As we did not have too much time, it was a sort of standing-up meal, and quite different from the way in which the women would normally have welcome people. However, they have slowly come to terms with the sort of rush that I often live in.

After lunch, it was down to A Tuwani, and a chance to meet the leader of the small group of women who are trying to get organised. One comment from a member of the visiting group was about what the group might produce. More embroidery is not going to find an easy market, and so it would be good if they could find some alternative handcrafts. Whether that will be possible, we will have to wait to see. The harshness of living conditions in the village was something for which few of the group were prepared.



Saturday February 18th.

We had some business to do in Hebron today. As we were a bit later than usual in getting there we were in the mid-morning traffic queue. One of the facts of life here is the way in which taxis and mini-buses stop in the middle of the road, to let people in or out. It sort of delays the rest of the traffic! We met some of the members of the Christian Peacemaker Team there, and had a look at the city from the roof of the building where they live. We were told that in central Hebron there are some 450 Israeli Jewish Settlers, and it takes a garrison of approx. 1,800 soldiers to guard them. They live in the middle of a city of 180,000 Palestinians. The cost of such an operation must be substantial, and it may well be this that will drive the Israeli government to realise that it cannot continue to support Settlements across the West Bank.

Just for the record, almost everyone we passed in Hebron greeted us with the word “Welcome”. There was no sign of any hostility.

I mentioned last week that a successor has been appointed to take over from us. I neglected to mention her name. She is the Rev Jane Barron, currently working in Dundee as a parish minister.



Stay well. God bless.

Joan and Clarence


 

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Circular Letter No 252 12th February 2006

For the past week, members of the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland – the Council for which we work - have been visiting Israel and Palestine. As they are the one who have to make decisions concerning the work of the Church of Scotland here, and as several of them had not visited here before, it has been a very helpful time for them, getting to see the situation and hear from some of the local leaders of the Churches.

Two topics have figured several times in conversations :

The diminishing Christian population in the Holy Land;

The need for economic support for the Christian community.



Haaretz February 12th P1: “Christian Arabs appeal to Vatican for aid, saying ‘we are a dying congregation’.” ‘Dr Raed Mualem, head of the Mar Elias University Campus in Ibillin, has called on the Vatican to become more involved in the needs of the Christian Arab community in Israel. … According to Mualem’ s data, the migration rate among Christian Arabs is 25 per cent, and Christian Arabs in Israel will constitute a mere 0.4 % of the population by 2020, down from 1.7% today.’ This theme was reiterated by several of the people whom the Scottish group met, and they all painted the picture of there being no viable Christian community within not much more than a generation.

Reasons offered for the migration vary, but there are two which recur in most conversations.

The one is about being a tiny minority squeezed between the two large communities of Jewish and Muslim people. As minorities in any society know, to maintain one’s identity, and to struggle against assimilation, is a constant strain. Why look forward to generations of struggle, when one can emigrate and thus provide a better opportunity for one’s children and grandchildren, even if it means the loss of their ties with their native land.

The other is about economics. It is given as a fact that Christians will find it more difficult to gain employment than will Jewish or Muslim people. On the basis of each community looking after its own people, there are proportionately fewer people to offer employment to Christians than there are to offer work to Jewish and Muslim people. Yet in at least one respect, the cost of living for Christian families is higher than that for Jewish and Muslim families. Most Christian families wish to have their children educated in a Christian environment – and to do that requires that there be Christian schools – which means that the costs of these schools has to be largely met by charging fees. Education thus becomes more expensive than it is in the State sector, which provides a Jewish environment for Jewish children and a Muslim environment for Muslim children. In the Church of Scotland school in Jaffa, the grant from the Ministry of Education covers about 25% of the total budget, leaving 75% to be found from fees and donations. Many in the Christian community say that economic help is essential.

One way to strengthen the Christian community that was mentioned in the past week, would be to assist Christians to move back to Israel and Palestine – by providing investment to create employment. One person mentioned the figure of creating employment opportunities for 20,000 people in the next 10 years. Such a programme would not happen by itself – it would need a major commitment from the Christian community across the world. Yet, without some such effort, what may the future look like? Most days, tourists comprise most of the people in such churches as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem or the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) in Jerusalem. However, these churches are also the local church for many people, and it is always good to see the large congregations that attend wedding services, bring their children to be baptized, and hold their funeral services there. They give a meaning to the very existence of the church buildings. Yet, if emigration continues, there will be only the funeral services left.



