Movement 124

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A report from the Council of Ghristians and Jews' annual trip to lsrael
and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
When the last of the Christmas turkey had been
eaten, and the doughnuts, the culinary bonus of
celebrating Chanukah, had been sampled, 15
young fews and Christians made their way to
Heathrow to begin their 'behind-the-scenes' tour
of the lsraeli-Palestinian conflict. Each of the group
had their own agenda for coming on the tour, each
held different views and opinions about what was
going on and which side to support, and each in
turn was to be challenged by the personal stories
of the people we met - the human stories that lie
behind the international headlines.
Security is an obvious issue in lsrael so it will come
as no surprise that we were made aware of it whilst
still in Heathrow. Not only do all El-Al passengers
have to arrive a minimum of three hours before the
flight, but they are also subject to a heavy screening
process, and several participants had the indignity
of having the contents of their luggage displayed for
all to see. More worryingly, at Ben-Curion airport
one of our number was held by security. While the
rest of the group took the coach to Jerusalem, we
spent seven hours waiting for confirmation that she
would be allowed in. Welcome to the Holy Land!
The first part of the tour was spent in Jerusalem
looking at the inter-religious dynamic of the area.
Walking in the Old City is like entering an illustration
from the Bible. The great white stones seem to
whisper thousands of years of history and the huge
churches, synagogues and mosques testify to the sacredness
of Jerusalem in all three Abrahamic faiths.
Our religious experience was heightened on our visit
to the North, when we took a boat trip on the Sea of
Calilee, and visited the site where
the Jewish Talmud was wriften. Yet,
even amongst such holiness, the
political situation could not be forgotten
- with the imposing Security
Barrier dominating the landscape.
I have to admit that I have never
decided where I stand on the wall
- if you'll excuse the pun. My gut
instinct that all walls are bad is tempered
by the reality of the number of
bomb aftacks planned against lsrael.
Can separating the communities
help a long-term vision for peace in
the area? lt was this question that I
held in mind when wevisited Civ'at
inter-faith insights:
viewpoints from other
faiths and those doing
inter-faith work
Haviva, a Kibbutz hosting the Arab-lsraeli Center for
Peace, to be shown the terrible effects of the wall
on hlestinian communities. The lsraeli who took us
around explained that in her opinion the main problems
with the wall are that it's guarded by the lsraeli
army and it doesn't follow the green line. Moreover,
instead of just providing a barrier between lsraeli and
hlestinian communities, the wall also separates %lestinian
communities - how can this be about security?
Back at the Kibbutz we heard the view of an lsraeli-
Arab: interestingly, while he told the group about the
discrimination he faced as an Arab, when asked if he
would live in hlestine if it ever became a viable working
state, he answered he would rather live in lsrael.
That evening we were privileged to hear another
voice on the situation from Arik Asherman, a rabbi
from Rabbis for Human Rights. Arik told us how his
group devote their time to fighting for Palestinian
rights. He spoke movingly about standing in front on
bulldozers that were threatening to pull down hlestinian
homes, and of stand-offs between lsraelis and
Palestinian stone-throwers in which he acted as a human
shield to protect Palestinians. Yet, when asked
how he viewed the Apartheid Wall' he answered,
'l have young children, the only way I sleep at night
is because I know the wall is there to protect them.'
What answer can we give to a man like that?
One answer was suggested at the lnternational
Center of Bethlehem by the Center manager, who
explained: 'When I walk around Palestine, I do
so with my head held high. I have a good job, I
make a good living and I am well-respected. But
when. l need to leave Bethlehem, I face a soldier
with a gun who can make me do anything he likes,
make me wait all day, deny me entrance or make
me strip in front of a line of people - put me in front
of an 1B-year-old boy in uniform and lam reduced
to nothing.'There is nothing else to say.
It is this feeling of speechlessness that I take with
me from the tour. I still don't know how to answer
any of the people we met or where I stand on many
of the issues we confronted. Perhaps when I take
the next group out I will be able to get a clearer
idea of my own position. Probably, though, I will
just come out with more questions. I
Louise Mitchell is the youth worker for the Council of
Christians and lews. lf you are interested in participating
in a tour, please contact her for dates and more
i nform ation : lou i se@ccj.org. u k.
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