Yad Vashem Memorial Museum

Powerful, tough, emotionally and mentally draining.And yet it has to be included as part of the itinerary if there is to be any hope of trying to understand this land

Yad Vashen is a hard hitting, very visual, very personal, and very well presented memorial museum to the holocaust. Obviously it's from a Jewish perspective but by the end of it you certainly have a better insight into why the desire for an exclusive Jewish homeland is so strong

So many hundreds of thousands of lives lost just within that period in history. And when you add it to the list of other e ampules of Jewish persecution and expulsion - yes, I get a bit more where they are coming from

That doesn't mean I feel happy about the current situation and the oppression and violation of human rights etc. But you can see what is fuelling their underlying emotion of fear. 

I think back to the Genocide Memorial museum in Kigali Rwanda and how equally tough it is to go round. 

But the difference between the two is how they have responded 

Both are saying no more, never again. 

But Rwanda says no more never again by saying no more tribal barriers, we are all one nation, let's live together

And Israel is saying no more never again, but because there is still a strong element of fear of the other, they put up walls and barriers which in turn make unity and cooperation very hard to pursue

Yes, I know there are lots more angles and issues to take into account - the attacks by Palestinians, corruption by those in power on all sides, the role of other nations in the history of the land etc

But I wonder how different it could be if there was a way to heal the fear, to build an identity that isn't based on fear of other, an underlying principle of 'let's not do to others, as others have done to us' or as Jesus more simply put it 'love your neighbour as you love yourself'. 

Back to the olive groves

Our final day in Bethlehem was spent picking olives. Such a great way to decompress after all that has happened this week

We visited an olive press owned and run by a cooperative of local farmers - 950 or so - and thus saw the process of turning olives into oil. 

I'll not go into details now, but suffice to say it includes a machine that sucks the leaves and twigs out, another one that cuts the olives, one that washes and mashes them, and one that separates oil from water

And if you want to know the difference between normal and extra virgin olive oil? well, just ask - I've kind of got the hang of it ;-)

And the rest of the day was picking olives - black and green, the low hanging ones and the ones at the top of the tree and all those in between. 

Feet on the ground, then up ladders and also climbing the trees - I'm delighted to say I've done all three and not got any injuries along the way. 

Space to breathe, space to think, space to reflect and space to just gaze out across the landscape that is the same as Jesus would have walked in, that David would have herded the sheep in, that Ruth would have gleaned in. 

And amidst that was time laughing and eating and drinking with Basheer, and a couple of his friends. 

A calming, beautiful day to end an incredible week. Just the Yad Vashen Memorial museum tomorrow and then home to mayoral, council and 'rest of my life' duties, engagements and activities. 

Two sides of the story

Lots to process today. 

First off a visit to Hebron - a town in the West Bank well known for being one of the more volatile places. It's also the site of Abraham's tomb which is housed in a massive church that has been split down the middle to become a mosque on one side and a synagogue on the other. It used to be that both Jews and Muslims used the same shared space, but as tensions have risen and security measures increased that has no longer been possible, hence the wall down the middle. 

Whilst in Hebron we met with two of the Christian Peacemaking Teams, who monitor and observe proceedings at the many checkpoints and other physical obstacles that there are in the town. It was tough yet insightful to hear some of their experiences, watch footage of some detentions and treatments of local Palestinian boys, and hear testimony from a 12yr old who had been caught up in a situation where 14 boys and 2 adults were detained, cuffed, beaten and threatened by the authorities before being released with no charge. 

We also had lunch on the rooftop terrace of a Palestinian family, supporting their income whilst enjoying the view. 

And we went into the mosque (involving going through 2 checkpoints to get in and 1 to get out) and the synagogue (no checkpoints in or out) 

A fascinating, insightful, thought-provoking visit

But just when you feel like your brain is at capacity, we went and met with a Jewish man who moved from USA to Israel 32 years ago and lives in a Jewish community a short way outside Hebron. 

He generously shared hospitality with us, as well as his story and his perspective. Until now the narratives we have heard have definitely been more from the Palestinian perspective so it was good to hear the other side, albeit one man's take on it all. 

I'm still trying to work through it all, and to  process the various viewpoints, and I know that will take quite some time, and possibly another visit at least to get beyond the very very tiny tip of a massive iceberg of an issue

But what I am clear about is that for me the key thing isn't about the political ideology, or the religious angle. 

For me what makes me want to weep is the violation of human rights. It is seeing what one human can do to another, what one group can do to another, in such oppressive, violent, dehumanising and violating ways. 

No matter which side is doing the violating, the oppression, the violence - it is certainly not the response that Jesus would call for, or practice

This land needs so much prayer. Thank goodness for all those who are doing their best to practice non-violence, unity and peace. 

