Journey for Justice to the Holy Land

This year’s programme included 48 youth from Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Ethiopia, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Argentina, Norway, Ireland and the United States who took part in a range of activities, including tours of the occupation infrastructure, visits to religious sites, day trips to areas throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem and visits to refugee camps and individual families. Participants stayed for nine days with a theme for each day.  These  days gave visitors the opportunity to experience the daily movement restrictions imposed on the Palestinians. The programme included various lectures and workshops on major Palestinian issues such as the Wall and refugees. The programme also looks to the future on how to participate in advocacy and solidarity work with the people of Palestine. Here are some aspects of the life of the Palestinian Youth observed on the tour:  

 Refugee Camps: The Right to Return

We were welcomed by the Lajee Centre at the Aida refugee camp, some 2km north of Bethlehem. Lajee staff member, Khuloud Ajearma, briefed us on the situation and the difficulty of growing up in a crowded refugee camp where there is no space for the kids to play, where people build houses on top of buildings when the family grows, where there are three or four generations of refugees living together with practically no place for privacy. However, she said people still look forward and hope to return to their original home and some still keep their original house key. We also visited the Badil research centre on Palestine refugees and were given an explanation about the history and the current situation of refugees in Palestine. We were told at the Centre that Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) represent the “largest and longest standing case of forced displacement in the world today.”

Check Points and the Separation Wall

The separation wall between and in the West Bank and Israel is approximately 760km long and around 8m high, and guarded by watch towers and electric fences on top. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in occupied Palestine territory, the wall has many negative impacts on Palestinians, including freedom of movement, loss of land, difficulty in accessing medical and educational services as well as water resources.

We visited an olive tree farmer who lives in the zone between the unfinished wall. The farmer said to us ‘" I don’t have any idea where this wall will pass. I guess that the Israeli plan is to connect the other side of the wall. I’m scared. If that is so, I might have to choose between my house or my land." We also experienced the check point from Bethlehem to East Jerusalem, accompanied by members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EPPI). The experience shocked and saddened many of us. People were literally packed together and it is very hard to see through the fences. Some people went straight to the top of the queue, so others got angry, shouted and pushed. We were in the middle of the queue and hundreds of people were behind us pushing. I, for one, was so scared and even thought I might risk being trampled on and would suffocate. Sadly, this is the everyday life of the Palestinians who cross check points. The EPPI personnel also gave us a guided tour of Hebron, where both Israelis and Palestinians live nearby in a very tense situation. There are some roads Palestinians are not allowed to cross - thus they must travel long distances, putting an end to the businesses of some of those living in Hebron.

Water

We stayed with a Palestinian family to see how they live. A Palestinian mother told us that they have major water problems and sometimes they don’t get water for a week. We noticed that every Palestinian house has a water tank on the roof to alleviate the problem. Cara Flowers, who is a member of the task force, officer at EWASH (the Emergency Water Sanitation and Hygiene Group) explained to us the facts regarding access to water for Palestinians. She said ‘the average Palestinian daily consumption of water is about 70 litres per person, well below the 100 litres recommended by World Health Organisation to cover domestic and public service needs, while the average Israeli daily consumption is about 300 litres.’

Housing

In the West Bank there are three areas - A, B, and C. People living in areas B and C have difficulty building or renovating their house. Area A is small and already very populated. Many people illegally build houses or do repairs  since obtaining a permit is impossible for many families. The Israeli Committee against house demolition took us for a tour to see a neighbourhood of Palestinians and Israelis in East Jerusalem. It was amazing to see the difference between the quality of the houses and roads.

 Political Issues, Hopes for Statehood

We also visited Ramallah, one of the big and ‘modern’ cities of Palestine and had the opportunity to visit the tomb of the late Yassar Arafat, a beautiful memorial guarded by Palestinian soldiers. We were briefed on his life and struggle and then had a discussion with  Dr. Nabil Shaa'th, Commissioner of International Relations of Fatah, Senior Palestinian Negotiator and a member of the Central Committee of Fatah, who is engaged in international relations and in the negotiations with Israel and with the UN on a Palestinian State. He explained the prospects of Palestinian Statehood recognition and the future of Palestinian life with respect to the expansion of Israeli settlements. He said that “even if the peace process is becoming hopeless, you can ask any Palestinian, everyone is hopeful. We never give up!”

Church Visit

As the region is considered a holy land for Christians, Jews and Muslims, we visited holy sites and churches in the region. It was very interesting to see the different denominations of churches and nationalities living side by side, and how they have been performing their own form of worship for centuries. We also met a representative of a Palestinian church campaign, the Karios Palestine document.  Rev. Dr Jamal Khader, a Catholic priest, said "the document is the Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about what is happening in Palestine."

Dead Sea Floating with Palestinian Youths

Out visit coincided with an important day for many young Palestinians who were celebrating their school exam results by honking and with fireworks. It looked like every house was celebrating the new beginning of those happy young people. We also had the opportunity of enjoying a fun time floating in the Dead Sea with beautiful and friendly Palestinian youth, discussing matters affecting their daily life. One of them told us “I love to live here. I enjoy living with my family, friends, and neighbours. I enjoy the culture. There is a lot of love here. But we live day by day. We don’t know what new thing will come tomorrow. And I don’t want to think about it."

For more information: Journey for Justice  2011  

UN_OCHA,  BADIL Center, Karios document and Initiatives,  BDS campaign,  EWASH ,  EPPI,  Yesh Gvul,  Lajee Centre, ICAHD,  HRC.