Between Bethany and Jericho

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We are told that something 2 million olive trees in the West Bank that were being harvested by Palestinians before 1967 have been cut down or uprooted – the recent erection of the wall having added to this wilful destruction. However, we saw a few of them in their new homes today: on the traffic roundabouts leading into Ma’ale Adumim.

Ma’ale Adumim is the third largest Israeli settlement in the occupied territories. It has been built in the desert, but built in such a way as to make Israeli settlers feel that they are living in an ordinary community. Olive trees are part of their heritage and a sign of normality – and they and the palms and the lush vegetation all give the impression that this is just another suburb of Jerusalem, although they are using water at twice the rate as people in Israel proper, and eight times the rate that Palestinians are. People who live here are probably not religious fanatics and they may not have any clear political views, simply remaining blind to just how controversial the settlements are. Angela (our guide to Hebron on Sunday) had joined us as our bus reached the top of the hill up from Jericho to give us an introduction to the present situation with settlements and, complete with a bag full of maps, she then led us across the road to look out across the Judean wilderness.

By chance we shared the viewpoint with another group, who were being addressed by an Israeli, also armed with maps. As Angela countered his facts with facts of her own, we discovered that we were in the company of fellow Brits – members of the Conservative Friends of Israel. That there was little meeting of minds goes without saying, but the experience was a reminder (if we needed one) of just how intractable the whole situation is.

With the maps before us we were able to understand a little more of what is currently happening: in effect, Israel by developing the E1 area east of Jerusalem will completely encircle Jerusalem, and split the West Bank into two – reducing any hope  of a two state solution. And meanwhile, countless ordinary people’s lives are being destroyed by the development of the settlements, by the road system (ploughing in brutalist fashion through this precious Biblical landscape, and keeping settlers separate from Palestinians traffic), through building restrictions and through the whole wretched system of permits which prevents people from making simple journeys to places that are near on the map, but may require detours of some tens of miles.

And meanwhile, between Ma’ale Adumim and Jericho, just at the point of this planned land pinch, are people who are losing their lands and their livelihood. We moved on to visit Jahalin Bedouin people whose plight Angela had put before the British Conservative politicians who did not want to know. Stopping on the main road we hopped over the safety barrier into their village, where we were welcomed by Eid. His father was among the Bedouin who were expelled from the Negeb in the south of Israel in 1951 when their tribe refused to fight in the Israeli army. The land they are now living on is not theirs, but they have the owners’ permission to be there. However, pressure from the settlers on one side and from the army on the other has reduced their grazing grounds, so that they now have just 140 animals whereas ten years ago their flocks numbered 1600. If you think Bedouin life is all about camels forget it – their last one has gone, when once there were 25 here. “We are way under the red line” said Eid.

The only permanent building on the site is the school, provided by the United Nations, who keep a presence in the area – in fact their vehicle drove down the hillside while we were there. This is the only place we have been where neither teachers nor small children have been willing to be photographed: a six year old girl made her wishes very clear. What has happened that there can be such fear and suspicion among people? Well, at present the Israeli government is doing all that it can to move them away from this site to a piece of land which is really the Jerusalem garbage tip. Needless to say, they are resisting, and have active help and support from Angela and others in Israel. It’s a big problem for Eid and his tribe, but as he explained to us, “It’s not just a problem for the Palestinians, but a problem for the whole world.” Where, he asked, can there ever be two states, and how can there ever be peace, if the world allows this wedge of Israeli territory to be established?

Driving back up the hill and into Bethany, we made two quick visits. First to the Russian Orthodox School, where we heard from the Principal, Sister Martha, about some of the tensions that are part of living in Jerusalem. She took us up to the roof, from where we could see the wall snaking through the east part of the city – at this point dividing Palestinian from Palestinian. Not that Palestinians are always united: some  of her stories touched on the outbreaks of violence between Fatah and Hamas, when the school relied on the support of parents to keep children and staff from danger. The children are nearly all Muslim – Bethany is a Muslim village – but this Christian school recently managed to gain second place among school teaching of the Koran!

Then a quick visit to the Four Homes of Mercy – which thankfully, since time was running out, is really only one home now. The home in one form or other has been running for 70 years, and now is home to 60 residents, all of whom are severely disabled, most frequently through congenital conditions. Poverty and culture combine often to keep such people abysmally treated: a case in 2011 made the headlines, concerning two sisters who were kept chained to a radiator in a locked room until their sister at last came to their rescue. They ended up a the Four Homes of Mercy immobile and in a terribly distressed condition – but a few days ago, we were told, they were dancing with joy at the Valentines Day party. And sure enough, as we were in the midst of our lightning tour a few minutes later, one of them was walking down the corridor, smiling and keen to go to her afternoon session of occupational therapy.

We, by this time exhausted as well as moved by all that we had seen and heard, headed back for Jericho and lunch. After that, the final session of the day saw us at the YWCA headquarters, where we met up with Nazar, who introduced us to a group of women working in the food production project. Twelve women are employed in total, and they spoke to Linda about the security that this work has afforded them, and the satisfaction they have in meeting one another and being more open and aware of what is happening in the wider world. A variety of foods are produced here and either sold in the shop or marketed more widely across the West Bank. Some couscous has even been exported to Italy, proudly bearing the label Produce of Palestine,   

The work of the YWCA in Jericho began in the Aqbet Jaber refugee camp in 1948, focusing first on literacy and handicrafts and focusing as a community centre for displaced women and their children. The YWCA kindergarten work continues to this day – and local schools claim that the YW kindergarten “graduates” are easily identifiable through their attitudes of respect and awareness of others. After the second intifada the work took on a new emphasis of economic empowerment, which we were now seeing through the food production project, set up in 2001. Linked with this project, we learned, had been exhibition opportunities making the products better known, and of course staff training, as well as development of links with other NGOs.

Alongside the food project technical training courses has developed in subjects like hair dressing and English language, and participants have become more acquainted in human rights issues and in promoting gender equality. Men have also been encouraged to share in discussing such issues; and we were assured that the results had very much challenged stereotypes. Many men have been proud and happy to see such empowerment of the women in their family. And for all the pressures that people in Jericho live under, and perhaps women in particular, the work of the YWCA is growing – and their dream now is to develop into the villages to the north up the Jordan Valley.

Having said our thanks and goodbyes to Nazar, we had time for a brief drive up to the viewpoint below the Mount of Temptation. On the top of the  cliffs  behind us the ancient monastery clung to the rock face, while to the east the Mountains of Moab across the Jordan glowed pink in the light of the setting sun. For all its troubles and all its divisions, and for all that human beings have done to destroy  it, this remains a beautiful land. May the healing and the signs of hope that we have seen today yet outweigh the ugliness, hurt and despair that have been out daily companions.