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Rev Clarence
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Circular Letter No 100 26th July 2002 Most of the memos have been written; most of the desks have been cleared; most of the meetings have been held; and it is now a question of trying to finish everything in time for 0430 hours on Monday morning, when we hope to leave for the airport. I am sure that in your parts of the world, as here, there has been significant coverage of the bombing mission undertaken by the Israeli Air Force this past week into Gaza. One is always looking for signs that things are changing, and perhaps that a particular event will be THE catalyst that really gets change under way. It is tempting to think that this raid might be such an event. Certainly, if reporting, and recrimination, in the Israeli press and on Israeli TV are anything to go by, then something of major significance has occurred. Whether or not that percolates through to the Prime Minister and those who make the decisions here is another matter. One fears that this will just be yet another escalation of the violence and terror, and that the idea of dropping a one-ton bomb on to a house in the middle of a residential area will become routine, just as other tactics used by the Israeli armed forces have become routine. It is a chilling prospect. Possible? Well, at the UN the Israeli deputy Ambassador accused the Palestinians of hiding their terrorists among ordinary people, and therefore using them as “human shields”. If this is the way of thinking, who knows what can be rationalised. There has been much talk of “easing the plight of the Palestinians”, but reducing the hours of curfews, by allowing more people to come to Israel to work, etc. One becomes a bit cynical about all such talk when one has to deal with the realities of life. On Tuesday last, we heard that the curfew on Bethlehem area had been lifted, and would be off until 1300 hours. So Joan and I hurriedly got ready to go and say good bye to the folks in Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, as we felt it unlikely that we would get another chance later in the week. About 1030 hours we arrived at the Check point and joined the queue. After about 25 minutes of virtually no movement, and a feeling that if we did not get moving, it would not in fact be worthwhile going into Bethlehem, as we would have to leave almost immediately with the re-imposition of the curfew, I called an Army post and spoke to a soldier on duty. Having explained my predicament, I was told to wait. After about 5 minutes, I had a call back to say that I should go to the head of the queue, and tell the soldiers that I had been given clearance. Reluctantly I did this, as I do not like passing others who have been sitting there patiently waiting. However, when I got to the actual check post, I found 3 Border Policemen standing talking, and the whole queue not moving at all. They were paying no attention to the waiting line of cars, vans and trucks. This is the reality behind all the talk of the politicians, perhaps reported abroad as well as here, about easing the situation on the West Bank. One of our visits was to Najla and George. There we heard the story of her efforts to get her boys to Amman so that they could fly to the UK. One of the facts of life at the Allenby Bridge, which is the main crossing point from Israel into Jordan, is that the Jordanians have put a sort of quota on how many Palestinians can cross the Bridge each day. They are doing this to try to ensure that Jordan is not engulfed in a new wave of refugees leaving the West Bank, and also as they feel that they would be playing the Israeli game if they let everyone across. It would be “voluntary” transfer, and give more justification to the Israeli colonists to move on to the West Bank. Jerusalem to Amman is not much more than 50 miles. >From either city to the border is about 30 minutes, perhaps 45 minutes, by car. Najla and her boys left home at 0430 hours on Sunday morning. They arrived in the Bridge area about 0600 hours – for a normal journey of no more than 45 minutes! – and then they got into the crowd of hundreds of people there trying to get across to Jordan, and having to spend days before making any progress. Najla’s boys were told that they could get a place on one of the daily buses on September 4th. To cut a long story short, Najla spent the rest of the day listening, talking, asking etc. By some means, and she insists that no-one either asked for or was given money, she got her boys on to a bus on Monday morning at 1000 hours. She got back to her home about 1300 hours on Monday, and heard from Amman at 1700 hours that they had arrived at their relative’s house safe and sound. So, a journey that should have taken perhaps 2 or at most 3 hours, took them just over 36 hours. We visited Helen Shehadeh, in her now quiet school, as it is vacation time, and the kids have gone home. She is well, but like everyone else outraged at being a prisoner in her own land, and unable to be certain that she can even get to church. She will read the lessons for us this Sunday, if she gets past the check point, or if she is able to avoid it by going a slightly round-about way. We called with Elias, but he had in fact gone to visit family members and was not at home. When the curfew is lifted, you go for a visit that could last several days! And then it was back out through the waste land that is Check Point 300, and a wait of about 30 minutes. For us, for the moment, such experiences are things of the past. For the folk living here, and trying to do their work, they are a real bone of contention. As we were waiting in our line of vehicles, some American Christian folk in a group walked out, and got a bus on the Jerusalem side of the check point. This is how it has to be done now – bus to the check point, walk through and be checked, and then get another bus. There was also a Palestinian Christian whom we know, and so when we got through the formalities, we were able to give him a lift home. At least it helped us to feel that we were of some use. The Jerusalem International YMCA (JIY) has, for quite a number of years, sent mixed groups of youngsters to the States for a summer leadership programme. It has always been the policy of the JIY to send mixed groups – both Arab and Jewish. The group has gone this year as usual, but it is rather smaller than planned. One reason is the increasing difficulty for Palestinians, even if they are Israeli citizens, of getting Visas to travel to the States. Despite approaches to the authorities both here and in Washington, the answer was that for one of the youngsters, a late replacement to fill one of the places in the group, there would be no Visa in time for him to travel. Yet another restriction to be faced by people here. Sunbula is the organisation which was founded to try to assist Palestinian people sell their hand-craft goods. In the year to Dec 31st 2000, sales reached something like $275,000. The monthly average sales this year are about $10,000. This figure includes both sales in the shop and mail-order sales. Sunbula is run by a Council of local people. However, one of the Council members lives in Bethlehem, and another in Ramallah. How are they to get to meetings, with the curfews and closures? It makes it difficult to operate a Council. Then, there is supposed to be an Annual Business Meeting, to which should come representatives of all the Co-operatives from which Sunbula buys goods. Again, given the curfews, and the closures, how can such a meeting be organised? It is virtually impossible for representatives to get from the West Bank into Jerusalem. It is very difficult for people from the Bethlehem area to get to Ramallah and vice versa. And then some of the Council members, being Israeli citizens, are not supposed to travel to the West Bank. So, quite apart from the lack of tourists to spend money, there are all the administrative problems in just trying to run even this sort of simple, small organisation. And while we in Jerusalem face these problems, the women in the villages get little or no income, as they depend on Sunbula to sell their produce. Friday morning’s paper carries the usual mix of news. It is very gloomy on the economic front, with more job losses, with the shekel losing value again after having gained some ground following Budget revisions and tax increases. On the political front, one of the reasons for gloom is that the Labour Party is falling apart – and this was once the sort of automatic party of government. It is a member of the Coalition Government, or Government of National Unity. Most commentators seem to indicate that it has lost its way, and that it is really largely discredited because of the way it has acquiesced in the policies of Mr Sharon. On the military front, there is a delay in deporting the relatives of suicide bombers from the West Bank to Gaza. International reaction to this proposal was almost all negative, and there is legal as well as “moral” opposition within Israel, so it may, or may not, happen. At any rate there is a delay. On the diplomatic front, a page 2 headline reads : “U S Ambassador : The situation in the territories is a humanitarian disaster.” This is a rare piece of open criticism from the Americans. An advertisement below that article reads : Demonstration. In the call against the government’s policies that pour still more oil on the fire; in the call for the chance to return to negotiations and the withdrawal from the settlements and the territories now – Saturday 27th July at 2000 hours, opposite the Prime Minister’s Residence, Jerusalem. Inserted by the Peace Now Coalition. Political infighting – Mr Sharon will soon appoint the former head of Mossad as his “private foreign minister” undertaking sensitive diplomatic missions. One wonders where that leaves Mr Peres, the substantive Foreign Minister? An article in one of the main Hebrew language newspapers recently posed the question “ Does Mr Sharon really want peace?” It argues that each time there was some glimmer of light from the Palestinian side, another bombing or assassination took place, almost guaranteeing reprisals and yet more killing. When Israeli journalists are asking this on the front pages of their papers, then one wonders what is happening underneath the surface. Interestingly also on the English TV News programme of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, we are beginning to see those pictures which have been on BBC, CNN and others for months – pictures of what life is like on the West Bank. One wonders what will be the effect of ordinary people being able to see such pictures? Should one hope for some change, or is it all just a mirage? Some time ago, reading a book I copied out the following quotation : “The real Easter miracle was not a changed Jesus, but changed disciples, and that was a change they could not escape.” The real miracle now would be changed governments – both Israeli and Palestinian – American and European . From somewhere came a quotation this week : “If you follow the teaching of ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ all that you will end up with are people who are toothless and blind.” It is time to end. Thanks for reading. Thanks for taking the time to write. Thanks for sharing information with others. I will send in a separate message some details of our leave, and if any of you are able to meet up with us along the way, we will be delighted to see you. I am not taking home our E-mail address list! So, for the moment, it is au revoir. We hope you are all well. God bless. Joan and Clarence.