It was with sadness that the last part of the Itinerary of this Group had to be changed. They had planned to visit one of the Craft Co-operatives on the West Bank, and to visit the members of the Christian Peacemakers Team in Hebron. However, given the tension that there is in the Muslim community at present, members felt they had little alternative but to accept the travel advice of the British Foreign Office and cancel that part of their visit.

This has also figured frequently in conversations this past week. However one views the faith and practices of a religion other than one’s own, there is a need for outsiders to understand the other person’s beliefs, and to act in such a way as to respect their practices. This current episode of the angry, and often violent, reaction to the publication of cartoons or drawings of Mohammed is an illustration of the depth of reverence for the Prophet, and its fundamental importance in the life of Islam. Respect for the religious traditions of others does not necessarily mean agreement with their beliefs, but it does mean making an attempt to see the world through their eyes.

A very clear illustration of the difference, for instance, between Christian and Muslim approaches to using paintings of human figures in Churches or Mosques can be seen by visiting any church and any mosque in this part of the world. The church is likely to have paintings on the walls showing characters from the Bible or from the history of the Church. The Mosque may well have decorations, but any portrayal of human beings, and especially any attempt to create a portrayal of Mohammed, is totally rejected.

Coming, as we do, from rather austere (in artistic terms) Protestant backgrounds, I can vividly recall the difficulty I had to relate to the Baroque churches of Prague when I first encountered them. Was it really possible to worship in such buildings, and was the decoration a help, or a hindrance, to worship? Similarly, when coming here and encountering the tradition of having a church interior almost totally covered with paintings, required an effort to understand the traditions which such art represented. Being with people who include veneration of Icons as part of their worship is also something quite alien to our upbringing. Yet, it most certainly is not a matter of saying that they are wrong, because they are different, but rather trying to understand what it is that makes such ways of showing devotion so significant for them.

Muslim tradition is quite different from my tradition, and it is a challenge to try to understand it. It is this lack of understanding, and therefore respect, which has been so hurtful to so many, both Muslims and non-Muslims, in these past days.



Politics continue, with all the manoeuvering in relation to Hamas in Palestine. To meet with its leaders, or not to meet with them, that is the question!

In Israel, there is the election campaign. Parties have selected their “lists” of candidates. Now there will be increasing activity on the part of the parties to get their policies across to the electorate.



One thing which is quite remarkable is the way in which the disappearance of Mr Sharon from the political scene has become accepted. In the early days of his stroke, there were constant updates on his condition, and all the speculation about the possibility of his being ever able to resume political activities. Now, days can pass without a mention of his condition. However, this weekend there has been renewed attention, with the news that he had to have further emergency surgery. For some people, there are preparations to be made for further treatment for Mr Sharon. For others, there is a questioning as to the necessity, and the humanity, of further treatment.



A personal note. The World Mission Council announced this week that a new person has been appointed to become the Minister of St Andrew’s Church, Jerusalem. This means that we will be leaving some time in the next few months, though no timetable has as yet been set either for the arrival of the new minister or the departure of the old. It will not be before the end of our present “contract” at the end of April.





Stay well.

God bless

Joan and Clarence

 

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Circular Letter No 251 4th February 2006

Reading the Observer on the Internet last week, I was struck by the following sentence in an article by Will Hutton (Sunday January 29, 2006 : The Observer) “If governments carry out bomb attacks, they follow the due process of international law and call it war. Any definition of terrorism surely has to tease what distinguishes it from warfare.” I am sure that Mr Hutton is quite sincere in what he has written, but what about when governments carry out bomb attacks such as the ones we have heard about recently in Afghanistan/Pakistan? And when the Israeli Airforce bombed an apartment building in Gaza to try to kill one person whom they called a terrorist, and at the same time killed several innocent people. Were they following the due processes of international law, and was it war? Or might it just be terrorism in another form?



There is an old saying about it taking “two to tango”. The mantra this past week is that once again, following the Palestinian elections, Israel has no partner with whom to negotiate. So, we are back to where we were 5 years ago – Israel could not, would not, negotiate with Mr Arafat. Then, when he died and Mr Abbas became the President of Palestine, there could be no negotiations with him as he was not disarming the “militias”. Now, there can be no negotiations with any government in which Hamas might be involved. One wonders sometimes what is meant by the Government of Israel when it talks about “negotiations”. Is it going to negotiate about the land which has been seized recently in the construction of the Wall/Fence/Barrier? Is it going to negotiate about the land which has been seized since 1967 for the construction of Settlements, or as they are called in French – Colonies”? It is going to negotiate about the land which has been taken to construct roads across the West Bank, effectively breaking it up into small parcels of land, which in South Africa were called “Bantustans”? Is it going to negotiate about the land, within the West Bank, which has been taken so that major checkpoints can be built – for instance the checkpoint at Kalandia, which is several kilometres inside the West Bank? Is it going to negotiate about all the infrastructure which has been destroyed by its army, allegedly in the pursuit of security, and the cost of replacing the buildings which it demolished? And so one could go on.



