Christian and Jewish Kindness

I’ll get the bad news out of the way, I am leaving May 1st. There is a very small chance that Israel would have granted me an extension of stay, and their system is such that I can’t even apply for the extension until 1 week prior to my 3 month fulfillment. This is similar to an issue Palestinians from the Gaza Strip face, many must often reschedule hospital and doctor visits several times as they can’t apply for access to the West Bank until days before their appointments, if they’re rejected then they face rescheduling and reapplying. Here also, is a story published by an Israeli organization B’tselem about a women in Gaza who hasn’t seen her family in the West Bank since 2000. It’s a tear jerker. Click on “Gaza resident separated from her family in the West Bank”.

As my time comes to an end I want to give you a glimpse into the life of the wonderful Abdullah family, who have been such a pivotal part of my experience here. I am renting a floor of their home, here is me from my very own balcony! You know I’m out here all the time!

The Abdullahs are Christians and live in a mostly Christian village, Zibabdah. They are lead by Nezam (who is always referred to as Abu George, Abu means “father of”, this is a common way of addressing fathers here) and Vera, who are wonderful parents. They own a travel agency in Jenin - Vera is the manager and Abu George the Assistant Manager! - just throwing that out there! The woman is in charge:) I will concede that this is not the norm, far from it, but there are women moving upwards and achieving equality. And Fair Trade is a huge part of this! Economic empowerment is a crucial step, Canaan has partnerships with 16 women cooperatives, and 2 women were elected to the Palestine Fair Trade Association in 2011.

Near the beginning of the 2nd intifada the Abdullahs moved to Canada, but they were here during the 1st intifada and experienced an attack by Israeli settlers, escorted and protected by the Israeli military. When they heard the crowd coming they hid inside, Vera (pregnant with George) and Manal on one floor, Abu George and Fedaa stuck on another. Young boys threw rocks at the settlers from roof tops, the settlers were shooting back everywhere, causing all the glass to break around the family’s porch, windows, etc., and chunks of stone to fall from the ceiling. One hit Fedaa on her head causing her to bleed. Thinking rocks had come from their house, settlers tried to break down the door.  Abu George, filled with rage at Fedaa’s injury and ready to protect her was waiting at the door with a large piece of wood. Thankfully, the army finally ushered the settlers away. Manal and Fedaa, who were only 6 and 4 at the time, can still remember the details vividly.

Manal and Fedaa also work at Canaan Fair Trade. They’re both incredible at their jobs, Manal transforming the media arm of the company as the promotion and media coordinator, and Fedaa constantly crunching numbers and creating spreadsheets as an accountant. They’ve been so helpful to me and have become great friends. George, the only son and brother of the family, and a senior in high school excited to start college at Birzeit University in the fall, is quite the political activist. He’s very passionate and informed and can hold his own in any debate. The youngest sibling, Dyala, is a sophomore in high school and so sweet. She often invites me to activities in the village and smiles so wide whenever she sees me. It really pains me to know that so many don’t know the kindness and generosity of the Palestinians, and view them only as violent, this could not be further from the truth or more unfair. We must not let an incredibly small minority cloud our understanding of what it truly means to be a Palestinian. 

We must strive to do the same with Israelis. In February, 9 Palestinian children were killed in a bus accident, following the accident many Israelis rejoiced on facebook: "Relax, these are Palestinian children,", "It seems these are Palestinians ... God willing.", "I hope every day there is a bus like this.", "Can we send another truck?". An Israeli news source reported on this wickedness. Palestinians and pro-Palestinians around the world could use this to their advantage but this, too, would be wrong, as these atrocious comments represent a minority who do not and must not represent the greater Israel. There are many Israelis fighting their government against the occupation, there are Israelis protesting in the streets and being arrested. There are many Israeli organizations fighting for the rights of the Palestinians, hundreds of Israelis, some even weekly, travel to the West Bank to peacefully protest with Palestinians, I met several in Beit Ummar. Let’s not let out of control Zionists represent all of Israel, AND let’s not let Hamas and it’s minority of supporters represent all of Palestine. 

Below are a few pictures Manal took of our Easter lunch!

Left to right: Me, Fedaa, Abu George, Vera, George, Dyala, Bruno (a french volunteer in Bethlehem).

Again: Run Across Palestine is still taking donations!