Circular Letter No 99 It has been a strange Sunday, but then it has been a strange week. To start at the end. On cue, the doctor appeared in the ward this morning about 0730 hours, had a short chat, and said that I would be taken down to the Dental Faculty clinic about 0830. From there, assuming all was well, I would be discharged, and could go off home, to reappear for a clinic on next Thursday. So, a quick wash, some breakfast, and before I could get that finished, an orderly was on hand to take me to the Clinic, in a wheel chair! This was even better treatment than earlier in the week, when I really did feel a bit ill. Anyway, all was well, letters were given to me, and I was instructed to go and pay! I eventually found the correct place, and the correct person, and that was taken care of. Up to the ward where I collected by bits and pieces, and I was ready for Joan when she arrived after Church. So, about 1230 hours, we were back home. But for me, no service, no congregation, no contacts with the community. Then this afternoon we had to go to the pharmacy, and shop! I have never liked shopping on Sunday, and though it is a normal working day here, I still try to maintain it as a special time. However, we had to get medicine. Now we are home, and Joan is slaving over the stove to produce a special meal for someone who still had a bit of difficulty opening his mouth – tatties and mince. Last Sunday, we had a picnic in the forest close to Jerusalem, and there was some slight pain in my lower right jaw, but nothing that was hugely different from what I have had from time to time. Monday morning was quite different, with a large swelling on my face. I called Joan’s dentist, and he agreed to see me almost immediately. He had a chat, took an x-ray, and then started to do some investigation. He opened up one tooth and struck gold when he had drilled far enough – some discharge from the infection. He then packed it temporarily, prescribed antibiotics, and said he hoped it would get better. If not, call him. Tuesday I had to call him, and he had another spell working on the tooth, with yet more discharge. He changed the antibiotic, and said to call him later in the day and let him know how things were. The upshot of that phone call was a recommendation to go to the Hadassah Hospital, at Ein Kerem. (Ein Kerem is the village outside Jerusalem where there are sites commemorating John the Baptist and his family. Hadassah Hospital is the University Teaching Hospital, and was commenced about 1950, when Israel had no access to its main Hospital in Jerusalem on Mount Scopus. ) We got there about 1900 hours, and after what seemed ages, the doctor said he was admitting me there and then. So by 2200 hours, I was saying good bye to Joan as she went off home, and I settled in to a completely new experience. The reason for the doctor’s concern was the fact that the infection had spread round to the throat and if it developed further could have had an effect on the airways. So, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent in Hadassah, with the swelling going down slowly at first and then more quickly. On Sunday morning, it all changed, and it was home to continue with tablet treatment, and hope that the improvement will carry on. There is still some swelling, and still a limit on how widely I can open my mouth! I can eat potato crisps without too much effort. Reflection time. The first reflection : the user “unfriendliness” of the Out Patient Department. Not having had much experience of such places, I have little with which to compare it. However, it did not appear to be equipped to deal with non-Hebrew or non-Arabic speakers, and so a little lost soul wandered around without any real idea of what was going to happen. Question : how user friendly is the environment in which I work and where I meet the public? How would a Hebrew speaker have got on at the Western General in Edinburgh? Second reflection : being treated in the Out Patients by an Arab doctor. I just had expected to find Jewish staff – I think that the rest of the staff whom I met in the 5 days I was a patient were all Jewish. Third reflection : seeing the small, but significant numbers of Arab patients. (Going back in through the main door of the hospital this morning, and passing the security guards, I noticed that the only people who had to show any sort of ID cards were several Arab women. Everyone else, including myself, was “kosher” – acceptable.) The hospital had some very pleasant gardens, and there were used by Jew and Arab families. Fourth reflection : the professionalism of the medical staff. This is perhaps as it should be, but given the situation here, one would not have been surprised had there been some reaction to a Christian preacher. Yet nowhere did I feel the slightest antagonism. It demonstrates once again the error of “categorising” people, and calling them all “Jewish” when one has a bad experience at a check point. Those who cared for me were equally Jewish, and so I have to take that into consideration when making judgments. Equally I have to recall the very real harassment meted out by soldiers of the Israeli army. Fifth reflection : being in an almost completely Jewish environment, with news coming in on different occasions during the week of bombs and deaths etc. Not surprisingly no word that I heard of any concern about the situation of the Palestinians – but I also wonder if this is not so much a lack of any real information given in a way that can be comprehended, as of general hostility to them. One of those in the ward one evening spoke of his feelings when, on a business trip in India, he had a phone call from Jerusalem to say that the Pizza shop had been bombed, and his 9-year old daughter could not be contacted. Understandably he was extremely agitated for some hours till news came through that she had been located and was well. Overall, one of the strange feelings of the week was the normality of it all, when just over the hills was the Bethlehem area where there was complete curfew, and abnormality. Sixth reflection : the lack of knowledge among those whom I met of the Christian world, the Christian faith, the Church etc. But then, where would the average Jewish Israeli gain such knowledge? What can the Church of Scotland do, in its small way, to try to provide opportunities for more people to have cross-faith, or inter-faith, contacts? Seventh reflection : the medical care and facilities available on this side of the Green Line. What would have happened had it been a Palestinian, living on the West Bank, who had suffered a similar infection? Eighth reflection : I wondered what was wrong with the two “old” men with whom I shared the ward for the past couple of days. Then I found that they were both younger than me, and had themselves been wondering what was wrong with the old man in the bed at the end of the room!!! Just for the record. People often express concern at the fact that the Church of Scotland allows us to stay here. Does it take sufficient care for us? There are two different matters here. The first is that we stay here because we feel this is the right place for us to be, and not because the Church of Scotland forces us to stay. In truth, we would resist any attempt to make us leave, as there are so many people here to whom we relate who are unable to leave. The second is that recently the Board of World Mission took out a new Emergency Health Care Insurance Policy for all its overseas staff. There may have been a few administrative hiccups as we tried to get this under way – but now that we have learned how to use it, we are sure that it will be a great asset not only to us, but to the Board as a whole. Being in hospital, once the treatment began to do its work and I began to feel a bit more human, I had a bit more time to read than I normally have. One or two things leapt out at me from the Weekend Magazine of Ha’aretz. From the edge of Daheisha Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem, one can look up at the hills to the south and see the spreading houses of the Efrat Settlement. The refugees look up at land that is legally Palestinian, but on which Israelis are building houses and forming “colonies”. (Digression : One of the difficulties I have always felt is how to convey the reality of these building schemes which are called Settlements. That seems such an innocuous word for communities set up illegally on occupied land, which are exacerbating the situation, and which will make eventual resolution of the conflict more difficult. Recently I was told of the French word for Settlements - Colonies. That seems so much more accurate that I will use it from now on, and “colonist” for “settler”.) Anyway, from the edge of Bethlehem one can see the edge of the Efrat Colony. There is a story in the Magazine about a new group of people in the Efrat area. The heading reads : “Two months ago, a delegation of rabbis from Israel went to Peru. They converted 90 people, most of Indian origin, and flew them immediately to Israel, where they quickly joined the ranks of Jewish colonists on the West Bank.” Para 2 of the story reads : Batya Mendel, who until two months ago was a Peruvian citizen whose first name was Blanca, analyzes the situation with surprising passion and self-confidence : ‘Yasser Arafat isn’t even a Palestinian and he has no rights to the Land of Israel because he wasn’t born in the Land of Israel. This land was promised eternally by God only to those who were born here. Just because I was born in Peru and don’t have Jewish roots makes no difference, because the Book of Zephaniah states that those who want to believe in the Holy One and be believing Jews – only they have rights to the Land of Israel. Maybe, when the Messiah comes and all the Palestinians are converted to Judaism and believe in God with complete faith, only then will we allow them to live in the Land of Israel.” The article ends with a quotation from another Peruvian who has changed his name to Ben-Haim : “ ‘I want to defend the country and if there is no choice, I will kill Arabs. But I am sure that Jews kill Arabs only for self-defence and justice, but Arabs do it because they like to kill.’ He bases this belief on his scientific view of Judaism : ‘The Arab has the instinct of murder and killing like all gentiles, and only Jews do not have that instinct – that is a genetic fact.’ ”. I leave you to draw your own conclusions from that article, and its implications for the future relationships between communities in this part of the world. Summer camp is a big part of the scene here in Jerusalem. With regular school closed for its holidays, what do children and parents do? They find another way of keeping children occupied, allowing parents to continue with their work, and they call it “summer camp”. Gideon Levy, a Jewish journalist, has an article about “Fahdi’s summer camp”. It makes sad reading. “What to do with the kids during the summer vacation? Some Palestinians don’t have that problem. They send the kids to infiltrate into Israel and risk themselves day in and day out trying to make a few shekels by peddling wares or begging for handouts. That’s how it is when there is no other means of livelihood available.” The article goes on to tell the stories of many of these kids – as young as 5 years old, up to mid-teens, and what they do to try to get some money for their families. One, Fathi, who is barely 10 years old, returns each evening to his village on the back of his mule, after travelling almost 40 kms. A “flyer” that was stuck under the windshield wiper of the car some time ago read as follows : VICTIMS OF ARAB TERROR : Learn how to protect yourself and your family In these volatile times … what you don’t know can hurt you. Courses in legal weapons for self defence. Among those listed as Founders, supporters etc, many of whom were from the USA, was the following : England – Patrons : The Williams Foundation. I have no idea who or what is the Williams Foundation. Any information, anyone? Monday morning 22nd July. Time to end. Thanks to all who called Joan, or who sent e-mails asking how we were, and what I had done to get myself incarcerated. Fortunately it appears to have been little more than a hiccup, and hopefully it will not be too long before I can open my mouth again! If all goes according to plan, this time next week we will be on our way home. Stay well. God bless, and love from Joan and Clarence. top
