Next stop was Bethlehem for three days. First, we visited the Church of the Nativity, marking the spot where Jesus was born. Going into these holy pilgrimage sites all over Europe and the Middle East has been interesting for me...somehow I don't seem to connect with them as much as the Catholic or Orthodox Christians we saw. Embellished golden plates and an ornate star on the ground marked the "exact spot" where Mary gave birth, and then a few feet away, the "exact spot" she laid Jesus in the manger. My Western, non-denominational upbringing raised up a storm of criticism. How do they KNOW this is THE spot? There's no way! I respect the holy site...but then again I don't believe God is more present in this church than in my church at home. What makes an object holy? Is it the proximity to someone holy? Or is the belief and devotion held by the pilgrims who do come to visit these spots? Food for my thought.
We then stopped by a make-shift tent in Manger Square (yes, that's its real name). A group of young Palestinian boys draped in kafias and waving the Palestinian flag explained how they had been protesting since March 15 (when many Middle Eastern youth movements began protesting) for unity between Hamas and Fatah. (Hamas is the leadership in control of the Gaza Strip; Fatah of the West Bank--and they don't see eye to eye on all things). These kids want a Palestinian state, and they're out protesting until their leadership can get it together and form a unified Palestinian representation.
Our three nights in the area were actually spent in homestays with local Arab families--mine and Audrey's lived in the next Palestinian town called Beit Sahur. After meeting at Holy Land Trust (the organization setting us up with the homestays), me and Audrey were picked up by our host father, a nice man named Muhannad Bannoura. He took us home and introduced us to his family--his wife Nancy and two young boys (Cosiah and Fahdie--I totally butchered those spellings but oh well). They lived in the house below his parents, and his two brothers and their families lived in the two houses next door. We loved our time with this family! They are Orthodox Christians, and we spent the first night flipping through Muhannad and Nancy's wedding photos (4 albums of them) for about an hour and chatting. They were so nice, and tried to teach us a little Arabic.
The second night, we met all their families and had drinks and smoked hookah together, chatting about life and politics. It was sad to hear the story of how the Bannoura family had lost over 40 acres of land in 1998, when Muhannad got a call from his brother one day saying Israel had taken their property for settlements. There was nothing they could do to stop the IDF soldiers, with their guns and tanks. Now the family lives on a small plot of land. In the Second Intifada, when a stand-off raged between Palestinian fighters and IDF soldiers in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the town was crawling with tanks and the military. "We would just go down to the lowest room and hide as soon as the shooting started. You couldn't even go outside," Muhannad and Nancy told us. His father's house still has bullet holes from the IDF guns, and one of his cousins was shot 8 times in the back by an IDF soldier when he was just out walking down the street.
This nice, Christian family was just like any other family--taking their boys to preschool, trying to pay the bills, going to weddings and church and baptisms, saving for their vacation to the beach in Egypt...yet their lives were so dictated by checkpoints, IDF soldiers, and conflict swirling all around them. It was another wrench thrown in my already jam-packed head concerning the conflict. I loved my time there though, and am so appreciative for their hospitality, willingness to answer all our questions, and share their hookah with us. :) They invited me back if I ever am in the area again!
Holy Land Trust--This organization founded and run by Sami Awad, a Palestinian Christian, is working for peace and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Sami talked to us one morning in Bethlehem, and had some of my favorite quotes so far. He urged the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestments, Sanctions) as a way for the international community to put pressure on Israel to pull out of their settlements in the West Bank. Comparisons between the Palestinian issue and the US Civil Rights issue of the 60's were helpful for us American students to understand things better. Some of my favorite quotes of his:
"The worst thing for Israel and its propaganda machine is an organized, non-violent, mass protest movement."
"The 'Never Again' attitude should apply to all humanity, not just the Jews."
"There is a difference between people and policy."
"Fear is the greatest motivator of human behavior."
"Christian Zionism in the US is a huge obstacle preventing the peace process."
"Freedom is for the oppressed and the oppressors."
His closing words to our group were a challenge: "We get hopeful when we meet people like you. You are the future. Now you are responsible because you know--go challenge the world and American structures at home."
Matt (one of our leaders) echoed that thought later in class with one of his favorite quotes: "Once you have seen, you can't un-see." This left me wondering--what do I do about all this when I get home? Get ready family and friends, I'm starting with you! Prepare to be educated. :)
The final haunting image of Bethlehem was the Wall. What Israel calls a "security barrier" is a huge, tall concrete wall cutting past the Green Line and into the West Bank territory--often cutting off Palestinians from their families, land or work. Walking down the length of the Wall and reading graffiti (photos of which I'll post later) was chilling and sobering. I imagine it was similar to the Berlin Wall of the 80's. I wonder, when will this wall fall?
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