Six Months in Palestine: The Conflict & Fair Trade

Finished Run

2012-02-13T00:02:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-04T12:38:00.001-08:00

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.

2012-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

What a 26hrs! I was prepared to be 'interrogated' once I got into Tel Aviv, but I wasn't expecting it at ,JFK! Before you can even go to the counters to get your boarding pass with El Al airlines (whose motto is: "it's not just an airline, it's Israel"), you first have to pass several questions asked of you by a line of airline agents, who I found out later are almost all straight out of the Israeli Army. Well, they didn't like my answers. I was passed off to 3 different agents for questioning, by the time I was with the 3rd female agent there were 5 men behind her listening intently. They then escorted me to a room far from the ticket desks. In this room I sat on one side of a wall, while on the other side they searched through all my bags--for over an hour, while periodically questioning me further. In the end they confiscated my camera and kindle, which they say they will send along on the next flight. I was then escorted to the plane. Phew.

I then slept through most of the next 10 hour flight, and was interrogated again in Tel Aviv--for over 30min. This time everything I said was typed into a computer. Both interrogations occurred likely because I'm not a tourist; I have a letter of acceptance for a marketing internship in Jenin. Imagine if I had said I was doing research regarding the conflict! I then waited for close to an hour until they finally brought me my passport and let me go. After a very long taxi ride in which I almost had to get out and walk because the driver couldn't find my hostel and wanted to give up, I am now here!

I just finished repacking all my bags as everything was thrown around after the search. The rest of the team gets here tomorrow. Meetings on Friday, and the run starts Saturday!

Click here (http://tinyurl.com/6rmyuuw) to donate to the Run Across Palestine.

Click here (http://tinyurl.com/7r8tr3f) to donate to my internship costs.

By the way, some things may look a little odd in this blog because Hebrew reads from right to left.

Morning of Departure

2012-01-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

I leave today! My bags are packed, I have several copies of all important documents, and my passport is in my zipped jacket pocket.

I have learned that due to the occupation, it is very difficult for the Palestinians to obtain the most basic kitchen accessories. So, thanks to Global Village Collection I now have several towels, napkins, pot holders, etc., to give to families I meet. I also have crayons and paper for children.

I will have limited internet access throughout the run, but will post whenever I can. If you'd like email updates from On the Ground you can sign up here.

I should land in Tel Aviv at 5:15pm (10:15am here) on Wednesday.

Next time I post I'll be in Palestine! Insha'Allah (God Willing)

Click this link (http://tinyurl.com/6rmyuuw) to donate to Run Across Palestine
Click this link (http://tinyurl.com/7r8tr3f) to donate to my internship costs.

Olive Tree Significance

2012-01-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

Below is a link to a great interview with Vivien Sonsour. Vivien works with Canaan Fair Trade & the Palestine Fair Trade Association (2 orgs I will be interning with). This interview sheds much light on the situation that I am entering into. I strongly encourage you to listen.

http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/2012-01-04/palestinian-organic-farmers-gaining-acess-global-market-through-fair-tra

Click this link (http://tinyurl.com/6rmyuuw) to donate to Run Across Palestine.
Click this link (http://tinyurl.com/7r8tr3f) to donate to my internship costs.

2012-01-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you for coming to my blog. I will be interning with the Palestine Fair Trade Association (http://www.palestinefairtrade.org/) from the beginning of February to the end of July. My main responsibility will be researching the water rights issues between Palestine and Israel, and wild boar devastation of Palestinian agriculture. I will be working from the Canaan Fair Trade (http://www.canaanfairtrade.com/) offices in Jenin, a northern city in the West Bank. My living arrangements are not yet solidified.

February 4th - 8th I will participate in the Run Across Palestine (http://onthegroundglobal.org/projects/run-across-palestine/). This endeavor consists of 5 runners, each running 25 miles a day for 5 days across the West Bank. We will start from the southern town of T'wani and end in the northern town of Jenin, where I will live. Funds raised from this Run will purchase olive trees for Palestinian farmers, and educational scholarships for their children.

If you are in Delaware, Ohio next week you can come to Beehive Books on Wednesday (25th) at 7pm. I will recap my Run Across Ethiopia, with clips from the documentary, and tell you more about my upcoming Run and stay in Palestine (come with questions and I'll try to answer them in my blog!). There will be refreshments, and Beehive will have several books on the issue.

Would you like to help?
You can...

- Donate to Run Across Palestine (Click this link: http://tinyurl.com/6rmyuuw). Funds will purchase olive trees for Palestinian farmers and scholarships for their children.

- Donate to my internship costs (Click this link: http://tinyurl.com/7r8tr3f). As the Palestine Fair Trade Association is a small non-profit in an impoverished area they cannot afford to fund my internship. Donated funds will go towards my airfare and travel within the West Bank, along with food for the 6 months (housing is provided by PFTA).

- If you're in Delaware, Ohio - buy our Fair Trade products from Palestine at Global Village Collection! Especially be sure to try our Olive Oil - it's amazing! www.globalvillagecollection.org