Circular Letter No 98 At the end of the last letter there was the remark that I had met a Zionist Jewish man fully convinced that he and all Jewish people had a right to come and settle here in the land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, but who also believed passionately that Jewish behaviour should be moral and just. His particular way of helping that process of morality is to work with B’Tselem, the organisation that exists to struggle for human rights for the Palestinians on the West Bank. No doubt there are others like him, some of whom I meet at the Women in Black, but it is still a challenge to the stereotype that one is tempted to build of Jewish people when one meets someone like him. I met X some time ago. He is a Sabra – born in Israel – born into an Orthodox religious family. His parents sent him to a Yeshiva to study the Torah. His particular Yeshiva was a bit out of the ordinary, as they only did half a day on Torah – the Old Testament – while the rest was given over to more normal studies of the kind that are part of the curriculum of any secondary school. As a young teenager, he found it more and more difficult to accept what he has being asked to do, and to accept. So, in mid-teens he left the Yeshiva. Sounds easy! But what do you do about your family, who disagree with your decision to opt out of this form of life? Interestingly, he was accused of leaving “The Way” – one of the phrases used to describe the Orthodox life-system of beliefs and behaviour. Initially he was able to remain with his family, but eventually the tension became too much and he had to leave home. What do you do about School? He was way behind his peer group in “normal” studies such as Maths, Science, History etc. Fortunately he found a school which was accustomed to dealing with youngsters like him, and he got additional help with his normal studies. What do you do about normal social contact with your peer group? For years you have existed in a virtually closed society, and have not had to think about relationships with others. People outside that society are strange, unknown, and perhaps frightening. What do you do about faith? Does leaving the Yeshiva automatically also mean that you leave Judaism? It is quite likely that the decision to leave the Yeshiva will be part and parcel of a struggle about faith. But where do you go to get help with those questions which have driven you to leave the “belief system” in which you had spent most, if not all, your life? And so the questions go on. There is now an organisation that was set up to help such people – young or old – and it is very much appreciated. Yet, in the end of the day, in a society which is becoming more and more “religious” and more Judaistic, there are going to be great problems. (An aside. I remember the struggle that Catholic priests had whom we knew in Zambia, when they left their Order. Money came from the Order, housing came from the Order, employment came through the Order, friendships were largely through the Order. How did one live in a completely different world? It was tough for the ones whom we knew.) X has now survived for the best part of 15 years. He was at first atheistic, but now is becoming aware of a personal faith growing inside – perhaps a bit like Christianity – that certainly not to the extent that he is ready to describe himself as a Christian. He has been along to Messianic Jewish meetings, but has found them unsatisfactory. He doubts that he is Jewish, in any sense other than biological. Refusal to serve in the Army has meant discrimination in the job market, in housing, in education. In his eyes, the only thing that is holding Israeli Jewish society together is the memory of the Holocaust, and the fear that the countries around Israel still wish to sweep the Jewish people into the sea. When time passes, and historic memories fade a bit, he is afraid that the internal tensions between religious and secular Jews, between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, etc will tear the country apart. Like many others, he is apprehensive about the future of Israel when the American Empire is a thing of the past, and the dollar no longer reigns supreme. There are other parts of the spectrum on Israeli Jewish opinion. Monday (8th July) Ha’aretz has a headline, “Government backs Bill to allot state land to Jews only.” A Bill that is possibly going to come to the Knesset, will empower the Jewish Agency to allocate land in accordance with its goals, that is, to establish exclusively Jewish communities. This Bill arises out of a decision by the High Court, which ruled that the state cannot discriminate between Arabs and Jews in the distribution of land resources, even if the distribution is done by the Jewish Agency. At the same time, another bill – the Intifada Bill – will, if enacted, mean that “a person who numbers among the enemies of the state, or is a resident of a region in conflict” cannot submit compensation claims against Israel. This is explicitly aimed at preventing any claim against any part of the Government of Israel or, for instance, its army, for damage, or injury. Monday morning we had a visit of a group of Israeli pensioners to the Church. Introducing the place to them, I pointed out various features, including the broken window. There was a tour guide who was translating what I was saying, and when I spoke of the stones thrown through the window, she translated this as “part of the Intifada”!! She was a bit taken aback when I pointed out to her that I had not mentioned the Intifada, and said that the Church is in West Jerusalem, of which by far the largest sector of the population is Jewish. After that I had to go out to the army base beyond Bethlehem, where permits are issued for people from the West Bank to come into Israel to work. The man remembered my previous visit. However, despite the fact that the Minister of Defence has said there would be 5,000 new work permits, he had as yet seen nothing to instruct him to start issuing permits. Perhaps next week! Why don’t you write to the Defence Minister, said he. Why not? I will see what happens. But the sad thing about the journey is the emptiness of the country – no-one able to get out of Bethlehem and the curfew to do any work in the fields; no people walking at the roadside; it is as if there were no people at all. Years ago, one shuddered at the suggestion made by the Americans of a Neutron Bomb – I think it was called. It would leave buildings intact, but somehow or other kill the inhabitants. It looks as if the Israeli army has no need of such a bomb – from the outside, there is hardly a sign of any living creature at all – just a line of washing outside a house lets you know that there are people inside. It is school holiday time, the temperature on our shaded verandah is over C 30 degrees, and all across the West Bank people are confined to their homes. Someone last week likened the experience of the curfew being lifted for people to shop, as “the cattle being let out to go to the fields”. Folks in Murrayfield will remember that in the late 1980’s we had visits from the congregation of Vrsovice in Prague. It was difficult to get money to the people in Prague to enable them to come to Scotland, but we managed. It was difficult for them to get visas to come out, but they managed. Links that were established then still exist. I have just had a message from one of the folk who came to Scotland all those years ago, and who has been a couple of times to work in the University here in Jerusalem, to say that he has completed making a collection among some of the congregations in Prague, and is sending the proceeds to help the Palestinian people in any way possible. Seeds sown a long time ago, producing fruit that could not have been expected then, nor never thought would be needed. Somewhere there is a saying to the effect that “all people are equal in the sight of God.” This is the tale of 4 deaths – that occurred in two separate incidents, a world away from each other. In the one, there were two people killed in the airport at Los Angeles. Although I have often heard shooting, and have also too often seen the aftermath of shooting, I have never actually experienced shooting at close quarters. So I cannot imagine what it must have been like for those who were queuing up to check in at the airport, suddenly to find themselves in the middle of a fire-fight, with people dead around them. The incident was given blanket coverage in Israeli TV and in the press, with endless replays of the scene, and discussion of the person who carried out the shooting. Why did he do it? Was he alone? Was it, or was it not, terrorism? The newspaper last Sunday carried a brief report about two other deaths. In the Gaza Strip a mother and her 2-year old daughter were returning to their home having been to visit relatives. They were killed by gunfire. “A review conducted last night be the IDF division commander in the area, Col Yoel Sarik, revealed that there was IDF gunfire in the area at the time. Whether the mother and child were caught in the gunfire still remains to be determined.” (Ha’aretz July 7). It was perhaps the TV channels that I was watching, but I did not see a single report on this particular incident – two people shot while on a journey, just as the two at the Airport were shot while on a journey. The latest report on the incident in Gaza came on Thursday. The Israeli army investigation revealed that the Israeli soldiers acted in contravention of open-fire regulations. The findings will be presented to someone higher up the chain of command in the Israeli army, who will decide if disciplinary measures should be taken. In the same report on Thursday, the Israeli army has ordered a military police investigation into the deaths of three children and an adult last month when they were hit by tank fire in Jenin. An investigation revealed the tank crew had made serious mistakes and that its fire against civilians was unwarranted. It is good that such investigations have taken place; it is good that the initial findings have been reported, as this has not always been the case. We wait to see what happens in the future. Great emphasis has been placed by political leaders across the world on the need for reform within the Palestinian political leadership. This pressure for reform is very strong from the Israeli community, but it is also voiced from within the Palestinian community. One of the principal political parties in Israel is the Shas Party – with its roots in the Ultra Orthodox part of Israeli society. Not long after we arrived here, there was enormous publicity about the case of a former leader of the Party – Aryeh Deri. He had been sentenced to prison “on a host of corruption convictions.” (Ha’aretz July 11) The Parole Board has now ordered his release from prison having completed two thirds of his sentence. While he is on parole he is not supposed to take part in political activity. It is interesting to note that within the past few months, investigations have taken place into the funding and expenses of both Mr Barak and Mr Sharon, regarding their campaigns for elections. What do you do if you want to get married? Probably consult family and friends etc, and eventually settle on a date. Certainly this is what has happened in our family. Yesterday I had a quick trip into Bethlehem, as the curfew had been lifted for a few hours. First stop was to see Elias, but as he had not been able to get out of his house for 4 days, food shopping was higher on the agenda than sitting waiting for me whenever I would appear. So, I did not see him, but later spoke to him. Next stop, Najla and George – but again the lifting of the curfew was the chance to do some personal business, and so George was not at home. There has been great talk in the Israeli press about the need to ease the curfew regulations, and the suggestion that it would change from being a 24 hour curfew to being only at night. I am perhaps a bit cynical – but saying that makes good headlines for the world’s press and may perhaps take the heat off the Israeli government for a while. It has still to happen. So how do you plan a wedding in such circumstances? As I was leaving Beit Jala yesterday, I passed a wedding party heading for the church, and I wondered about the pressures they had been under. Choosing the date was a luxury that they had not had – knowing only the night before that if nothing happened to upset things, the curfew would be lifted the following day, they had a few hours to make final preparations. As for a party afterwards, it would have to be short, or the party goers might have to have a longer party than they had thought, if they did not get home before the curfew was imposed again. Joan has been away for a few days with some friends. Two of them come from Ramallah. So, on Thursday morning they had to get up at 0415 hours, get to the Israel/Egypt border at Taba, close to Eilat, and get back to Jerusalem with all possible speed. Lois and Eileen knew that they had to get into Ramallah before 1400 hours, or they would be locked out until the curfew was next lifted! They did it, but there was an anxious while as they encountered an accident on the road and were delayed, fortunately only for perhaps 30 minutes. Such are the joys of life. Stay well. God bless Joan and Clarence PS I know the letter is already long, but this is amusing, It came from a Palestinian friend of a friend. An old man lived alone in Palestine. He wanted to dig his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in an Israeli prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his predicament. Shortly, he received this reply, "For HEAVEN'S SAKE, Dad, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the GUNS!" At 4 A.M. the next morning, a dozen Israeli soldiers showed up and dug up the entire garden, without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asking him what to do next. His son's reply was: "Now plant your potatoes, Dad. This is the best I can do for you at this time."
