Peace Not Walls

It was December of 2002 when I first encountered the very beginnings of the separation barrier.  I was visiting the Holy Land on an interfaith peace trip, and in order to reach a friend’s house for dinner in Abu Dis (a town right next to Jerusalem), which should have taken 10 minutes, we had to go a completely circuitous route that took 45 minutes.  Then, in 2003, as an Ecumenical Accompanier with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, I marched with others down the main boulevard connecting Ramallah and Jerusalem protesting the plans for the separation barrier to go right down the middle of this big road, which would separate not Israelis from Palestinians but Palestinians from Palestinians, their families, schools and work.  I remember being convinced that the world would not let this happen.  I was wrong.

A new series, called 10 Years On, examines how things have developed during these 10 years since Ariel Sharon announced plans for the barrier in April of 2002, after the Passover suicide bombing and many others.  The Israelis said they were building it in order to protect Israelis from suicide bombers.  Many Palestinians, however, question the route of the barrier, which is twice as long as the Green Line and cuts deeply into the West Bank, appropriating around 10% of West Bank land within the Israeli side of the barrier.  Palestinians question why, if the barrier is for security of Israelis, the barrier results in thousands of Palestinians on the Israeli side of the barrier and why the route follows settlements and allows plenty of room for their growth while cutting off areas of growth for Palestinian towns. Israelis believe the barrier has saved many Israeli lives, as suicide bombings have reduced in number since the beginning of the wall, while others point to other reasons, such as truces by Palestinian extremist groups and a general lack of support for suicide bombing. 

The series is in seven parts, with interesting comments and debate about the effects, cost and benefit of the barrier.  The link goes to part 7, and at the bottom there are links to the first 6 parts.  Several slide shows by Active Stills and maps  illustrate the series.

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One of the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike has been transfered to the hospital, and his request to be released denied.  Read more

At the same time, more prisoners are being arrested.  Here is a blog post from Lauren-Whitney Gottbrath, a Young Adult in Global Ministry who has recently had a good friend arrested.  Below is her blog prayer for him.  UPDATE:  Lauren recently wrote and said that Mousa has been released.  Loren thanks all for their prayers, but says that he has been profoundly affected by this experience.

Salaam Friends and Family,
As I sat down to write my newsletter on Sunday, I couldn’t stop thinking about some terrible news I had received earlier that day; one of my really good friends, Mohamad (better known as Mousa), was arrested by the Israeli Defense Force right outside his home the night before.  At this point no one knows exactly why he was arrested. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality of many prisoners currently within Israeli jails.  Israel uses administrative detention to hold prisoners without charging them or giving them a reason for their arrest.  Mousa is just one of many prisoners who are under this sort of detention.  I have so many things that I could share with you about the last two months, but to be quite honest, it is Mousa’s story that I want to share in hopes that you will feel in some small way the great man that he is and offer your thoughts and prayers for him and his family

Mousa is 22 years old and is from Aida Refugee Camp.  I met him through my work at the Lajee Center within the camp.  Basically he is my boss there.  I work most closely with him since he is the director of the media center of Lajee.  At the age of 22 with no formal training, he is one of the most talented photographers and filmmakers I know.  He is more creative and knows more about the craft than do I, even having graduated from college.  From the time I started working at the Lajee Center in October, I have learned more about filmmaking and photography than I did throughout the last four years.  He also teaches the kids that come to the center about photography, film and radio.  He gives them an outlet to share their story.

Not only is he a fantastic photographer and filmmaker, but he is also one of the most kind-hearted guys I have met.  He is always welcoming me into his home for lunch or calling me to invite me to go with him and others from the center to the Dead Sea or to a bbq.  I will never forget the hospitality that he showed both my parents and friends on their visits.  He arranged for my family to spend the entire day at the camp and have lunch with his family.  He also made sure there was enough room on a bus for all my friends to go to a dance festival…something that most visitors never experience.   Just two weeks ago when I was having terrible tooth pain, he called and texted me time and time again to make sure I was feeling better.  And he would be the first person I would call if I were ever in need of any help.

