We went to small village, Burin, near Huwwara today. Israeli settlements and the Israeli only road encircle much of the village. We climbed up a hot dusty rocky road in hot weather with soldiers observing from a very distant hillside.
The distance was better for the mood than for the picture !
The villagers (a couple of brothers in the 30s) were obviously nervous about the situation. Their olive grove was very near the road and within 3-400 yards of Israeli buildings. There was no excitement...nothing happened. The trees were in bad shape and there were very few olives. It was boring and no fun.
Now those of you who know me understand that I can be a tad task oriented, i.e. "Let's get something done." We were getting very few olives picked even after much effort. (Note: The trees were in poor shape as the villagers are not allowed to tend.) I had to remind myself that we are here to be in solidarity with oppressed people, not here to pick olives. Our presence enabled these young men and later their mother and others to harvest their crop. It is our best guess that they would not have gone this close to the settlements without internationals as a buffer. I go through this personal struggle daily, i.e. trying to remember that our goal is to be a peaceful presence and not to maximize the olive harvest.
Peace, Fred
Amen to your struggle. It's always hard for us to meet/work with someone where they are, rather than where we want them to be, and of course we know how to get them there!!
ReplyDeletePeace. - Bob and Jackie
It's hard to imagine but your stories help. I want more pictures!) Love you dad, so very proud of what you are doing and who you are.
ReplyDeletei agree with christi, more pictures ..
ReplyDelete