During this holiday season, I am especially grateful to God. I thank God for the beautiful people I met in Israel/Palestine. I thank God for allowing me to live in a country that is relatively conflict free"in a place where I have freedom of movement and in which I am able to freely make life choices. I thank God for the generous people of Carson Valley and Tahoe.
In Bethlehem, Palestinian Occupied Territories, where I visited last month, I became acutely aware of the concepts of human dignity and freedom. The Palestinian people live under constant fear and threats. A concrete wall has been built that separates the people from their families, friends, work, fields and outside contact. As a result of the wall, many jobs have been lost, leaving people in dire financial circumstances. Families never know if or when their homes may be targeted for demolition by the Israeli government. Often, movement within the city is arbitrarily cut off by military personnel.
Two locations in the Bethlehem area captured my undivided attention. We toured the Al Arroub Refugee camp, several kilometers outside of the city. Here in a one square kilometer section, 9,000 people live, work, shop, attend school, and eke out an existence. During the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) " called the War of Independence by some"hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their villages and became refugees. They were guaranteed the right of return by the United Nations. Temporary refugee holding camps were set up. As time went on and the return continued to be delayed, the U.N. leased land parcels for 99 years to accommodate this mass of humanity. People had fled with the shirts on their backs. They had nothing. Originally, tents housed the refugees. Later concrete blocks were built for families. Today cement apartment house complexes have been built in the "camp" location. Al Arroub has been able to purchase an adjacent plot of land where crucial vegetables are grown " tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant. The community is surrounded by a high fence. One gate allows entrance and exit. Near this gate, Israeli watch towers and soldiers monitor people's activities, although the soldiers are not allowed to enter the camp. Our bus of 23 passengers entered this gate, and drove to the community center where, we were welcomed by camp leaders. We were shown around the area in small groups, led by educated young Arab men. We were hosted for coffee in a home where we visited with the family. "Thank you for coming to visit us. It is wonderful to know that we are not forgotten." We toured the women's center, library, and water holding tank. Some of our groups were able to visit the schools. With true Arab hospitality, a sumptuous lunch was served prior to our departure. As the bus approached the gate, we noticed that Israeli soldiers patrolled outside the closed, locked gate. We were trapped inside the refugee camp. What to do? Our leader and founder of The Compassionate Listening Project, Leah Greene and a Canadian male delegate disembarked. AT gunpoint, she asked, "Why is the gate closed?" "Some kids were throwing rocks. It will be closed indefinitely." Leah (a Jewish woman from Washington State) showed her American passport, saying, "Our delegation of 23 Americans have an important meeting to attend. We cannot be late." After some consultation, the young soldiers decided that the gate could be opened long enough for the bus to pass. What a relief. We had just received a small taste of the types of indignities suffered regularly by the Palestinian people.
Hope Flowers School (K-10) is dedicated to teaching peace and conflict resolution as an integral part of its curriculum. Teachers are carefully selected who are committed to this purpose. Its 300 students are both Christian and Moslem. Prior to the building of the wall, regular interaction was scheduled between the school and Jewish schools. Now, this type of interchange is impossible as Israeli citizens are not allowed to enter Palestine. Special permits must be issued to any Palestinian who wishes to pass through the checkpoints into Israel proper. The school offers scholarships to students from villages and refugee camps. Often, during the cold winter months, children come to school dressed scantily for the cold weather. The school provides warm clothing to these students through donations that are made.
Because of the generosity of friends in Tahoe and Carson Valley"University Women, AAUW, and the Methodist church, I was able to purchase a laptop computer, much-needed kindergarten books, and school supplies to donate to the school. Other delegation members contributed school supplies as well. Ibrahim and Ghada, school administrators send their thanks to the friends of Linda for the much-needed materials.
Thank you for caring. Thank you for bringing a ray of sunshine in a bleak environment, Thank you for bringing hope to children who live in a fearful world.
n Linda Hiebert Sekiguchi is a Minden resident and a member of the Lion's Club.
Linda will present a program, 'Israel/Palestine, Peacemakers in a Troubled Land' at the Lions Club meeting today, at Sharkey's Casino. No host dinner ($11) is served 6-6:30 p.m. The program begins at 7 p.m. The public is welcome.
