They Made It

I looks like the two boats of activists made it to Gaza without incident. I think it was smart of Israel not to turn this into an international incident by confronting the boats. It also makes me wonder if more boats couldn't do something like this to get supplies and aid into Gaza.

I appreciate the creativity of the activist who found new ways to protest the poor treatment of Palestinians by Israeli. As noble as the cause may be, protesting with signs and banners just doesn't cut it. Getting a couple of boats to deliver needed aid despite a sea blockade, that's action. I'm impressed and grateful.

Challenging the Gaza Sea Blockade

This event took me by surprise but it makes me very happy. I never would have expected people to so openly defy Israel and try to sail to Gaza. I pray that they would be safe in their journey, but most of all that hearts would be changed and people on all sides would have their current view of Israel/Palestine challenged.

Israel imposed an economic blockade on Gaza after Hamas forces violently seized control from Fatah in June 2007. The squeeze is also aimed at stopping militants firing rockets at southern Israel.

Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair who is now an international envoy to the Middle East , tells me she is travelling as both supporter and reporter.

I dearly want to go to Gaza again to support the Palestinians and to show the world the reality of what's going on there".

Detained

Crossing the Allenby Bridge from Jordan to the West Bank should have been easy in our tour group of American citizens. Our tour group submitted everyone's passport information weeks in advance precisely to avoid delays. Instead, the Israelis allowed most of the 80 person group through the border, but held the passports of everyone under about 35 years old. There were 8 of us plus our tour leader and his brother.

The whole time we were detained, the Israelis did not question us or do much in the way of security verifications. We continued to wait while the rest of our tour group continued on to Ramallah.

After about 4 hours of waiting, the Israeli soldiers and workers began setting up a buffet of sorts. Sweets, cakes, cookies, croissants and all sorts of snacks. We were hungry and curious. We certainly didn't believe any of this was for us, but we were the only people in the room besides employees. Everything felt incredibly awkward as they gathered for a party while we sat there waiting to be released.

I snapped a photo with my cell phone:

Eventually we were moved to a general waiting area and the Israelis put up a screen so we could not watch their party. After they finished, a soldier brought us a plate of leftover cookies and said, "We want to make your waiting a little more sweet." Gee, thanks.

We sat there for 6 hours without news of why we were being detained or how long it would take. Eventually our tour leader, after being told "20 more minutes" for about 3 hours, demanded they either release us to enter the West Bank or turn us back to Jordan. A few minutes later we had our passports and were on our way.

Why were we detained? According to one Moroccan Israeli soldier who spoke Arabic, they do it just to mess with young people and keep us from coming back. As my friend Nader said, "We'd wait 12 hours to get into our homeland. That won't keep us from coming back."

I am proud of my fellow detainees though. We went into that situation not really knowing each other, but made the best of it by getting to know each other, sharing food and water, telling jokes, and enjoying each others' company. These detainees bonded.

How Was It?

Three weeks and two gigabytes of pictures later, I am not sure how to answer this question when asked by friends. I hesitate to even call it vacation because being in the West Bank was more emotional and intense than anything known as vacation. It was a great time traveling with my dad and enjoying Palestinian culture. It was a terrible time dealing with Israeli soldiers and seeing the impact on my people and my family.

With every day in Ramallah I could feel bitterness creeping into my heart in the worst way. I felt no compassion for Israeli soldiers who deliberately harassed us and made our lives difficult. I am angry and hurt by the deep rooted and institutionalized racism in Israel. I am angry with their treatment of my family. It's not Jews in general I am angry with, but Israel and its overt rejection of Palestinians. I don't really know what to do from here.

Incredible Frustration

We leave Ramallah tomorrow and in our time here we have received a full taste of how frustrating Israel has made life for Palestinians. The latest frustrating event is being separated from our family in Gaza. My aunt, uncle, and cousins applied for permits a while back to be able to come to Ramallah for Easter. After being left in limbo for the last few weeks, we found out this morning that everyone in the family except my aunt (my dad's sister) received a permit.

There doesn't seem to be any logic to who does and does not receive travel permits from the Israelis. Why hold back an older woman in Gaza while allowing her 28 year old son to cross Israel? Why separate our family when my aunt's only wish for Easter was to see her brother?

