We are now in Tiberias, on the way to Haifa tomorrow, for our last full day of the trip. I have been sitting with some pain, that I have started to articulate, about noticing that as a consequence of seeing the reality of some of the Israeli treatment towards Palestinians, some of the students seem to be demonising Israel. It feels like it is mixed up with demonising Jews and if it is not all Jews then it is separating out ‘good’ Jews at the expense of other ‘bad’ Jews like settlers. I am really uncomfortable with this. The vision I am holding out is for a direct and honest appraisal as much as possible of the situation, and then, a concerted conscious approach that doesn’t blame or target the oppressor, but simultaneously does not justify or rationalise irrational policies. It has been good to bring voice to this idea. It is also related to the challenge that we have of acknowledging our own oppressor patterns and behaviour. We can only acknowledge our dark side when we have sufficient compassion that we can allow it to emerge and like ourselves (not take it personally) at the same time.
This morning I did yoga practice and enjoyed breakfast in the sunny YMCA courtyard. We went on a political tour of Jerusalem with Merav Zunshine. She is also involved in Taayush, a human nights organisation. Leeora, living in Jerusalem for 10 years, came along with us. Having her there was a blessing that helped me notice the point about demonization that I mentioned above. You know when someone is with you and their presence causes you to think differently because you internalise a sensitivity that you think they may have. A few times when some facts were mentioned I noticed some sarcastic comments from one of the guides and students and then it struck me how we need to bring this oppressor material to the fore with the utmost care and sensitivity. We went to see the edge of where Gilo and Bethlehem embrace. And we noticed the difference between Har Homa and Gilo where, Har Homa blocks the Palestinian access between Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Gilo just extends a band around the edges of Jerusalem. Our next stop was to Silwan, where there has been some tension lately because of Jews who want to settle right in the middle of this Arab town. There is also the archeological site of City of David http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/IrDavidFoundation_Eng.asp (this is the offical website) that is run as an archeological site by a non-government organisation called El-Ad (see http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/elad-seeks-approval-for-new-construction-project-in-city-of-david-1.280472) . The last stop of the tour was a panoramic view from the back of Hebrew University over the area E1 that is put aside for Israeli development. At the moment it is possible for Palestinians to move from East Jerusalem to the West Bank and bypass Maaleh Adumim but the concern is with the proposed development the viability of a Palestinian State in the West Bank will be severely undermined.
We then visited Shorouk Organisation, a women’s organisation that brings Palestinian and Jewish women together for peacebuilding and economic development. I’m hoping to follow up with Aziz and build on the relationship with Shorouk to explore more opportunites for women’s leadership development in a peacebuilding framework.
The next stop was Aziz’s family’s West Bank home in Azarya or Bethany. The family lives in Issawiya (right near Hebrew University) because if they would stay in their original home they would lose their right to come to Jerusalem. But his father comes almost every day to look after the land. They have olive trees, grapevines, pomegranate, pomela, lemon, orange, mandarine and persimmon trees. Aziz talked about when the family come and harvest all the olives in October and other times when they pick all the grapes and then juice them and put the juice on the fire for hours and hours. The family unites around the family home. Originally his dad bought a large property for all the children to build their own places on the land. It was not to be- at least not yet. It was wonderful to see his gorgeous mum Habiba again. In July I had visited their home with my kids. They have been there for years. Someone pointed out a neighbour with a Turkish flag who they suspect has been recruited as an informer. How will the shift be made from surveillance, suspicion and a security perspective to peacebuilding, reconciliation and trust?
We headed for Tiberias through the West Bank past Jericho and so we stopped at the Dead Sea for a swim. There was so much black mud at Kalya Beach, and we could pick up handfuls of it and cover our bodies. We then did some processing in groups there, reflecting on how we are feeling as the program is coming to an end. We waited on the road for a long time, probably because there was a suspicious object on the side of the road.
It is difficult to see injustice, and it is also difficult to see blaming of those carrying out injustice. It is challenging to hold all the perspectives together. This trip has strengthened my intention to be able to support both peoples, and to be a dedicated Jews. When some students were expressing upset about Israeli government actions and Israeli complicity with them, I asked what they could do that could help them be allies to Israelis? How can we be allies to Jews and Palestinians?
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