November 9 - Jerusalem

Morning: Visited the Haran al-Sharif, a.k.a. Temple Mount. On the way there, our Palestinian guide, George, commented that the term “City of David” is a misnomer. The oldest part of Jerusalem, located outside the SE corner of the Old City, he insisted, is really not David’s city, but the city of the Jebusites, which eventually was conquered by David. Unfortunately, both the dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque are closed to all non-Muslims, ever since Likud leader Ariel Sharon staged a provocative visit to the temple mount in September 2000, which resulted in severe riot.

Later, I attended, on my own, two worship services (Arabic & German) at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem. Incidentally, today was the 70th anniversary of the “Night of Broken Chrystal” (Kristallnacht), which was commemorated during the German-language sermon. Spent some time on my own finding my way back to St. Georges guesthouse, through the bustling streets of the Old City and East Jerusalem. To my great dismay, the vast majority of the goods sold in the stores were made in India, even Palestinian-looking items such as embroidered traditional dresses. The afternoon and evening were filled with three presentations: B’Tselem, Breaking the Silence, and Dr. Ali Qleibo.

B’Tselem (http://www.btselem.org/) is an “Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.” Established in 1989, the center “endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.” The center’s staff primarily collects data on human rights violations, fact-checks them, requests Israeli authorities to investigate the reported abuses, and publicizes abuses. Unfortunately, their efforts have not seen much success.

“Breaking the Silence” (http://www.shovrimshtika.org/) is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers that collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifadah.. “Soldiers who serve in the Territories are witness to, and participate in military actions which change them immensely. Cases of abuse towards Palestinians, looting, and destruction of property have been the norm for years, but are still excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and unique cases. Our testimonies portray a different and grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regarding Palestinian civilians. Discharged soldiers who return to civilian life discover the gap between the reality which they encountered in the Territories , and the silence which they encounter at home. Breaking the Silence voices the experiences of those soldiers, in order to force Israeli society to address the reality which it created.” Mikhael Manekin, the organization’s co-director who talked to us, is a US-born Orthodox Jew who immigrated as a child to Israel. His testimony stressed the need of Jewish Israelis for security, but expressed his outrage over the military actions in the Occupied territories perpetrated in the name of the Israeli people. A very moving talk.

After dinner, Dr. Ali Qleibo, a Palestinian artist and cultural anthropologist (http://www.resistanceart.com/ali_qleibo.htm), talked to us about the ongoing ancient cultural identity of the indigenous Canaanite population. His thesis is that, while the indigenous population did not share a common genetic pool; they did share common cultural traditions which, throughout the ages, were appropriated by subsequent waves of conquerors. Hence, the only way to learn about the indigenous Canaanite/Palestinian population is through ethnographic study. While the indigenous Canaanite population of Palestine did not leave behind any physical evidence, many of their ancient spiritual traditions have survived in the traditions of generations of conquerors, including the Christian religious calendar. The purpose of the writing of the Old Testament, for example, was to appropriate the traditions and the land of the indigenous population. Churches were built on top of ancient Canaanite sacred sites (primarily mountain tops and caves). And in the modern era, Palestinians, once more, are told that this land is not truly theirs and their land and traditions are appropriated by the latest wave of occupiers.