Over the last few days, I keep thinking about what he must be feeling or thinking about right now, but no part of me can even imagine what he is feeling.  It makes me sad that something like this can happen to such an amazing person.  He certainly doesn’t deserve it.  I am angered that this is the reality in this place I live.  Sadly, many of my friends here could tell you the same exact story of their friends and family members.  It isn’t something I understand no matter how hard I try.

In the Lajee Center there is an exhibit of some of the photographers entitled Hopes and Nightmares.  The photographers took photos, one representing their dream and one representing their nightmare.  Mousa’s still hangs on the wall (he took the photos when he was 16 years-old).  He had dreams of becoming a professional football player, playing on the Palestinian National Team, but his nightmare was being arrested and taken away by the occupation.  I have heard him tell visitors to the center about these photos time and time again and sadly his nightmare has come true.  (follow link to see his photographs, 8th one down on the screen)

I pray that God is watching over Mousa and his family.  I pray that Mousa is feeling the love that his friends are sending from all over the world.  I especially pray that he will be back home and in the center soon.  Mousa is a friend that I quite possibly may never see again due to this occupation; but he is a friend that I certainly will never forget.

I know that this is far from a newsletter, but it is something I needed to share, far more than sharing about my many trips to the Dead Sea.  I promise I will get a “newsletter” out soon enough, but in the meantime, I ask that you too pray for Mousa and his family because right now that is all we can do.

I have dreams of going into the center on a Friday to find Mousa there, sitting in “his” chair (only to give it up to me as he always does) ready to start a day’s work… I have nightmares of never getting to see him again.

Thank you for listening.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath      lwgottbrath@gmail.com

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The UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk said he is appalled at the conditions that have led to more than 1500 prisoners taking part in a hunger strike.  Prison authorities have reportedly taken punitive measures against those on hunger strike, including denying them family and lawyer visits, confiscating their personal belongings and placing them in solitary confinement.   

“I am appalled by the continuing human rights violations in Israeli prisons and I urge the Government of Israel to respect its international human rights obligations towards all Palestinian prisoners.  Israel must treat those prisoners on hunger strike in accordance with international standards, including by allowing the detainees visits from their family members,”  Falk said in a statement.

Falk noted that since the 1967 war, an estimated 750,000 Palestinians including 23,000 women and 25,000 children have gone through detention in Israeli jails. This constitutes approximately 20 percent of the total Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory or 40 percent of the total male Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Falk also made mention of the practice of administrative detention, whereby Israel can hold prisoners indefinitely without charge, so prisoner and lawyers have no idea of the charges against them.  Though it has at times been much higher, the number of prisoners on administrative detention today is 300.

“Israel’s wide use of administrative detention flies in the face of international fair trial standards,” Falk said. “Detainees must be able to effectively challenge administrative detention orders, including by ensuring that lawyers have full access to the evidence on which the order was issued,”  Falk said.

Two of the hunger strikers appealed to the Israeli courts to end their administrative detention.  Thaer Halahla and Bilal Diab, suspected by Israel of security offences, and two other men have passed the 60-day mark of the hunger strike. Ten stopped eating about 40 days ago while the others began the protest on April 17, Palestinian officials said.

Read BBC’s article   |  Read Reuters’ article on appeal to the Israeli courts

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In a new report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNOCHA) details the increasing settlement activity in Palestinian residential areas of East Jerusalem, especially the increasing evictions of Palestinians from their homes.

According to the report, ” Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to protect the Palestinian civilian population. International law prohibits the forced displacement of civilians and the transfer of settlers into occupied territory, as well as confiscation or destruction of private property, except when such destruction is absolutely necessary for military operations. The application of the Israeli legal system to accommodate claims over property rights in an occupied territory is also unlawful under international law, and it involves discrimination against Palestinian refugees, who are not allowed to reclaim their property in Israel.”

