I am back at home in Atlanta. I have been back exactly four weeks. At times it seems like I was just in
Bethlehem yesterday. At others, it seems
like an eternity has already passed. I
miss being in Bethlehem terribly. But
then I missed people at home terribly while I was gone so it is just a trade
off, I suppose. While my three months in
Bethlehem absolutely flew by, to my loved ones here the time crawled. Funny how that works.
The whirlwind of the holidays has come and gone. Now I find myself facing the reality of being
home and in search of “normal”, whatever that might be. My incredible journey to Palestine is
officially over, but then, it really isn’t over for me. As I reflect upon my experience and how it fits into my
life going forward, I am certain of one thing – I cannot wait to return. Another
thing I knew before I went which was confirmed by these three months is that I
love the Holy Land and the Palestinian people. I am and will always be an advocate for them, for their freedom from
Israeli occupation, and for the Christian community’s role as living examples
of God’s light in darkness and true
peacemakers. I have more stories to tell. I will continue to do that in this space, and in
person for those who want to hear more.
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| Daoud and Daher Nassar (center) |
A story that has been on my heart for many weeks is the
story of the Nassar family and their farm, called Tent of Nations. I knew of them before I left and hoped to
visit their farm during my stay. When I
attended the Christmas Lutheran Church for the first time, I was blessed to
meet Daher and Daoud, the two brothers responsible for the farm, over a cup of
delicious Arabic coffee served after worship. It turns out that a staff member at Bethlehem Bible College is also a
member of the Nassar family.Finally I had the opportunity to visit the farm
with a pilgrimage group in October. I
made a point of visiting them again my very last day in Bethlehem. Daher, who is the primary caretaker for the
farm, was kind enough to bring us out, show us around, and make us several cups
of sage tea (that boundless Palestinian hospitality again) while we visited
with him and Daoud and several other visitors. I am so honored to call this family, these beautiful people, my friends.
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| Illegal settlement near Tent of Nations |
The story of the Nassar family is unique. Since 1916 they have lived on a 100 acre farm located on a beautiful hilltop south of Bethlehem. For decades the
family grew olives, grapes and other crops, living in caves on the property (as
people in Palestine had done for millennia). After the Six Day War in 1967 the West Bank came under Israeli control and
occupation. In 1991 the Israeli
government declared the entire area around the Nassar's property state land that would be developed into
Israeli settlements, including the Nassar family farm. (Settlements are Jewish only housing blocs in
the West Bank that are illegal under international law, use a disproportional
amount of local resources like water, often leaving Palestinians with little or
none, and are completely counterproductive to the peace process.) Palestinians own all of this land but since
it has been in families for literally hundreds of years, Palestinians often
have difficulty proving ownership. Not
so with the Nassars. They purchased
their land from the Ottomans and registered it with the British, which allowed
them to mount a legal challenge to the Israelis. After years of delays and expensive appeals,
in 2005 the Israeli Supreme Court granted them the right to register their land
with Israeli authorities (though they have still not been allowed to do
so).
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| Driveway blocked with boulders |
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| Composting toilets |
But their story does not end there. The Israeli military and residents of the local settlements continue to harass and threaten the Nassar family. Their driveway has been barricaded with huge
boulders and slabs of concrete. The few buildings and structures on their property have been threatened with
demolition on multiple occasions. The
Israeli military does not allow them to be connected to running water or
electric power so they collect all their water in cisterns during the short
rainy season in the winter, use composting toilets, and have recently installed
solar panels for more reliable electricity. They have received demolition
orders for all these things, too, plus other “structures” on their land like
low stone walls and even tents used by visitors. Settlers have attempted to
have roads built through their property. In the early morning hours on May 19th, the Israeli military
entered their property and used bulldozers to uproot and bury 1500 mature fruit
trees, all on the verge on being harvested.
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| Bulldozed land at bottom of valley |
How do the Nassars respond? With grace. With the most incredible amount of grace you
can imagine. Certainly with more grace
than I could ever hope to possess. They decided early on that they would stay
on their land and model peaceful co-existence with their neighbors. They founded Tent of Nations in 2000 to “build bridges between people, and between people to
the land." They host thousands of visitors and volunteers each year. They
provide courses to train and empower local women and host summer camps for
local youth. They have plans to further develop organic farming, alternative energy and recycling. They respond to the “challenges”
thrown at them by the Israeli military through all legal channels available to
them and, to some degree, have been successful at stopping most threats, at
least temporarily. But as long as Israel holds the West Bank under occupation
and suffocating military control, they will not be secure.
As for the 1500 destroyed trees? They plan to plant 3000 in their place this
spring…”We refuse to be enemies”. I
wish I could be there to help.
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| Entrance to Tent of Nations |
"We refuse to be victims. We refuse to hate. We act because of our faith. We believe in justice and that the true King of justice will come."
I am available to speak to your Sunday school class or group or just meet for coffee. Just let me know! stacig68@gmail.com
