Hello friends and family! I am sorry that it has been so long since I have written. I am now on the Birthright Unplugged trip (http://www.birthrightunplugged.org/), which has been intense and amazing but which has left me with no time. Rather than trying to tell you everything that has been going on I will just tell you about part of the past few days and some things that have really made me think.
I spent the past two nights staying with a family from the Daheisha refugee camp which is located in the West Bank near Bethlehem. They now live across the street from the camp in the Doha neighborhood. I stayed there with my new friend Deb and from the minute that we walked in the door they were so welcoming, making us the most delicious food, showing us wedding pictures, showing us pictures of Zakariyya (the village that their grandparents are from and were expelled from in 1948), and playing with their children together.
Despite the good times we had and the generosity of the family, their lives are hard. The father used to work in '48 (Israel), but his now no longer able to travel there. They say that it is hard for their kids because they cannot take them on trips; they just go back and forth between Daheisha and Doha, which are across the street from each other. Not to mention that they live under occupation with over crowded schools, curfews at the whim of the Israeli military, checkpoints, no playgrounds or sports fields...the list could go on and on.
A big problem is that the family often times does not have water. Israel controls all of the water delivery in the West Bank and there are no pipes to people's houses in Daheisha and Doha. This means that water must be delivered to large water containers on roofs by trucks. The Palestinian Authority delivers the water but it comes from the Israeli government and it is often not delivered on time.
The family ran out of water the first night that we were there. They had some jugs full of water but the water was not nearly adequate for the bathing, drinking, cooking, cleaning, and showering needs of the family. Also, keep in mind that this is a desert, with very hot weather. Despite the little water the family offered that we could take showers from buckets, which we of course refused.
This morning we exchanged some gifts (I got some hot pink pants which i wore today) and said our goodbyes. The Birthright Unplugged group then headed to the Ma'ale Adummim settlement. This a Jewish settlement in the middle of the West Bank. The West Bank is Palestinian land which is currently occupied by the Israeli army. It is illegal according to international law for civilians to settle on occupied land, but there are hundreds (I will get back to you with an exact number-I am in a rush) of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These settlements come are under the security of the Israeli army and have special roads connecting them that Palestinians are not allowed to use. They thus not only take over Palestinian land, but also divide the West Bank and limit the movement of Palestinians.
Being in Ma'ale Adummim blew my mind. I had just left a place where there was not enough water to flush the toilet regularly and now I was in a place nearby where there were palm trees lining the road, green grass, flowers, shopping malls. THIS IS A DESERT! WE ARE IN THE WEST BANK! Palm trees usually grow next to an oasis in the desert because they use so much water; grass has no natural place in the desert; the people I had just been staying with had no space for a garden, but here I saw illegal settlers using 40 times more resources than the people who rightfully live on the West Bank. I was outraged.
This is just one small part of the things I am seeing and learning. I will send more later. There is also much hope and positive action. I love you all and hope all is well for you.",1]
The family ran out of water the first night that we were there. They had some jugs full of water but the water was not nearly adequate for the bathing, drinking, cooking, cleaning, and showering needs of the family. Also, keep in mind that this is a desert, with very hot weather. Despite the little water the family offered that we could take showers from buckets, which we of course refused.
This morning we exchanged some gifts (I got some hot pink pants which i wore today) and said our goodbyes. The Birthright Unplugged group then headed to the Ma'ale Adummim settlement. This a Jewish settlement in the middle of the West Bank. The West Bank is Palestinian land which is currently occupied by the Israeli army. It is illegal according to international law for civilians to settle on occupied land, but there are hundreds (I will get back to you with an exact number-I am in a rush) of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These settlements come are under the security of the Israeli army and have special roads connecting them that Palestinians are not allowed to use. They thus not only take over Palestinian land, but also divide the West Bank and limit the movement of Palestinians.
Being in Ma'ale Adummim blew my mind. I had just left a place where there was not enough water to flush the toilet regularly and now I was in a place nearby where there were palm trees lining the road, green grass, flowers, shopping malls. THIS IS A DESERT! WE ARE IN THE WEST BANK! Palm trees usually grow next to an oasis in the desert because they use so much water; grass has no natural place in the desert; the people I had just been staying with had no space for a garden, but here I saw illegal settlers using 40 times more resources than the people who rightfully live on the West Bank. I was outraged.
This is just one small part of the things I am seeing and learning. I will send more later. There is also much hope and positive action. I love you all and hope all is well for you.
xo, Rachel
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