Mesh-enclosed balcony
Abraham's Mosque
Hebron Glass Factory
Tent of Nations
Shepherds' Field
Church of the Nativity - Manger Square, Bethlehem
Azzahra's Restaurant, Jerusalem
Hebron Glass Factory
Tent of Nations
Shepherds' Field
Church of the Nativity - Manger Square, Bethlehem
Azzahra's Restaurant, Jerusalem
On February 16, were delighted to meet visitors from home, Anne Banks Pidduck and her daughter Sharon. We’d arranged for a friend who has been practising medicine in the Palestinian territories for some time and who has a vast knowledge of conditions here to take us on a non-traditional excursion south of Jerusalem.
We visited Hebron which is in the West Bank and therefore supposedly Palestinian territory. However, here the militant Israeli settlers have forced vendors in the old marketplace to suspend nets above the sidewalk to prevent garbage being dumped out of the settlers’ windows onto the shoppers below. (Unfortunately that doesn’t protect them from dirty water and urine that is occasionally part of the “garbage”). Fortunately we weren’t party to any rubbish being thrown down while we were in the area.
In Hebron, we also visited the headquarters of the Christian Peacemakers organization which provides for the Palestinians a peaceful witness and therefore protection from harassment and assault by the militant Israeli settlers. We were invited onto an upstairs balcony which overlooks the street that formerly provided entrance to the flat. However, this street has been closed to Palestinians and they now have to enter via a back entrance. Now the Israeli settlers are the only ones allowed to use this street. On top of that, the balconies along the street have had to be covered by heavy mesh to protect the residents from rocks and stones being hurled from the street as the settlers go by.
From the roof we were able to look over the city at the changes and restrictions for the Palestinians that have been made since the settlers have moved in. Some families have access to their homes only by climbing ladders from a neighbour’s roof. The presence is most obvious and one is not allowed to take photos in the direction of the various military towers.
While in Hebron, we visited the Hebron Glass Factory where they make the bottles that the Lutheran World Federation uses for selling their olive oil. We were also able to get into Abraham’s mosque which had been closed to us on a previous visit. We were intrigued by having to wear hooded robes to enter the mosque—we looked like characters out of a Harry Potter novel; of the many mosques we’ve visited, this was the only one that required this. Out of respect, usually only one’s head and arms are covered; this therefore was an efficient way of ensuring that.
Our tour continued to the Tent of Nations located on a peak nearly 950 meters above sea level on 100 acres of land, nine kilometers southwest of Bethelehm. This is the only hill left in the whole area that has not been taken over by illegal Israeli settlements. (Keep in mind, this is in the West Bank which is supposed to be Palestinian territory.)
Daoud Nassar, the director of Tent of Nations explained the history and work of his organisation. His grandfather, Daher Nassar, purchased the land in 1924 and since that time, family members have lived there and worked the land, producing olives, grapes, wheat, etc. Daoud’s father, Bishara, devoted his life to protecting his land and used it to network and provide youth projects in the Bethlehem region. However, in 1991, the Israeli government declared the whole area to be an Israeli state property in spite of the fact that the Nassar family has all the original land papers tracing rights of ownership back to the Ottoman Empire, thus contradicting any claims by the Israeli government. In 2001 and 2002, the local council of Israeli settlements decided to open roads through the east and west sides of the Nassars’ land. Although they were able to stop both road projects through the Israeli court, after 13 years in the high court, the land ownership is still under debate, and the court keeps postponing the case.
Daoud is carrying on his father’s vision. The Tent of Nations is devoted to addressing cultural conflicts around the world, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by facilitating positive encounters between young people from different cultures. (You can read more on their website: http://www.tentofnations.org/ ).
After an interesting tour of the property, we returned to Jerusalem. Our overwhelming day concluded by dining early at the Jerusalem Hotel, after which we sent our exhausted, jet-lagged visitors off to bed.
