Celebration in Tuwani

I am leaving in a week, which seems unbelievable. Over the past week, Tuwani has been a really exciting place to be in as they've been celebrating a wedding. The festivities began on Monday night and lasted until Friday. Each night, the men and women would gather separately to celebrate. The women's parties consisted of singing traditional wedding songs as someone played the tabla (the Arabic drum). Then we would drink tea or juice, and then the cassette player would come out and the women would dance (and I loved joining in). I have never seen them so happy. It's not often the women have a chance to get together as they are taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, and cooking all day. So, when weddings happen, they live it up...our parties lasted until about midnight every night.

The day before the wedding, 11 families gave goats and sheep to be slaughtered for the occasion. I've mentioned this to some of you in the past, but as a meat eater, I think it's very important to see where your meat comes from. As a kid in the city, sometimes I thought hamburgers just magically appeared for my consumption. Watching the actual process of slaughtering an animal isn't something I enjoy necessarily, but it gives me a greater appreciation for the process and helps me to see meat as a rare gift, not a right.

As the women waited for the bride to arrive Friday evening (she is from the nearby town of Yatta), my team mates got a call from someone in the village that the Israeli army had set up a flying checkpoint near the entrance to Tuwani. I was imagining the bride's car being stopped by young Israeli soldiers on their way in...what an interesting way to start one's marriage. Luckily, the soldiers left before she arrived and the women greeted her and her new husband with loud ululations, singing and dancing. I am really thankful for times of celebration in this place.




My team mate Cristina dancing with some of the women from Tuwani.

Children showing off the organs of the goat before they are washed and cooked.

Applying henna before the wedding.

Henna after it has dried.

The Oddity of the Commonplace

Though this seems strange, I'm going to let CNN dictate what I write today. Last Saturday, a large action took place in the Palestinian village of Susiya (the same village I wrote about last week that's under threat of demolition). There were over 250 people, including three busloads of Israelis coming from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beer Sheva. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go as I was nursing the toilet in At Tuwani, but many Palestinians were greatly encouraged by the action and by the support they received from so many Israelis and internationals. There was also a lot of press present. Here is the link to a story done by CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2007/07/09/wedeman.mideast.cave.dwellers.cnn

Since I know the village and its history pretty well, I'm slightly critical of the piece, but it does give you an idea of what life is like in Susiya and some of the issues facing them.

As of now, the Israeli High Court has not made it's final decision regarding the fate of Susiya. A few days ago, I was sitting around with one of the Palestinian leaders in the area and my team mates as we were discussing what he would like us to do if/when Susiya is demolished. He said there are Palestinians in many villages keeping their eyes pealed for the transport of large bulldozers on the Israeli bypass road. As soon as anyone sees one, we'll be notified and get out to Susiya as quickly as we can, calling human rights organizations and press along the way. The strange thing about this conversation is that it seems normal... and I've been struck by the many things here that seem normal but just shouldn't be:

1. One of the two year olds in At Tuwani can now pronounce three words: Mama, Baba, and Jaysh (referring to the Israeli army)
2. A little girl told me yesterday about crying with her grandmother when her father was put in jail last year. He was arrested after he spoke at a nonviolent protest against the wall the Israeli army built near At Tuwani (he was charged with hitting a soldier...though the video footage shows he never even raised his hand).
3. A team mate had to go to the nearby Israeli police station yesterday to give testimony about settler violence against Palestinians that happened in Susiya in March. The same Palestinian man who was arrested last year jokingly asked her to tell his friends at the station "Hello."
4. Palestinians joke about the nearby jail being a five-star hotel because it has running water and electricity, whereas they do not.

These discussions are commonplace, and they and we joke about them to keep ourselves going. I don't know if people will be able to make jokes about the demolition of Susiya if it happens, but I expect there will be a lot of anger and tears when that day comes again. Pray for people here as they go on living and resisting oppression; they are much stronger than I. God give us all strength and, yes, even laughter.

Reading the News as a Spiritual Discipline

You'll notice I've added on the right side of the main blog screen a place for interesting websites and news articles concerning the situation here in Palestine and Israel. The Tabula Gaza blog is by an American citizen named Philip Rizk. Philip has been working in Gaza for the past couple years doing peace and conflict resolution work through the English Anglican church. He is currently working on a documentary on Palestinian nonviolence. I thought his insights and perspective would be good for those of you who are interested in what is happening in Gaza and the political scene here.

The issues here are really complicated and painful. I urge all of you to read many news sources (including those from outside the US) and keep an open mind to perspectives you don't understand. Even though I am here doing work in the West Bank, I don't completely understand the dynamics in Gaza and between the political factions at this time. We all have a lot to learn, myself included. As a friend recently wrote in an email to me, "I feel like it is becoming a spiritual discipline even to read the news these days, to choose to take in what is happening around the world, especially where you are."

Not Sexy Enough for the Press

This is something I just finished writing for CPTnet (CPT's list serve for information on current CPT projects). I spent the night in Susiya after this tour/action with another teammate in case there were any problems with Israeli soldiers or settlers. Thankfully, things were calm. However, I'm exhausted...time to sleep...