What adds to the frustration is that once the permits are obtained, it isn't smooth sailing. Crossing through the Eretz checkpoint takes hours and some people never get a chance to go through, even with their permit. The permits are time limited, so our relatives can only stay in Ramallah for a few days.

In the end, we are sitting here in Ramallah waiting for my uncle and cousins to make the 25 mile journey over the course of the whole day. Naturally our conversations fall to wondering why the Israelis treat people like this. We can only assume, but it feels intentional and designed to hurt Palestinians.

I am not surprised that frustration regularly boils over into anger and violence.

Big Plans for Ramallah

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Ramallah Municipality. We have been privileged to observed and participate in many of the centennial celebrations during our trip.

The Ramallah Municipality unveiled an impressive presentation about the development and renovation plans for the city. Thanks to YouTube, you can see it too. By the way, the music that starts at the 1:40 mark was commissioned especially for the centennial celebration and has captured many ears here. Hopefully we will be able to buy this song soon. It is an updated arrangement of a traditional song about returning to Ramallah.

Helpless

Never have I felt so helpless as in Israel. The gigantic 35 foot "security" barrier is just one symbol of Israel's complete domination over Palestinian life. It cuts directly through Palestinian towns in the West Bank, to the point where people who once crossed the street to get to work must now travel miles out of their way to cross through Israeli checkpoints. Since its inception in 2006, the barrier has taken on a similar character as the Berlin Wall, becoming a canvas for Palestinian expression. Click on the pictures below to see the details.



We saw a dance/drama piece the other night that brought to life several of the Handala cartoons from Naji al-Ali. His cartoons have come to symbolize Palestinian suffering and struggle. Once particular scene in the drama had dancers stuck on the ground with a black shroud over them, unable to get up in front of a "no parking" sign, which in Arabic literally reads "standing prohibited." The whole drama was powerful, but this scene in particular captured the helplessness I have been feeling here.

Food

Palestinians make great food and they are feeding us like crazy here. I've never eaten so much lamb in one week, but I am not complaining.

Easter festivities here run by the Orthodox calender, so yesterday for Palm Sunday we had Msahkhan which is chicken roasted with onions and sumac on fresh bread. It was delicious.

We've all noticed that food in Ramallah has taken on a new look. Whereas most dishes would previously have been served from a big dish family style, individual presentation is taking on a new role in Palestinian cuisine.

I'm In The West Bank

I've been in the West Bank now for about 4 days. Getting to Ramallah from Amman was a feat in itself. More on that later.

Being here has reopened my mind and my heart to the Middle East. I have been frustrated the past year or so with all things Israel or Palestine. Ramallah has renewed my passion and love for my people and my desire to see peace. However, being here also been intensely frustrating and disheartening and made me wonder what exactly peace could be like.

I almost feel like Israel's main purpose in dealing with Palestinians is to frustrate us to the point where we want to leave and never come back.

Irony abounds here and borders on hypocrisy, especially as Israel tries to cater to the religious tourism industry of mainly Christian visitors. This is a photo I shot of the barrier wall at the checkpoint on the way to Jerusalem. Note the sniper tower above the "Peace Be With You" banner...

Annapolis

This week we will see the first real peace talks concerning Israel and Palestine since 2000. I cannot help but have high hopes for this week's meetings in Annapolis.

Dozens of Middle East countries will be represented and President Bush will be leading the dog and pony show. But ultimately it is up to the Palestinian and Israeli delegations whether we talk about Annapolis in 6 months or 6 years as a milestone or a set back.

I am hopeful, idealistically hopeful, that Palestinians and Israelis can love peace more than violence and be willing to sacrifice more for real peace than we have for continued violence. I don't expect revolutionary results, but I will be praying that anything resembling humility and care for each others humanity will come from this weeks talks.

Please join me in praying for healing, humility, and courage for all of the participants. I don't think any of these politicians can heal the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, but I do believe they have an opportunity and responsibility to start that process, insh'allah. We must continue to hope that change will come, or we are doomed to the grief we already reject.