Monday October 3rd- Tent of Nations, Hebron, and The Wall
We started off today visiting a farm called Tent of Nations near Bethlehem. The Nassar recently celebrated 105 years on their land. Their 100 acres in the West Bank is now surrounded by 5 illegal settlements and in fact their farm is the only hilltop in the area without a settlement on it. They have olive and fruit trees, grapes, and they have chickens and goats as well. They have met incredible challenges to hold onto their land that are creative and non-violent. They have unfortunately had physical attacks, destroyed roads, and destroyed olive and fruit trees but they’ve persevered by inviting people to visit and volunteer for planting and harvesting. The dry climate makes it incredibly challenging to replace lost trees and they are denied water and electricity but they’ve thrived in spite of it by employing sustainable practices to preserve the environment. Daoud Nassar told us they refuse to hate, they refuse to be enemies, and the are challenged daily. He believes in standing up for what is unjust and their Christian faith is their center. Pictures from left to right: Daoud in office cave with art from a children’s workshop on the farm and on right is painting titled “religion should bring people together”.
Hebron- Ibrahimi Mosque and Tomb of the Patriarchs (It is the burial site for Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah). This site is sacred to both Muslims, and Jews. Built by Herod there are 2,000 year old Herodian stones at base. of walls. There is a mosque on one 1/2 and a synagogue on the other half and unfortunately it’s a flash point between the Muslim population and Jewish settlers who now live within this West Bank city. There is a mosque one one side of the tomb and a synagogue on the other.
Hebron – Picture on left – Walking through a city checkpoint. ID’s must be shown and Palestinian children need to walk through to go to school. On right is a covered market for Palestinians. There is an illegal settlement right above and it must be covered for shopper to be protected from debris, rocks, and spit from above.
Walking on Shuhada Street. A half mile long road in Hebron that was once a thriving market frequented by Palestinians and Israelis. Today it’s like a ghost town. Over 1,000 Palestinian shops were closed here in 2000 and Palestinians are no longer even allowed to walk down it.
We finished off the day back in Bethlehem at the Banksy Walled Off Hotel. Inside there is a wonderful small but powerful Nakba (Palestinian catastrophe) Museum about the Palestinian diaspora after 1948. The hotel lobby is filled with Banksy art. These two are just a sample…
Just a sample of some of graffiti art on the separation wall that caught my eye. What’s going on here is dark but art and human ingenuity lightens us. From a prayer from the Community Peacemaker Teams “Beautiful Al Khalil (Hebron), I long for your freedom and your peace. May the dreams of your children- that they may walk your streets freely, that they may be safe from bullets and tear gas, searches and detention, that they may build fine schools, and hospitals, and prosper like citizens of any other city- may these dreams be realized in their lifetimes – or better- in mine”.
Brenda Mehos