Crossing the Lines

Maddie and Annie here. We decided to tag team this entry-- we are both inexperienced bloggers and the pressure that Matt placed on us was too great to do it alone. This blog entry covers the events of yesterday the 29^th.

Yesterday we immersed ourselves into a different part of the West Bank. For most of the day we spent our time in the city of Hebron. Hebron is a mostly Palestinian town divided by two Israeli settlements. As explained to us by our guide, Husam, Hebron is one of the epicenters of the conflict. This dates back to 1929 when a violent attack by Palestinians (believed not to be from Hebron) began a cycle of tension and division in the town. Before this incident, Hebron was a place where Palestinians and Israelis lived in community together. As years have gone by tension has grown and other incidents have contributed to the separation of Israelis and Palestinians in Hebron.  As we walked through a deserted street coined the “ghost town”  the realities of this division was palpable. Our tour guide, a Palestinian Muslim, was not allowed to walk this street with us.  Passing through another check point we entered into the bustling Palestinian portion of the town.  We spoke with a Palestinian shop keeper here, who spoke of what it was like living below the Israeli settlers. We stood on his roof as he told of the fears of his six young girls who have been threatened, injured by rocks thrown at them, and who watch the Israeli children playing on the field below them (the Palestinian children have no space like this to play).

It was interesting to feel  a “lightness” in this day in comparison to the previous day in the refugee camp of Balata. I guess it speaks to the reality here—that a place like Hebron, bursting with division, can seem mild.  After walking through the markets and eating lunch, we went to the Mosque in the town, the Ibrahemi Mosque. Here,  the women of our group were told to cover their entire body. As we entered, we were handed dusty blue and brown robes (robes that you might picture monks wearing). Deb/Mom looked particularly funny as she refused to take off her backpack underneath her robe—she had a hunch-back sort of look.

After an full day, the highlight of yesterday came that night--the time that we spent with two people from the bereaved family group. Both people had lost loved ones to the conflict. Ben, an Israeli Jew, lost his daughter in a Palestinian suicide attack outside her military base, and Moira, a Palestinian Muslim, lost her husband when he was murdered by an Israeli soldier.  It was obvious and inspiring that these two people, who experienced the worst of the conflict and were seemingly on opposite sides, were friends. Ben said it best, “the color of blood is the same on both sides, and the taste of the tears that I have are the same taste shared by someone who is Palestinian”.

We finished up the night, our last night in East Jerusalem, with a wonderful trip to a Gelato shop.  The Gelato was homemade by a Palestinian family. Looking forward to Jordan, Matt’s little  brother, posting today.  Its been a godsend to have Jordan on the trip as we had no idea how much time and attention it would take to keep Matt in line.

Sending love from Israel,

Annie and Maddie.