Ramallah & Bethlehem

This past week I travelled to Ramallah to meet with an expert from the Palestine Water Authority (PWA) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and to Bethlehem to meet with researchers from the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ).

Public transportation here is great. I took a public taxi van from my village Zibabdeh all the way to Ramallah for only 35 shekels (about $9), after my meetings in Ramallah I hopped on another van to Bethlehem for only 20 shekels (about $5). 

I had some time to spare before my 9:30am meeting so I walked around Ramallah for awhile. Most of the government buildings are in an area they call Al-Balou. 

The above 2 pictures are of the main headquarters of the Palestine National Authority. They did not like me taking pictures of their building, and in the lower picture you can see a guard walking towards me to stop me, he was not happy. I've been told by a friend that if I was a Palestinian I could have easily been arrested for taking these pictures. Oops:/

The PWA and MoA were very helpful. A water expert for the PWA helped me for close to an hour, then arranged for someone to drive me to the MoA in the PWA car. Below are some pictures of the PWA and MoA.

I was at the MoA for over 2 hours and got a lot of great information. Afterwards I walked around Ramallah again. I had planned to spend more time in Ramallah but I’ve decided I’m not very fond of cities, I much prefer the countryside and villages of Palestine. Although I did see a peacock in someone's back yard!

I then headed to Bethlehem to my friend Vivien’s home (Vivien writes for the Institute for Middle East Understanding, click the link to read her latest article on Palestinian Christians celebrating Easter http://imeu.net/news/article0022341.shtml). Vivien’s friend Alesandra, from Peru, is involved in tourism here and hosted 30 Peruvians at Vivien’s house the night I was there. I helped with preparations and serving food, etc., and got to practice my spanish!

The next morning I met with several researchers within ARIJ who were also very helpful.   

Then I headed back to Jenin. Below are several pictures I took along the way.

Above are 2 pictures of an Israeli settlement. They all look fairly similar to this, with very nice matching houses, a tall surrounding wall, security guards, etc., and always with a much higher standard of living than the Palestinian villages they surround. Settlements are one of the main barriers to a peace settlement, as they are increasingly making a Palestinian state (part of the 2-state solution model) impossible. These Israeli settlements are strictly illegal under international law - yet Israel continues to build them. All 15 judges on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have declared Israeli settlements illegal - not just a majority: every single judge. Additionally, these settlements are not only further confiscating Palestinian land - they use Palestinian water as well - of the estimated 75 million cubic meters (MCM) of water per year that these settlements use, 44 MCM comes from wells within the West Bank (World Bank). Below are pictures of Bedouin communities. Thousands of Bedouin have been and continue to be displaced due to the occupation.

The evening I returned I attended the premier of a documentary “Cinema Jenin” IN the actual Cinema Jenin, that’s right - picture below!

The film documents the cinema’s renovation 20 years after it closed due to the 1st intifada. It was surreal to watch a film about a cinema that I was sitting in; seeing dusty images on the screen of it falling apart, while simultaneously sitting in it’s beautifully renovated self, done almost completely by German and Palestinian volunteers. It was also very meaningful to the community because a central character in the film: Juliano Mer Khamis, was shot 5 times and killed in Jenin exactly 1 year ago, during the editing of the film. Juliano was a very influential leader in the non-violent resistance movement of Jenin. To this day it is not known who killed him.

To end on a lighter note, you might find it interesting how different Palestinians seem to be when it comes to paying for things when with friends. And it’s not just because I’m a foreigner (although it often does happen for that reason). Everyone is always fighting over who gets to pay for things, whether it be food, a movie or a taxi ride. It’s not like in the US where either 1) everyone goes to great lengths to calculate the exact amount that each person owes, or 2) people usually weakly argue out obligation. No, here they really mean it, even if it’s paying for dinner for 8 people, or a 30 shekel taxi ride - they mean it, and if you push too hard someone gets offended. (I’m not saying that no one in the US generously pays for things, of course that happens, I’m just talking about what appears to be a norm, at least for my generation.) It seems that turns are taken, but one would never say that, and it doesn’t seem like anyone keeps track, it just happens naturally. My friend Vivien has taught me to never say “I’ll pay you back” or “I’ll pay next time” - very offensive. I appreciate the generosity very much, although it is difficult for me to accept sometimes.

