Negev Bedouin Communities- south of Beersheba
Jews 10% of population
Hebron, Jerusalem, Perez and Farat
Jews had 7% of the land, now since 1948 Jews are 80% of the population and own 96.5% of the land.
occupied territories- no borders..important but people dont pay attention. The settlements in occupied territories are a political statement because they will continue to expand. In the West Bank 50% of the land is occupied, 10% of the population is Israeli settlers.
60,000-110,000 : Bedouins before 1948
or
180,000 - 190,000 Bedoiuns in land
1950s Israelis began to concrentrate the Bedouins into certain areas. Al Araqeeb was destroyed 6 times, the village across the street more than 40 times. (if you can access the CPT photo site, look at previous delegation photos of Al Araqeeb and compare and contrast to the recent delegation photos in November 2010)- the CPT pictures were 3 days prior to the demolitions of the village.
Al Araqeeb sheik: America gives Israel chemical weapons to use on arabs; blame is on America for supporting Israel; whose invading who, are we invading them or are they invading us?.
Negev Coexistance Forum for Civil Equality - Dikium.org
also see: UN Comittee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Ambassador Forest- Israeli method of owning the land; see http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/12/06/isaiah-weeps-jewish-national-fund-god-tv-erase-israeli-bedouin-village-to-bring-second-coming/
* when planning is done, these cities are not accounted for, therefore rather than viewed as communities they are viewed as obstacles
AIRBASE in the Negev?- http://dukium.org/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=109
Jewishvirtuallibrary.com- seemingly propaganda, but provides critical thinking tools to look at both sides of the occupation
READ: Open Letter on Justice, Palestine, Diane (google)
Genesis 23 clearly explains the reason for conflict in Hebron
* a Hebron major current issue is that Palestinian youth are arrested and displaced (reminded me of Annies book, Stolen Youth.
IPS.gov.il
CVT.org
Youthagainstsettlements.org
Sami Awad from the Holy Land Trust discussion: Traces family history to 1948 when his grandfather was killed in West Jerusalem as he tried to put up a white flag atop his home, after his grandfathers dead his family was kicked out of the area and became refugees. His grandmother played an important role in leading the family toward peace, his father was educated in the United States..Samis family is Christian and widespread from Gaza to Kansas City.
Samis uncle, Mukarak Awad is the founder of Nonviolent International aswell as Palestine Center for the Study of Nonviolence.
1st Intifada (19871993) (intifada means to shake off, i.e., shake off the occupation)
-leaflets thrown on ground to tell the nonviolence resistance what they would be doing every week.
-strikes, which would leave pretty much everything closed!
- disobey curfews by opening shows when they were told not to
-postone the time change instituted by the government for a week (Palestine time)
The Israeli soldiers would break the wrists on Palestinians who had the wrong time on their watches.
READ: Edward Said- Oslo Peace process
* Listening to Samia I was inspired in my own life. Speaking engagments, vision, passion- being Freaked-Out passionate..how does all things in my life come together (gangs, jail (phoenix, etc), FOF, (MRC (theology)..Inspired and Burdened
* Also the conversation I had earlier with Pat about pre-Constantine church coupled with the on-going conversation faith talk with Paul.
READ: Mark Braverman Fatal Embrace
Alex from Bethlehem, I met in Nativity Square, told me he had a scholorship in Washington D.C, but could go because his government makes it too difficult for him.
Tent of Nations story of land
1916- Dahels father dug holes to make caves to live in.
1991- Israelis want the land (the high mountain) to build a settlement, as surrounding the land is 4 settlements.
Currently, Dahel has been in court for 40 years defending his land and it still continues..I have papers from the British times, the Turkish times, and Jordinian Times. This land is currently under demolition orders because Israeli settlers say, we have papers from God.
The wall into the tent of nations said Peace, Justice, and Conservation of Creation, come to drink coffee this is good to have people in conversation with other people to talk about peace.
all the times in the news, peace, peace, but no peace.
-settlers have tried all means to get Dahel to sell his land, even to the extend of telling him they will give him a passport to the U.S. (amazing how much clout these people have).
Nawalls house- Che Guevara everywhere!
Izmael spoke with us a lot (he leads an organization of youth development in his village)
At Nawalls house the humanity and personality of people came to life, reminded me of what Marwan had said to us at the olive harvest concerning all of us are humans, but what Americans do over the table, we Palestinians do under the table.