Circular Letter No 97 “O wad some power the giftie gie us to see oursels as others see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, and foolish notion.” These lines were written by Robert Burns in a poem entitled ‘To the Rev John McMath’ To paraphrase for those who might not understand them entirely, - it might save us from making many mistakes, if we could see ourselves through the eyes of other people. The lines came into my head this morning (Monday) as I read the headlines about the reaction of both the United States and Israel to the establishment of the International Criminal Court. 69 countries have ratified the Rome Treaty setting up the court, and the European Union is expected to pay for almost 75% of the cost of the Court. The US is worried about its forces being put in a position where they might be charged before this court. And so today’s news is that it has vetoed the extension of a Mandate for a UN force in Bosnia, in order to try to force its view on the world community. There has been a debate for some time in the press here about the possible effect of the new court on Israel. It is widely seen here as a potential threat to Israel, particularly over the matter of Settlements in Palestinian territory. Today’s paper has the headline “Government spurns the International Court”. However, even if Israel does not recognise the new Court, the Government has been warned that the court could still pursue charges against Israeli citizens. In the eyes of much, if not most, of the world, this is a blunder by both the US and Israel. In the eyes of the US and Israel, the Court is a blunder by the rest of the world. The disagreement highlights how difficult it is to appreciate the points of view of those with whom we are in conflict. On Saturday I had the opportunity to visit a Palestinian Reconciliation Centre in Bethlehem, and to meet Zougbi Zougbi. He spoke of the work of the Centre, involving trying to reconcile individuals and groups within the Palestinian community. Integral to this process is the work of trying to help each side see itself in the eyes of those whom it regards as “opponents” or “enemies”. Until there is this process of mutual recognition, it is difficult to achieve any reconciliation at all. It was a profoundly spiritual experience, listening to someone having to confront circumstances at which I can only guess, and doing so from a deeply Christian perspective. Towards the end of our conversation, he spoke about the hopelessness which is afflicting many in Palestinian - and also in Israeli Jewish – society. He gave a little sermon, on Expectations, Hope, Faith, Love. Many people have had Expectations – those who thought there was going to be a Peace Accord in 2000 – but their Expectations have been dashed, and so they have nothing. Many have had Hope – but it is difficult to maintain Hope when your whole town is repeatedly under curfew, and so Hope diminishes. Some have had Faith – but that brings with it many questions, about Faith in a God who allows the destruction of your society and the theft of your land. So Faith is under attack. What is left is Love – and whatever else you do, if you find a way to love your enemy, then you are on the road to solving your problem. Reading the papers, talking with people, seeing the way in which walls and fences are being built, it is hard for people to have a great deal of hope – and it would be easy to despair of it all. We are told that the Israeli army may well make life easier in the communities of the West Bank, by imposing only a dusk to dawn curfew. But allied to that easing, will be a virtual ban on all travel between cities and villages. So, people will continue to be prisoners in their towns, even if they are allowed out of their houses during daylight hours. In almost every conversation, there recurs the question as to how we, who live here, can begin to make clear to you who live elsewhere, the enormity of this situation. We speak of the hours spent waiting at check points, but for a person like me, I do in fact get through them. On Saturday (29th June), it was a few minutes’ wait to get into Bethlehem. It was about an hour to get out – sitting waiting while the soldiers changed shifts; while the tanks and armoured personnel carriers formed up in small groups and rumbled off into Bethlehem to ensure that the folk there actually went back into their homes when the curfew was reimposed at 1500 hours. We then went to the north of the city and went past one check point on the way to Kalandia on the edge of Ramallah. After having a look at the checkpoint which is a monstrosity, we drove down the Ramallah by-pass road, only to be confronted by another check point. We made a U-turn, and retraced our tracks. No matter which way we turned, we could not get back to Jerusalem without going through a checkpoint. At the final check point into Jerusalem, we had to wait another 40 minutes. Hot, frustrated, annoyed, - angry – we felt all of them. Yet for us, movement is possible. For the vast majority of the Palestinians, it is not. For those in Scotland, imagine Forfar with a deep trench all round it, the trench filled with rolls of razor wire, and only one way open to get in or out of the town. Image Brechin, which is a few miles up the road, similarly cut off. Imagine Montrose isolated, and the only way to travel from one to the other is with a Pass. To get the Pass you have to go to Dundee. But you cannot go to Dundee without a Pass – so you are stuck. Farmers cannot get to their fields, milk that is produced cannot be marketed, children cannot get to schools, or to university, sick people cannot get to hospital. (For those in other parts of the world, imagine any 4 or 5 towns near you, perhaps 5 or 10 miles apart, and all separated from one another – you have the picture.) What makes it worse is that the people whom you regard as having stolen your land on which to build their Settlements, (who regard themselves as taking back that which God promised them 3 millenia ago) have complete freedom of movement on the roads which are closed to you. How can we who live here help you to see all this, and grasp it all? How can we help the people who live beside us in Jerusalem to understand what life is like on the West Bank – the media by and large report none of it. A minor headline at the bottom of the front page of Ha’aretz on 2nd July – IDF completes takeover of most of Area A (the former Palestinian controlled areas). 4th July – Army will stay in the West Bank towns “for a very long time.” So says the Prime Minister, and this news does not even rate a mention on the front page of the paper. This week has largely been taken up with a visit to “The Land of the Holy One” as some call it, by representatives of the Board of World Mission of the Church of Scotland – our employers. 5 of them have been here to meet with all the Church of Scotland staff here; to get an up-to-date view of what is happening in the country; to meet with leaders of our Partner Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, as well as with leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem; and to meet representatives of different organisations in the community which are involved in the field of Human Rights and trying to achieve some form of understanding between the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. There was a meeting with the Episcopal Bishop and others from the Diocese in Nazareth, which gave us an opportunity to see some of the development projects of the Anglican Church in that area. With considerable help from abroad, new halls have been built in two parishes, which provide facilities for the whole community. The importance of such facilities is evident, when one is aware of the lack of provision for social needs by the government. In Nazareth we saw the latest stage in the building of new classrooms and laboratories for the Anglican Secondary School. In Nazareth, we were told that there are 7 Church schools, run by different denominations, and only 2 government schools. The Anglican school had about 900 pupils last year ranging from pre-Kindergarten to the end of secondary school. This coming year they expect to have just over 1,200. However, while donors have been happy to support such projects, there is an enormous problem with finding support for the on-going work of the church’s other institutions. With the closures on the West Bank, there are fewer patients using hospitals – so less fees received. Yet staff have to be paid and services maintained. The diocese has two hospitals – one in Gaza and one in Nablus. Payment of salaries is up to two months in arrears – and the deficits are mounting. To close the hospitals is not really an option, as so many in the community depend on them in normal times, and at present they have been in great demand to treat those injured in the Intifada. A spare $1 million would be of great assistance. The Board of World Mission is spending some time thinking about the conflict situations in which it is working in different parts of the world, and how best it can offer assistance to those involved in conflict. To hear from some of those involved in the situation here, the Church of Scotland organised a meeting on Wednesday in Jerusalem. Present were representatives from 3 Christian organisations with which we have had links for some time; 3 Jewish organisations involved in human rights – B’Tselem, concerned with Human Rights in the Occupied Territories; Physicians for Human Rights, concerned to see that medical agencies are able to provide medical services in the Occupied Territories; the Committee against House Demolitions which tries to assist people whose homes are being threatened with demolition, and to help them rebuild homes when they have been demolished; and a Palestinian Human Rights organisation, Panorama. Point No 1 - that such a discussion could be organised at all is testimony to the openness of some people on all sides of the conflict. It also perhaps points a way in which the Church of Scotland might be able to facilitate such meetings in the future. Point No 2 – that the Jewish people felt able to come into East Jerusalem – albeit the edge – is testimony to their determination to try to work across the bounds of race and religion. Point No 3 – that the folk were able to listen to each other shows that there are possibilities for communication. To give a resume of the discussion would be impossible in a short paragraph, so I will have to content myself with some points: Jewish speaker – for an outside organisation to have credibility in the eyes of Jewish people, it has to have a Jewish partner. (We have begun to make some new contacts, and perhaps renew old ones, with Jewish Human Rights groups.) Muslim speaker – it is not enough to be against something. You have to be FOR something, and have a positive programme of building relationships. Christian speaker - we have to recognise that effort is required on different levels : Macro level of dealing with the governments etc; micro level of dealing with building up individual contacts. Jewish speaker – to achieve political solution, have to have power. Only one side here has power – Israel. So have to take another approach. Human Rights. Israel has signed up to many Human Rights conventions – get the argument and the publicity on to the protection of Human Rights – that will get it away from the sterile debates about Security and the future of Mr Arafat. Perhaps the saddest part of the visit was listening to a young Anglican priest speaking about being a second-class citizen in the country in which he was born, with the threat hanging over him and his people of some sort of “transfer” which is being more openly talked about by parts of the Israeli Jewish community. How is it possible for a state to claim to be a “democracy” when it is so manifestly discriminating against 20% of its population? There is much to despair about, but in the past couple of days we have been able to see much that is positive, despite the situation. The church halls and the facilities that they provide for their community – Christian and Muslim. The Secondary School in Nazareth, with state-of-the-art facilities. The moves by Fr Elias Chacour to establish a Christian Arab University in Ibillin. The conversations with human rights organisations. True, the numbers are not great, but they are there. What you can do : visit www.btselem.org ; www.phr.org.il (Physicians for Human Rights) : www.icahd.org (Committee against House Demolitions) They all can do with your encouragement. TTFN Love and God bless. Joan and Clarence PS At the 4th July celebrations hosted by the US Consul General, I met a Jewish Zionist, who works for B’Tselem, and sees no conflict in being both a Zionist and a supporter of the rights of the Palestinians. It’s a strange world.
