November 10 – Ramallah and Bethlehem

The day began early saying our good-bys at St. George guesthouse. From there, we took off to Ramallah, what – under normal circumstances would have been a 15-minute journey. Due to the Israeli separation wall and numerous check-points, it took us nearly three times as long to get there. Our way out of Jerusalem was lined by several settlements along the road. In Ramallah – after passing Yasser Arafat’s mausoleum – we visited with two Palestinian non-profit organizations that gave us valuable insights into the current situation in the occupied territories.

(1) Our first meeting of the day was at “Defense for Children International/Palestine Section. DCI/PS is an independent branch of an international non-profit organization. Like every section of Defense for Children International, the Palestinian section, too, sets its own goals and agenda. DCI/PS’ main focus is on providing legal aid to Palestinian children who are detained in Israeli military or administrative detention. As all Palestinian life in the occupied territories, the life of children, too, is regulated through countless Israeli military orders. Those military orders permit to detain children above the age of 12 and below 16 in special youth detention centers. Once children reach the age of 16, they are tried and punished as an adult (Israeli children reach legal adulthood at age 18, in comparison). The average length of sentence given for children is currently 6 months. The most common “crime” is stone throwing. During the interrogation phase of the detention, children from the occupied territories have access to neither a lawyer, nor to their parents. And even after their child has been sentenced, families do not always know at which facility inside the State of Israel s/he is detained. The children never know for sure the date of their release, since military courts have great freedom at adding new extensions prior to a child’s scheduled release. The prime legal instrument of IDC/PS appears to be the bargaining down of the length of detention on behalf of their young clients. (www.dci-pal.org).

(2) Next, we visited “Miftah” (Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy), an organization founded and headed by Palestinian politician Dr. Hanan Ashrawi. The organization’s main objectives are to “disseminate the Palestinian narrative globally,” “to empower effective leadership within all elements of Palestinian society in order to enhance democracy and good governance” and to assist in the “safeguarding of civil and social rights for all sectors.” The organization holds training events for Palestinian women and youth, maintains a website with daily updated relevant social, political, and economic data, and supplies media and international governmental and non-profit bodies with information about Palestine and its citizens (www.miftah.org).

From Ramallah, we proceeded to Bethlehem (via Jerusalem and al-Khader). Since our bus has yellow “Israeli” license plates, we are permitted to travel on the excellent Israeli roads (Palestinian residents of the occupied territories have either white of green license plates). All cars with Palestinian Authority-issued license plates, on the other hand, are barred from driving on these special, fenced-in roads that connect the web of Israeli settlements with each other. At most times during our short journey to Bethlehem, the Israeli separation wall accompanied us either very close-by or at some distance, mostly in form of a tall concrete wall, at times in form of a “prettier” electric fence. Barbed wire was everywhere.

Overlooking the so-called “Shepherd’s Fields’ in Beit Sahour, we took in the view onto the massive settlement of Har Homah ,which is part of the Gush Etzion block that threatens to sever the northern of the West Bank territories from the Southern part.

(3) Our next visit was with “Hope Flowers School” in Al-Khader, a village on the outskirts of Bethlehem (www.hopeflowersschool.org). Founded by a Palestinian social worker who had grown up in Deheishe refugee camp, the school serves over 260 children. Its goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment where children can grow and develop into future citizens of a peaceful and democratic Palestine. The school’s main problem is that it is situated too close to the Israeli “security zone.” In result, the school’s cafeteria building is threatened to be demolished. Also, soldiers from a near-by watch-tower have been shooting at the school while children were playing outside… all in the name of security!

(4) Eventually, we pulled up by Aida Camp, one of three Palestinian refugee camps in Bethlehem (altogether, there are over 80 Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and surrounding countries). The name “camp” reveals little of what to expect: a multitude of homes standing closely together, solid structures, even a mosque and hole-in-the-wall grocery stores. The camp started out with tents in which the residents lived for several years; later temporary building were erected; once these crumbled, residents built houses. Aida Camp is home to over 5,000 residents (or some 700 families). The land upon which Aida camp is built is leased for 99 years from Palestinian owners; 60 of these 99 years have passed.

The conditions in the camp have declined markedly since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000 and the building of the separation wall. Over 60 percent of the camp’s residents are under the age of 18, yet there are no playgrounds and no open green spaces. The camp sits right next to the Israeli separation wall, which cuts the camp off from the neighboring fields on which children used to play in the past. UNRWA (the UN refugee organization) has almost entirely eliminated the health care it provides to residents of Palestinian refugee camps. Employment opportunities are rare (the rate of unemployment is at 80 percent). Somehow, though, people get by, supporting each other with occasional jobs, the selling of hand-made crafts, and other means. Even in the midst of poverty, education is taken very seriously. Diplomas are displayed prominently at home, children are sent to school, and the number of residents with higher education is surprisingly high, given the circumstances.

At Aida Camp, we visited the “Al Rowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Center” (www.alrowwad.org). The organization’s main objectives are to break the stereotypes disseminated in the media about Palestinians, to show another image of Palestinian people and culture via theater, arts, and education, and to raise awareness of issues in Palestine among international audiences. Groups from the Center have performed abroad and “Images for Life,” a photo art exhibition ("shooting with cameras from Aida") has travelled through several US cities (www.imagesforlifeonline.com). After orienting us to the work of the center, it’s founder and director, Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour, took us o a short walking tour through the camp. Wherever we looked in the narrow streets, there were little children at play!

(5) Our final visit for the day was with “Wi’am,” a Palestinian conflict resolution center located in Bethlehem. Established in 1995, the center aims to improve the quality of relationships and to promote peace and reconciliation in the community. Working alongside other organizations in the community, it strives to build a society based on democratic norms and values. The center’s methods combine traditional Arabic reconciliation with contemporary Westerns mediation techniques. Since the center’s founding, Wi’am mediators have intervened in thousands of individual and community conflicts. Every year, the center offers summer camps for youth and women. (www.alaslah.org).

As a special treat, our hotel (Casa Nova, Franciscan Pilgrim Center) was located on Manger Square, right next to the Church of the Nativity (with a door connecting both!). How delightful to finally settle down for the night!