I ignored the first call that came before I had gotten myself out of bed on Tuesday morning. The second call, too, I think, and finally I checked the text message from a friend living in Shoufat neighborhood, occupied East Jerusalem--near my office.

House demolition in Beit Hanina, maybe just up the street from my office. Could I get people there? Did I know anything?

Over the next two hours, I made the calls--to ICAHD (www.icahd.org), to my friends who were trying to find the bulldozers and Army Jeeps, to the Ecumenical Accompaniers (www.eappi.org). I took several buses, walked around parts of Beit Hanina I'd never seen before, only to hear the news from the short-spoken Israeli at the ICAHD office: "The demolition is finished. We don't know where the bulldozers are going next."

So there you are, absurdly and uselessly running around East Jerusalem, looking for something you don't want to see, to take pictures to share with people who don't want to see it either, to try to bring some sort of justice to an absolutely unjust situation. Worried about the indignity this causes the family. Knowing that nothing can top the indignity of seeing all of your hopes and safety and shelter pounded, pulverized, into a twisted, nightmarish, Dali-esque pile of rubble and rebar and dust.

And you ask yourself, "Am I just a thrill-seeker?" And you ask yourself "Am I simply fascinated by the sacral violence?" And you ask yourself "Am I simply addicted to violence, as something that gives us meaning?" And you ask yourself "Am I just a voyeur?"


The same questions ran through my mind when I got the call that the demonstration I had planned to attend in Na'alin Friday afternoon had happened earlier than expected. I wouldn't be able to make it. I felt something of relief, and something of disappointment, and neither of these are attractive emotions to have. One indicates fear. The other indicates some sort of desire to be "where the action is" that has nothing to do with a hungering and a thirsting for justice and for peace and for healing.


Questions bombard you, in the midst of these oddities of resistance. We play bingo at an abandoned Israeli military base near Bethlehem in the West Bank. Now that the army is gone, Israeli settlers want to grab the land, which rightfully belongs to the Beit Sahour municipality. If the settlers come, we will ask them if they want to play. We will share this land, the message goes. But we will not give it up.

The soldiers come. They ask the leader of the group what is happening. He tells them, and invites them to play. I'm sure they would not be permitted to. One comments "We'll see what we are supposed to do about this circus." A circus on the land wouldn't be a bad idea, at all.


We go to Masada, that site that has become the symbol of Zionist nationalism. We climb the rocks, see the incredible views. We here the stories--the Zealot resistance to the Romans, the siege, the gate destroyed by the power of the Roman army. The suicide pact by the remaining Jewish resistance. They killed each other, including women and children. The last man fell on his own swords.

Historians can't confirm whether this all happened in exactly this way or not. But it is narrative that is important in this land, and it is as narrative that Masada has become a part of the Israeli nationalist mindset. President Bush, speaking in front of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) repeats the oath taken by Israeli soldiers at Masada: "Masada will not fall again."


And I wonder what all this tells us about resistance. Bingo and suicide. Cameras and bulldozers. Excitement and terror. Mourning and the joy of steadfastness. Samoud is one Arabic word that whisphers its way under the narrative--steadfastness, a refusal to be pushed off one's land, pushed away from one's home. Sabber is another--stubborn, patient. Also, a cactus.


Stubborn and steadfast in the face of oppression. Prickly. But holding water on the inside, long after the drought has begun.


A wise friend of mine once sent me the following quote: "As soon as you resist mentally any undesirable or unwanted circumstance, you thereby endow it with more power - power which it will use against you, and you will have depleted your resources to that exact extent." -Emmet Fox.

It was in reference to personal struggles, but it makes me wonder.

But there is a quote on the Bethlehem wall that says, simply, "to exist is to resist."

And that makes me wonder, too.



And so we keep on marching. And we keep on praying. And we keep hoping.

And, inshallah--God willing--we keep on wondering.

Today, in the early morning hours, a newly negotiated ceasefire took effect between the Israeli military and militants in the Gaza strip. The terms of the deal are relatively simple--no Israeli incursions or airstrikes in Gaza, no rockets fired from Gaza into Israel. It is not clear whether or how long this deal will last, or whether or not it will lead to further negotiations between Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the Hamas government that runs the Gaza Strip.