May prejudice, assumptions, fear, corruption, power and judgement not get in the way of the pursuit of a better way - whatever that might be. 

Tent of the Nations

Today we visited The Tent of Nations. Situated on the only hilltop in the West Bank not occupied by Israeli settlers, it is run by the Nassar family who are Palestinian Christians. 

For 26 years the Israelis have been trying to claim their land to build on, but through legal and peaceful means the family have resisted and remain on the land. 

Their story is amazing, inspiring and very challenging, especially when I consider their attitude to life and then compare it to my paltry efforts. 

Here are a few sound bites of their perspective and story: 

'We refuse to be enemies' 

'Peace is not just the absence of conflicts. It's the art of experiencing inner peace, in the midst of conflict'

'our land is like our mother. We care for her. We won't sell her. We will never leave her alone' 

'we follow the fourth way with regard to how to respond to the Palestinian situation - not violence, not passive inactivity, not giving up, but active non-violent resistance'.

'We want to use our frustrations and disappointments constructively; to transform this into energy we need to do things positively, rather than becoming a seed-bed for anger and bitterness'. 

'We don't need outsiders who come and tell us what to do. We need friends who come and join us in our struggle and vision. 

They help us keep the hope alive'. 

Harvesting olives, in solidarity...

Today we picked olives with Bashir. 

Bashir is a Palestinian Christian whose family has lived and farmed the land for many generations. There are olive trees, a vineyard, apple trees and pear trees; passed down from father to son time after time 

Bashir lives just outside Bethlehem, in a beautiful valley. His house is one side of the road that runs up to Jerusalem; his fields the other. 

Along the side of the road runs The Wall, allegedly built to define boundaries and provide protection from 'the Other', whoever the other may be

What the wall actually does with regard to Bashir is make it incredibly hard for him to reach his fields, and increase the chances of him getting stuck the wrong side of the wall. If he can't get to his fields regularly, the Israeli occupying authorities will declare the land unoccupied and hand it over to Israeli settlers. And that will be the end for Bashir and his life on the land 

So picking olives with him today was incredibly special. 

It wasn't just a chance to be out in the country doing something simple and practical. 

It was also a chance to show Bashir, and farmers like him, that we care about their future

And about their past, and all that has happened. 

And about their today's and what they have to endure. 

And it was a chance to be visible as international supporters; and to the authorities here, who watch everything, that is good for them to see. 

So much more to say, but that can wait for another day. 

For now I raise a bottle of olive oil to Bashir, and all his fellow olive farmers, and I pray that they will be able to live on the land for generations to come. 

Balfour - 100 years on

An interesting day to be in Bethlehem today, on the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Agreement that essentially said the British government supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Israel

Today has been spent with some Palestinians: in particular 2 Christians and 1 Muslim.  One of the Christians was our tour guide, a fascinating guy who ended the tour by saying the Lords Prayer in Aramaic ie the language Jesus would have said it in, whilst looking at the Segregation Wall and the refugee camp beyond. The words of Jesus were so powerful in that moment. The other two guys are each the founder of a local NGO. Both organisations use non-violent means to speak into the situation and work to engage their user groups in positive ways of achieving a better future. 

I'll blog more about each of them at another time, but it has been interesting to hear the personal stories woven into the narratives. 

And also to walk through one of the refugee camps in Bethlehem, to meet people from the camp, which has been in existence since 1948, and to get up close and personal to The Wall. 

Nothing can prepare you for the impact of that oppressive and divisive structure. And I have to admit that today I don't feel that I can go along with Teresa May's sentiment that the Balfour Agrreemrnt is something to be celebrated

Jerusalem - 'and Jesus wept'

Have spent the day in Jerusalem today with team. A self guided walking tour, trying to get my head round the mass of conflicting thoughts and emotions that have been swirling round and round in my mind. 

Jerusalem - a place of so much religious focus for three of the biggest faith groups  in the world. Christians, Jews, Muslims - each claiming their portion of the city and its historical significance. 

And therefore Jerusalem - a place of such tension, awareness of other, conflict and prejudice

But at the same time Jerusalem - the place where Jesus came, as a boy with his parents, and then as a man, to be betrayed, crucified and buried. And from where He rose from the dead. 

And day by day, Jerusalem - a city where people live, work, get educated, grow up, have families, just do all the normal things in life

Jerusalem - a place of so many contrasts, so much hope and so much passion. 

And a place where it felt like sometimes all the hope of this city gets sidelined amidst the present day conflicts and arguments. 

As I looked over Jerusalem this morning, I couldn't help but remember how Jesus had looked over it in a similar way - and wept

I wonder how much He looks down on it now and weeps. It feels like a city of such potential for hope and peace, but how much is that potential lost amidst the

politics. 

It's Enough to make you weep