Sorry for the delayed post!  I know you were all on the edge of your swivelly computer chairs waiting for it.  In this post, I’ll sum up the 22nd and 23rd of July, while Jill’s entry below describes our first impressions of Jerusalem on the 24th and 25th.

We spent our last two days in Beit Sahour learning about and participating in various peace-making efforts and organizations.  We gathered once again in the ATG on Tuesday morning (the ATG stands for Alternative Tourism Group, a Christian organization that aims to revive the tourism industry in occupied Bethlehem while giving visitors a chance to interact with and learn from modern day Palestinians).  We started the day with a short devotional accompanied by Dave’s very thorough and inspiring testimony.  After this discussion, we travelled to the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) for a presentation concerning the Israeli government’s numerous infringements of international law concerning Palestinian land and human rights.  Maps and statistics helped us to understand how much land has been illegally seized through Israeli settlements, outposts, and the segregation wall.  The presentation helped to expand our understanding of the conflict, as many people in our group had not even known the Palestinian side of the story a couple days beforehand.  At times we found it hard not to feel angry at the Israeli government for their infringement on Palestinian human rights.  We found it important to remember, however, that we cannot feel angry at the Israeli people for their government’s actions, just as we wouldn’t want anyone to judge us for the actions of our government.

After the very long and thorough presentation, we were eager to eat lunch and stretch our legs a bit.  And stretch our legs we did–Bethlehem, just like many other parts of Israel, has some very steep hills.  We were rewarded for our climb with some zacchi (tasty) felafel at a nearby restaurant.

After lunch, we visited the Wi’am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center, a grassroots organization that seeks to create peace through improving the quality of relationships in the community and promoting nonviolent solutions to injustice.  It was encouraging for the group to hear what they were doing at this place over cups of coffee and tea.  We capped off the day with a visit to Flavors, an ice cream shop that apparently also serves as a central teen hangout spot for Beit Sahour.  Afterwards, we dispersed to our respective homestay families.

I can’t really speak for the group when it comes to the homestay experience, but I have to say that the family Rick and I stayed with gave us such a great experience.  We stayed with Khalil and Jalah Andoni, a recently retired couple living with their youngest son who was on break from university for the summer.  It was interesting to listen to their stories and inspiring to witness their peaceful attitude in the face of injustice.  Our homestay father told some great jokes, too.  And not to mention that the meals we had there were excellent, especially after having to cook for ourselves the week in Nazareth!

The next morning, we departed the ATG for a peace project called Tent of Nations.  On the way there, we experienced the frustration of a roadblock–two giant boulders placed in the middle of the road by the Israeli army to hinder travel within the West Bank.  We had to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way to the Tent of Nations.  We arrived at the top of the hill to find a working farm.  The leader of the project explained it to us.  The land originally belonged to a Palestinian during the Ottoman period, and he guarded it during the Israeli occupation by living in a cave on the hill.  Since he had the original ownership papers, he was lucky enough to win a legal battle with Israeli settlers who wanted to seize the land as a continuing effort to divide up Palestinian property.  The farm now works as a way for Palestinian youth to put their frustrations toward a constructive cause.  It is located in a “C” area, so Israeli youth are welcome to work alongside their Palestinian brothers, “building bridges,” as they say, toward peace and understanding.  Many international groups (like ourselves) help out on the farm as well to support the cause of nonviolent resistance against the illegal Israeli settlements that ominously surround the hilltop.  We worked along with a Swiss group to help build a terrace wall and also to clear weed bushes from the future farmland.  It was hard work, and everyone left feeling tired, sweaty, and satisfied.

That evening, we rested up and spent our last night with the host family.  It was hard to say goodbye–for Rick and I, they really had made it feel like home.  We packed our bags and prepared for a vastly different experience in Jerusalem.

- Jon Weber