Maybe there is some truth in the assertions that come from some of the Hamas leaders, that they have no-one with whom to negotiate.



Tuesday 31st January

A quick visit to Jayyous on our way back from Tiberias to Jerusalem enabled us to have a cup of tea and a chat with Abdullatif and his wife Lana. If I remember correctly, it was the Muslim New Year, as well as being the Chinese New Year. We spoke of the elections, of the fears of some about Hamas imposing its Islamic ideas on the whole of the Palestinian people, etc. Two things that I recall from the conversation were:

a) Jayyous elected Hamas to lead its Council in the municipal elections a few months ago. This time, in the Legislative Council elections, the people elected Fatah. In Qalqilya, I think Abdullatif said it was the same.

b) The Koran, according to Lana, who herself is fairly orthodox in her beliefs, does not sanction compulsion as a way of making people practice Islam. For her, there was no likelihood of Hamas either wanting to, or being able to, enforce its strict interpretation of Islam.



Wednesday 1st February.

With hindsight, it was not perhaps the best day for Joan and her friends to decide to hold the first meeting of their painting group for some time. The painting group has people from Ramallah and Jerusalem, so wherever it is held, someone will have to cross a checkpoint.

So, on Wednesday morning Joan set out to go to Ramallah. The road that we normally use to enter Ramallah is what is called the “by-pass road”, passing to the East of Ramallah and then entering the city through the Bet El checkpoint. [I think I have remarked before on the irony of some of the names that have been given to places by the Israeli administration. Some of you may recognise the name “Bethel” as a name from the Old Testament, meaning literally “the house of God.” The Bet El checkpoint is part of a complex of buildings of what is called the Civil Administration – in effect the Israeli Army administration for the West Bank. There is a checkpoint, a court house, a detention centre, offices for the issuing (or refusal to issue) of permits to enter Israel.] On the way there, she had to pass a “mobile” checkpoint where some people were turned back. She was able to proceed, get to her friend’s house and have the painting group. Then it was time to come home, and they left about 1500 hours. Joan got back home at 1930 hours – 4 ½ hours to cover less than 20 kms. First of all, the Bet El checkpoint was closed, so they had to make their way to the Kalandia checkpoint. There it took them 2 ½ hours to get through, there was so much traffic and soldiers were so slow about dealing with each car.

The reason for the whole episode was that, a few kms north of the turnoff from the Ramallah Bypass for Bet El, the Israeli Army and Police were involved in a major operation to demolish a small, illegal outpost from a Settlement. [When an outpost is referred to as “illegal” it always begs the question as to what is a “
legal” Settlement on the West Bank. To my simple way of understanding, I thought that there were all illegal.] However, on Wednesday, there were major violent confrontations between Settlers and the Army and Police, but in the end the 9 unoccupied houses were demolished. It was this operation which virtually paralysed entry to and exit from Ramallah. However, there are those who would say that this does not matter, as it was only Palestinians who were being inconvenienced.

On Thursday, there was extensive coverage of the operation in the press. One little snippet that caught my eye was in the leading article: Haaretz Thursday February 2nd, P1. “Security sources: Despite Amona violence, more outposts to be removed before election.” ‘… Among the wounded were right-wing MKs Effi Eitam and Aryeh Eldad – and the latter, furious and in pain with a broken hand, let his true feeling slip: “They’re treating people like Arabs here,” he spat.’



The papers since then have been compelling reading. Following the withdrawal from Gaza which was achieved without any real violence, there were two conflicting feelings – on one side - if evacuation of Settlements happened once in a peaceful manner, then it would be the same the next time there were evacuations, but on the other side – we let them get away with demolition of the Gaza settlements, and we will fight to prevent evacuation and demolition of West Bank Settlements. So, there have been many comments about the violence – Jew against Jew; citizen against citizen There has been the suggestion that the Settlers have somehow forfeited their status as “real” citizens, while Settlers speak of betrayal by the State of Israel. It is clear that something is happening within Israeli society, which may have significant implications for relations with the Palestinians.



