Newsletter:
Vol. 4. Iss. 1
21 February 2003
Report of Peace Mission to
Israel/Palestine
Gary L. Olin
When I told friends and family that I planned to visit Israel/Palestine the first week in August, I got mixed responses. In most cases the unspoken question was, “Why?”
My purpose in joining a group of fifteen other Christians from across the USA in the fact-finding, peace mission was two fold. First, I hoped to offer a ministry of presence, encouraging those persons and institutions that are providing relief and seeking a just path to peace. Second, I wanted to gain first-hand knowledge in order to bring home a personal witness regarding the current situation in that troubled region.
The trip exceeded my expectations. We visited Israeli settlements, Arab Villages, refugee camps, Christian missions and the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem both suffering under closures. We worshipped with the Palestinian congregation of Christ Church, Anglican in Amman, Jordan. We met with Christian missionaries, Palestinian Christians, Jewish Zionists, Christian Zionists, Israeli settlers, Palestinian farmers, and Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
We had conversations with a Anglican Bishop, the head Moslem cleric, and the chief of the Palestinian National Authority internal security. In addition the group participated in daily forums on topics such as the history of the modern State of Israel and the art of public advocacy.
I came home deeply troubled. In all my nineteen years of visiting the region I have never seen such a desperate situation. The Israelis are gripped with fear. The Palestinians are on the very edge of hopelessness. Both societies appear paralyzed. Their economies are in distress. Their sense of well being and safety has been shattered.
I have also come home with deep admiration for the faithful witness of missionaries and the indigenous Christians. I saw “Grandmothers for Peace” sharing with poor farmers whose land had been dispossessed. I heard a Palestinian pastor say, “We will not give up hope. God is with us.”
Every where I went there was a yearning for peace and a plea, “Pray for us, pray for peace.” I invite all who will to join me in response to that invitation.
Entering Ramallah
At the check point we joined the crowds of Palestinians and made our way by foot. There was a swirl of activity. We all were herded through concrete barriers, a funnel affair that kept narrowing the further we went. There were children holding tightly to parents not wanting to get separated. There was one group that may have been a wedding party. These days weddings must wait until the check points are open. So much for fancy invitations and RSVP. There were older men and women who could barely walk being guided though by younger family members.
The line moved slowly. Each person had to make the case for entry to the Israeli soldiers. It was curious to see these 19 and 20 year olds doing their job of interrogating the young and old alike as each one showed documentation as proof for entry. Two young women in front of me attempted in various ways to convince the guard that they should enter. They claimed to be college students scheduled to stay with a family just on the other side of the check point. Alas, they were turned away.
The sixteen in our group got through the check point with relative ease. Those USA passports are the ticket. We did exchange courtesies with one of the guards. He wanted to know where each of us was from. He is a student at Boston College, home now in Israel to serve his time. He seemed to me to be burdened with his job. It was not just the 90 plus degrees, the full uniform with bullet proof vest or the heavy automatic weapon. There was something deeper going on in him. I sensed he was trying to bring some grace to his interaction with the Palestinians who passed through his watch. We walked down a long tunnel of high fence, spilled out on a busy Ramallah street and continued our adventure on the other side of the check point.
Three Challenging Voices
In one day, in the course of six hours we met three men with
dramatically differing world views and three opposing visions for the future
of Israel/Palestine. They were all three equally passionate for their causes
which.
Bill Dougherty, an Australian by birth, is the Executive Director of the Society
of Saint Yves, a Catholic human rights group that provides legal aid to poor
and powerless Palestinians. Bill and his colleagues have thrown themselves
into the cause of fighting in the courts for the right of family, the right
of land, the right of human dignity and the right of home. So convinced is
Bill of the Palestinians’ absolute right to freedom, self determination, and
nationhood that he has literally put his own life on the line in this pursuit.
He knows clearly who is the victim and who is the aggressor. He is also confident
which side God is on.
