Part 2: Israel/Palestine/Egypt

Here's part 2 of my travels this winter.

My last email left off at me flying from Bangkok to Israel/Palestine. I spent 2 weeks in Israel/Palestine with an organization called CPT (Christian Peacemaker Teams) on a peace delegation to learn first hand about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and to participate in nonviolent action in support of ending the Palestinian occupation.

Before I begin, please understand that I speak from my experiences only. The history between Palestine and Israel goes far beyond my current understanding and there is always more to learn.

I landed at Ben Gurion airport two days before most of the members of my delegation were set to arrive. I met our fantastic delegation leader, Rick Polhamus. He and I spent the first day touring Jerusalem and chatting with an incredible Palestinian man, who I now consider a dear friend, Saleh. Saleh is the owner of the hotel we stayed at a portion of the time. My new Palestinian friend spent the first day and second day, for that matter, teasing me about how I would probably go to jail because I had asked the airport not to stamp my passport as I was entering the country. So, technically, I didn't have a visa. ^_~ A woman from the delegation arrived late that first night, Sharon (a 56 year old former army radar repair technician - a quarky woman who marches to the beat of her own drum.)

Upon arrival back at the airport the next day to make sure that I wasn't going to be deported from the country, Rick and I met two new arrivals, Greg (a 61 year old pastor from Canada with a very distinct laugh) and Jerry (a 34 year old Brethren pastor from Ohio). Jerry and I hit it off right away and became good friends over the course of the delegation.

Jerry, Sharon, and I made our way to Kalia beach to visit the dead sea. The dead sea is apparently slowly disappearing due to the selling of the sea's salts and mud. It is still gorgeous though, and we had a great time! Take a look at the pics! That night, the remaining delegation members arrived. Christina (a 26 year old community lover), Renee (a 43 year old strong and independent married woman), Melissa (a 44 year old hilarious, spunky mother of 4), Betty (a 76 year old woman with an incredible life story), James (a 50 year old Canadian living in Germany as a Mennonite church director), Nate (a dumster diving 29 year old who is quiet, passionate peace worker), and Neil (a sweet, incredibly knowledgeable 75 year old retired Wilmington professor).

In the next few days we met with human rights and pro-Palestinian groups as well as pro-Palestinian Israeli activists. They all helped to explain a bit about the conflict and occupation both currently and historically. One being B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in Israeli Occupied Territories (B'Teselem). We visited the wall constructed to separate Israel from the Palestinian West Bank. Graffiti found on the wall portrays the feelings of most people who visit.

We visited Dheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem. 11,000 Palestinians living there remain after 750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1948. More information can be found at their website. (Dheisheh). Upon arrival at the camp, we witnessed a protest march in support of the people of Gaza completely comprised of children. Children have been taught how to express their frustration and thoughts through non violent action, an incredible skill to have at a young age.

We toured the camp and stayed with a Palestinian man and his family. I was disgusted to see the bullet-riddled walls of the girls school, bullets left over from the second Intifada where Israelis attacked the homes and schools of this refugee camp.

This was not the only story that made my stomach turn while I was in Bethlehem. After a brief tour as a delegation, we were given time on our own. Some of you may have read this story already.

Jerry, and I were walking around Bethlehem with the bit of free time we had. We walked past a man trying to convince us to shop in his store. We said "maybe later" and kept on where we were going. We were walking back by and this man reminded us that we had said we would come in and look around. We agreed and headed inside. Assuming the man would simply try to start selling items to us, we were a bit hesitant. He didn't try to sell us a thing. He wanted us to listen to him. He wanted us to hear his story. We soon learned that this "man" was 23 years old. His father had lost his leg in the 2002 Intifada. He was the man of the house now. He told us how the soldiers stormed the town and how he was beaten by an Israeli soldier for standing in the doorway of his home instead of remaining inside. As this man lie bleeding from his mouth on the street, the soldier said, "Fuck you! If I see your face again, I'll kill you." He told us of how he felt helpless as a soldier held a gun to his 8 year old sister. He told us his story. He didn't once ask us to buy anything. After telling us his story, he offered us tea while trying to hold back the tears of his memories. This young man, Allah, said that he could break off a piece of his heart and we still wouldn't understand what he has had to face. He wants to believe in peace, but he just can't. He has seen too much, experienced too many times the hatred of Israeli soldiers.

To make this as brief as possible, our delegation also joined the Women in Black who gather every Friday to demonstrate against the occupation of Palestinians. Israeli women began the organization in 1988. (Women in Black)

We also joined a march in support of medical aid support in Gaza. Two members of our delegation gave interviews to news reporters.

A week of the delegation was spent in Hebron. A few nights were spent at the CPT apartment in the old city, one night I spent with one other delegation member in the home of an incredibly friendly Palestinian family, one night was spent in a small village called At'Tuwani, and one night was spent in an even smaller village Gwynn (I don't think that spelling is right).

The old city of Hebron has been left quite destitute after the most recent Intifada with many Palestinian shops being warned against their re-opening. Israeli settlements have been built almost entirely to control the Palestinian population. In the old city, Israeli settlers as well as an israeli military base set on top of Palestinian shops. There were fences placed above the shops to "protect" Palestinians from the rocks, glass bottles, and bleach the Israeli settlers are throwing down at Palestinians.

On a day spent touring the old city, we faced Palestinian children who were causing trouble. They fired a rock with a slingshot toward our group, nearly hitting a member. Most Palestinians find relief in the CPT group, but some Palestinians have a hard time trusting foreign faces. That day was the first time I had ever experienced tear gas. It burns the eyes and stings the nose so that water runs from both uncontrollably. Relief came from a group of young Palestinian men who offered us tissues with scented spray to cut the burning. The city is a very different place on days when Palestinians shut all shops to pray at the mosque, desolate and a little eerie.

The most memorable part of staying with the Palestinian homestay family, was something that happened while trying to learn Arabic. There was only one member of the family that spoke English, a 30-something female teacher. She lived with her father, mother, 2 of her sisters, and 2 of her brothers. I couldn't for the life of me remember how to say "welcome" in Arabic. He jokingly said, and for this the teacher translated, "You must remember or he will kill you." At the time it was off-putting, but I understood what was meant by the cruel joke. I had been welcomed into this family's home, I had eaten with their family, I had sat around a single heater and huddled for warmth just as they do...and these are the types of people who are portrayed by the media as terrorists. He was making a point, a point I will never forget.

In the village of At'Tuwani, we learned why it is necessary for a CPT team to be present. Israeli settlers have been attacking children who walk from one Palestinian village to another in order to attend school. CPT set up a camp there to ensure the safety of the children and the people of this village. Settlers have gone as far as to poison the drinking water well with dead chickens and kill shephards sheep while taunting the shephards themselves.

In the second village, we visited families who live in caves, talked with villagers about how they were cut off from their jobs when Israelis dictated which roads they could travel on and which they couldn't, slept in a tent-like structure with a cement floor, and used rocks as "bathrooms". We looked for the biggest ones!^^

All in all, the experience was one of the most incredible of my life. Some members of the delegation left before me and some left after me, but I headed from there to Egypt for a day.

The day I spent in Egypt, I decided to get out of the airport and travel to the pyramids and the sphinx. I had met a guy on the way out of Israel who had just as long of layover as I did in Egypt, so we spent the day together.

From there, I flew back to Bangkok where I spent a day. I flew out the next morning for Yangon, Mandalay.

To be continued...