Saturday April 20
Tent of Nations:
www.tentofnations.org
Tent of Nations is a fulfilled dream of Bishara Nassar, the Palestinian Christian who lived all his life with his brother Nayef on the land itself. Note illegal settlements in the background.
The family is carrying on their vision.
The family
farm is the land where the Tent of Nations is located. The Tent of Nations desires to prepare young
people for a positive contribution to their future and culture by bring values
of understanding and tolerance into their life experiences and to teach them
the true belonging to their country.
The older
brother Daher lives on the farm and the rest of the family lives in Beit Jala. Daher gave us a good tour of the Tent of
Nations. The family lived in caves on
the property. Now volunteers from all
over the world live in tents here as they participate in many programs.
The
younger brother, Daoud, is very articulate in both English and German and gave
us an over view of their legal struggle and the restrictions imposed.
In 1991,
the Israeli government declared the whole area, including the Nassar’s, an
Israeli state Property. The Nassar
family has all the original land papers from the Ottoman period and hand done a
lot of work on the land through the times of Ottoman, British, Jordanian and
Israeli governance. After a struggle of
more than 21 years, they are still struggling to win the case of the land.
In
May/June 2010, the family was given nine demolition orders that they
are fighting through the Israeli courts.
During
spring 2012, Tent of Nations received orders to cease cultivation
and to vacate the land.
We will be
a presence of support for this family, including their Women Empowerment
Program that offers English, computer, agriculture and other classes for the
women of the village.
Their response to the injustice they are experiencing
is not with violence, not with being a victim and not by running away, but by
facing it in a non-violent way with the Tent of nations. It is done by channeling their pain to be a
constructive power that leads to a better future under the slogan: We Refuse to be Enemies.
I am grieved every time I see this sign. All places where going from Area C into Area A or B this warning sign is shown. No wonder so many hearts are filled with fear. Yet I can walk around, even at night, in the West Bank assured of safety because the Palestinian's hearts of hospitality.
Aida Refugee Camp
We were given a tour of the camp where many people live VERY close together. Military raids happen often during the night. The guide told us tear gas was released into the camp a few nights before our tour.
The Lajee Centre (Lajee
“refugee" in Arabic) www.lajee.org
Lajee centre offers many different activities for children and youth
living in ‘Aida Camp. Their aim is to give children and youth some good experiences, and
offer them support as they are regularly traumatized by military might and
violence as well as poverty. They have recently compiled some interesting books
with photos of villages their relatives were forced to leave in 1948. Debke
(traditional Palestinian dance) and other classes provide opportunities to
learn many new skills. Lajee receives regularly foreign volunteers coming to
the centre to help with activities.
We will be working with in this camp on a regular basis; English
conversation class is one way we will participate. We will continue monitoring and
recording ongoing clashes, excessive use of force by the military, and night
incursions. Searches and arrests are occurring almost every night.
In January 2013, a teenager was shot and killed in the camp.
In February 2013, two teenagers were shot by the military; both remain in
the hospital as of March, one in a critical condition. We will continue to monitor this camp and
record human right abuse.
Israel has denied the Right of Return given under international law. Many of the villages and homes have been
bulldozed. The just peace we are working
toward will need to deal with this major issue from 1948. 