Wadi Qelt

Last Saturday, March 21, I set off for an adventure with my friends Janneke and Audra. We decided to hike through Wadi Qelt to Jericho. Wadi Qelt is a valley that goes from Jerusalem to Jericho through the Judean desert. It is also the path along which the story of the good Samaritan occurred. Our plan was to either start at a drop off point called Ein Kelt or at St. George's Monastery. Our mode of transportation, however, was hitch hiking, which sometimes led us along a different path. The first person who picked us up, said that he lived over top Wadi Qelt, so we could simply hike down into the valley and begin from there. It was also interesting that the town of this man was a settlement and he was an engineer for the Israeli Defense forces. Settlements are the biggest obstacle to a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine, especially since many lie well into the West Bank (internationally recognized Palestinian land), as did the settlement of this man. It was, nonetheless, interesting to encounter someone I normally would not have encountered.
He was very kind, showing us exactly where to go to hike down in the Wadi. As we hiked down, we thought that this would be the hardest part. Little did we know, that we would get off the beaten path a couple of times.
A couple times we had to back track. One time, we expended a lot of effort climbing over and down large boulders. We discovered that this was not the right way, when we ended up with two options: turn back or jump in a pool of water and swim across the river for a little. Needless to say, we turned back. After that we were very adamant about looking for the signs painted on rocks that indicated the path to follow. It was quite an adventure! The views along the way were well worth it. The lush green of the valley contrasted with the rolling hills of the desert around us. Both were incredibly beautiful!
In the end, however, we did not make it to Jericho. It had been 6 hours by the time we made it to St. George's monastery, where we had thought we might start in the first place. I was so tired that I could not continue any longer. The monastery was a good ending reward, however. It is an ancient monastery of desert monks, who had previously lived in caves. It is beautifully built along the side of a cliff, overlooking the Wadi. The beautiful structure is surrounded by palm trees and running water.

Israeli Defense Forces

A story that is making big press throughout Israel, the Middle East, and even the United States focuses on personal stories from combat soldiers in the Gaza offensive omitting to blatant killing of civilians. Many of the articles discuss the how far "the IDF has fallen in the realm of ethics". Recently, at a lecture that I attended on International Humanitarian Law, the lecturer noted that, as a soldier, abandoning one's orders for the sake of integrity in war is not something that is widely taught. The tendency in training soldiers is to teach them to complete their mission at all costs. It may be an official IDF policy that soldiers can abandon their mission if war ethics are at risk, but this mentality is not what is consistently ingrained into their brains. Because soldiers are taught throughout their training to complete their mission, abandoning a war mission for moral reasons is rarely the choice of soldiers. These articles and video demonstrate the thoughts of the lecturer on International Humanitarian Law.

Articles:
From Ha'aretz
From The New York Times

Video:
From Al-Jazeera

Olive Tree Planting

One of the things that Sabeel tries to do are interfaith programs, where you can encounter people from different walks of life and learn from their experiences. Saturday, March 7, the youth programs from both Sabeel Jerusalem and Nazareth, joined together for a weekend. The Saturday program involved planting olive and almond trees. The group included young adults from Jerusalem, Nazareth, and other areas in the West Bank, as well as internationals and Israelis.

We began the day by driving to the farmland of the Sabri family. The Sabri family’s land is located right near an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. They have been cut off from their land because their house is on one side of the security wall and this land is on the other. In order to tend their land, they must get a permit to go to it. It is therefore, very hard for them to be able to get to their land enough to tend it as much as it needs. Another law that threatens the Sabri family’s land states that if land is untended for 3 years, the Israeli government will confiscate it. It seems very counterintuitive to prevent people from tending their own land and then confiscating it because they have not been able to tend it.

As a group of young adults, we went to the Sabri family’s land in order to help them plant olive and almond trees in land that they have a hard time getting to often enough to finish the work that they have to do. It is hard work digging holes in rocky ground with a pickax. It was a hot 80 degree day, so we finished hot and sweaty.