Circular Letter No 96 As you might have expected, one of the main talking points of the week was the speech by the American President on Monday. As you might also have expected, reactions to what he said vary enormously. The main headline on Tuesday’s Ha’aretz read “ Bush calls for end to the Arafat era.” Beside it, under the heading “Analysis” are columns by two Israeli journalists : “Sharon’s Victory” and “Yasser won’t go”. It seems to be a fairly universal view that the speech was long on platitudes, and short on specifics; long on support for the policies of the Israeli government, and short on giving any sort of realistic hope to the Palestinians. The comment on Wednesday seemed to echo that, and if anything was even more pessimistic. Before President Bush spoke, I had quite a lengthy discussion with a Palestinian Christian. Interestingly, what he said on Monday afternoon could have been found almost verbatim in portions of Mr Bush’s speech – the failure of the present Palestinian leadership and the need for reform being two of the main parts of his analysis. In this, he is not saying anything new, but rather echoing what many have felt for a long time. However, where my friend and Mr Bush parted company was the equation of “terrorism” with Palestinians, and the failure to acknowledge that there is a parallel Israeli terror machine at work, only it is cloaked in the guise of “security”. ‘What is it,’ he said, ‘but terrorism to call in a tank to fire shells down a street with pedestrians in it, resulting in the killing of three kids, two of whom were playing with the bicycles in the neighbourhood outside their house? Two of the children were 6 years old.’ It was the failure of Mr Bush to address this sort of problem, and to be an any way even-handed in his approach to the deaths of people, both Israeli and Palestinian, that seems to have made it even more difficult for people here, on both sides of the “divide” to see any hope in his words. Gush Shalom is one of the Jewish Peace Organisations, and it collects and distributes reports about current events. On its Tuesday e-mail, it had the following short report : “ Some of the most outspoken criticism of President Bush's speech on the Middle East came from none other than Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister in the Sharon Government. The veteran Yediot Aharonot journalist Shimon Shiffer had watched Peres watching the Bush speech on TV last night and today gave a vivid description: "Shimon Peres' face became more and more weary and angry, the longer Bush went on with his speech. "He is making a fatal mistake" remarked Peres. "Making the creation of a Palestinian State dependant upon a change in the Palestinian leadership is a fatal mistake" he repeated again and again. "Arafat has led the Palestinians for 35 years, kept their head above the water in the international arena. No, no, you can't just brush him aside with one speech." Peres did not watch the speech to the very end. He got up, turned off the TV and left the room, saying before he left: "The abyss into which the region will plunge will be as deep as the expectations from this speech were high. There will be a bloodbath." For once, the words of Peres correspond quite closely to what we in Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, feel. Therefore, we today decided to once again address a public appeal to Peres, something which we gave up in despair some time ago. We called upon Peres to leave the government immediately, to help get out the Labor Party as a whole, and to consistently address the Israeli and American public opinion in the spirit of his recent remarks. "It is your unique chance to atone a bit for all the harm you have done, serving as a fig-leaf in a government of war and bloodshed." Gideon Samet is another Israeli journalist, and his column on Wednesday was exceedingly pessimistic. In his view what really drove President Bush was the need to support his party in the elections in November, and beyond that, his own campaign for re-election. “The dominant tome in the text, which came straight from the hearts of Bush, his vice-president Cheney, and the right wing of the Pentagon, could now intensify the feelings of many despairing Israelis with their sense of a dead end. Sharon is preparing to churn trough Gaza.” The following are two quotations from Mr Bush’s speech : “Today, Palestinian authorities are encouraging, not opposing, terrorism.” The following is a quote in Sunday’s (23rd June) paper from Benzi Lieberman, head of the Yesha Council (of the Settlements) speaking at the funeral for 4 members of the Settlement of Itamar, near Nablus, who were killed by a Palestinian gunman: “In the name of the living and the dead, we commit ourselves here not to give them (the Palestinians) a State, but rather more and more settlements on this land. These Palestinians do not deserve any human rights. We cannot talk of human rights for people who are not human.” He was speaking at the funeral of residents of Itamar, a settlement close to Nablus. You may recall that after one of our trips to Nablus with food aid, at the height of the Operation Defensive Shield, that I wrote how we had visited a village, where we had been entertained by the Mayor. The residents spoke bitterly of the activities of settlers, and the fact that they were often prevented from using the only main road through their village, while settlers could use it at any time. It was to this village that settlers came after this funeral and not only did they cause much damage to buildings and cars, but one man was shot and killed. A settler was subsequently arrested while investigations are taking place into this incident. (23.0.2002 Ha’aretz) Palestinian commentators ask who is inciting whom, and giving a sort of green light to settlers to go on the rampage, when they are described as “not human”. “Consistent with the Mitchell Report, Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories must stop.” It seems quite different from a story this week about the Minister of Defence – Mr Ben-Eliezer. He is ultimately responsible for the safety of settlements, and he has suggested that some far-flung outposts will have to be given up so that resources can be concentrated on defending others. “In their (settlers’ leaders) last deal with Barak they evacuated a few symbolic outposts and legitimised dozens of others. And even those that were evacuated or frozen have been reconstituted, usually with the silent agreement of the Ministry of Defence. The settlers expect to reach similar agreements with Ben-Eliezer, but it won’t be surprising if at first there are formal denials issued by the Yesha Council (Settlers’ Council) That’ what happened when they struck the deal with Barak three years ago. Since then, the number of outposts has nearly quadrupled.” (25.06.2002 P2) Thursday 27th. Tabeetha School is well over 100 years old. It is a Church of Scotland co-educational school in Jaffa, with its main student intake coming from the Arab community in and around Jaffa. 23% of its pupils come from the international community in and around Jaffa and Tel Aviv. 3 of the staff are appointed from Scotland by the Board of World Mission – the rest are appointed locally. They comprise Christians, Jews and Muslims. The language of instruction is English, and the examinations are those set by English Examination Boards - much like schools in England. The finances of the school are dependent on support from the Board of World Mission, and with all the demands on the Board from other places, this is something which has to be addressed. We had an interesting meeting with 4 members of the local Jaffa community on Thursday afternoon. Laced with a fair amount of statistics, the whole meeting made it abundantly clear that the School is seen as a vital part of the local community, providing opportunities for local children to get a good education which will be the foundation of their future development. There was some talk about the significance of the expatriate students, and one of the participants said that the mixture of staff and pupils was one of the contributory factors towards his choice of Tabeetha for his children’s education. While one swallow does not make a summer, it was nevertheless good to have such an endorsement of the school from a local parent. After the holidays, it is hoped we can carry these conversations further and develop more local support for, and involvement in, the life of the school. The evening was given over to the first formal “Graduation” of the final year pupils – the Class of 2002. Dressed up in gowns and mortar-boards, for the purchase of which the pupils had raised money, they paraded down to their seats at the front of the audience, sitting in the open air on the basketball court at the back of the school. There were speeches from one or two adults; there was a fascinating speech from one of the senior teachers, Mr Abou Kaoud, who has been connected with Tabeetha for over 40 years, in which he spoke of the Jaffa in which he grew up prior to the establishment of the State of Israel; and there were the presentations of Certificates to the Graduating Class. Although this was the first such formal evening for Tabeetha, it is in fact a fairly common practice in other schools. For me, there were two main highlights of the evening. One was three speeches by three of the pupils, sharing with us their perceptions of what Tabeetha had been for them. One was in English, one was in Arabic, and one in Hebrew. Of the 17 final years students to graduate, 2 were Jewish. It speaks volumes for the value and witness of the school that this was able to happen here, at a time when a war is going on between Jew and Arab. The Jewish lad will shortly be drafted into the Israeli army. One wonders how he and his friends will cope with having him in the army, should they ever happen to meet him on a check point. That is for the future – it was a tonic to see them all so happy together that evening. The second was when each pupil had something said about her or him by their teacher. Again it was heartening to see the way in which young adults had earned the respect and often the affection of their teachers, and it was heart-warming to see pupil and teacher embrace as certificates were handed over. There is much that is wrong in the country. Here was one thing that was right – and one thing that deserves to be nurtured and preserved, so that it can continue to offer this sort of witness to the whole community. Friday 28th. A Tale of Two Papers. Each weekday, the paper arrives on the doorstep. It is the English language edition of Ha’aretz, and it is bundled with the International Edition of the Herald Tribune. As the Herald Tribune usually carries some coverage of what is happening here, we are provided with two views on our local situation. Today, just under half a page in the Herald Tribune is devoted to a news report headlined “Israelis pound Palestinian command in Hebron for 3rd day.” The second paragraph reads “As the operation went into its fifth day, seven of the eight West Bank cities were shot down under renewed occupation, leaving about 700,000 Palestinians locked in their homes under a round-the-clock curfew and more than a million others in surrounding villages cut off from food, medicine, and any commerce.” By contrast, the Israeli paper devotes less and one fifth of a page to the story under the headline “No progress seen in IDF’s Hebron siege” with no reference to the fact that the curfew is still imposed on the West Bank. It is part of the unreal world in which we live here – news of what is happening 5 miles away is more available from foreign press than from local press. I have commented before upon the selective nature of what is reported. The news programmes on TV here carried lengthy reports on Friday about the picture of a Palestinian baby dressed up as a suicide bomber. Whether it was for fun, or a demonstration of the real feelings of a particular family, it was an abhorrent picture. If it was a depiction of the real feelings of a family, it shows how far they have sunk into some sort of despair, that even a youngster can be shown in this way. Of course, the Jewish commentators have been having a field day with it, and sermonising on how depraved the Palestinians are and how hatred is taught, in the words of one “with mother’s milk”. While not exactly similar, I found it equally abhorrent that Jewish children in Hebron, to name one place, were dressed up in costumes to look like Dr Baruch Goldstein, who in 1994 murdered 29 while they were at worship in a mosque, during Purim parades. As Purim is a religious ceremony, in which the killing of large numbers of enemies of the Jews in Persia in the time of Ahasuerus is celebrated annually, it cannot of course be classed as incitement. However, having seen the way in which youngsters in Northern Ireland are dressed up in green or orange, and then led to take part in parades which tend to demonise the other party, I have no time for adults dressing up children in costumes of suicide bombers or of murderers like Dr Goldstein. At the Women in Black demonstration on Friday, I was standing beside a young Jewish man from New Jersey, who was over here for a few days. He had come with his sister, who is working on a programme involving both Jewish and Arab people. They are trying to prepare a textbook dealing with significant events in the life of the State of Israel, which affect not only the Jewish citizens of Israel, but also the Arab citizens. For instance, how you teach about the founding of the State of Israel will depend on whether you are Jewish or Palestinian. For one, it was a great achievement to be celebrated, for the other a disaster to be regretted. While some Jewish youngsters were putting up rival posters saying “Transfer (Arabs) now” here was another young Jewish person spending part of his holiday coming to try to find some way of bring people together. It is always good to get to this Demonstration – you meet those who are opposed to the policies of the present Government of Israel, and you also hear from those who think the Women in Black are scum! It helps to keep one’s feet on the ground. Bye for now. God bless, and stay well. Joan and Clarence A one-liner from the States : Why did George Bush have to postpone his speech so long? He was waiting for the translation from Hebrew. Circular Letter No 95 22nd June 2002 Thursday. Sending a weekly letter means that it is inevitably away behind the actual events, and so what is written on Thursday and mailed on Saturday is often overtaken by events. So, if this is out of date in terms of day to day events, apologies. It is quite frightening the scale of killing now – and it is showing on the faces of people, in their voices, and what they do. Fewer people are out in the evenings, therefore less money is spent on such things as eating out, parents are extremely anxious about their children, and so it goes on. Early on Tuesday morning, I was speaking with Robert Brack, the Church of Scotland’s accountant here in Israel. He had been in the area where the bus bombing took place, taking one of his sons to school. A second son was on a bus somewhere, and you could hear the real concern in his voice, as he had no idea if his son had been on the bombed bus or not. He did manage to get through to him on his cell phone, and so was relieved to know that he was well. As we left the YMCA on Wednesday evening, it was just about the time that news was coming of the bombing on the northern side of Jerusalem, and most of the people we passed were worried looking, and on their mobile phones to try to make sure all was well with their families. What to do and where to go. People often ask us about our personal safety. There is still more chance of being killed in a traffic accident in Israel than of being injured in a bomb attack. We do not go out of our way to be in “dangerous” areas, nor do we sit at home afraid to move around. However, with the random nature of attacks, one never knows. However, the risks are no greater for us than for people whom we know in both parts of the community, - and we think it is important that we are here. Interestingly we have had a visitor from the YMCA in America to the YMCA here. Advice from