Here are a few quick shots from yesterday and today. The top one is of the stream of Israeli settlers leaving the main settlement after their weekend of visiting. A few days ago many settlers joined others who were inhabiting a home they had illegally taken from Palestinians, after forging documents of ownership, and proceeded to attack their own police when they came to get them out due to an order from the Israeli high court. The Israeli security could not get them to leave.
Below, we visited a local kindergarten ran by a good friend of ours here. While we listened to what the space offered the Palestinian children (a safe place to learn and play where Israeli military didn’t point their automatic weapons at them, or have rocks thrown at them by the Israeli settlers), the kids waited patiently in the next room.
And when I turned the corner we saw them all waiting quiet and patiently, so they told them to get up and run around, as seen below. They were very amazing children, and all of them were so happy and full of life. It’s hard to believe they are being raised in an occupation where they don’t know whether the government will come and destroy their home in the middle of the night (as happens frequently with no reason given by the authorities), or whether settlers will try and kidnap them (as almost happened two nights ago).
I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the situation, especially when I have a son who is a little bit younger than these children were. At times the reality of this situation is too overwhelming, but I haven’t regretted coming for one moment. It really has changed my view from what we are shown via media, via the US, via Israel, to what is really happening on the ground. There is no way to really prepare yourself for what is occurring here, and I almost have to pinch myself every once in a while as a reminder that this is more real than I would ever want it to be. Hopefully over the course of this time and upon return I can present the stories I am seeing in a way that offers more light on the truth and gravity of the situation.
by Joel
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