Bedouin Update and New Encounters

As we concluded our stay in Bethlehem, we visited both Holy Land Trust and Tent of Nations. (As an aside, I went to the Church of the Nativity yesterday and had a beautiful night with new friends at manger square a local Italian (Franciscan) cafe). I have many things that I would like to say and not enough time to write it. First, during the middle of our tour of Tent of Nations, we received a phone call from a Bedouin activist. We had met with her last Saturday as we visited with three Bedouin communities in the Negev. The last community, Al-Arakib, welcomed us into their home. They shared with us their stories, how they had been on the land for hundreds of years (as evidenced by the cemetery with hundreds of graves on the adjacent hill) and their legal land acquisition from the Ottoman Turks. Before Israel was Israel, they knew the land, lived off the land. I met with Aziz as he introduced me to his wife and five children. He asked me to take his picture with his family in front of his house. He told me, "All I want is to be free. I want to live on the same land as my father and his father. If I move to a town, our way of life is ruined. The land is our home. Take our picture and share it with your friends in the West." So I did, but today his house no longer stands. These Israeli citizens had their home demolished this morning. The Israeli govt. said that they could not prove that the land was theirs, and it was legally owned by the state. 1500 soldiers, 2 helicopters, and 5 bulldozers leveled their homes. It is an extreme act of injustice in toward a peaceful people.

Now for something completely different...We met with the Tent of Nations this afternoon. I was extremely impressed with this organization. Due to some very smart manuevering during the Ottoman Empire, the Nassar family purchased and received legal documentation for the ownership of 100 acres 9 kilometers from Bethlehem. Today, this 100 acres still belongs within the Nassar family despite Israeli attempts at trying to confiscate the land. Tent of Nation is on a hill overlooking a palestinian village in the valley and surrounded by 3 illegal Israeli Settlements. In 1991, the govt. claimed all of the land as state property. Legal battles have continued ever since. At this moment, their are demolition orders on 8 buildings. The govt. demolished any building that isn't built under a 'proper' permit. For Palestinians, these permits are rarely given and are very expensive. In the meantime, the Settlers have uprooted over 250 Olive Trees, damaged their water cisterns, and harassed the family with guns. Yet, they do not respond in violence. The Tent of Nations was formed on this land in order to channel pain and frustration into productive means. Their farm is a place of encounter to build bridges of peace and reconciliation from all nations. They are not dependent upon city municipalities. They have made water cisterns to collect rain water. They have built caves to both live and hold classes. They just received electricity for the first time through German donated solar panels. Their farm provides dates, apricots, grapes, figs, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, and host of other foods grown on the property. In the meantime, they have become a place of hope. There motto, "We refuse to be enemies," encapsulates their longing for reconciliation. They host children's camps and school field trips. They give the children an avenue in which to begin to tap into their creative spirit by bringing them together in new encounters with the other. They also host groups to both teach and act out reconciliation. They invite Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals to visit and begin talking to each other. Together, they have planted over 1000 trees this year. The military is always looking for provocation, so they keep things calm. The director said to us, "Do not resist evil with evil, but resist with good. This is the nonviolent way." Their determination to continue to live in the midst of struggle gave me immense hope. If these Palestinian Christians can live sustainable lives in the middle of govt. oppression to bring Israeli's and Palestinians together, certainly I have something to learn from them. Perhaps our differences in the states are not so insurmountable.