I've posted the press release about the children's march below. It was absolutely amazing to be part of. The march was organized by the children and their teachers (teachers here are very tough!) and we were an international presence to walk alongside and be between the children and the settlers.
If you haven't been following the politics of Israel and Palestine, settlers are Israeli people who live in housing settlements over the Green Line - the line that divides the agreed-upon boundaries of the territories (...that's the short explanation, anyway). There are different types of settlers - economic, political, and religious. In areas further away from the big cities, the settlers are religious fundamentalists who believe the Bible gives them the land despite what International Law says, and many of them are very violent, even towards children. We have heard stories of Palestinian children and adults (and Internationals like us) being beaten by masked settlers with bats, chains, and rocks. The settlements are paid for by the Israeli govenment (which is heavily subsidized by the U.S. government). Click on the link in the post below and see the settlers that followed the march (but fortunately only tried to intimidate the marchers)...you will see that there are grown men in the car.
Settlements provide justification for heavy militarization - I've heard that there are 4-5 soldiers for every settler. The roads and water are controlled by Israel. Palestinians are not allowed to build anything or repair their homes. If they do, their buildings may be demolished.
I believe that very few Israeli citizens and much fewer American citizens have any idea that this goes on. It seems too extreme to believe but I am seeing it with my own eyes.
The children and young people here are my heroes. How hard would it be to live under these conditions and still remain committed to nonviolence? It is a miracle.
The last couple days we have been in Hebron which is very different to be in a city compared to a rural area. Here, there are settlements around the city, but the strange thing is that the government has seized many of the top floors of houses here for settlers. So settlers live literally on top of Palestinians. The city is haunted by demolished houses, closed shops, and wire nets above the market and homes with trash, bricks, and concrete slabs that have been thrown down on the Palestinians.
This is really heartbreaking, but there are great stories of triumph. I can't wait to tell you about Zalaika, our new friend and the bravest kindergarten teacher I've ever met!
I love you, thanks for the prayers!
Salaam! Shalom! Peace!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
You thanked us for the prayers. I thank you for the truth.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these explanations, they are very helpful to those like me who don't know all I SHOULD about these issues! Still praying...
ReplyDeleteJust getting caught up Greta. It seems to me that many of the more religious settlements comprise fundamentalist American Jews. Has that been your experience?
ReplyDeleteGreta, I appreciate your bravery. I think that the funding for the settlements is perhaps more complicated, and that the Israeli Gov't does not fund settlements, rather, the settlers are "free agents". I don't know how we would know which one of those accounts is correct. At any rate, Netenyahu has ordered the bulldozing of some settlements, which would at least show ambivalence about them. I look forward to more conversation.
ReplyDelete