Peace Walk in Jerusalem

I joined my first silent peace walk this weekend. It was a very powerful experience; 200 people, Muslims, Christians and Jews, Israelis and Palestinians all committed to non-violence, tolerance and listening. We walked silently through the streets of Jerusalem, then along the walls of the old city, ending at the Mount of Olives where Jack Kornfield (the famous Buddhist teacher) spoke to us. Below is some information from the middleway.org website about the 'Walk':

What is the Walk?

The Walk is a special and new peace initiative. It is a non-political, heartful effort to create movement for change in hearts and minds.
It is a non-violent action that empowers those that take part, as well as demonstrating to others that peace between Jews and Arabs is possible.

The character of The Walks includes the following:

1. The Walking itself is in silence and in a long line.

2. We wear as a symbol a white sash.

3. Leaflets are usually given out, but we walk with no posters or signs.

4. All are welcome, Jew or Arab, right wing or left.

5. No political or other group can make representations. Members of such groups are however welcome as individuals as all other Walkers.

6. We are careful and considerate to all communities we encounter, and we do not intend to provoke argument or conflict.

7. During the stops and camps of a Walk, programs are set up to practice dialogue, healing and co-existence.

8. The Walk can go anywhere, provided there are no undue risks and the form is kept.

9. The Walk is not a forum for political speeches, even of important visitors. Effort is made to encourage visitors to talk about reconciliation, suffering and healing of suffering.

Cold Winds

After the worst cold spell Israel has suffered in living memory, cold winds are blowing in Barta'a. For the first time since I started working on this project I got the 'cold shoulder' treatment.

Abu Rami and I went to the local council building, next door to the clinic, to get some coffee. We entered a room full of smoking men, exchanged some greetings and were offered a cup of coffee. A few of the men were familiar faces, often coming to the clinic for a chat or treatment. The tension in the air was palpable. The radio was on with live coverage from Gaza. Under siege, without power, cold dark and hungry, the humanitarian crisis is deepening. And so is the frustration and despair among Palestinians in the West Bank, helpless bystanders in the suffering of their relatives and friends. The tension I felt was one of loyalties. On the one hand there were gestures of hospitality (I was offered coffee), dictated by cultural norms, on the other hand I was all but ignored. How could they socialize with me, an Israeli, when all this suffering is inflicted on their brethren by my government's army?

As long as people on both sides are blinded by an ethnocentric world view. As long as my Israeli friends cannot see the injustice and inhumanity in the suffering of people in Gaza. As long as my Palestinian friends cannot see the the injustice in the suffering inflicted on the people of Sderot (exposed to daily barrages of missiles, living in constant fear, their lives and livelihood going down the drain), we will not have peace.

And moving to a world centric view (where you view the other as equal, regardless of ethnicity) takes time and work.

two thousand and eight

Happy New Year to you Mustafa. You came to see me yesterday at the clinic in Barta'a and I thank you for sharing your story with me. Your impossible predicament highlights the need for all of us to move beyond the champagne and 'happy new year' rituals and try to open our hearts to the suffering of our fellow beings, wherever they may be.

You were badly injured and lost an eye from rubber bullets fired at random during a peaceful demonstration which you weren't a part of. Yet you bear no resentment towards the soldier who did this. You are thirty years old and still living with your parents because you can't afford to build your own place ( a prerequisite to starting your own family). Renting is not an option in the village yet you don't have the freedom to move to the city. In fact you don't have the freedom to travel anywhere outside Barta'a because you are a young single male and are considered a threat by the state of Israel. So, you are stuck in a dead end job (even though you have a science degree from Abu Dis university) and left to roam the streets of Barta'a in your spare time. Occasionally you will risk imprisonment and travel to the nearby Israeli towns with your friends from Barta'a who hold Israeli IDs. Or risk humiliation, delays and detention and travel to Jenin (on the other side of the 'wall'). 'This is not a life' you tell me, but you don't complain.

So, Mustafa my friend, let us hope that 2008 will bring you and millions of others around the world the basic needs and human rights that you deserve (and we take for granted).