A map showing the increasing Jewish settlement activity and homes being taken over against international law in the Palestinian residential areas of East Jerusalem.

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The story about the shrinking population of the Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land was broadcast on “60 Minutes” Sunday, 22 April 2012, including an interview with the Rev Dr. Mitri Raheb of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. The story includes information about the Kairos document as well as Ambassador Michael Oren’s objections to the story, which he voiced to the President of CBS to before the piece aired. 

The video and script are at the CBS news website at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57417408/christians-of-the-holy-land/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel.  There is an added feature on “60 Minutes Overtime” at http://www.cbsnews.com/60minutesovertime?tag=hdr;cnav about Taybeh, a Palestinian town. 

Go to http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/feedback/fb_news_form.shtml to send comments directly to CBS or go to the Churches for Middle East Peace action alert to add your voice to the Thank 60 Minutes movement.

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A new report by the Ma'an Development Center details the unequal treatment and conditions for Palestinians compared with Israeli settlers in the Jordan Valley.

A new report by the Ma’an Development Center describes the vast difference in treatment and development of Palestinian villages and illegal Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.  From the report:

“The Jordan Valley is approximately 15-20 kilometers wide and, at 1,700 square kilometers, covers around 28.5% of the West Bank. The rich agricultural land, temperate climate, and abundant water resources offer enormous agricultural, economic and political potential for the Palestinian people.

However, this potential has been denied to the Palestinian citizens of the Jordan Valley by the policies of the Israeli military occupation and the continuing illegal expansion of Israel’s civilian settlements. In fact, the first civilian settlements in the West Bank were built in the Jordan Valley. Throughout the years of occupation, the Israeli government began actively promoting the settlement enterprise by offering a number of far-reaching economic and social benefits to those Israelis that emigrated to the illegal settlements.

Consequently, Jordan Valley settlements have grown at a steady rate, aided by governmental aid that expanded important settlement infrastructure and enriched many individual settlers. In 1993, the implementation of the Oslo Accords allowed Israel to strengthen its means of oppression in the region; the Oslo Accords designated 95% of the Jordan Valley as Area C, temporarily legitimizing full Israeli military and civil control for the inhabitants of the region.

Although there are currently 56,000 Palestinians and only 9,400 Israeli settlers in the Jordan Valley, the living standards of the latter group are vastly superior. While the Israeli settlers benefit from generous aid from the Israeli government, Palestinians are nearly completely prevented from any sort of development in 95% of the Jordan Valley. Consequently, neighboring Palestinian and Israeli settler communities provide a stark and telling juxtaposition that demonstrates the racial discrimination that guides Israeli policy in the Jordan Valley. By directly subsidizing settlements’ growth, expansion, and development while completely prohibiting even the most basic of services to Palestinians, Israel has ensured that the Palestinians cannot overcome the discriminatory gap in the quality of life between the two populations.”

The report compares Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements and describes the legal procedures governing both.  It highlights the unequal treatment given to Palestinians compared with the Israeli settlers and concludes:

“The shocking differences between the quality of life in Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley are obvious manifestations of the decades-old Israeli policy to remove Palestinians from their own land. By refusing to care for the Palestinians under military rule while also refusing to allow the PNA access to these vulnerable communities, Israel is forcing Palestinians to depopulate an important piece of land that is essential to the viability of a future Palestinian state.

At the same time, the Israeli government has ensured the viability and sustainability of the settlements in the Jordan Valley by directly subsidizing their infrastructure, employment, and social services. All of this brings one to the conclusion that the State of Israel, through its settlement enterprise, is actively protecting the extravagant lifestyle of Israeli Jews in the occupied territories at the expense of the basic human rights of Palestinians. Only a complete reversal of policy with appropriate reparations for lost economic activity and community services will begin to adequately address the gross injustice that has continued for over forty years.”