Dinner at Nawalls was grape leaves, tomatoes, and Taboon bread. Also stuffed Zucchini.
Palestineremembered.com
Hach Party- radical zionist party active in At Tuwani (Havot Maon)
The occupation triangle- Deomcracy, Jewish State, the whole land (cannot have all 3, each one makes problems for the other).
Ideas on how to tell the stories:
1.) The differences: Israelis, settlers, Palestinians
2.) Stories of the land: both perspectives
-Sabeel (theology)
-Negev, simple just trying to live
-Tent of Nations
-Holy Land Trust
-ICHAD (political)
3..) Peace?
-whats stopping it?
- whats pushing for it?
-what can you do?
Personal statement upon my return:
I went to Israel/ Palestine to make and help efforts toward a sustainable peace. I made it my personal agenda to know the faces, knowing the faces of those in the media, Christian theology..this has enabled me to understand the conflict better, whether its the unrecognized cities of the Bedoiuns in the Negev or the heavy military presence in Al Khalil.
I am burdened by the demolished homes, illegal settlement expansions, and the inhumane (seemingly systematic destruction) treatment of Palestinian people, yet I remain optimistic and inspired by Palestinian groups such as The Holy Land Trust, Israeli groups such as ICAHD and Breaking the Silence, as well as international supporters.
Key Points:
-Palestinians have direct history to the land (graveyards for the Bedoiuns, Tent of Nations (Dahel) has papers.
-It is not that I am pro-Palestinian but rather I am pro-justice
- Amos, I understand the need for the Jewish people to have a homeland but not in the ruins of another).
-Breaking the Silence- I am simply telling you what I experienced..Listen to the stories and facts---> find your own moral reasonings.
Studies:
- Destroyed Bedouin communities (Be our ambassadors)
-History, maps, legislation, story of the land, and works toward solutions (Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality)
- Susiya (Why does America support this?) settlement expansion
-Connection of settler and Breaking the Silence (is the general public aware?)
-Theology, explanation of dispensationalism: as a theology or doctrine (what this looks like) and the inhumane and ignorant support that is given to Zionism
EXTRA NOTES:
November 18 notes from Sabeel: speaking with Cedar Duaybis
Sabeel in Arabic means the way, or water along the way. 1948 was the unofficial start of Sabeel.
Consider what things were like before 1948. "They called it homecoming, but we were becoming homeless".
THE CONTRADICTION- BIBLICAL ZIONISM
Jews, Christians, and Muslims- the citizens all got along it was the Zionist paramilitary that brought destruction and caused Palestinians to flee. Jews in Haiffa begged Palestinian Arabs to stay. We became "strangers in our land".
JUST IMAGINE: "went to bed as Palestinians, woke up in Israel".-imagine the broadcast of David Ben Gurion on radio in morning announcing the state of Israel. A nightmare!!!
Christian theology: led to the holocaust, led to the current plight of Palestinians.. we must keep the humanity in our theology!!!
"we are trying to divide the pizza, but one side is eating it up"- concerning the 2 state solution
Consider pre-70 AD to 1948, whats the history? Today, the Palestinian people are called "non-Jews" or present absentees- there history has been canceled!
"Gaza...it's unbelievable"- Cedar said on the verge of tears.
Israel does not have a constitution:
Whose a Jew?
State Question- they have not decided what they want to call borders
Also, the scandalous laws against Palestinians will not be acceptable as a part of a written constitution
READ: Kairos document
"The big fight is to remain human, remain non-violent, and to remain Christian"
Study: The war-God factor
Listening to Cedar describe her struggle with the Old Testament war God, and the sound byte theology being offered by liberation theology spurred me to thought concerning the tactics of God in the Old Testament versus New Testament.
God is a covenant God (read through the book of Hebews). In the Old Testament, God was building His people, "putting the fence around the mustard seed" (Law of Moses)- which would be a people through whom the Messiah would come and bless all nations (Genesis 22:18).
We, all Christians, owe a tribute to the Old Testament Israelites through whom the Messiah would come, the tree that grew so that the birds could perch in it's branches. (Matthew chapter 13).
11/19- Speaking with Jeff Halper from ICAHD
3 reasons for Israel: Religious settlers, Nationalism (Begim, Ariel Sharon, Netayanu), Labor party (military).
Hafrada (Hebrew) explains apartheid
Paragraph.