I'll conclude with a cute little girl who followed me around Beit Jala (village near Bethlehem) for quite a while. I don't know how she was wearing that sweater - it was so hot!

Again, don't forget that On the Ground is still accepting donations for olive trees and college scholarships! Visit their website: onthegroundglobal.org

Muslim Kindness

Last week after work I went home with Deena, one of my co-workers at Canaan. She and her family are wonderful. Deena has one brother and four sisters. She and her sisters Maram (17) and Haya (12), and their parents live in the village of Anza outside of Jenin. This village hosts a cooperative of the Palestine Fair Trade Association and supplies Canaan. Vivien Sansour, a Palestinian who helped organize the Run Across Palestine has written a beautiful profile of this community on Canaan’s website (along with several other village profiles): http://www.canaanfairtrade.com/images/Anza1.pdf

A devastating element of the visit was my camera battery dying before I could take more than 2 photos! I will definitely visit them again though, as I very much want to and they emphatically insist! - so I will take many photos next time. 

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! Last Wednesday was Mother’s Day here - always the first day of spring, very fitting I’m sure you can agree:) So, I went with Deena throughout Jenin as she shopped for her mother (and her sister Nour whose daughter is only 2). We stopped by Nour’s house in Jenin to give her a beautiful bouquet of flowers, then off to Anza! 

I could not have felt more at home. All the women showed me around their home, several yards (separated by short stone walls), and fantastic view. With Palestine being so hilly, there are gorgeous views almost everywhere. They, of course, have an olive tree, along with an impressive number of other vegetables and herbs. I seemed excited when they showed me gorgir (not sure about that spelling), a type of very tasty lettuce, so they picked a bunch and made a salata ("salad" - one of the very VERY few easy Arabic words) for dinner. Najia, Deena’s mother, prepares her own za’atar (the green herb I’ve shown in a previous post baked into bread) and lebane (salty cheese/yogurt combination - so good!). Below is the delicious dinner Najia made for us, and the flowers that Deena gave her for Mother’s Day.

After dinner, Maram and Haya had fun teaching me what seemed to be hundreds of Arabic words! I couldn’t get them to stop! I said “hallas” (enough) several times, but after a few minutes they would start again. It was very endearing. Their english is quite good, all students learn English here from first grade. 

Later, Najia taught me how to make a delicious cake I love that Deena made last week and brought to work.  I'm going to make it tomorrow and bring it to work for our Monday meeting. It’s simple and not dissimilar from cakes in the US, except for maybe fresh squeezed orange juice with oranges from the tree in their back yard! They also taught me all the ingredient names in Arabic. When the cake was finished Najia flipped it over and poured an entire cup of orange juice on it! It’s fantastic! I wish I had pictures to show, I will take many when I visit them again.

I learned a lot more about Deena as we whispered together before falling asleep. Then we were up early and off to work. Deena's father, Walid, left us chips, chocolate and juice, before he left for work (Deena told me does this every morning), and Najia packed xubz (bread in a circle shape with a hollow inside) with lebane inside and a cucumber. Way better than peanut butter and jelly ;-)

It is painful to know that so many around the world, hear “Muslim” and automatically think of terrorism and its forms and organizations. I don't blame this reaction, a small few have corrupted the peaceful interpretations of the majority. I just wish more could know the Muslims whom I know. When I hear “Muslim” I think of Deena’s family and the hundreds (it really has been hundreds with the Run Across Palestine) of other Muslims I have met here, in Ethiopia, and in the US who have been nothing but gracious and peaceful. I think of Maram who got me a pillow to put behind my back while I was sitting against the wall. I think of Laila and Deena who always call me "habibte" (sweetheart). I think of Osama who takes time out of his day at Canaan, several times, to pray. Some of the kindest and most generous people I have ever known have been Muslims. 

Run Across Palestine is still taking donations!! Please visit http://onthegroundglobal.org/.  

Office Life

Research continues to go well at Canaan Fair Trade offices each day. I’ve recently met with Nasser and now have a more solidified timeline. I should finish finding all the data that I need by the end of March. The first week of April will be spent meeting with Nasser and organizing the data into a presentable form. The latter part of April will include traveling to villages and interviewing farmers, gathering their experience with irrigation and more specifically a lack thereof, and how they could grow their industry if given access to water.

