Richard Goodman EAPPI

In the Autumn of 2006 Richard Goodman from Leicester spent three months in Palestine as part of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel EAPPI organised by the World Council of Churches. In the UK EAPPI is co-ordinated by the Quakers. www.quaker.org.uk/eappi

At first Richard was based in Yanoun a small village near Nablus that has been subject to repeated attacks by Israeli settlers. Later he moved to Bethlehem.

Final Thoughts

Those of you who have read my newsletters will know that they contain many issues that are both disturbing and depressing yet, as my time in Israel and Palestine draws to a close, I can honestly say that I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the most inspiring people I have ever met in all my life. I once heard a sermon on the theme that when the darkness is greatest then the light can shine even brighter. These people show that light in their love and care for their fellow man. I have met such people from all walks of life who show us what it is to be truly human and that love can overcome hate.

Just the other day I met Gilad, a Jewish man who lives near Haifa in Israel. He had travelled from his home to Yanoun with his vehicle packed full of clothes for the people here who are often too poor to afford decent clothing. I learnt that he is a regular visitor to the village and was one of the first Israelis to arrive in the village in 2002 when Israeli settlers destroyed all the homes of the Palestinians and forced them to leave in an attempt to ethnically cleanse the area of its Arab population. At that time Gilad came here with other Israelis who were so appalled at what had happened and encouraged the locals to return to their village, helping them to rebuild their lives. Ever since that time he has helped the farmers, providing oil for their machines, buying computers for the village school and regularly providing those much needed clothes. He is loved by the Palestinians here and his love for the people shines through in everything he does.

Rabbi Arik is another Israeli whose organisation, Rabbis for Human Rights, helps to protect and defend Palestinians who are trying to work their land. Again, he shows us a different way. One of support and love. He himself has been attacked by fundamentalist Israeli settlers because he works for the rights of Palestinians. Here he is helping Mundir, part of whose olive grove was burnt by settlers from a nearby village.

(Picture - Rabbi Arik, right)

In Nablus I met a young Muslim man who gives of his time as a volunteer with Project Hope, an organisation working in the refugee camps that surround the city. Mahmoud, aged 23, could be doing other things but instead prefers to teach the children English and other basic skills. He chooses to live amongst them, providing games and entertainment and helping to instill a sense of self worth in these often traumatised youngsters, who on most nights face Israeli military incursions, shootings and bombings. His gentle love and clear faith were humbling to see. Project Hope brings hope and joy to the children of the refugee camps of Nablus with their teaching programmes. The picture (right) shows children of Nablus that have benefitted from Project Hope.

Similarly, in the Christian village of Tayba, a village where the Bible tells us Jesus himself visited, I met a Greek Orthodox lady, Dr Maria Khoury, who has written childrens’ books and, with the money raised, has helped with the building of homes for Palestinians. Visiting these homes, which should soon be complete and available for young Palestinian families, was wonderful to see and demonstrates how individuals can make big differences. She told me how sometimes she offers to pray for the Israeli soldiers and light a candle for them even though she hates what they are doing - often stopping her from getting to work or taking her children to school at the many checkpoints that she has to pass through. She is taking seriously Jesus’s words about loving your enemies even though it must be so difficult. It is a sign of contradiction to what would often be the prevailing attitude.

Just outside the town the Roman Catholic Church has built a hospice for elderly people, some suffering with dementia. Three nuns have devoted their time to caring for these people. They showed such love and gentleness for people in the twilight of their lives, believing that all have equal dignity and are precious.

(left) Picture of the new Roman Catholic hospice in Tayba.

All these individuals, and many others too numerous to mention, give hope that things can change in this region. They are like bright lights shining in the darkness and show that individuals can change things from the bottom up, from the grass roots rather than waiting for politicians or world leaders to do something. I write these things after visiting what was undoubtedly the most depressing place of my whole time here, Hebron. Some 400 settlers have taken over the centre of this city and brought it to ruin. Street after street of ruined and closed shops - nets stretch across the streets above these shops which the Palestinians have to walk under. They are full of rubbish that the settlers have thrown down from their houses which are above the shops. Bricks, bottles and even urine are thrown at the people passing below. The settlers here are armed to the teeth with M16 rifles and the Israeli Army protects them by closing off all the roads leading to the homes that they took from the Palestinians. No compensation has been paid to the shopkeepers who have lost everything.

The picture, left, is typical of former shops, now abandoned and full of rubbish in the centre of Hebron, showing what has happened since the settlers arrived.

What a contrast these settlers are to the people mentioned above. Instead of showing love and a belief in the absolute dignity of all people, they are deliberately trying to dehumanise them, treating them as sub human and of no worth. Such is this Holy Land where the contrasts between goodness and evil are so obvious.

Yet I think we can learn much from the people here. Cities like Nablus and Hebron have no real police or law enforcement. The hospitals are closed and the schools have been shut for 7 months because the Palestinian Authority cannot afford to pay wages. Yet these cities have not fallen into anarchy. They are still functioning, albeit chaotically. Can you imagine what would happen if tonight, in any English city, there were no police, how quickly they would descend into anarchy and the law of the jungle. The people here still have strong families. They have not jettisoned their faith or traditions. Great respect is still shown to the elderly and the people have a strong sense of identity. Are these not the very things that we in the West have thrown aside resulting in family breakdown, drunkenness and drug abuse. These problems just do not exist here to any real degree and I think these are some of the reasons that have enabled their society to survive in such dark times. Politeness and courtesy is a part of everyday conversation and to see a group of men just stop, maybe at the side of the road or in a bus station, and line up to pray is a very humbling experience.

So maybe, when we hear so much from Mr Bush and Mr Blair about the war on terror protecting our way of life and values, I wonder exactly what values they mean in our Western context, and I cannot help thinking that they would do well to look at some of the values here and see that, despite all the chaos, there is much that we can learn from the people of this region.

Palestine and Israel could offer the world so much. The beauty of the landscape, its history, its preciousness to the followers of three world faiths and the dignity of its people. At this time when we celebrate the coming of the Messiah, the one who brings true light to the world which the darkness and evil can never overcome, I am honoured to have met so many individuals in this land who show us what it is to be truly human and the beautiful people that we can become. It is with such individuals that true hope lies, that there can be a brighter tomorrow, and that this land will find justice and peace for all its people.

I wish all my friends a very Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 2007.

Richard.

Newsletter 15th October 2006 First impressions of Yanoun

Newsletter 30th October 2006 The Olive Harvest Begins

Newsletter 14th November 2006 Does Christianity have a Future in the Holy Land ?

Newsletter 27th November 2006 Checkpoints

Newsletter 12th December 2006 Bethlehem