the States was that he must not be taken to the West Bank : in the couple of days he has been here, more fatalities have occurred in Jerusalem than in all the towns of the West Bank put together. Be careful in East Jerusalem : it has been, in the past, more dangerous to eat out in West Jerusalem than in East Jerusalem. All that having been said, I doubt if anyone knows where all this is heading – today’s news is of a sort of re-occupation of the West Bank, but if this does happen, then it will mean Israel once again assuming responsibility for the civilian administration of the Palestinian community, and providing medical services, education, garbage disposal, etc etc etc. There are many voices expressing concern at the thought of such a re-occupation. It has to be recognised that there are other voices also, saying that re-occupation is the minimum that has to be done. The depth of the chasm between what is perceived from the Israeli and the Palestinian side is well revealed in an incident that took place near Hebron on Tuesday 18th June. Ha’aretz has an article on its front page : "DF kills assassin of Hebron observers." It reports that a Islamic Jihad activist considered responsible for killing two members of the International Present team in Hebron in March was shot dead by Israeli forces at a surprise check point outside Hebron. Palestinian sources said he was shot during an identity check at an army roadblock. Below is part of an e-mail that came in, which turned out to be describing the same incident. A report by "LAW" contains the following passage : "Shortly after three o'clock this afternoon, Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron committed another extra-judicial execution. A white yellow-plated Ford Transit van travelling with 7 passengers was stopped by Israeli soldiers at the Beit 'Anoun junction at road number 60, east of Hebron. All passengers were ordered out of the taxi. They were ordered to take off their clothes and sit down on the ground. Meanwhile, the soldiers collected the identity cards of the passengers. Suddenly, the Israeli soldiers turned around and opened fire on one of the passengers, who was later identified as Yusuf Ahmad Muhammad Abu Khadr (21), who is a student at Hebron University and a political activist. His body was riddled with fourteen bullets in the upper parts of his body, including his head, neck and chest. All other passengers were arrested and taken away to a yet unknown destination, most probably an Israeli military base or detention center nearby." I have no doubt that those of you who are on various e-mail lists get all sort of messages from different parts of the world, with information about what is happening here. Again, one of the themes that comes up from time to time is that of incitement to hatred, usually made by folk making the accusation against the Palestinian authorities. There is a battle going on for the minds not only of local people here, but also of people across the world. It has been a remarkable achievement of the Israeli PR machine that it has largely managed to have the Palestinians identified with Al Qaeda – and so fighting the terrorism of Bin Laden is the same as fighting what it has portrayed as the terrorism of Mr Arafat. A message came in this week, from which I have taken a few snippets, which show some of the expressions of opinion from the pro-Israel side of the fence. They were in an article by Ahmed Bouzid, who is president of Palestine Media Watch, a grassroots organization that promotes fair and objective coverage by the U.S. media of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. WAYNE, Pa. -- What should Palestinians think when they read, as reported by Israel's largest circulation newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, that Israeli schoolchildren, many of them religious and some of them teen-agers and only a few years away from joining military service, send letters to soldiers in which they write "Please kill a lot of Arabs"? Or when they write, "I pray for you that you return home safely, and kill at least 10 for me"? Or, "Let the Palestinians, may God blacken their name, burn in Hell. Punch holes in them with your M-16 and bomb them"? The May 7 Yedioth article identified neither the soldiers nor the children. What should Palestinians think when they read that the spiritual leader of the Shas party in Israel's coalition government, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, publicly uses hate speech? An example: "The Lord shall return the Arabs' deeds on their own heads, waste their seed and exterminate them, devastate them and banish them from this world. ... It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable," Rabbi Yosef said. Assuming that the author has in fact got sources for what he has written, it presents a bleak picture for reconciliation between the two communities. Wednesday evening I was talking with a Palestinian man who lives on the northern side of the checkpoint on the way in to Jerusalem, called the Ram Checkpoint, as it is in the neighbourhood called Ram. He is a professional man, holding a position of responsibility and leadership in the organisation for which he works. He and his family are active members of the local Catholic congregation. He has all the necessary documents both to live there, and to work in Jerusalem. I was listening to him tell of his journey to and from work each day. First of all, he has left his car on the Jerusalem side of the check point, as it would take hours each week just to try to come through the check point with it. His son has left his car on the Ram side of the check point, and so the family has access to transport on both sides of the barrier. So, his first daily task is to get to his car! His home is a few minutes walk from the check point. However, at the check point he is made to line up with all the other people who have to be checked through. They are called one at a time by the soldiers. Not surprisingly, the men are often asked to put up their hands, to lift up their shirts to show that they have nothing strapped to their waist, and then they are allowed to approach the soldiers. He regards this as humiliating and degrading. So the second thing he does most days is to start walking – to find an alternative route into the city, to get to his car. Most days it will take about 30 minutes to walk a route that will take him across a hill or two, and avoid the experience of having to partly undress. Tuesday it took him 2 hours. This is his daily routine. Going home in the evening is no problem, as there is rarely a check on anyone on the way out. Where do we go from here – the fear on the one side, leading to what is seen by many as harassment, and nothing really to do with security. The refusal on the other side to accept such treatment which it sees as humiliation, and a belief that it will only increase tension and has an adverse effect on the possibility of security. The country is in fence/wall building mode. You may have seen on TV the first stages of its construction in the north of the West Bank. A huge concrete wall, land on either side that will be a “secure” zone, and in places talk of this being several kms wide – on the eastern side of the wall, that is, which is Palestinian land. There are conflicting opinions in Israel. There are those who see it as the only way left to keep out those who would attack Israel. There are those who see it as making a de facto boundary between what will be seen to be Palestine and Israel. There are those settlers who are strongly opposed to it, as they feel it is the first step in withdrawal from the settlements. One of the real problems associated with it is the lack on consultation about the route it will follow. The BBC reported earlier in the week that it would follow the “Green Line”, the recognised boundary of the West Bank. This was a piece of sloppy reporting, as on that very day, the papers carried diagrams of the part this is under construction, showing it well to the East of the Green Line. Mr Sharon has visited the scene of construction, and inspected the line of its southward extension. It is going to go to the East of the settlement of Alfei Menasheh, which is already 4 kms east of the Green Line. So, there is de facto annexation of yet more of the West Bank – and one suspects that this will continue as the pace of construction increases. In a country which sees itself as being under extreme pressure, it is not surprising that there are differing views on the role of the judiciary, and that there are many complaints about the lack of accountability of people for their actions. A Palestinian was brought to the police station in what is known as the Russian Compound in Jerusalem for questioning about his possible involvement in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in October 2000. This week, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court convicted 5 policemen of assaulting him. It was reported that when he was brought to the police station, he was ordered to strip, and was beaten. Although the policemen denied the charges, medical evidence showed that he had been beaten, and the Judge convicted the policeman. The publicity surrounding those Israelis who refuse to serve in the Army on the West Bank has somewhat died down. However, this week one of those who are called ‘refuseniks’ has brought his case to the High Court. He had served a period in the Reserves in the Gaza Strip. When called up again, he refused to serve in the West Bank, and was tried in an army disciplinary hearing. He objected to this, as he could not be legally represented, and so appealed to the High Court. It has asked the relevant army authorities to submit arguments to it, which it will consider, and then make its decision about the reservist’s demand for a military trial, which would allow legal representation. Many months ago, there were hearings before what was called the Or Commission into the events surrounding the shooting and killing of 13 Israeli Arabs in riots in the north in October 2000. Following initial hearings, a number of people were advised that they would face further examination, and were advised to retain lawyers. This second phase of the Hearings has now opened, and it will be interesting to see how it develops. Quite apart from the lack of “peace” from without, there is also a distinct lack of “peace” within Israeli society. We believe there is something called the World Cup happening! As we have not paid for coverage of it, we are limited to watching Sky News watching fans watching the game! Saturday I will send an addition to this letter. That way, if you do not want to read it, don’t open 94A. I also have a couple of e-mails that I would be glad to send to anyone who wanted them. One is an interview given by one of the drivers of a bulldozer in Jenin. The other is by a Jewish woman speaking of house demolitions. Rather than send them to everyone, and risk overwhelming you all with information which you have already have, I will send them on request. TTFN. God bless. Joan and Clarence There is an organisation called Expatriate Woman’s Network. It publishes a monthly newssheet on e-mail. Quotes from a small section entitled : Expression for High Stress Days : “Allow me to introduce myselves.” “Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.” “I’m not crazy. I’ve just been in a very bad mood for 30 years”. “Is it time for your medication or mine?” Little amuses the innocent, and you can tell something about our state of mind and sense of humour that we had a good laugh at them!! Circular Letter No
95A I do not recall having had much exposure to the word “Aliyah” (hope I have got the spelling correct) prior to coming here to Jerusalem. I imagine that in this respect I am not too different from most others. I quickly found out that it means the migration to Israel of Jewish people. I have often heard it translated as “coming home”. It has come back to the front of my mind in the past couple of days, and quite forcibly again today. I met an American Jewish man, an only child whose parents have recently died. He was brought up to be a reasonably observant Jew, and had often thought about coming to Israel. Now that he has no further family responsibilities, he has come to Israel on a visit, and may well decide to “make Aliyah” and apply to live here. On BBC TV, there was a documentary about a young Jewish Englishman. The documentary shows him coming to Israel, and follows him through various experiences, including that of standing with Peace Now activists who are demonstrating against the Occupation of the West Bank. He meets soldiers who talk about their army service; he meets a young settler couple in their home, who deny that they are living on Palestinian land – it is, for them, Israel; he meets ‘refuseniks’ – officers in the Israeli army reserves who have refused to serve in the army on the West Bank, and some of whom have been imprisoned. At the end of it all, he thinks that he will “make Aliyah” and come home. A young man whom I have known now for over a year, a Christian with a Jewish background, has come to Israel, and is applying to “make Aliyah”, to become part of the Jewish nation. They are all sincere, they are all dedicated, and they are all hoping that they will be able to gain official permission to “make Aliyah.” Speaking on the phone this afternoon with a Palestinian family living on the West Bank. I could hear the tension in their voices, and feel their great unhappiness. For about the 4th or 5th time, they are now under 24-hour curfew. This means that they are unable to go out of their house; they are unable to go shopping; they are unable to get to the hospital for medical treatment; the husband in unable to get to his work; youngsters are unable to get to school or to university; and so on and so on. Whether serious or not, in conversation there is a reference to all the people who have left, and maybe it would be better for them to do so. What sort of life are they having, or will they have, here? Yet, this is their home – for generations. I speak with Palestinian people within Israel – referred to as Israeli Arabs -, and so often the story is the same. Parents are here; children are abroad. We will stay for a while, but in the end, we too will go. What can we look forward to? Yet, this also is their home – and has been for generations. Again and again one comes up against the paradox : Those whose ancestors have lived outside this country for centuries are “making Aliyah” and, in their words, “coming home”. Those whose ancestors have lived here for centuries are having to leave their home, in order to find a tolerable sort of life. Making a recording for a Scottish radio station this morning, I said that the overwhelming feeling around at the moment is one of despair. For the Jewish population, 30 killed in a few days is an enormous blow. But perhaps greater than the numbers, is the fact that there has been this enormous Israeli army operation in the West Bank, called Operation Defensive Shield. It does not seem to be been successful either as a means of defence, or as a shield, and so is being succeeded by yet more invasions and occupations, and curfews. What else is to be done? Yet there is also a sense that this will produce no resolution of the conflict either. For the Palestinian population, the Israeli army back on their streets, in their houses as they search, their men indiscriminately arrested, their children’s education interrupted, their economic plight worsened – what more have they to lose – so why not continue with the bombers? Then the Israeli army brings a tank or two and fires down an alley way at a crowd of shoppers. 3 or 4 killed – what does the world really care and numbers? Why does President Bush not pick up the phone to Mr Arafat about the “mistake” of the Israeli army in firing on the market in Jenin, the way he picks up the phone to Mr Sharon about the deaths of Israeli youngsters? Tomorrow in Church we will look at two texts : Leviticus 24 : 19 – 22 and Matthew 5 : 38 – 42. They make an interesting comparison. If somehow we could get the folk here to contemplate the second reading, rather than being driven by the first reading. Enough of sermonising for now. God bless Joan and Clarence.