It was perhaps predictable that the 24 hours before the truce came into effect would be marked by a flurry of rocket fire from Gaza (injuring 1 person, an Israeli woman) and a series of Israeli air force strikes, killing at least one Palestinian.

The truce was describe by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as "fragile and may be very short." IDF spokespersons indicated that if any rocket were to be fired, even by one of the small factions not affiliated with the Hamas government which signed the ceasefire agreement, the response would be a massive military incursion. An article today in Ha'aretz, one of the largest Israeli English language newspapers, reported the following:

"The head of the political-security bureau at the Defense Ministry, Major General (res.) Amos Gilad, told Haaretz Wednesday night that the real test of the truce will be "a complete cessation of terrorist activities. Even if a single Qassam rocket is launched by a small faction, that is a fundamental violation of the agreement. A single Qassam can murder - and one must remember that this is a weapon of fear.""

According to the same article (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/994148.html), Hamas officials reported that just after the truce, Israeli Navy ships fired into Gazan waters (waters to which access is severely restricted by the Occupation, one might add) in an apparent "training" exercise.

Apparently, massive naval bombardments do not count as weapons of fear.

Nor do targeted airstrikes that destroy cars in heavily populated residential areas, nor military incursions at any hour of the day or night, nor artillery fire into some of the most densely populated areas on the planet.

No, these are "legitimate" means of violence, against "terrorist" targets. These are not weapons of fear, the underlying logic whispers throughout the news covereage. These are weapons of righteousness.


Don't get me wrong. All of us here are glad for the news of the ceasefire. We have been praying and worrying about Gaza all year. We have been hoping against hope that somehow there would not be a massive military invasion this summer, that somehow there would be something left of Gaza for us to pray about after months and months of siege, humanitarian blockade, closure, and attacks.

But a ceasefire does not put out the raging fire of a situation that is unjust, a situation that breeds the violence that we then hear about on our nightly news. And therein lies the problem: it is not until the violence that is bred by 41 years of occupation, by 60 years of dispossession and refugeedom, by year after year and night after night of bombardment and intimidation and state-run terrorism--all covered over with the violent guise of "legitimate" violence, of "weapons of mass defense"--erupts that we hear and notice and wonder why.


Today, at Sabeel, as we gathered for communion, counting among our number Palestinian Christians, internationals, and one Israeli nuclear whistleblower who converted to Christianity during his 18 years in Israeli prison, we prayed for Gaza. We prayed that the world would notice, and feel not pity, but compassion that yearns and acts for justice. We thanked God for the ceasefire, but prayed that this would be more than a moment of temporary calm in a sea of injustice and violence.

Please join in praying and hoping with us. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

From the Palestine Solidarity Project:

Please Forward Widely! Short Film and Report in Support of Imprisoned Activist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGYXd70RJik

or download in higher quality
 
http://corky.net/~eran/yossi/FreeMousa%204web.WMV

right click on the link+save target as

On April 11 Mousa Abu Maria, a dedicated peace with justice activist

and co-founder of the Palestine Solidarity Project, an organization
committed to challenging the Occupation using non-violent direct
action and promoting Palestinian self-sufficiency, was arrested by
Israeli forces.  Like nearly 1000 other Palestinians in Administrative
Detention, Mousa is being held without charge or trial in Israeli
prison.  His case has garnered support from around the world including
hundreds of letters written on his behalf, generous donations to his
legal defense fund and solidarity actions.

On May 29th Mousa's lawyer Adv. Gaby Lasky appealed for his release to
the military court but the appeal was rejected. In his decision the
military judge did not address any of the points raised in Mousa's
appeal and he intends to appeal his case to the High Court of justice.
However, it would be naïve to expect much from the same system which
imprisoned Mousa without a trial in the first place.

MORE SUPPORT IS NEEDED!

Mousa has requested specifically:

1. That supporters internationally contact their governmental
representatives and demand that they inquire into Mousa's unjust
detention with the Israeli foreign ministry in their respective
country.

