"Lite" Interrogation

So I’m back in Palestine/Israel – my first time here since finishing my EA stint in April, 2013.  I’m traveling with four other women on what we’re describing as a “Spiritual and Cultural” trip and we are spending time in Israel (Nazareth) and Palestine (Jericho and Bethlehem), as well as in the “mixed” city of Jerusalem.  The trip is so described because our pastor friend is providing spiritual guidance on the trip and we will take cooking classes in Bethlehem.

Yesterday was our first checkpoint experience of the trip (first ever for one of our group!) and, when I wrote a Facebook post about it, I described it as “lite” interrogation.  I thought I’d expand on that a bit…

A checkpoint similar to the one we went through

The five of us, plus a Palestinian Israeli woman friend of one group member and our Palestinian Israeli driver, went to Jenin, to visit Canaan Fair Trade and the Church of the Ten Lepers.  We crossed into Palestine with the Palestinian guards taking only a cursory look at our passports (typical – nobody cares who goes IN to Palestine!).  The return several hours later was a different story.

One (Israeli) guard collected our passports and the driver’s ID card – later returning for the woman friend’s ID card when he realized the numbers didn’t match.  They then took the passports and directed the driver to a “holding” area so they could question us further.  First there was some discussion between the male guard and our driver – it turned out they were related and were joking with each other, which irritated the other male guard. 

However, the female of the species is definitely more deadly – something that, had we not already known it, was reinforced by that female guard.  Because I was in the window seat on the side closest to the guard, she directed her questions at me.

“What were you doing in Jenin, shopping?” she asked.

Me (holding up Canaan bag):  Yes.

Guard:  Did you spend the night or did you come over this morning?

Me:  We came this morning.

Guard:  Show me the bag.

I complied, realizing belatedly that, in addition to Canaan’s name, the bag had writing “I (heart) Palestine.”  She handed it back without further comment and declined other proffered bags.

Guard: Are you members of a Palestinian support group?

Me:  No (literally true – while each of us may support certain organizations, we were not ALL the members of any single group!)

Guard: Did you bring weapons to protect yourselves (presumably from the Palestinians)?

Me:  No (but wanting to add – “if we did it would be to protect ourselves from Israeli soldiers.”)

After then carefully checking our passport photos against our faces, she handed back the passports, briefly questioned theIsraeli woman (in Hebrew – we later learned that because the photo on the ID card was “old,” she wasn’t sure it was the same person), and then told us we could go. The male guards had disappeared long before!

“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” we told ourselves as we continued our journey. 

“If that wasn’t bad, I’d hate to see what bad is,” our “newbie” responded.

 

Taybeh Checkpoint - Workers crossing on a typical workday

We all know that Palestinians have it far worse when they cross a checkpoint – and many of them must subject themselves to humiliation every day just to go to work or to school.  We need to remind ourselves of that – and if our providing entertainment for a bored teenager on a slow holiday (Sukkot) is a way to do that, I’m happy to oblige!

Walking with Palestinian Christians

I recently had the privilege of attending a conference on “Walking With Palestinian Christians (for holy justice and peace). “  The conference was put on by the United Methodist Church and was reported to be the largest single-issue conference that church has ever held.   As a life-long Methodist, I have at times been both proud and exasperated of my church for its stands on social justice issues, as it attempts to follow the tenants of (Methodist “founding father”) John Wesley to “do all the good you can for all the people you can…” 

We, as a church, have marched with civil rights activists in the Deep South; we have demonstrated against South African apartheid; we have often spoken out for those with no voices.  Despite individual churches and larger denominational group’s voices to the contrary, we have also (as a denomination) refused to allow equality for our GLBT brothers and sisters, and have been reluctant to adopt legislation that would have an impact on ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Religion IS politics, Alex Awad told us!

Last week’s conference brought together Methodists (and others) ranging from those wanting to learn more about the “situation” in Palestine/Israel, to activists who have and will continue to push for divestment of church monies (most notably the very large pension fund that provides benefits for retired clergy and other church employees) from companies that directly assist the Occupation. 

Church leaders spoke to the work they were doing to educate those well-meaning people who are not aware of or do not understand the issue.  Palestinian Christians spoke of their everyday lives under occupation.  And those of us who were there to listen and learn came away inspired to do more, to push harder, to help bring understanding to those well-meaning people who honestly believe that God gave the land to the Jewish people and none others.

I’m not a religious scholar and I haven’t memorized the Bible. I can’t pull quotes out of context to make a point.  My Christianity is of the “garden variety” – God loves everyone, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, even the overused “What Would Jesus Do?”  I see the church (any church) as a means to do good, a way to demonstrate God’s love by actions (which, after all, do speak louder than words!).  My God is not a real estate broker; he is a God of peace.

So where do we, as a church, as individuals who believe in justice for all people, go from here?  “Come and visit; see and help,” begged Alex Awad, Dean of Students at Bethlehem Bible College and a United Methodist missionary.  Indeed, those of us who have spent time in the Holy Land – not on a sterile “tour,” but visiting real people on both sides of the Wall - report it to be a “life-changing” journey.

Conference speakers also implored their audience to work with the growing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, started by Palestinians in 2005.  Currently, the Methodist church supports divestment from products made in the settlements, while motions to divest from businesses that support the Occupation remain on our “to do” list.  Maybe in 2016, when the church holds its quadrennial meeting in Portland? 