The next day provided a more relaxing traditional tour. We met in late morning at the Jaffa Gate of the Old City, wandered through parts of the city, visiting the Wailing or Western Wall, the Church of the Redeemer, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a late lunch at Samara’s Restaurant, we went by bus to the Bethlehem checkpoint where my taxi driver, Musa, met us on the other side and took us to the R.C. Shepherds’ Field (of course, as with other “holy sites”, there are two Shepherds’ Fields—Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox), the Milk Grotto, and the Church of the Nativity. We returned by the same route and finished off our day of touring at Azzarah’s Restaurant for their delicious thin-crust pizza. What a way to begin a week
We visited Hebron which is in the West Bank and therefore supposedly Palestinian territory. However, here the militant Israeli settlers have forced vendors in the old marketplace to suspend nets above the sidewalk to prevent garbage being dumped out of the settlers’ windows onto the shoppers below. (Unfortunately that doesn’t protect them from dirty water and urine that is occasionally part of the “garbage”). Fortunately we weren’t party to any rubbish being thrown down while we were in the area.
In Hebron, we also visited the headquarters of the Christian Peacemakers organization which provides for the Palestinians a peaceful witness and therefore protection from harassment and assault by the militant Israeli settlers. We were invited onto an upstairs balcony which overlooks the street that formerly provided entrance to the flat. However, this street has been closed to Palestinians and they now have to enter via a back entrance. Now the Israeli settlers are the only ones allowed to use this street. On top of that, the balconies along the street have had to be covered by heavy mesh to protect the residents from rocks and stones being hurled from the street as the settlers go by.
From the roof we were able to look over the city at the changes and restrictions for the Palestinians that have been made since the settlers have moved in. Some families have access to their homes only by climbing ladders from a neighbour’s roof. The presence is most obvious and one is not allowed to take photos in the direction of the various military towers.
While in Hebron, we visited the Hebron Glass Factory where they make the bottles that the Lutheran World Federation uses for selling their olive oil. We were also able to get into Abraham’s mosque which had been closed to us on a previous visit. We were intrigued by having to wear hooded robes to enter the mosque—we looked like characters out of a Harry Potter novel; of the many mosques we’ve visited, this was the only one that required this. Out of respect, usually only one’s head and arms are covered; this therefore was an efficient way of ensuring that.
Our tour continued to the Tent of Nations located on a peak nearly 950 meters above sea level on 100 acres of land, nine kilometers southwest of Bethelehm. This is the only hill left in the whole area that has not been taken over by illegal Israeli settlements. (Keep in mind, this is in the West Bank which is supposed to be Palestinian territory.)
Daoud Nassar, the director of Tent of Nations explained the history and work of his organisation. His grandfather, Daher Nassar, purchased the land in 1924 and since that time, family members have lived there and worked the land, producing olives, grapes, wheat, etc. Daoud’s father, Bishara, devoted his life to protecting his land and used it to network and provide youth projects in the Bethlehem region. However, in 1991, the Israeli government declared the whole area to be an Israeli state property in spite of the fact that the Nassar family has all the original land papers tracing rights of ownership back to the Ottoman Empire, thus contradicting any claims by the Israeli government. In 2001 and 2002, the local council of Israeli settlements decided to open roads through the east and west sides of the Nassars’ land. Although they were able to stop both road projects through the Israeli court, after 13 years in the high court, the land ownership is still under debate, and the court keeps postponing the case.
Daoud is carrying on his father’s vision. The Tent of Nations is devoted to addressing cultural conflicts around the world, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by facilitating positive encounters between young people from different cultures. (You can read more on their website: http://www.tentofnations.org/ ).
After an interesting tour of the property, we returned to Jerusalem. Our overwhelming day concluded by dining early at the Jerusalem Hotel, after which we sent our exhausted, jet-lagged visitors off to bed.
The next day provided a more relaxing traditional tour. We met in late morning at the Jaffa Gate of the Old City, wandered through parts of the city, visiting the Wailing or Western Wall, the Church of the Redeemer, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a late lunch at Samara’s Restaurant, we went by bus to the Bethlehem checkpoint where my taxi driver, Musa, met us on the other side and took us to the R.C. Shepherds’ Field (of course, as with other “holy sites”, there are two Shepherds’ Fields—Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox), the Milk Grotto, and the Church of the Nativity. We returned by the same route and finished off our day of touring at Azzarah’s Restaurant for their delicious thin-crust pizza. What a way to begin a week
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