2.  That THE WORK OF PSP CONTINUES.  You can help by DONATING to PSP
and to Mousa's legal fund via the website:
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/donate/
or by writing a check made out to PSP-NY and mailing it to:

PSP-NYC
P.O. Box 721234
Jackson Heights, NY 11372

3. Mousa should be able to receive mail in prison and it will help his
morale very much. He would appreciate short letters in English or
longer ones in Arabic. The jail authorities scrutinize incoming mail
and limit Mousa to sending 4 postcards and 4 letters every month so he
will probably be unable to write back. You can write to

Mousa Abdel Hamid Ahmed Abu Maria
Ktziot Prison
p.o box 13
84102
Israel

CPTnet
2 June 2008
HEBRON ACTION ALERT: Act this week to stop Israeli military from closing orphanages and schools in Hebron.

In his meeting on 21 May 2008 with members of the Steering Committee for Supporting the Orphans, Mr. Jawad Bulos, lawyer for the Islamic Charitable Society (ICS), gave a briefing on the ongoing court case regarding the closing and confiscating the ICS facilities.

"The very first moment the Charity received the closure orders I appealed to the Military Legal Advisor and asked him to arrange a meeting with me. The advisor refused to meet me and later he rejected our appeal. I was forced, then, to appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court," said Bulos. ''Five days after my appeal to the court, the court unexpectedly refused to issue a stop order (prohibition order). I was informed later that the court will not discuss our appeal before October,'' added Mr. Bulos.

Although the military is apparently working towards closure of the facilities, Bulos does not think that the military will take further actions that might embarrass the court. "Yet," he said, '' I can not trust the Israeli Military.'' These events leave the future of the orphanages and schools in a state of confusion.

Bulos further noted, “We discussed all details and ways of getting out of this tunnel. The military officers seemed not interested.” He concluded his briefing by saying that he believes that the work of both local and international groups is equally important.

THEREFORE, All organizations and their international constituencies who have been involved in this campaign must continue to apply pressure regarding this situation. They should insist that Israel not only stop its closure proceedings on the Islamic Charitable Society schools and orphanages, but also pay restitution for the damage the Israeli military has done to related facilities and the thousands of dollars worth of goods it has confiscated.

The Steering Committee also encourages all NGOs or visitors to the West Bank to spend a night or more in the Orphanages to discourage the Israeli Army from further actions.
Contact CPT Hebron for these arrangements: cptheb@palnet.com (subject line should contain Hebron Orphanage). For more information, see http://www.hebronorphans.blogspot.com.

Please contact the Israeli embassies in your country. You will find contact information in the following link:

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/IsraeliAbroad/Continents

Please contact your Congressional Representatives or Members of Parliament as soon as possible, asking that they bring this matter to the attention of your country's foreign ministry or Department of State:

CANADA
You can mail your MP at the House of Commons address, or find their email address at http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Source=SM

UNITED KINGDOM
To email MP, MEP's, MSPs, or Northern Ireland, Welsh and London AMs, go to http://www.writetothem.com/

Contact details for UK Members of Parliament and House of Lords:
http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm

Contact details for the Members of the Scottish Parliaments: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/index.htm

UNITED STATES
To contact your Senator go to
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To contact your Representative go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202)-224-3132 and ask for the appropriate Congressional office.

SWEDEN:

Contact Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, email via senior registry clerk: http://www.sweden.gov.se

Please write to the Israeli military and urge them to return the confiscated properties. Send appeals electronically to
http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/Contact+Us/

Statement by Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Leader of the High Level Fact-Finding Mission
into events at Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006
 
Press Conference, Gaza, 29 May 2008
 
We were appointed by the Human Rights Council as a fact-finding mission to investigate the
attack on November 8 2006 in Beit Hanoun which left 19 people dead. We have a three point mandate: the assessment of the situation of victims, addressing the needs of survivors and to make recommendations on ways and means to protect Palestinian civilians against any further Israeli assaults. The mission returns to Geneva tomorrow and we will be reporting to the Human Rights Council at its session in September, so these are impressions on our part for it is to the Council first that we are obliged to present our report.
 
We have tried three times in 18 months to secure the cooperation of the Israeli Government to no avail, and in the end we were forced to come to Gaza through Egypt.
 
We want to begin by thanking the Government of Egypt for their facilitation of our mission. We also want to thank all of the United Nations personnel for their logistical support. We want to say thank you also to the UN in Egypt and to the Secretariat of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their efficient and friendly help, as well as to the interpreters who have assisted us. We want to thank all the people we have met here in Gaza, members of NGOs, but especially the survivors and victims of the attack itself. I also want to express my deep appreciation to Professor Christine Chinkin, my co-expert on this mission.
 