After we finished, we went to the Sabri family’s village: Beit Ijza. The community center, of which they are a part, invited to cook us a meal, since we had helped plant the trees. They served us a wonderful dinner of mujaddara: Rice and lentils, accompanied with Arabic salad (the main ingredients being cucumbers, tomatoes, and parsley). Before we were served dinner, however, one of the community members stood up to thank us for helping the villagers. In his speech, he mentioned that because of the ban on the farmers from their land, they had been able to harvest the olives that year, but had not been allowed over to harvest their grapes and almonds. The security wall had prevented them from benefiting from two out of three of the harvests that are their livelihood. He also expressed his gratitude that we had planted the olive trees for them, because they had been waiting to plant these olive trees for two months, but had not yet received permits to go to their land.

Although it was hard work, I was glad that we were able to help area farmers in some small way. You could see the gratitude on their faces. I only wish that I could do more.

Women's Day and Home Demolitions

Yesterday was International Women's Day. Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. Its goal is to encourage solidarity with women around the world fighting for equal rights. Right here in Jerusalem, a group of women celebrated this holiday. Here, however, the focus was not solely on women. A group of women formed a march against home demolitions occurring in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan. 88 homes have been set for home demolitions, which will result in the displacement of 1500 Palestinians. Demolitions in Silwan, will leave room for a park, hardly a justification for leaving 1500 people homeless.

A coworker of mine and I joined in the March against the home demolitions in Silwan. It was powerful to see the strength of the women involved and clear that Palestinian women often emerge as the movers and shakers of their society. When the group began to form before the march, the leading women handed out posters. The posters symbolized the essence of a Palestinian woman. They are rooted in the land, the protectors of livelihood (symbolized by olive trees), and shine light to the world. As the group began to walk into the area of Silwan, chants emanated from everyone following. We made our way through the neighborhood to an area where the home demolitions are planned. When we got to this area, we joined a group already congregated underneath a tent, holding a rally for the Al-Bustan neighborhood. Both men and women, children and elders joined together in solidarity. You could see the passion of the people as they expressed their frustration and heartache over their families and friends who were losing their homes. Children even joined in the peaceful protest. They sang a song dedicated to Silwan and joined in the chanting. One of the most precious moments happened when a girl, probably about 6 years old, shouted a chant in the silence, which rallied the whole group to join in a response. The only disappointing aspect of this day, was the minimum of people who attended the rally. About 30 people took part in the march, and about 100 people were at the rally. I can only imagine the impact that even 1000 people would have made.

What is happening in Silwan is only part of the story. In recent weeks, over 265 homes have been given demolition orders throughout East Jerusalem, including the Shufat neighborhood where Sabeel is located. It is part of the plan to Judaize the entire city of Jerusalem, and drive out the Palestinian population. Demolitions have risen in the past few weeks due to the continual coverage of Gaza. The news coverage in Gaza gives Israel the perfect disguise for the heightening of destruction occurring in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Home demolitions have also risen to make a point to President Obama that the agenda in Israel-Palestine will be determined by Israel, not Washington. Hillary Clinton, in her recent visit to Israel-Palestine, stated that the home demolitions were 'not helpful'. This statement shows that at least the action by the Israeli government is being noticed. In my opinion, however, Washington and the International community needs to much more outspoken against grievances caused by the Israeli government that demonstrate they are not interested in peace process that would require them to action beyond the signing of a meaningless peace of paper.

Click here to learn more about home demolitions in East Jerusalem, specifically the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan.
From The Guardian
From the Palestinian National Initiative
From ICAHD - Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions
From the PNN- Palestine News Network

Sabeel's 4th Young Adult Conference

Here is a great opportunity for people to learn about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Check out the flyer! Pass it on to all of your friends or family who might be interested. It will be 12 days packed full of fun and knowledge!