It is important to understand that the Michigan Peace Team does not sit down and decide where to be involved. We go if and only if invited. That is true for events here in Michigan and in other areas such as Palestine. So when friends ask, “What will you be doing in Palestine?”, it is difficult to answer definitively. Maybe:
1. Harvesting olives – Some olive groves are near Israeli settlements. Some settlers will harass in an attempt to drive Palestinians away from their olive trees. Hopefully our very presence will decrease the likelihood of confrontation.
2. If settlers do approach the Palestinians, we might need to position ourselves between the groups if the situation begins to escalate.
3. In some areas Palestinian children are harassed while walking to school. We might be asked to walk with them.
4. We might stand near checkpoints to watch the routine.
5. We might go to a demonstration to watch and report.
6. We might simply model active listening, respectful concern and other behaviors that tend decrease violence.
One name for our work is Third Party Nonviolent Intervention. TPNI has many strategies but the main four are ACCOMPANIMENT (#1 & #3 above), INTERPOSITION (#2), OBSERVATION/MONITORING (#4 & #5), and PRESENCE/MODELING (#6).
Friends, this is not rocket science. Every parent knows that you have to get between the kids sometimes. The taking of a family portrait uses most of the TPNI strategies. Notice my Mom with a bunch of her grandchildren. Big ones separate the little ones. Siblings are, for the most part, separated. See how nicely it works.
Hey ! Hey ! What's that in the back row? .......... (Note: I never claimed it was a perfect system.) But if it moves us in the right direction, isn't it worth the effort?
Elmores; I will see you at Thanksgiving. Sweet potatoes, Mom's stuffin', turkey.....yummy !
Love ya, Fred
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