Friday, April 25, 2014

I Celebrated Easter with Villagers in Galilee

Iqrit

The day after my celebration of Easter in Jerusalem, I traveled through Galilee to the location where the Palestinian Christian village if Iqrit was located before villagers were forced out in 1948.  All that remains of the village is the graveyard and the church.


1n 1948 villagers were forced to find alternative places to live.  Those who resettled close by were internally displaced refugees, but became Israeli citizens  with the formation of the State of Israel.  A legal victory in Israeli courts gave villagers the right of return. However, before they could exercise their legal right, Israeli military destroyed their village.  They are still being denied their right.  They are only being allowed to hold funerals in the church, bury their dead in the cemetary and celebrate mass each month.

Celebrating Easter Mass

As villagers returned to celebrate the resurrection of their Lord Jesus Christ, they are prayig to God as Jesus taught, " Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Praying for justice, including the resurrection of their village.


Notice the crecent and cross design in the top of the wall.  Muslim neighbors from a near by village assisted when the church was refurbished.   Their town has since been replaced, is a place they are no longer welcomed.

Celebrating Community

We enjoyed conversations, food and entertainment with about 300 others, families and friends of Iqrit.   Since the loss of their personal property, it has been used by others for animal husbandry and military purposes, drone base.





Growing Old but Hoping for their Right of Return



Let's join our prayers with theirs for a just solution as villagers exercise their right of return through creative, nonviolent actions.