All we had heard about the conditions in Gaza - the deprivation, the sense of despair, the lack of economic activity - had not prepared us for the stark reality we saw. We saw a forlorn, deserted, desolate and eerie place. Hardly any pedestrians as would be the case in a more normal setting. We were struck particularly by the absence of the sounds of children shrieking and playing. Usually, when there is a convoy in a normal situation, children will rush out to wave, to be funny and to laugh. We saw none of this. There was no hustle and bustle as in a normal urban setting. There are hardly any vehicles on the road because of the scarcity of fuel. We saw more donkey and horse-drawn carts.
 
We are in a state of shock, exacerbated by what we subsequently heard from the victims and survivors of the Beit Hanoun massacre. For us, the entire situation is abominable. We believe that ordinary Israeli citizens would not support this blockade, this siege if they knew what it meant for ordinary people like themselves. No, they would not support a policy which limits fuel supplies or automatically cuts off the electricity supply. They would not support a policy which jeopardizes the lives of ordinary men and women in hospital, that cuts off water and food from hospitals jeopardizing the lives of babies. No, they would not support a policy that results in what happened in Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006, when a mother scooped up the brains of her baby lying with its skull cracked open by an Israeli shell, the same mother rushing out into the street to find her son staring at his bowels hanging out and then seeing him scoop them up and shove them back into his abdomen. No, they would not.
 
As a matter of principle, Profesor Chinkin and I wanted to go to Israel to hear directly from the Israeli authorities their version of the events. We wanted to meet any other interested parties and NGOs. But we also wanted to go to Sderot to meet with victims and survivors of the Qassam rockets. We care about all people. That is why we told Mr Haniyeh that the firing of those rockets is a gross violation of human rights, and asked for them to stop the firing.
 
We are the descendents of Abraham: Jews, Christians and Muslims. We revere the teaching of scripture. And so we call on Israel to end the siege, the blockade.
 
Why?
 
First, because it is a gross violation of human rights. In terms of the scripture that Jews and
Christians alike invoke, the blockade is contrary to the teaching of those scriptures. Those
scriptures speak about a God: a God of the Exodus, a God notoriously biased in favour of the weak, of the oppressed, of the suffering, of the orphan, of the widow, of the alien. And this God will not be mocked! The God who sided with the slaves against the Pharaoh, the God who sided with Naboth against King Ahab, who sided with Bathsheba's husband against King David. The God who came down to deliver the Israelites from their bondage, who was not deaf to their cries, not blind to their plight, who knew their suffering, is the same yesterday, today and forever!
 
The siege is contrary to the Jewish tradition of siding with the oppressed. In South Africa, the most outstanding stalwarts in our fight against apartheid were often Jews. People like Helen Suzman, people like Joe Slovo. Almost instinctively, Jews must be on the side of freedom, justice and peace.
 
The siege must stop because it is not in the interests of Israelis. There can be no justice, no peace, no stability, not for Israel, not for the Palestinians, without accountability for human rights violations. This includes accountability for the human rights violations which occured in Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006. Israel has admitted that it made a mistake, but this falls far short of accountability and due redress for victims and their families. Accountability applies also to those firing rockets into civilian areas of Israel. The culture of impunity on both sides must end!

True security and peace will not come from the barrel of a gun. It will come through negotiation: negotiation not with your friends. Peace can come only when enemies sit down and talk. It happened in South Africa. It happened more recently in Northern Ireland. It will happen here too. Please, please, Israelis and Palestinians: for the sake of your children, for the sake of your future, for your sake , for God's sake, for all our sakes. Please, please end the injustice and sit down and talk to one another. It is possible for Israelis and Palestinians to live amicably side by side in two sovereign, viable states.
 
There can be no peace, there can be no security, there can be no freedom in isolation. Israelis and Palestinians will be free, will be secure, will prosper only together.
 
My message to the international community is that our silence and complicity - especially on the situation in Gaza - shames us all. It is almost like the behaviour of the military junta in Burma. Gaza needs the engagement of the outside world, especially of its peacemakers.
 
Finally, to you our brothers and sisters in Gaza: you will be free. Your isolation and loneliness will end. We want you to know that we are with you, and we will come back to celebrate with you your freedom!