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Home > Who We Are > NewSpirit > NewSpirit - Telling Our Stories - Finding Peace in Israel and the Palestine Territories
NewSpirit - Telling Our Stories - Finding Peace in Israel and the Palestine Territories
submitted by Craig Gibb
 
Finding Peace in Israel and the Palestine Territories
submitted by Craig Gibb
In May of 2009, I was part of a team of young adults from United Churches across the country selected to journey to Israel and the Palestinian Territories to meet with our church partners. The trip was... interesting. At times we were greeted with great joy and celebration and at other times we struggled to cope with the words and sights we were taking in. We were greeted with two extremes of the country and it has been difficult to reconcile those extremes.
At one end of the spectrum, we saw all the things that the tourists see. We visited multiple churches dedicated to Biblical events, including the Church of the Annunciation, the Church of the Nativity, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We swam in the Sea of Galilee, visited the Garden of Gesthemane, and saw a Shabbat celebration at the Wailing Wall.
On our first night in Jerusalem, a small group of us went in search of a late night coffee, exploring the dark and mostly empty streets and alleys of the Old City. The incandescent lights cast a yellowish glow that seemed to infuse the brown stone of the Old City with a deep golden glow. It was magical.
At the other end of the spectrum, we saw the aspect that tourists generally do not see, or choose not to see. We walked alongside the massive separation wall (seen above), we proceeded through the pedestrian checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and attempted to enter the town of Qalqilyah, which is completely surrounded by the wall and the Israeli military.
We spent a day in Hebron, a city in the West Bank that used to welcome tourists, but they haven’t seen busloads in a long time. We wandered through the empty marketplace, a long and narrow street, dirty and strewn with trash. Not too far overhead is a chain-link fence, stretching across the street like a cage. On the levels above this fence is an Israeli settlement, squatting on top of the centre of Hebron’s life and commerce. These settlers regularly throw trash out the window, onto the market-goers below. The fence is to protect the Palestinians, but it is an ever-present reminder of how they are being caged in, especially with the Israeli flags waving above and the armed military posted in guard towers. It is a city that is suffering.
We saw contrasting images--the prosperity of the Israelis and the struggles of the Palestinians. After nearly a week of this, our group was trying to remain hopeful, to end this trip with something other than a feeling of unease and despair. The last few days are what really changed things for us. We met with a Palestinian group in Bethlehem that celebrates their cultural heritage and uses it as a form of healing and expression; they sang and danced and brought great smiles to our faces. We met with another group in the town of Artas that uses culture for healing; they served up some thick and bitter Turkish coffee and reeled into a lively dance, pulling almost the entire group into the whirling and spinning steps. And on the last evening, our large group broke into smaller groups and ventured into Palestinian houses for a home-cooked meal. My group dined with a husband and wife and their three kids. Conversation turned from religion, to politics, to peace, and, eventually, to hope.
With all the groups we met with, with all the individuals that talked to us, and all the towns and cities we journeyed to, we were met with a strong undercurrent of hope. Yes, struggle is a part of daily life for Palestinians, especially those within the West Bank, but hope infuses them and keeps them struggling against oppression. Hope embeds itself in the very being of each person and radiates through the markets, the schools, the homes, and the families.
I found this hope and have grabbed on to it. I will not let it go.
Craig Gibb is in team ministry at Windsor Park United Church in Winnipeg.
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This article is part of NewSpirit - a collection of stories, opinions, information, and tales of congregational events and mission from around our conference. We welcome stories and pictures that reflect the life of your congregation or ministry. Contact the conference office if you would like to contribute to NewSpirit Online.
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Posted: September 22, 2009
Expires: never
category: NewSpirit Online
keywords/tags : newspirit
stories
palestine
israel
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