I have joined a delegation with CPT to Israel / Palestine, scheduled for January 10 - 22, 2007. The schedule during this delegation was intense from the beginning to the end. The first few days were spent meeting with representatives from Israeli and Palestinian peace groups in Jerusalem, Israel and Bethlehem, West Bank. The final days were spent in the West Bank city of Hebron with CPT's Hebron team documenting human rights conditions and taking part in other team activities, such as street patrols.
The official delegation has come to a close but I have spent the last 5 days meeting with common Muslims, Jews, Christians, and secularists who are not involved with 'social and human rights activism'. In many ways this has been just as rewarding; listening to thier thoughts, ideas, and feelings on peace and conflict.
I am in East Jerusalem at the moment, but will be flying back to Chicago via Frankfurt early on the morning of January 26th. And I am looking forward to getting home and spending some good time with my family for a few days before processing through the 16 hours of audio and video data recorded from this trip.
FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN COMING HERE ON A DELEGATION OR GETTING INVOLVED WITH CPT OR ANY OTHER GROUP: The need for a presence of international observers and peace activists in Hebron is now greater than ever. In Hebron, violent attacks against un-armed Arab and Jewish civilians (sometimes children) by a violent minority has become commonplace. The majority of Jewish and Arab people do not wish to live in this constant state of insecurity, yet each attack adds momentum to the feedback loop of fear, hatred and violence in this region. One only needs to look closely at the nature of the statistics to get an idea of what is happening.
The humanitarian crisis in both the Gaza strip and the West Bank has been clouded over in the Western news media by violence and extremism. The violent actions of a small minority on both 'sides' has overshadowed the true sentiments of both the Palestinian and Israeli populations; who want peace, fairness and security for the people of their region.
As with any authoritarian government, elements from within the Israeli, Palestinian and United States governments have thrived in the atmosphere of discord and violence. Israel's regional control, the former PA's legacy of economic corruption, and the geo-political strategy of the United States (and other foreign agitators) has been fortified by crisis and instability. Who suffers? The US? The UN? The Israeli and Palestinian ruling classes? The IMF World Bank? No, none of these abstract inventions suffer. Instead, it is real human beings suffer. The Arabs and the Jews - who are both Semetic peoples - suffer the most.
Human rights violations and war crimes continue to mount, yet the international community has done nothing to stop the crisis. Since 1973, the United States has vetoed nearly 50 United Nations resolutions concerning the conflict. Adding fuel to the fire, the US annually sends billions of US tax-payer dollars in military aid to the region (with the stipulation that large portions be used to purchase weapons and military equipment from the United States). If this were being done by any other nation in the world, it would be considered inexcusable.
This crisis not only begs for an end to the oppression in this region; it screams for us to slam the breaks on the potential regional and/or global conflict which could arise as a result of continued aggressions. Sadly, all of the governments involved, have exhibited an unwillingness to resolve the situation in a civil manner. On the contrary, they have demonstrated nothing but an eagerness to prepare and pursue the pathway to war.
One might ask why this conflict has lasted for so long. One might also wonder how it is that the very foreign governments who sell the arms to the nations in the Middle East, have also been the ones who have attempted to sponsor the "peace talks". No wonder that the conflict continues to get worse and worse. Only madmen can benefit from such schemes, and only a populist voice can stop it. It is for these and many other reasons that the presence of observers and peace advocates in the Israel/Palestine region is critical.
If you do not know much about the conflict, I encourage you to research and get active. But keep a critical mind, and, remember, if you want to be of service, do not readily accept any ideology from any 'side'. Generalized propaganda can sometimes contain elements of truth, but going into a situation like this with a pre-conceived ideological agenda can blind one to truths on the ground.
When I return, I will share everything that I have witnessed with you. Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts and feelings about the conflict. I especially am interested in hearing points and concerns from Jews, Muslims and Christians from the region, as I take no side and am a friend to ALL Semitic people who are suffering at the hands of this great subterfuge.
Peace to you all and thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