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced that she would override the decision by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, to continue to hold part of the $147 million congress appropriated to the Palestinians last year.  Ros-Lehtinen recently agreed to release her hold on part of the funds – $88 million – with some restrictions:  Ros-Lehtinen stipulated that the money not be used for assistance in Gaza or for road construction projects in the West Bank, except if directly related to security.  She also denied use for trade facilitation, tourism promotion, scholarships for Palestinian students and other aid for Palestinian Authority agencies and ministries. 

According to an unnamed State Department official, “the funds deliver ‘critical support to the Palestinian people and those leaders seeking to combat extremism within their society and build a more stable future. Without funding, our programs risk cancellation,’ the official, who was not authorized to speak about the issue, said in an e-mail. ‘Such an occurrence would undermine the progress that has been made in recent years in building Palestinian institutions and improving stability, security, and economic prospects, which benefits Israelis and Palestinians alike,’ the official said.

The move drew criticism from some, who said it was an abuse of executive branch power, and praise from others who said that one or two people should not be able to inhibit the will of a congressional vote.

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Last year, Congress approved $147 million in aid to the Palestinians which should have been spent last year to rebuild infrastructure and generate economic growth.  Two congresswomen, however, have delayed those funds for 8 months.  Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist, comments on the recent release of some of these funds.

Congresswoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, announced on March 23 that she was ending her restriction on the funds.  The second congresswoman, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, agreed recently to release her hold on part of the funds – $88 million – with some restrictions that Kuttab says potentially inhibits the growth of Christian tourism in the Holy Land. 

Ros-Lehtinen stipulated that the money not be used for assistance in Gaza or for road construction projects in the West Bank, except if directly related to security.  She also denied use for trade facilitation, tourism promotion, scholarships for Palestinian students and other aid for Palestinian Authority agencies and ministries.  Kattub comments:

It is hard to understand why a member of Congress would set such conditions over the recommendations of USAID. The USAID money for reconstruction of Gaza was pledged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and doesn’t go to the Hamas-led government but to the people of Gaza, who suffered tremendous hardships during the Israeli war in 2008-09. Road construction and trade facilitation projects in the West Bank fit perfectly with the two-state solution, which Israel’s prime minister supports.

He also thinks that this move contradicts a request for proposals from USAID, in which the U.S. government was looking for contractors able to help in rebuilding the following Christian sites in the occupied West Bank:

• Burqeen church near Jenin, a Christian sanctuary dating to the early Byzantine era. The current structure dates to the 12th century.
• Sabastia/Samria. The biblical capital of the Northern Kingdom of Ancient Israel, the current ruins date from the Roman period.
• Tell Balata Archaeological Park in Nablus, which is listed as an archeological biblical site. It’s the site of the Canaanite and biblical city of Shechem.
• Jacob’s well, reputed to be the site of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman. The site is also associated with the biblical patriarchs.
• Shepherd’s field in Beit Sahour, which is a Christian site near Bethlehem.

It is interesting that one or two people can counteract the will of congress, our democratically-elected means of governing.

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Groups come from all around the world to take part in Easter festivities, while Palestinian Christians say many are not allowed to enter Jerusalem because they are not given permits.

Palestinian Christians say it is ironic that people can come from all over the world to commemorate Holy Week services in Jerusalem while brothers and sisters in Christ 5 or 6 miles away aren’t allowed because they don’t get permits.  They say international law would say that free access to holy places should be free access, without the need for a permit.

Palestinian Christians say Israel issues 2,000 to 3,000 permits each year through churches for pilgrims to enter the city, while Israel claims it issues 20,000. 

Read Pastor Fred Strickert’s Holy Week blog with photos of the Holy Week services this year.

Read an article by Richard Stearns, head of World Vision  

Read Ambassador Oren’s response here

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