There are still places on the Study Tour in November. Why be content to read about it all, when you can come and see it all??!!
Circular Letter No 94 It is hard to know where to begin – if you had hours, and I had hours, we still would not have enough time to talk or write out all that has happened this week. Suffice it to say that it has been one of the worst, and yet one of the best, in the couple of years I have been doing this writing. Some of the best and the worst were together. On Wednesday afternoon we had been invited to join a bus tour organised by Moked -–a Jewish Human rights organisation. It was being led by Jeff Halper, of the Israel Committee against House Demolitions. The group of about 40 people was made up almost entirely of Jewish folk, apart from 4 expatriates, and one or two Arabs. That was the best part – being with Israeli Jewish citizens, folk with whose views we could identify, and who were totally opposed to the policies of their own government. Their commitment, and their courage, are quite remarkable, when one thinks of how all-pervasive the message of the government is, and how great is the pressure from the rest of Israeli society to accept what is being done now – “to combat terrorism,” as the government says. That was the best. Some of the worst experiences were the stops that we had along the way, where we were able to see what is being done by the government and the settler movement. First stop was at the first main, permanent check point as you leave Jerusalem going towards Ramallah – the Ram checkpoint. It is placed in what is a completely arbitrary position; the traffic congestion it creates generates permanent pollution for the local residents from the fumes of vehicles that can take an hour or more to pass the army control; and it divides one part of Jerusalem from another. People on the northern side, who have legal documents to show that they are entitled to live and work in Jerusalem, now have to spend hours each week passing through this checkpoint. It was a depressing start, though both Joan and I have been past there on numerous occasions. Second stop was at Kalandia checkpoint. It is the main checkpoint for Arab people going into or out of Ramallah. When we first came, there was a queue for cars to be checked, but pedestrians passed more or less unhindered. That has now changed. Concrete barricades divide the road. A 4 metre high wire fence keeps cars and pedestrians separated. Barricades are in place to form people into queues so that they can be called forward by soldiers, one at a time, to have their passes checked. As there was a Closure on Ramallah on Wednesday, there were very few people going through – but they were being checked at the rate of about 1 person per soldier per minute. There were 2 or at times 3 soldiers examining documents – so you can imagine the delays to get 100 people through, let alone perhaps 1,000. Our guide took us on to a knoll overlooking the road, and it was not long before an army patrol came up to investigate. Had we been a crowd of Arab people, I have no doubt that we would have been moved on with force if necessary. However, as most of the party were in fact Jewish, and were Israeli citizens, it was harder for the army to do anything about them. The third place was to the east of Ramallah, on what is euphemistically called a “Settler Road”. It is in Palestine, yet not a single Palestinian vehicle is allowed to go along it. We stopped at an embryonic Industrial Park, which is being built to cement the Israeli Jewish presence and control over the country to the east of Ramallah. Perhaps 1 km away was a settlement that is being rapidly expanded – a settlement for Orthodox Jewish families. They will provide the work force for the Industrial Park. When it is all complete, it will seal off Ramallah on the Eastern side; it will prevent any possibility of growth for Ramallah, and it will be one part of the ring of settlements round the city. Our final stop was to see the settlement to the east of Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho, called Ma’ale Adumim. The word “settlement” seems quite erroneous for it, as it is a major town. Built on the hill tops, it dominates the countryside, and is well on the way to stretching down towards Jericho. In defiance of all conventions, in defiance of UN Resolutions, but with the tacit support of the US government, settlements are expanding, and new ones are being built. It was an afternoon of despair, - how can this be stopped: of disillusionment – how can the international community get so worked up about Iraq not obeying UN resolutions, while it is turning a blind eye to Israel flouting UN resolutions: and for me, almost total discouragement. There is a huge Settlement on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem – Pisgat Ze’ev. It seems to be devouring the hillsides as it rushes towards the nearest Arab and Bedouin villages. Across the hillside came a man on a donkey, with a couple of children accompanying him, leading home his flock of several hundred goats and sheep. This is their land, this is their way of life, and the juggernaut of land theft rolls on. What will be left for them in a year or two? For me, and those like me who come to live and work in Israel for a relatively short period of time, there is at least the prospect of being able to leave and return home. For the Jewish people we were with, this is not an option. Nor is it an option for the Arab people we saw. The week had started with a very pleasant meal on Sunday evening, in the home of a member of the YMCA Board. The guests were people from the YMCA of the USA, who were out here on a working visit to the Jerusalem YMCA. It was at that meal that we met A. He is a cultured and urbane professional man – an architect. He was heavily involved in the reconstruction of Bethlehem that took place in preparation for 2000. He has worked with churches in both Palestine and Israel. He had an office of 15 fully qualified people working for him – engineers, draughtsmen, etc. Then the closure was put on the West Bank, making it difficult for him to move out of Bethlehem, where he has his home and his office. The upper floors of the building in which he lived and worked was taken over by the Israeli army, and eventually it became impossible for them to continue to live there. He now rents a small house on the Jerusalem side of the Green Line, 2 or 3 kms from his house, which he can see, but in which it is impossible for him and his wife to live. I have no idea how he manages to keep his sanity. His wife is involved in a project to make a Peace Quilt. It brings together Jewish and Palestinian women. The first meeting was quite polite and friendly, but at the second meeting she was unable to contain herself, and poured out her story. It shocked the whole meeting, it shocked the Jewish ladies – and people wondered what it would do to the Project. In fact, the next time they met, it was in a much better atmosphere, with the Jewish women having a much deeper understanding of what the Palestinian women were having to go through. If that had been a hard evening, it became even harder the next day. The story of a young professional Palestinian woman whom we know was told to us. She is a University graduate, occupying a position of responsibility where she requires to be able to relate to both Jew and Arab. She was going to the USA to visit some relatives and friends. At Ben Gurion airport, her luggage was searched. That is normal – but the degree of searching varies. In her case, it meant everything was taken out of her case, including all her make-up. Everything was minutely examined, with questions being asked such as what did she need things like that for. When finally her luggage was cleared, she was then aghast when she was taken by 3 Israeli women to a small room, and made to strip to her underwear. The horror, the shame and the degradation that she felt were, in her eyes, exactly what the Israeli women were wanting her to feel. Their superior in intellect, in education and in achievement, they set out to show her who was superior in sheer power. And all this is supposed to be connected with security. Monday was the day that Mr Sharon met with Mr Bush in Washington. Some months ago – it seems like years ago – the Americans were making it quite clear that they did not want the Israeli army to be in the Palestinian towns of the West Bank, and were telling them to get out. How time changes. Even as Mr Sharon went into the White House, his army was in Ramallah, once again surrounding the buildings where Mr Arafat stays now. Such incursions are now taking place almost daily in different areas of the West Bank. The effects are catastrophic for the Palestinians, and are not brining about the calm that was promised by the Israeli government. Under the Oslo Agreement, the Palestinian Authority was responsible for many aspects of life on the West Bank, and built up its own administration. It had its Ministries of Education, of Health, etc. However, three things are making it almost impossible for any resumption of Palestinian administration. First, there are these regular incursions, which bring with them the imposition of curfews, be it only for a few hours, or perhaps a few days. Second, there was the massive destruction of the records of Government, when the Israeli army vandalised the offices of the PA Ministries. Third, there is the effect of the closures across the West Bank, making it virtually impossible for any government to function. The human dimensions of such policies were highlighted this past week. A 4 ½ year old boy in Jericho was diagnosed as having lymphatic cancer. He needed treatment. Let the PA treat him, said the Israeli authorities. His case came to the High Court. It ordered the organisation Physicians for Human Rights, which had brought his case to Court, to obtain guarantees from the PA that it would pay for treatment. So, phone calls were made to Ramallah to the Headquarters of the Ministry of Health. No answer, as Ramallah was under curfew. Wrote Gideon Levy, a correspondent for Ha’aretz “In a nutshell, reality was exposed in all its absurdity. Israel places responsibility for the health of citizens on a ministry that Israel itself has closed or prevented from carrying out its duties. A health ministry cannot be run under prison conditions.” When we went to live in Zambia, one of the culturally important aspects of society there was the way in which funerals were conducted. In urban areas, where facilities were available, the burial of the body of someone who had died was often delayed while relatives made long journeys to be present when burial took place. We had to adjust to that. When we came to live here in Jerusalem, we had to adjust to the fact that the bodies of people who have died are often buried the same day – within hours of death. This is the case for both Jewish and Arab societies here. It made particularly noteworthy a report carried during the week stating that the bodies of 21 Palestinians are being stored at Abu Kabir, a forensic institute, rather than being returned to relatives for burial. Some of the bodies, - of suicide bombers and Palestinians killed in confrontations with the Israeli army, - have been held there for weeks, and in some cases, even for months. To make identification of a body may be difficult without a post mortem examination. To obtain permission from relatives to carry out such an examination may be complicated if the family live on the