So sorry that I have not updated this in a week! I only had limited internet while I was in the Holy Land!
Myself and three of my friends stayed with a Muslim family in Bet Sahour, which is right near Bethlehem in Palestinian territory. Our host "parents", Atula and Jamilah, were wonderful! They have 5 grown children, two of which (their sons) live with them in extensions off of the main house. They also have 20 grandchildren, 9 of which we were able to meet and play with! My favorite times were playing with the little ones (Atula-9, Dana-8, Mousa-3.5, Lulu-1.5, Zaina-8m, and Tala-4m). We ate SO much food! They kept refilling our plates multiple times, which was difficult because we were so full! Also, one night the food was really gross so it was hard to choke down. The best was a rice and chicken dish as well as the breakfasts; the worst was boiled cabbage wrapped around rice and beef. Altogether, though, the meals were wonderful. Our favorite thing to do with the family was to watch Arab Idol and to commentate for the judges, since us 4 girls can not understand Arabic! The family thought we were pretty funny. :)
We did many wonderful things while here, some of them being tourists sites as well as shopping. We visited the Shepherds' Fields, the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Holy Seplicure, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. We also were able to have tour guides on our busses throughout the old and new cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. Also, in within the Old Jerusalem walls, we were able to walk on the streets where Jesus walked on the way to be crucified (aka Via Delarosa). Shopping in Jerusalem and Hebron were also quite the experience! The streets were old and covered (often). In Hebron, the stores were basically caves dug into the walls on both sides. In Jerusalem, they were not quite so compact. However, it was loud and very busy. The sounds and smells were overwhelming and usually very pleasant! I also learned to enjoy bartering and am proud of some of the deals I got.
However, as fun as all of this was, it was interspersed with lectures and meetings with some very influential and inspiring people. Our first stop after arriving in the Holy Land was to visit a Palestinian refugee camp and to see the wall built between Israeli and Palestinian land. Who knew there was a literal wall?? I sure did not. We were taught a lot about the First and Second Inti Fadas, which were uprisings by the Palestinian people against the oppressive state they were in. When Israel was made a state again in 1948, the Israeli Jews moved into Jerusalem and literally kicked out all Palestinians from their houses and moved right in. These people either had to leave the country entirely, many escaping to nearby Jordan, or they moved into the West Bank and Gaza or refugee camps. The majority of Palestinians are living under the poverty line in dirty, decrepit towns and do not have access to basic necessities, such as water and natural gas. They are also not allowed to remodel or rebuild their houses unless granted special permission, they are often kicked off of their land still today in order for Israelis to build illegal settlements on the "disputed land", and they are not allowed to enter into the walls into Israel. This might sounds like a very one-sided argument, however, but we did hear from Israelis as well. One man, in particular, was very defensive and rude and had nothing to say to us except that he deserved to take away the land from the Palestinians because God granted them this land. However, the other people we met with were "pro-people".
One man, named Rabi Asherman, is a part of a group called Rabbis for Human Rights. He has spent much of his adult life putting himself in situations to keep people safe on all sides of the conflict. He said that there are many instances where Palestinians harm Israelis, such as suicide bombers. However, he made two very interesting points about situations such as these. One is that these people are given no say in the government, literally have no protection from anybody, are not given any sort of weapon or legal system in which to feel protected by, and are living in extreme poverty. Of course, he said, they would feel the need to rebel in a violent way. Second, he said that for every 1 Israeli death, there are 6 Palestinian deaths. He says that the Israelis, because they have a strong army and some of the best weapons in the world and feel entitlement to the land, greatly abuse their power and greatly harm the Palestinian people. One of his greatest points that I took away was that his fellow Jews needed to recognize their duty. He said that, as God's people, the Jews are blessed and they need to continue God's work by blessing everyone else.
A second person we heard from was a woman by the name of Rabi, who is a part of a group called Bereaved Parents Group. Over 600 families belong to this group, which consists of Israeli and Palestinian families ranging from Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other religions who have lost a loved one in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rabi, who lost her son to a Palestinian sniper, talked a lot about forgiveness. She said that the Israeli government is not fulfilling their duty by making life livable for all people. She said the only way for peace is to talk and to begin to understand that everyone is human. She says that she is still in the difficult process of forgiving her son's murderer but can do so because she understands that he is a person and has had to deal with many difficult things in his life. She learned that he witnessed the brutal murders of his uncles by the Israeli army as a child, so she was able to understand why he felt the drive to gain revenge on Israeli soldiers.
I am struggling with all of this knowledge that I have now gained. Part of me wished at a moment that I had never embarked on this trip-I now feel responsible for what I have learned. I keep asking God, though, to show me what I am to do with this knowledge and pull that he has placed on my heart. I am greatly saddened and confused and frustrated with the situation in this country. I am disappointed that I can no longer write this situation of as a "religious" situation that has no resolution, because, unfortunately, it is not mainly religious. Although for the Israeli Jews, they believe that this land is theirs from God, they do not hate Muslims or Christians. They do not harm each other for these reasons. They are fighting over land, resources, and the basic necessities. They are all fighting for the life they once knew.
This is just a taste into my experience over the last week. I understand many of these thoughts are controversial and I know that they are not pretty. However, they are the truth out of many people's mouths who have experienced this situation first-hand. Please ask me if you have any questions! I have much more information and many more stories and perspectives, just not enough time to write them now.
I am now back in Jordan, as of this one hour ago. We will be spending tomorrow and Saturday in Petra and Wadi Rum, enjoying the ancient city, mountains, and camels. I am very excited to have some "play time" to hang out with my close friends and professors. I hope, also, to upload some of my pictures below of some of my experiences, although I apologize if my internet is too slow to upload them.
I can't wait to hear from you all!
Missing everyone.
Jordan River
Birthday Dinner-Mango, Kiwi, Coconut Smoothie!
Looking over the Old Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock in the distance
The Garden of Gethsemane
MacKenzie and I at the Dome of the Rock