Friday 3rd February.

I had a meeting with a young member of staff of an international NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) involved in humanitarian work in Gaza and the West Bank. Conversation turned to the funding of the programmes in which the NGO is involved. Since the election, one overseas Government has put a stop on all payments for its projects. Another is waiting to see what will happen and then will make a decision about future support.

Speaking to one of the heads of a similar NGO later in the day, the news was that people who had been recruited to come and take part in specific programmes might have just to go straight home, and there are organisations which may have to close if overseas governments carry out their stated intentions of not supporting anything to do with a government in which Hamas is involved.



One of the points which has come up frequently in discussion about the election results is the fact that these elections were held with international observers present, and so no accusation of corruption or cheating has been made. Clean elections, and yet somehow folk find this example of democracy hard to accept.



Saturday 4th February

I had a visit to pay this morning to a friend who lives on the north side of Jerusalem, in an area that is called “East Jerusalem.” To get to this house, it is necessary to pass a checkpoint. No problem on the way out of town, but everyone is checked on the way back into town. However, neither way did it mean any significant delay for me – quite different for the Palestinians who have to pass it, even if they have all the legal documents.

We spoke about the employment and housing situation in his area.

From the front window of his house one can see The Wall. It comes to an abrupt end at the moment, as there have been court proceedings to contest the route on which the Israeli Army wished to have it constructed. From another window there is a cleared area, and then a small fence – where the Wall will go if the Israeli army gets it way. When that happens, he will be on the outside of the Wall.

We spoke about the possibility of getting into Jerusalem. As things stand at the moment, he will travel about 3 ½ kms north along one side of the wall to the Kalandia checkpoint, (hopefully) go through the checkpoint, and then travel back south to Jerusalem. Given that checkpoints are not usually established to facilitate passage by Palestinians, it is anyone’s guess how long that journey will take. The son of a friend living almost next door works in an industrial park which is less than 10 minutes from home. To make sure that he will be able to get to his work, he has moved house into Jerusalem, and still it takes him about 30 minutes travelling time to get to work.

One result of the impending closure and difficulty about getting in to Jerusalem is that people have moved from this suburb into such places as the Old City, or other Arab areas of the city. He counted 14 houses round about which are empty, with the families just having closed their houses and left them. He spoke of one man whose house had been worth in excess of $300,000, and who in the end was delighted to have been offered $160,000 for it. To buy an apartment half its size in Jerusalem he had had to pay $170,000, and then had to finish it and furnish it. Across the road from his house we looked at a new apartment block – 24 apartments of which 3 are occupied – no-one wants to come and live there, and risk being caught behind the Wall.

It was painful to sit and listen to him, and be able to do absolutely nothing to help. His outlook is bleak – health affected by the strain, work affected by the difficulty of getting to it, family affected by uncertainty of knowing where to live and how to plan for the future.

Of course, we are told that this is all caused by the Security needs which have dictated where the Wall shall be built, and has nothing to do with trying to ensure that the population of Jerusalem stays predominantly Jewish.



Early in the week we had an hour to spare, and visited Bethsaida, near Capernaum. Not much of the site has been excavated, but there is one area where one can see the City Walls. The Brochure reads as follows: “The inhabitants of Bethsaida during the Iron Age surrounded their city with a massive fortification system which has no parallel in the military architecture of the period. The gate was destroyed in a fierce conflagration during the Assyrian conquest in 732 BC. You recall the song, popular a few years ago; ”Where have all the young men gone?”, which has the refrain “When will they ever learn?” Seems somehow still appropriate, having seen Bethsaida and Bethlehem in the same week.



Stay well. God bless

Joan and Clarence
 

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Circular Letter No 250 28th January 2006

On November 6th 2005, Haaretz P1 carried the headline: “Prison dig may have found the world’s earliest church.” ‘A mosaic and the remains of a building uncovered recently in excavations on the Megiddo prison grounds may belong to the earliest church in the world, according to a preliminary examination by the Israel Antiquities Authority.’ Even allowing for a certain amount of exaggeration it was clear that something quite important had been uncovered.

On January 24th, Joan and I were among a small number of Church folk who were present at the Prison when the President of Israel paid a visit to the site. As one might expect, formalities to get into the Prison were thorough – and just as thorough to get out! The site of the prison is close to what is known as Tel Megiddo, which is a major historical site about 1 km away. As a result of this, whenever the Prison Authorities wish to build on land in the Prison, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) first of all has to have an inspection of the site. It was during such an inspection that the find of this Mosaic occurred.