Canaan FT staff work hard and the office is very efficient, we have fun though, too! Lunch is always a nice break and we eat amazing food. Here are Fedaa, Osama and Omar having a morning snack of Za’atar. This is one of my favorite foods here, a pizza-dough-like crust with olive oil and za’atar. It’s delicious!

Osama is Canaan’s Supply Chain Manager. He studied Industrial Engineering at An Njah National University and is currently completing his MBA. It is my goal to give you a few serious insights into the lives of some of my co-workers, but Osama is quite the office comedian, I’m failing to pin him down to a serious comment on his life here. So far I’ve gotten, “there are no words to describe me”. So, there you go, that’s Osama! I’ll tell you more about Fida when I post about her entire family, I’m living on the 2nd floor of their home. Omar is Canaan’s Accountant. He studied Financial and Banking Science at the Arab American University. When I had a temperature of 104 degrees on the last day of the run, Omar drove me to his parent’s home, where his father, a doctor, nursed me back to health. I am so grateful!

Here is a filafal sandwich, also delicious.

Have you ever had a hot dog like this before?!

Vegetables here are so inexpensive! Probably because they haven’t been shipped across the globe but grown right in town. I got everything in this picture for 12 shekels = $3.21.

I write this from my balcony with a gorgeous view. I have finally moved into “my” apartment! I have a great roommate, Estelle. She is in her second year here, teaching French at a school in Zibabdeh.

Lastly and sadly, it is seeming likely that Israel will not let me stay past my initial 3 month Visa, they are not very fond of activists helping Palestinians. So I have changed my ticket to come home May 1st. I am dissapointed to leave early, but encouraged that I will be able to complete my research project. I will post it on the blog when I have finished!

Internship Begins

I am now in the third week of my internship. I am living in the home of a Christian family in the majority Christian village, Zibabdeh, just outside of Jenin. They have four floors to their home, this Saturday I will move into the 2nd floor/flat and live with a French volunteer (from a different organization). Everyone in this family speaks English, and they have been helping me with Arabic. It is so difficult! There are noises we don’t make in English, with parts of the throat I’ve never used. Some of my attempts have been the source of much laughter.

Jenin being a majority Muslim town with their Holy day on Friday, our work week at Canaan Fair Trade starts on Sunday and goes to Thursday, 8am to 5pm. Two daughters from the family I live with work at Canaan, as well. We leave the house at 7:20 each morning and walk to a garage of vans all going to Jenin, each van waits until it is completely full to depart. It’s 5 1/2 shekels to Jenin, we then take a different van from downtown Jenin to Canaan, in Burquin, for 3 shekels. It’s transportation like I’ve never experienced it. Many of the roads aren’t great, creating an obstacle course of pot holes and speed bumps (which are everywhere). Some roads have deteriorated so much that two lane roads have become a single lane, creating a Footloose tractor scene every time two cars meet (I always seem to be in the vehicle with the driver whose shoelace is caught in the pedal). All the passengers pass up their shekels, and everyone almost always needs change, so while the driver is driving (a standard), he grabs money from behind him, makes change, and passes it back. Suffice it to say I’m quite awake when I get to Canaan.

At 8am each day there is a quick meeting, each employee, and myself, give a short 30sec to 1 min update regarding what we’ll be doing that day. They sometimes start the meeting in English for my sake, but it always quickly switches to Arabic. 

I’m making progress in my research, though it is quite laborious. I am looking forward to aspects of the research that allow traveling to villages and meeting with farmers. The main focus of this research is the potential for growth in the olive industry of Palestine if farmers were to have access to water for irrigation, something most currently don’t have due to the occupation. Included under this umbrella are numerous other statistics and figures related to olive harvests and obstacles that farmers face. It will certainly take me until May to complete this research.

I am encouraged by the potential that this released research could have on informing policy, a report such as this has not yet been published. The founder of the Palestine Fair Trade Association and Canaan Fair Trade, Dr. Nasser Abufarha, meets with policy makers often, at the domestic and international level. My research, officially released by Canaan to the public, will also be used by Dr. Abufarha in policy informing opportunities.

I still have not received my camera or kindle that were taken from me by Israeli security at JFK (I’ve called several times). I borrowed a Canaan camera to take the photo below of me at my desk. I will include many more pics in later posts. 