Finally, we prayed – often – for an end to the violence, an end to the oppression, an end to the misguided politics that have created the current situation and have, indeed, perpetuated it.  And, finally, we prayed for peace on earth.

https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=let+there+be+peace+on+earth+lyrics&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35

A Prayer for Peace

Sadness and frustration fill my heart as the horrific attack on Gaza enters its third week.  With every story I read about what is really happening there, the sorrow overwhelms me.  I flip through pictures of dead bodies and destroyed buildings and shut my eyes – in prayer, but also to deflect the images.  Then, when I catch a glimpse of “mainstream” news and hear stories slanted to the “poor Israel has to defend itself,”li(n)e, the frustration takes hold. 

This morning I was in a coffee shop in Los Angeles where the TV station was tuned to a CNN interview with Netanyahu, sounding ever so “reasonable” as he explained to Wolf Blitzer that, of course, Israel had to defend itself against these “terrorists” – and that we in the US would certainly do the same!

My first impulse was to throw something at the TV screen (mature, right!?); my second was to request that the channel be changed.  Not happening – and, even if it had, nothing would have really changed.  All the Zionist-controlled and funded US media are running their own variation of the same story.  “We don’t target civilians; Hamas is using civilians as a shield; we are humane…”  

But what, to me, is even sadder and more frustrating is friends, family and people who I otherwise admire and respect who not only “don’t get it,” but don’t try to “get it.”  What is it about otherwise normal, intelligent people – who are usually very liberal on issues such as immigration or gay rights – who turn Fascist at the mere suggestion that Israel might be a bit heavy-handed in Gaza?   

Just this past week – mostly in reaction to my Facebook posting that I had participated in a “Stop the Violence in Gaza” rally – two clergy people took issue with my “one-sidedness,” as did several other FB “friends”.  Later, as I listened to an NPR interview on the subject while visiting a friend, I remarked, “too bad that even NPR can’t present both sides.”  My friend suggested that we not discuss this topic because, clearly, we held different views! 

An image we can all pray for...

I was feeling pretty “down,” when I received an e-mailed prayer, which I’d like to share.  I have no idea what news the sender is listening to, or which “side” she is on – but I love her for sending it because she so perfectly expressed what I am feeling

I come with a hurting heart for you as I learn of more and more conflict in Israel.  I know a bit about leaving your heart in a place that is special to you --- and then what it feels like when that heart is broken.  Please know that I am sending many prayers for PEACE and this is for you as well as for the people so affected by all this.  Your time of service and continued efforts are so appreciated.  Be strong and let me hear from you along the way. 

Love and Blessings!

A Rally for Gaza

In Gaza, a reign of terror.  Here in the safety of my American home, sadness.  I’ve never been to Gaza – the closest I got was the Israeli border town of Sderot, where an Israeli peace activist talked to my EA group about her sadness for her Palestinian friends in Gaza, while describing life in a city that has been described as “the most heavily fortified in the world.” 

Bomb Shelter in Sderot Playground

In Sderot, every house has a “safe room;” every bus stop is a bomb shelter and even playgrounds have shelters as play structures.  It’s a horrific life, she said, but nothing compared to what her Gazan “neighbors” go through.

In Gaza, there are no bomb shelters.  (There are probably no playgrounds either, but that’s another story for another day!)    High tech weapons (many US made) go screaming over the walls into Gaza, and the people have nowhere to run – nowhere to hide!

“Operation Protective Edge” sounds so benign, so innocent.  “We have to defend ourselves,” the Israelis claim – and the US buys into that lie, just as it has bought into virtually every lie that Israel has been telling the world since 1948.   This disproportionate reality of hand-held rockets against drones and other state-of-the-art weapons is not mentioned, nor is the fact that the Israeli military is on record as stating that their intention is to “cleanse” Gaza – civilians, children and the disabled be damned!

My sadness is for the situation, of course, but also for a US government that turns a blind eye – and to the American people who will never learn the truth because of the biased reporting of the media.  

Portland, OR Rally for Peace in gaza

Occasionally, there is a small bright spot – and yesterday was one of those days. Several local organizations, including local chapters of Students United for Palestinian Rights, Americans United for Palestinian Rights, and Jewish Voice for Peace organized a rally, calling for an end to the violence.  On a sunny summer afternoon, about 200 protesters gathered in a downtown park to carry signs, shout slogans and, finally, read the list of those who have died in the latest round of violence.

As of this morning (Sunday), 146 Palestinians – many of them children – have been killed in the Israeli attacks on Gaza.  No Israelis have been killed by the Palestinian rockets that they are defending themselves against (although a few injuries have been reported).  Yet the attack continues and is reported to be escalating as Israel threatens a “ground attack” to accompany the continuing blasts from above.

Reaction to the rally ranged from honks, thumbs up and the occasional waving of a keffiyeh from a car window to shouts of “Muslims go home!” from passersby.  Still, the local newspaper – hardly a bastion of liberal reporting – carried a brief story about the rally and, for a few hours anyway, those of us participating felt we were a part of something bigger – something that just might make a difference.

I’m heartened to read of similar rallies in other cities across the globe, and can only pray that, with awareness, will come the awakening of a conscience that has been too long dormant!