We refuse to be enemies
Catherine James considers questions raised by a recent event in Wales
When we go to a talk on Palestine, we are prepared to hear of the stonings, the insults, the injustice, the theft of land, the denial of water, the cutting down of olive trees, the destruction of Palestinian houses and the restrictions on travel. At a recent Meeting of Friends in Wales we sat in the comfortable church hall in Llanidloes, having had our cups of tea, turned on taps without thought and travelled freely to the Meeting. Helen Lewis and John Butler, who have recently been again to Palestine, told us of the constant disruption of life for the Palestinians, but also of their resilience, of the faith that sustains so many of them under the oppression. From a man whose livelihood has been removed by the building of the wall we heard: ‘God does not put us on this earth except to do good to others.’
We saw pictures of the Palestinian farm that has documents from the Ottoman empire to prove ownership, which is still being harassed by both settlers and the army. It is now known as ‘The Tent of Nations’, and is supported by international bodies such as Jews for Justice for Palestinians, who have planted 250 olive trees there to replace those taken by the settlers. The family who own the farm want to overcome evil by doing good. They welcome young people from abroad who come to work there. That is the farm that has a rock on which is carved, in three languages: ‘We refuse to be enemies.’
We also saw pictures of Ramallah Friends Meeting House, built in the nineteenth century and restored by money sent in from America after it was extensively damaged by the Israeli army in the second Intifada. We heard of the village that is partially protected by being twinned with Exeter in England and it was suggested we might consider whether we could support such a move in our own locality.
The glimmerings of hope are small, but amidst all the grief, the lack of certainty, the terror felt by Palestinians as the settlers walk through their villages, pointing guns at the children, throwing stones at them, shooting if they walk ‘too near’ to the illegal settlements, it is important to keep that hope alive. The hope rests in the Palestinians themselves, in the small and scattered groups of Israelis who want justice and human rights for all people in the land, in the internationals who go there in support and who campaign when they return, so that the truth of the situation becomes better known.
After a morning that searched us, shook us and left us with tasks to do, in the afternoon we were exercised by more domestic matters: what is our relationship with the other churches in Wales through Cytûn, and what should it be? How should we view our particular witness at the national events of Wales? We will return to this large topic when we meet in October 2012: the agendas for February and June are already full of interest and deep questions.
Comments
If Friends are interested in the facts of daily life in the occupied territories of Palestine, they could email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to ask to be included in the daily reports circulated by a New Zealand couple, Leslie and Marian Bravery. Julia Jeffery Devon AM
By triplejay on 18th November 2011 - 13:55
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