West Bank. “Health Ministry officials say that keeping the bodies at the facility for such a long time breaks all ethical and moral guidelines. They say Israel would not want their dead or missing to be treated in such a way.” (13.06.2002) The effects of this were graphically reported in the story of Husni Amer, aged 45, a resident of Jenin refugee camp. Soldiers came into his house and detained him and his brother in one room. They discovered chalk drawings on the walls, which had been done by his children. However, being suspicious they started questioning him. One of his children was made to bring a hoe, with which the soldiers then started beating him on his back, neck and stomach. The story continues with his being held handcuffed along with others, and then collapsing. His family were unable to find out where he was, or what had happened to him, despite enlisting the help of the International Red Cross, B’Tselem, and even hiring lawyers. For two months his body was at the forensic institute at Abu Kabir. He died on April 7th. About a week ago they received the following message from the Palestinian Office of Civil Affairs : “To whom It may concern. We have been informed by the Israelis that Husni Amer of the Jenin refugee camp is dead and that his body is at Abu Kabir. We will take care of having the body transferred to you.” The fault lines within the Christian community, showing the great differences of opinion and attitudes to the question of Israel and Palestine, were highlighted the week by a headline in the Jerusalem Post. “Evangelical Christian boosting Israel’s morale with TV spots.” It is the story of a former US government official who is putting a series of short ads on one of the Israeli TV Channels. He is photographed at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery with a placard “America supports Israel, ‘starting with me’ Earl Cox. He says that the TV ads will announce to the people of Israel that the vast majority of American Christians recognise Israel as their friend and ally. Earlier in the week, there had been a story about Christian leaders in the States such as Jerry Falwell, launching a move in conjunction with a Jewish organisation, to get 1,000,000 people to sign up as supporters of Israel. Last week, Helen did not get in to church on Sunday. We wait to see what will happen this week. Bye for now. God bless. Love from Joan and Clarence. Circular Letter No 93 {At the rate of one letter a week, No 100 will be the last – at least for the present part of our time here! All breathe sighs of relief!} (Having had no computer for a week or so, this letter is a wee bit late – unlike good wine, I doubt that it has improved with the keeping. Grit your teeth, as there will be another one ere long.) 1st June. Thoughts of a longer lie in bed were dashed when the phone went at 0745 hours. It was Elias from Bethlehem. I had ordered some meat pies etc from him for the Reception to be held after the Service on Tuesday to mark the Jubilee of the Queen. I could have got them more easily in Jerusalem, but it gave him work and a feeling of being remembered. I had suggested that I would come on Monday to collect them. The word on the grapevine in Bethlehem was that the Israeli army would re-enter Bethlehem and put it under curfew on Monday, could I come today for the pies? A later word was that the Israeli army would enter on Sunday – so we wait to see who is correct. However, it made a reorganisation of Saturday necessary, and we would go to do some pastoral visiting. Routine preparations – have you got cold drinking water in the car for the time you will sit in the queues at the checkpoint? Have you got your ID Card? Passport also might be advisable, as it is said the Israeli army is no longer accepting ID cards of any variety? Mobile phone? Cool box for the food to be brought back? Clerical collar to facilitate passage at checkpoint? Good – then off we go. 33 minutes to get in, 80 minutes to get out. I had a cheque to take to Helen Shehadeh for donations from Scotland. We had things for the twins born prematurely during the major recent curfew of Bethlehem. The girl is now 1900 gms, and has been home for about a week. The boy is 1400 gms and still in hospital. Their father was at home – he stays in Jerusalem when he is on the rota at his work, and so comes home about once a week. We called with Elias. Also a quick visit to an American working at the Lutheran Christmas Church, and a call in to see the butcher and the vegetable market – and to do all that we left home at 1220 hours, and got back about 1820 hours. With us in the car was Joyce Wilson, an American Deacon of the United Methodist Church, who is a member of the congregation. We were talking about the grind of the check points and the delays, and Joyce came up with a picture. Imagine going to the supermarket in Edinburgh. Because there is a security guard on duty, you have to line up for 20 minutes to get in – however, if you have an ID that shows you were born in England, there is a special line for you, and you get straight in while everyone else has to queue. Because of a security check on the way to the cashier, you have to wait for another 20 minutes. There may well be the normal sort of delay at the cashier anyway, but when you have completed that, you have to be checked by someone to get out of the store – and there is only one person to do that. At each check point, there are two lines – one for those from England, and one for the rest. It will never take less than 20 minutes, but it might take 40 minutes. If you are lucky there will be no hassle getting out of the parking lot. Can you imagine how you would react if you had to add on to your time at the supermarket anything up to an hour and a half, waiting in line to be checked by people who had not the slightest regard for you as a person, and you saw people whose only qualification for avoiding the queues and checks was the place where they were born? That is perhaps a mild example - people coming in from the north of Jerusalem this week took 4 hours to get past a check point. Just about as long as the train journey from Edinburgh to London, or most of the way across the Atlantic by plane, and they were still sitting at an army check point. Words often have a habit of coming back to haunt the person who spoke them. I was clearing out old papers this week, and found a copy of the Weekend Magazine of Ha’aretz for December 28, 2001. The introductory quotation for one article is “Israel today is the place that provides the most security for its citizens. We have the best army, the best citizens.” - Mr. Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defence in a TV interview November 2001. After the events of the past week, to say nothing of the events of this year, his words about security sound a little hollow. No-one with whom I speak condones the sort of bomb attack that there was earlier in the week, with 17 people killed. It is horrific. I know one person who had intended to travel north that day, and who just stayed at home. He did not feel safe. What will such a bombing achieve? Retaliation occurs – Jenin was put under curfew and as a result 30,000 people were locked in their homes. Having had Operation Defensive Shield, and since then repeated incursions into Jenin by the Israeli army, one wonders why even more incursions and curfews are necessary, and what they will achieve. Joan’s friend, Lois, who lives in Ramallah, got up about 0230 hours on Thursday morning, awakened by the shooting from the compound of Mr. Arafat, and opened her windows. She was afraid that the blasts from the shooting, and then from the demolitions that the Israeli army carried out, would shatter her windows. Needless to say, Art Group did not meet that day – travel was non-existent. Unemployment figures for Israel were published this week, showing 10.7% of the population out of work. I imagine that to that figure would have to be added significant numbers of part-time workers for whom there are no jobs, many self-employed people whose businesses are doing nothing because of the economic downturn, and perhaps also many from communities who are not even registered with the relevant Ministry. For such a small country, with a relatively small industrial and economic base, it is a big problem. When one moves on to the West Bank, the verbal figures from there which one hears are so much higher, and so much more catastrophic. It is hard to convey the sense of despair and despondency felt here. Within the Israeli Jewish community it is very evident – what can we do, where can we go, etc. Within the Israeli Arab community it is deeper, as there is an added feeling of economic discrimination. Within the Palestinian community it is deepest still, - no security, as the Israeli army comes and goes as it wants, arrests whom it wants, puts curfews on where and when it wants; no economic prospects, as there are so few people working; no future prospects for youngsters, and so there is a growing desire to get out of it all. This week two families came to me and asked me to help them find scholarships for their children so that they can study abroad, and the implicit hope is that they will then be able to live abroad. I found in a book the following quotation from the autobiography of John Buchan: ‘I regard the shrinking of opportunity as one of the gravest facts of our age. The world must remain an oyster for youth to open. If not, youth will cease to be young, and that would be the end of everything.’ For myself, writing to you, the world has remained open for us and our children. For most of you who read this, the world will have been open for you and your children. I spoke a couple of times this week with a senior member of the Christian community here. He is a man who speaks at least 4 languages fluently – Arabic, Hebrew, English and French. He is both a New Testament and Old Testament scholar. He is an Arab. He shared with me the story of a visit he had made to Nazareth to see his nephew, let’s call him O. A fully qualified computer engineer, he had been employed by an Israeli Jewish firm in Haifa for at least 6 years, and travelled in and out from Nazareth to Haifa each day with another 4 friends. Also on the payroll were some other Arabs from villages around Nazareth. Recently, all of the Arab workers with whom he travelled and one Jewish worker were made redundant. He acknowledges that there was a problem for the firm, in that sales had dropped etc. However, what he found so hard to accept was the fact that the firing of people, in his understanding of the situation, was so blatantly discriminatory. Having given his loyalty to the firm, he felt betrayed. How could he now continue to work here? How could he trust an Israeli Jewish firm again? There is no work in the Arab sector, so it is emigrate, or stagnate. If he leaves, that is one more family from the already small Christian community gone probably for ever. Yet, said my friend, what could he say, and how could he advise a young man of about 40 years of age, with a family to educate and parents to look after? My friend had also been down to the Tiberias area, to meet some of his old friends. Naturally, most of them were Jewish. Speaking together, he found that significant numbers of them had left, not only the area, where there is no work as there are no tourists, but also the country. What could he share with them? His despondency was palpable. What would you advise the young man in Nazareth to do? Let’s imagine | ||||