On Pilgrimage, Day 4

Today we traveled just a few miles in distance, but a long way in a cultural sense….almost to a different land. We experienced our first pine forest, first train, first morning Jerusalem traffic jam, first up close look at the controversial "wall", a serious Israeli police checkpoint, and of course a visit to Bethlehem - a large West Bank town populated mostly by Palestinians. In addition to their distinctive green and white license plates (unlike the yellow ones on cars in Jerusalem), we saw first-hand how restricted their lives are.
The day dawned mostly sunny and cool, so we were glad to have our warm bus and superlative bus driver again - Mohammed "#1". Our first stop was the Jerusalem "suburb" of Ein Kerem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. Traveling into Bethlehem proper, we visited Shepherd’s Field, the site of the angels’ announcement of the nativity to the shepherds.
However, the scene was dominated by the view across the valley of a large Israeli settlement, built in defiance, Iyad told us, of the Oslo Accords. We then visited the Church of the Nativity and a nearby Peace Center, the latter containing an amazing exhibit of beautiful crèches from all over the world.
It’s hard for me to replace my 50 years of religious imagery training surrounding the Nativity - hearing now that Jesus was probably born in August and in a cave, not a picturesque manger. We were so fortunate to be able to visit the sacred cave part of the Church, almost by ourselves. Iyad has great timing!
More of Iyad’s mustachioed "cousins" hosted us for an outstanding lunch at Abu Shanab. We tried not to stare as the server brought a large water pipe ("hookah"?) to an adjoining table, where several diners enjoyed its contents.
As we left Bethlehem to return to Jerusalem (they’re less than 5 air miles apart), we got a taste of what West Bank Palestinians contend with every day, when going to work, to see family and friends, and to shop. As we waited in line at our first "serious" checkpoint, we had a sobering look at the wall that Israel is building to separate the West Bank from Israel. The graffiti on the Palestinian side was illuminating - in one place, "existence is resistance" was scrawled near the checkpoint itself. A young Israeli solider with an automatic weapon boarded our bus briefly, but then waved us through.
Our final bus stop was at St. Andrew’s, a Church of Scotland guesthouse and home to a craft shop where our souvenir purchases will help support at least a few of the 500,000 Palestinians who live in refugee camps scattered around the Middle East.
Before a delicious dinner and evensong, we spent an hour with Fr Hussam, an Anglican priest. His view is that the peace process must address four key issues - right of return for Palestinian refugees, how Jerusalem should/could be divided, what to do about the Jewish settlements (primarily in the West Bank), and water availability. Each one of these is a serious point of contention for both sides.
Every day seems richer than the one before, perhaps because although the information is wonderfully overwhelming, we are gradually better able to fit it together and form our own opinions, and because we are growing together as a group. Iyad and Karen have done a wonderful job of scheduling visits and speakers that share many sides of this serious problem.
As I prepared for this trip, I spoke to many Jews and Palestinians who live in the US. Each one individually claimed that I would never hear an unbiased view on Middle East problems. That may be true, but I and others in our group, are already wondering what we can do when we return home to share our new awareness and ideas with our parishes and communities. I’m sure we’ll be discussing possibilities in the next part of our trip.
We are so sorry to hear that Becky and Pete will probably not be joining us, and continue to pray for them, and for all of you at home who are definitely with us in spirit. Carolyn.
Pilgrimage web links: today's Photo Album Pilgrimage website