The Run Across Palestine is still in need of donations. The Run may be over, but farmers still need trees, and their children still need scholarships. Please visit On the Ground’s website to donate!

Also, I am pursuing grants and scholarships to fund my six months here, yet all are very competitive. So, if you know of any opportunities please send them my way. If you know anyone who may be interested in donating or sponsoring this research please send them my blog and contact info. Thank you!

Click here to donate to internship costs.

My email: claire.everhart@gmail.com

Finished Run

Well the Run is finished! I had a temperature of 104 on the last day and only ran the finish. But the team did great and there was jubilation at Canaan Fair Trade when we finished. Canaan dedicated an olive tree to each of us and will send us the harvest from our tree for the next 3 years!

Here is a link to all the videos from the run! They are quite informative and wonderfully made - and short for all you busy people!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLACDE1E0A6ADDAA48

In the last week I have traveled from the southern Hebron hills in zone C to the northern example of hope in zone A. 

I have been warmly welcomed and taken care of by a village of Palestinians, only to learn that the day I left they were harassed by armed Israeli settlers escorted by military tanks. They remained peaceful throughout the encounter. 

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/component/content/article/28-news/4110-in-photos-armed-settlers-march-in-palestinian-village

I have been personally stopped by Israeli military and told that it is forbidden to run on the side of the road. My passport was taken, and my director and friend was arrested.

http://glenarborsun.com/israeli-military-stops-run-across-palestine-on-day-1/

I tried to plant olive trees in Beit Ummar with Palestinian friends on their land, only to be met with percussion grenades and tear gas. 

I’ve run by a wall that continues to perpetuate fear and separate 2 peoples that “bleed the same color” (as is written on the wall). Have we not learned from history? I’ve had to leave my friends on the other side, as they could not cross, even if they were born in Jerusalem. 

Instead of running the full 25 miles on day 4, I’ve had to board a bus to drive by an Israeli settlement that has a history of violence and aggression against peaceful Palestinians passing by.

In the end, even more than a political issue, this is a human rights issue. An entire nation’s existence is being threatened. I hope in this blog, to provide a small window into the world of the Palestinians. I want them to be more than a word one hears or reads in passing. They are a warm, welcoming and gracious people. They have a rich culture and meaningful traditions. I hope to make them more real to you. They are humans, just like us, and deserve to be understood. 

Please consider donating to the peaceful cause of the Run Across Palestine. Visit onthegroundglobal.org to donate. (And please like “Run Across Palestine” on facebook! It almost has 1000 likes!)

To donate to my internship costs click here: http://tinyurl.com/7r8tr3f

Zone C

Friday afternoon we arrived in the village of At' twani in the south Hebron hills, this is in a zone C area of the West Bank, meaning it is very controlled by the Israeli Army. Every day for this village is a struggle for existence, as the issues surrounding the conflict continually threaten their livelihood and ability to live there. We were welcomed with much joy and a very large banner reading "For the love of the olive Welcome to Palestine!". The minute we arrived there was a very enthusiastic unloading of the 500 olive trees we brought with us, we then planted 15-20 together with the villagers. That evening At' twani put on a program with several speeches, skits by students, musical performances, and dancing. 

On the road by 8am today, we made it 47min before we were stopped by the Israeli army. A journalist with us, Jacob Wheeler, has written a great article: http://glenarborsun.com/israeli-military-stops-run-across-palestine-on-day-1/.

We were able to run into Beit Ommar and received a similar welcome to that of At'wani. We were met with some resistance to planting trees with this village, as it was very close to an Israeli settlement, but we succeeded, and again enjoyed many festivities following. Both welcomes we have received have been quite overwhelming. We have been given beds, delicious food, endless offers of tea and coffee, and words of gratitude. The Palestinian non-violent resistance we have witnessed is truly inspirational. The reality of the occupation is always in the air here; sadly engrained in the lives and existence of this beautiful people and culture, but they do not give up!

I can see how the olive tree is so important to the Palestinian people. It is a symbol for them, they say their roots in this land go as deep as the olive tree - which is very deep considering trees live and produce for thousands of years! Purchasing trees for these villages to replace those lost due the occupation gives this people hope and a sense that they are not alone.