a visit to forgotten villages

We joined a Zochrot trip to the center of Israel, to land that currently is managed by a local kibbutz. Zochrot, an Israeli organization, coordinates older folks and their families who used to live in the area and commemorates the Nakba and the memory of the village through a ceremony and dialogue. Here, Palestinians who once lived in the destroyed village of Al-Kufrayn post a sign and discuss what the place used to look like with a crowd of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals in attendance. Tension emerged at the end of the program, when an Israeli suggested that all this currently unsettled space could be given to refugees. The kibbutznik who responded said, "This isn't a political discussion. We are here to commemorate the situation only." Maybe even leftist Israelis are hesistant to discuss the right of return...

birthright?

My friends Hannah and Dunya run an amazing program called Birthright Unplugged and Birthright Replugged. In Unplugged, young Jewish people from the US and Canada take part in the opposite of "Birthright Israel," which is a free 10-day propaganda program to create more immigrants Israel, and instead visit the occupied West Bank of Palestine - talking with Palestinian families, organizations, activists and generally figuring out what they can do as young Jewish folks to end this oppression. Here the group visits Munira's home in Mas'ha which is completely surrounded by the Wall and fence. http://www.birthrightunplugged.org

In Replugged, they bring children (before the age of when they are issued an Israeli identification card) from West Bank refugee camps to visit three places they will never see again once the Wall is completed and/or they turn 16: Jerusalem and its holy sites, the ocean, and (prior site of) the now-Israeli village their parents or grandparents were forced to leave. Here the children are displaying their photographs of the trip at their exhibit in Balata refugee camp in Nablus.

a rotten business

Today I accompanied Abu Saed and two Israeli activists from Rabbis for Human Rights, an organization headed by leftist rabbis who, among other things, organize volunteers to come to the West Bank and plant olive trees on disputed land with Palestinians.

Abu Saed is from Hares and his land borders Revava, a nearby Israeli settlement. Yehiel and Yosua from Rabbis for Human Rights brought 100 donated olive tree saplings and tools and the four of us began to unload the van next to the road, the red roofs of Revava visible past the razor wire criss-crossing the land. In a matter of minutes, the private security guards (armed with rifles) from Revava showed up.

"What are you doing?" they asked.
"Planting trees on my land," Abu Saed replied.
The guards insisted that in fact, it was not his land and that it was bought by Revava. Abu Saed was prepared for this, as he brought along the documents proving his ownership. But that wasn't enough... the guards said they will have to "check" so there will be no planting for a few days. We offered to go ahead and plant anyway, but Abu Saed decided he didn't want to risk the trees being pulled out by vengeful settlers (as would probably happen). So we will wait.

As we were putting the tools back into the van, Yosua, 76-year-old man who arrived in Palestine from Germany in 1937 at the age of 6, looked over towards Revava. With the most amazing similarity to Billy Crystal's speech in the Princess Bride, he spoke out loud to no one in particular, "I wish you luck, but this occupation is a rotten business."