It was found in what has been described as a large villa, situated between a Roman Camp a short distance to the north, and a Jewish village close by on the south. Its size – 10m x 5 m - is quite considerable, indicating that the room which contained it was a major feature of the villa. The date for the Mosaic has been suggested as between 200 AD and 250 AD. While not being of as high quality as some other mosaics that have been discovered, it is significant for its date and the inscriptions it includes. One of them links the name of a Roman soldier to Christianity in a building that dates prior to the recognition of Christianity as an official religion within the Roman Empire. Another one contains a reference to “the God Jesus Christ”, and is one of the earliest such references, according to the IAA. The largest panel in the floor contains a circular medallion of two fish – the Christian symbol used from very early times, and pre-dating the use of the Cross. (IAA). Two of the aspects of the site stressed by IAA is its evidence of Jewish, Christian and Roman people living side by side, and the existence of a large “prayer hall” in a private building, possibly owned by a Roman army officer.

If co-existence was possible then, may it also be possible now?



Tuesday 24th January. Elections. Newspapers here are full of Elections.

There has been the Palestinian election. Its circumstances were a bit bizarre. Of the total area recognised by the international community as being “The West Bank” the Israeli army occupies and administers the largest part, with the Palestinian Authority being in nominal control only of urban centres such as Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho etc. So, the room for campaigning in the pre-election period was limited by the ability of the Israeli army to control movement of people on the West Bank between urban areas. Limitations were also imposed on political activity in Jerusalem. So how “free” were the elections, and what real power will those elected to the new Legislature have? It may be very limited, but one of the most significant aspects of the Election has been the chance for the ordinary people to register their verdict on the performance of Fatah over the past years. Clearly they have not been too impressed either with its performance or with its integrity. Time and again, when we spoke with people on the West Bank, they expressed support for Hamas as the party which would get rid of corruption, and would “get things done”. We wait to see what will happen.

Saturday 28th January.

The Palestinian Elections have come and gone. Now we all have to live with, and work with, the results.

It has been very informative, listening to the world reaction, and also to the reaction within Palestine and Israel, to the results.

One of the reactions has been that of shock. No-one was prepared for the result, so now people are asking why it happened.



We travel a certain amount on the West Bank – today we were at Idna.

If you are a Palestinian in Beit Jala, you can now see the work on the line of the Wall which will cut off your farmlands from direct access from Beit Jala. At the bottom of the hill, where the road from Beit Jala DCO meets the main Hebron Road, you will be able to see the clearing of ground and the preparations for a new Check point. If you go 1 km along the Hebron Road, you will come to the road into Khader. It has been blocked for several years, and is now a major place where people get out of taxis that have come from Hebron, walk over a mound of earth, and get another taxi to take them on into Bethlehem. If you travel down the road a few kms towards Hebron, you will see on your left the tentacles of the Settlement Efrat spreading out along the hills, while on the right there are the houses of Newe Daniel, followed shortly by the houses of Eleazar. All of this land is within the Green Line – it is on land that is regarded by the international community as Palestinian Land. – yet on this stretch of road you will find not a single Palestinian house. It is regarded by Israel as land that will become an integral part of Israel.

How would you feel if this was the view that you had from the taxi window, bring you past the blocked southern entrance to Bethlehem from Hebron? The blocking of this road is particularly galling as right beside it is a new road to an extension of Efrat Settlement – Efrat North.

When we got to Idna, we went to the main entrance to the village. The road is blocked by several concrete blocks about 1m cubed. If you want to travel to the next village, you have to take a taxi to the road block, get out and walk across the road, and then take another taxi on the other side of the next road block.

When all this has happened in the past, and shows no sign of abatement in the present; when there are checkpoints being built 15 kms into your land by the occupation force of Israel, when people have their ID cards taken off them merely for crossing a road that is deemed to be “Israeli” though it is completely within the West Bank, what do you do?

When the government that has been yours for the last 10 years, since the last election, and long before that, appears to be impotent in the face of this colonisation of your land, and unable to stop the Israeli army doing whatever it wants in your country, what do you do?

When something like 250,000 people have moved on to your land in the West Bank since 1967, excluding you from where you farmed, the land that you would be giving to your grandchildren, and control virtually every aspect of your life, what do you do?

