As per usual Lou and I came to
this area with a vague plan, and as per usual this ended up changing in its
entirety.
We made it unscathed across the
border and headed straight to Jerusalem. This is an amazing city and is an
instant education from a historic and religious point of view. We visited the
Wailing Wall, Dome of the Rock, Ancient Souq and much more. Also while in
Jerusalem we attended a Yom Kippur Synagogue service and experienced the city
shutting down for this day of atonement.
We then headed to Bethlehem where
a fantastic taxi driver gave us a great introduction to this tiny town. We
checked out Manger Square and then headed out to visit the Refugee camp and
security wall – a sight that reminded me of the prisons I had seen in NZ. We were also lucky enough to be given a tour by a local student around Hebron - a city that lives in constant conflict due to encroaching settlers.
From here we headed up to Nablus
where a two day stopover turned into a week-long volunteer stint. We painted two murals with school children
from the Girls’ School at the Balata Refugee Camp. This was a fun time where we got to know the
children and had a little insight into their lives. We also met a fantastic
teacher called Raneen, and volunteer co-ordinator called Nizar who showed us
the sights (and the delicacies) of Nablus.
Following a great Oktoberfest at
the tiny Christian town of Taybeh, we headed back to Israel and hired a car for
a couple of days. The north of Israel is green, lush and fertile. We tasted
wine, hiked and explored the northernmost reaches where Lebanon and Syria
almost surround you.
It is impossible to enter this area without
having some idea that this is problem central. Collectively the ongoing
conflict in this region has accounted for more headlines per capita probably
than anywhere else in the world. What we came to realise whilst travelling is
that it is not possible to understand the conflict from newspapers and books.
And it has not been possible to understand it in the just over two short weeks
that we have spent here. So what do we understand? We understand that there are
many minority factions from both sides driving a lot of the violence and
oppression. We understand the balance of power lies too much with the Israeli
government. We understand that the security wall is an abhorrent injustice
serving only to suppress, humiliate and strip people with no aggressive agenda
of their civil rights. And we understand that there are many people on both
sides of this fence (excuse the pun) who sympathise with each other, and want
to work toward a long term peace.
Remember that this is a country
that prior to British and UN intervention had people from Jewish, Muslim and
Christian faiths living peacefully side by side. It is now a country where
barbed wire and assault rifles are common place, held onto by soldiers that
barely look old enough to be driving - let alone deciding over life and death. It
is where our Palestinian guide was forced to walk down the non-settler side of
the road, while we could walk wherever we wanted, and where a whole population has
access to water, fuel, food and travel restricted. These restrictions are decided
on by the same force that is protecting Zionist settlers who are slowly, but
surely, encroaching upon and taking over land and homes that are not theirs,
despite what they might say.
Little is offered from the
international community to protect those who need protection and it seems now
with so much bloodshed, injury and death sustained from both sides that a ‘one
state’ solution just couldn’t work. So
what now? We don’t have a solution and
unless there is compromise we doubt anyone else will come up with one. We certainly
hope for the sake of all those who have been affected, in all ways, that something
is thought of soon. We also hope that more people read beyond the headlines to
understand better the lives of those living in this awful situation, and
perhaps offer some support to those that need it most.
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