Israel trip part 2

Day 3 - Wednesday

Woke at 6.00, went back to sleep and only woke up about 20 minutes before the bus left! More very heavy rain just before we left. No time for breakfast, but our first port of call was the offices of the Holy Land Trust where we were given a shot of coffee (which dealt with breakfast!), and a very interesting talk by Elias D'eis about conditions now and since 1948..

Among other things he said that under Israeli rule the educational curriculum (including history…) was dictated by Israel. The first Intifada lead to the Oslo negotiations and ‘Peace Accord’ with areas A,B,& C and a 5-year window to negotiate a final agreement. Sadly during those 5 years things got steadily worse, with the result that in 2000 the 2^nd Intifada started and this was far more militant with areas A, B, & C suspended and full (Israeli) military rule enforced. The Holy Land Trust had been founded in 1992 aiming for peace & reconciliation – Conflict resolution, non-violence training & training of leaders for statehood (accepting that there were no credible leaders at that point!). – honouring the past, but looking to the future without war and working for international media connections (Israel controls most people’s access to info about Palestine) – and to create bridges using travel to the ‘living stones’ (i e people) rather than just the dead stones of churches etc – but going to both sides… The H L T also do house rebuilds (some with Amos Trust). He believes that interfaith relationships are good at the moment, but they are worried about them in the future. He also said that Bethlehem’s ‘Star Street’ was the main road for visitors going to the Church of the Nativity, with 96 shops on it – of which 80 have been closed since the 2^nd intifada. Now most visitors go straight from the bus stop to the church & back without any time looking at the city… - probably due to it not being designated a ‘zone a’ tourism town (see day 9 for tourism designations & their significance).

To get an ‘unbiased’ report of the situation (or at least to get the Palestinian idea of one!) try www.pnn.ps – the Palestinian News Network.

From there we went to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity - another one with a series of churches in the same place - the current door is so small (deliberately) you have to stoop to get in. Inside you descend to the 'cave where he was born' (oh yea...) - there are parts of the floor of the main naive which are excavated to the original mosaic of St Helens church, which was considered to have been made too holy to walk on after having the 'original cross' laid on it so it was covered over by a later emperor... Caves under the RC part (again many different parts for different sects - the main part being Orthodox) are where St Jerome lived while translating the Bible into the Vulgate. He was also originally buried there before being disinterred and transported to Rome.

During the first Intifada a group of protesters were besieged inside it and you can see the pock-marks from the bullets in some parts of the walls.

We then went for a walk along part of the 'Security Wall' - which cuts deeply into the city here in a very strange wiggle or 3, doubling back on itself several times, destroying part of the main road from Bethlehem to Jerusalem (Star St.) in the process, resulting in prime real-estate shops becoming totally worthless overnight. One building was surrounded on 3 sides by the wall, and since the upper stories are higher than the wall it has to have sheet steel shutters permanently over the upper windows. Another tall 5 (6? story) building on a rise near the wall was commandeered by the military Israeli for a while before being returned - but only the first 2 floors are allowed to be used as you can see over the wall from further up... All this apparently to ensure that Ruth's Tomb was kept inside Israel!

After that it was back on the bus for a short ride to the Shepherds' Field - which our guide for today (Rafat) said his great grandfather had sold to the Benedictines (who seem to be ubiquitous as 'guardians of the Holy Land'). (He also sold a different field to the Armenians and another to the Orthodox, each believes theirs is the real one!) Again, caves which are rife hereabouts, and which were used by the (wandering) shepherds up to the last century - demonstrating the meaning of the Lord being the 'gate' to the sheepfold as the good shepherd would lie across the opening.  Interesting snippet - sheep being carried is because of the shepherd breaking its leg to train it not to wander. He then carries it everywhere and feeds it until it can walk again, by which time it associates the shepherd with food and won’t wander off. Also  sheep don't drink from running water, hence 'He leads me beside still waters'... looking across the valley from the Shepherds' Field we could see a fairly recent Palestinian development and behind it an even newer Israeli settlement, which had permission to grow considerably, & towards the Palestinian  development, which would then become a 'threat' to those new units.... we could also see how much land the wall had taken from the Palestinians - not just on the far side but also a wide swathe on this side which they are no allowed to use.

After lunch we went to the Aida refugee Camp (in Bethlehem) - I don't recall the density of the population but it is VERY high - they can come & go freely inside Bethlehem (on the Palestinian side of the Wall that is!) and work (if they can find any...) but are supported hugely by the UN – food, medicine & education (though I think they have to go to a different camp for the major medical treatment). There is no privacy in the Camp - very cheek by jowl - and the sewerage system is not fantastic; the windows of the UN school are blocked in except for (relatively) narrow slits at the top to prevent any bullets from the watch-tower across the road being a danger to the staff or pupils (you can still put your fingers into the bullet-holes in the school gate) - despite this we were assured it is luxury compared to all other Camps. It is all 'proper' buildings now, and from the top of one house we got a really good view of the 'wandering wall'... Among other things it took out another HUGE area of farm-land just outside the refugee camp - the original plan was for it to go down the middle of this strip, but the church that owned the land (Armenian Patriarchate?) kicked up a fuss and asked why it could not go down the far side - which would be plenty for the protection of the settlement the far side. This was supposedly agreed, but then when it was actually built the wall came down the near side instead, and the Israelis blamed the church for not letting them go down the middle! There are a fair few houses on this strip of farms, which are totally cut-off. The owners have to walk quite a distance to a road, & then go to Jerusalem (having got a permit) before they can then come into Bethlehem...

We then had some free time in the Bethlehem souq, then back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out to a talk & barbecue at Wi'am - a 'Palestinian Conflict Resolution Centre - one of the things the director there (by name Zoughbi Zoughbi – and he said we could use either name!) said was that they tried to exchange 'the dialogue of arms (weapons) for the arms (body-parts) of dialogue' - very much trying to find a positive thing that can be taken from even the worst situation and to build on it - restorative justice being one of the key lines, along with education, support, advocacy, etc. He also said that Al Nakba is not a thing of the past, but a continuing issue - i e it is not just the creation of the State of Israel (which they could live with it there was a full and just settlement) but also the Occupation, the restrictions on water – more about this later - and freedom of movement, the house demolitions, the Wall etc. Then back to the hotel by ~ 8.15. A bunch of us went for a pint in Manger Square, but at 25 Shekels (£5)/pint I did no linger for a second!

Not much evidence of anything kicking off due to Al Nakba, day just the odd loud bang in the distance, though I think the itinerary was changed to avoid something - I think we should have gone to the Tent of Nations today rather than (as now) tomorrow.

Reflection: Interesting that the general attitude of Palestinians (and this is borne out by all the others we meet later) seems very much to be one of wanting peace, & being willing to live with a 2-state solution, provided it is one they see as just. They believe it is the Israelis who do not want peace, and scupper all negotiations with acts of provocation which cause a reaction from the Palestinian side after which the Israelis can say they refuse to negotiate with the Palestinians while they are under attack from them! The belief is that Israel will not accept any peace until they have the whole of Biblical Palestine (at least west of the Jordan) under their rule.