Today, driving our short journey on the West Bank, all the feeder roads off the main road into the towns and villages along the way were closed, as they have been since late 2000 or early 2001, with the exception of 1 road into Halhul. Even that can be closed at a moment’s notice by the Israeli army. When it is so difficult to travel in your own land, what do you do?

We may not agree with the choice of the people; we may not like the people whom they have chosen; but it was these people who helped get schools built, who ran social programmes, who helped distribute food. So why not give them a chance to see what they can do on a national level?

The surprise is that the world was surprised, that Israel was surprised, that Fatah was surprised. It was fairly clear to us, from our limited contact with people on the West Bank, that there was a mood of disillusion with Fatah, and its inability to influence the Israelis. Why not try someone else – and someone whom many felt had played a more significant role in bringing about the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza that had Fatah?



So, there will be a changing of the guard.

And the world is up in arms, lecturing the Palestinians about what they must do. Hamas is a Terrorist Organisation. Undoubtedly, but it is also undoubted that in the past 11 months it has had a de facto truce. In that time, more Palestinians have been killed by Israelis than Israelis have been killed by Palestinians. Where is the equally loud chorus from the rest of the world telling the Israeli army to stop killing? If there is no balancing sound about deaths of Palestinians, is it any wonder that Palestinians feel that something is wrong with the way the world sees conflict and death? So they have chosen those whom they feel will best put their arguments, and best advance their interests.



There have been many comments. Most express surprise at the extent of the political change here. Some express support. Some express anxiety. Some express alarm.

Within the Christian community, there is a certain anxiety about the way in which Hamas has said it would like to change Palestinian society and make it more Islamic. No-one can say at the moment how this will work out. (Just as an aside. As you approach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City, from the direction of the Christian Quarter Road, you pass the Mosque of Omar. Omar was the Caliph who arrived in Jerusalem in 638 AD to take over the city on behalf of the new Muslim rulers. He was invited by the Patriarch in charge of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to come in and pray in the Church. He refused, on the grounds that if he did so, his followers would want to turn the Church into a Mosque. Instead, he prayed outside – and the Mosque of Omar marks the place where he prayed. The point of reminding ourselves of this is that for centuries Islam and Christianity have lived together, though there have been times when there has been great hostility – the Crusades come to mind, as well as other events such as the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by the Fatimid caliph Hakim in 1009. No doubt there will be difficulties to be overcome as Hamas starts to govern. One has hope that they will be overcome.)

For myself, there was a certain inevitability in the election result. Every brick that has been put in a Settlement, as part of the colonisation of the West Bank, and the dispossession of its people, has been like a nail into the heart of the people of the West Bank – and there is just so much that they can take. I may not agree with the election result, but I can understand how it came about.



There will be elections within Israel. They come towards the end of March, but already the political parties have prepared their lists of candidates. The system is the members of each Party vote to choose the members of its “list”. When the election actually takes place, seats in the Knesset will be allocated to each party in accordance with the number of votes cast for it. If Party “X” qualifies for 10 seats, the normal thing is for the first ten people on its List to become Members of the Knesset (MK). So, the preparation of Lists is very important, and who is placed at what number can make the difference between being an MK or not.

With the lists prepared, it is now the time for campaigning. Security and The Economy will dominate the election. Security will cover all aspects of relationships with the Palestinians, including Settlements, evacuation of Settlements, the Wall/Fence/Barrier, and where it will be built. The Economy will be important. The following headline in Haaretz January 24th P1 “National Insurance Institute: One quarter of Israelis live below poverty line.”: As the Jerusalem Post said, it all depends on where you draw the poverty line, but it is still a major economic and social problem that Israeli society faces, and parties have to contend with in their campaigning.

Security, land, relations with the Palestinians – all these are significant matters also. With the illness of Mr Sharon removing him from the political arena, people are now waiting to see what the current party leaders are going to say. The start of the Leader column in Haaretz 26th January P 5 reads as follows: “When Ehud Olmert declared to the Herzliya Conference that, ‘We cannot guarantee the existence of the Jewish national home by continuing to rule those places where most Palestinians live,’ one could only feel like asking him why he hadn’t reached this conclusion 10, 20, 30 years ago. If Olmert was indeed moderate in his political views in 1981, as his friends say, then as a public figure he was one of the most radical and among those who had caused the greatest harm to any attempt by Israeli governments to reach a political compromise.” We wait to see what will happen in Israel.



From a wintry Jerusalem – perhaps figuratively as well as meteorologically, stay well. God bless

Joan and Clarence