Tuesday, February 24: At-Tuwani, Hebron and The Tent!

At-Tuwani

At the village of At-Tuwani, where we were welcomed by Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) volunteers Janet (Scotland), Josh (Portland) and a young man from Memphis whose name escapes me. Much of the tour we were given was led by Hafez, a villager who has been subject to a good deal of harassment by the IDF (Tuwani is in area C so under both the military and civil control of Israel; as such, the State can choose whether or not to deliver civil and security services; for the most part, they choose not to do so). Hafez is the coordinator of an effort among the residents of Tuwani and surrounding villages to pursue a non-violent resistance to the settlers, who continue to harass the villagers on a regular basis.

A master plan is now in place but the areas of the village included are quite limited. They were able to build a new mosque (to replace the tent-mosque that they were using when I was there in 2006) but it was immediately slapped with a demolition order. The fate of the village school, its pride and joy, is uncertain.

While in Tuwani, we were welcomed by a large extended family full of young children who are, of course, beautiful, each and every one. While enjoying their hospitality, one of the settlers took a stroll through the nearby woods and onto the top of the hillside. That is one means by which they simply remind the villagers that they are not alone. They are being watched and are subject to whatever techniques of psychological and physical intimidation and harassment the settlers choose to mete out.

From tea at the top of the hill, we walked down to the Women’s Cooperative to enjoy an abudant lunch and to learn more about the life and work of the CPT volunteers. Though the story of the women’s cooperative is still told, the shop is now referred to as a “museum” as that term makes the men feel more comfortable with the women’s enterprise. After a little shopping to support the “museum,” we were off to Hebron: City of Hamas!

Hebron
We met Marcus and Shari, two EAPPI (Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel) volunteers working in Hebron. Marcus, who had hoped to be assigned to Jerusalem, referred to the city as “this godforsaken place,” clearly unhappy with the assignment and eager for any respite from his work! However, he continues to do the work that he has been called to do, accompanying children to school and doing his best to see that they come and go safely with as little harassment as possible from soldiers and settlers. When I mentioned Abu Hani, who had been our tour guide at the mosque in 2006, Shari made a quick call. In no time, his son (Hani, of course) appeared. Apparently, his father died shortly after our visit. Hani sells Arabic coffee on the street, which people drink from thin little plastic cups (though I don’t know quite how they tolerate the heat!). Hani seemed to appreciate making a connection with people who held fond memories of his father.

In contrast to my last visit, we did not witness any settler violence firsthand. In fact, while the old souk is still pretty well closed down, the newer parts of the city seem to be experiencing new life. People were out and about. Vendors were hawking their wares (including some beautiful strawberries that could compete with California’s best). We visited the Hebron Rehabilitation Center which has done much to restore the treasured edifices of this ancient city.

We did tour the mosque, which now has three checkpoints instead of one. The women donned the obligatory “Hogwarts” or “Ewok” brown hooded cloaks. We heard the story of Baruch Goldstein’s massacre of 29 people at prayer in 1994 and viewed the bullet marks left on the stone pillars. On the other side of Abraham’s tomb stands a synagogue. For ten days each year, the Jews vacate the synagogue and the Muslims are allowed to go on both sides in order to visit the tomb of Jacob. One month during the year, the Muslims vacate the premises and the Jewish congregation is allowed to visit Isaac’s tomb. I did not remember hearing previously that, in mosques, women are on the left side facing the front and men on the right because that is the configuration in which Abraham and Sarah are buried.

While we were in a bit of a hurry to be on our way, we stopped in the souk, to do some brief shopping at a stored operated by two women. I had hoped to find an embroidered vest or jacket but it was a bit of a goldilocks experience: they were either too big or too small. Instead, I chose a strikingly beautifully embroidered black shawl.

As we were making our way out of the souk, six IDF soldiers came through “on maneuvers,” swinging their automatic weapons around corners like a scene out of Law & Order. Before we had left the souk, the soldiers had about a half dozen young Palestinian men up against a wall, searching them. IF I can recover the photos that were inadvertently deleted from my camera disk, I should have some interesting shots of these actions. It was pretty un-nerving, particularly since most of the soldiers kept their fingers resting on their weapons’ triggers.
Before leaving for Bethlehem, we had time for a quick visit to the Hebron glass factory, where I found a few treasures and a larger chalice to replace the loaves and fishes one that is cracked. (That’s for you, Mary O!) I hope I can get it all home in one piece!

Dinner and The Tent
After dinner back at the ICB, we went out to The Tent, a popular local hangout. It’s called The Tent because it is, well, a tent. After the building was destroyed repeatedly, the owner decided to replace it with a tent. It’s a big, warm and friendly place with a bit of a Mexican flair - at least in the furniture and upholstery. At The Tent, we met several of the other YAGMs (Young Adults in Global Mission) along with Martin and Suzanne Schoffner, the country coordinators for the program. It was great to hear about the work that a couple of the young women are doing at the school at Beit Sahour as well as learning more about life as a Young Adult (Woman) in Global Mission based in Jerusalem.

One challenge faced by those who are working at the schools is that some of the older teachers are still not entirely on board with discipline that employs time outs and the like. Occasionally, they break up fights with a good whack (not exactly the most effective way to teach nonviolent reconciliation skills!). Those placed in schools also indicated that they have picked up more illnesses from their students than they’ve had in recent years. We agreed that they are are cute little petri dishes with legs!

PS