At-Tuwani Reflection: Not sexy enough for the press
30 June 3007
By Sarah Scruggs

I feel today was a historic day in the South Hebron Hills. As the world follows the sensationalized stories of violence and division between Hamas and Fatah, Palestinians in this rural part of the West Bank are uniting to nonviolently exert their right to live and work on their lands. Palestinians from many villages in the area, along with CPT , other internationals and a few Israelis, gathered together in solidarity with the village of Susiya which is under threat of demolition pending a decision by the Israeli Civil Administration. Young and old, women and men, all of them have stories of the horrible affects of the Israeli occupation on daily life and their efforts to stay on their lands. Today, I saw those stories converge into energy for unified action.

As we took shade under a tent in the late morning, one of the Palestinians spoke to the gathered group about what has been happening in Susiya over the last 20 years: confiscation of land by the Israeli army for Israeli settlements and army bases, house demolitions, violent attacks on Palestinians and their livestock by Israeli settlers, the lack of response from the Israeli police to such attacks, etc. He stressed that Susiya is an example of what is happening everywhere in the South Hebron Hills; the story of Susiya is everyone’s story. It is only by uniting together with a common strategy that real change will take place.

Following this speech, we ventured out into the hot sun to take a walking tour of the village. We visited actual sites of attacks and house demolitions as Susiya residents recounted their stories. Eventually, a group of Israeli army jeeps and soldiers joined our entourage. They were confused as to our purpose in walking around, but did not stop us. Israeli army units in the area change frequently; I wondered if any of them knew the history of the village and hoped they were listening to what the residents said. They followed us to a road which the Israeli army closed to Palestinian use. We stopped about 30 meters short of the barrier, which is the farthest any Palestinian has ventured on that road since its closure over five years ago. The group then returned to the tent for lunch.

What I learned from today is stories are powerful. Though today’s gathering and tour was a small beginning for unified Palestinian action in the area, it is laying the path for common stories and action in the future. This may not be sexy enough for the press to cover, but I believe it is the stuff people and governments around the world need to hear. I thank God for the chance to share their stories, and I pray for the day when Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills will not feel a need for the presence of CPT and other internationals as they go about daily life.

Tea as a Way of Life

It has taken me a little longer than I thought to be in a place where I had Internet access. The last eight days have been full of meeting old friends again and acquainting myself with new people. In both cases, these occasions call for many glasses of hot tea, with differing amounts of sugar added. It doesn't matter how blazing hot it may be outside, the hot tea will keep flowing. Even if you're out in the middle of a valley with a bunch of sheep, a shepherd may pull out a portable burner and serve you up a few glasses. It's as expected as a handshake would be in the States, and in many ways it's become a comfort drink for me.

A few days ago I was walking around taking photos of the Palestinian village of Susiya with my teammate Mary. As we passed by each group of tents, we would sit down with the family and drink a couple glasses of tea or so. I think by the end of that day I consumed at least 10 glasses. I also feel as though I consumed a life time of stories.

Over one glass of tea, I learned about the village goof ball whose fiance got so fed up with him after a week that she called off the wedding. The villagers are still laughing about that one. They jokingly asked if I would be interested in him...I told them I'd have to think about it for long time:) Another glass-full was time enough them to inform of all of the different types of vegetables they grow. One is called fagoos; it looks like a smaller version of squash but grows without any water. They also grow tomatoes, squash and cucumbers.

On our way to another group of tents and expected glasses of tea, one Palestinian told me he feels like a refugee on his own land. His family has lived there for generations, but their homes have been demolished by the Israeli army four times during the last 20 years. They have come back to their lands after each demolition, but their homes are nothing but tents and a few caves at this time. More and more of their land has been confiscated for Israeli settlements and army training areas, but they refuseto leave the land they have cultivated and cared for their entire lives.

An old man welcomed Mary and I to sleep at his family's tent for the night as we were planning to accompany some shepherds in the area early the next morning. His wife served us a glass of tea and told us about her husband's love of listening to the radio. One evening, the radio was so loud he didn't hear four Israeli settlers pass by his tent and enter his fields below. His wife was picking squash, tomatoes and fagoos when one of the settlers came behind her and threw the vegetables she had picked onto the ground. Her husband finally heard her screams confronting the settlers and came down. She hit one of the settlers and they hit her back. The Palestinian family made a complaint with the Israeli police, but nothing was ever done.

My consumption of tea and stories kept me up half the night as I tried to push away one of the village cats from curling up next to me (I'm allergic). They have joys and problems just as any community does, but their daily lives are punctuated with so much injustice. The next day I sat with a Palestinian family, a couple Israelis and Mary (drinking tea together, of course). One Israeli said people didn't really want to know the truth of what was happening in Susiya and other Palestinian villages in the South Hebron Hills. Ignorance is bliss. We will keep sharing the stories, though, and the villagers will persist in resisting being pushed off their land. And they will continue drinking tea with their guests, even in the heat of summer.



One group of tents in Susiya.

About Gaza and Hamas

This will be my last post for the next four or five days. I am sitting in CPT's flat right now in Yatta, which is just north of At Tuwani. Team members often come here to get reports out, take a shower, and use the Internet. I'll stay here tonight and head to the village tomorrow morning. I'm getting very excited to see the villagers again and see how much the kids have grown over the past year.

Many of you have asked about the Hamas takeover of Gaza and how that is affecting life here. Honestly, things are pretty quiet. Gaza and the West Bank are very different places. Hamas still has loyal members in the West Bank. Hebron is one such place, but the authorities and powerful families in the city made a pact that internal fighting would not take place. And so far that has been the case.

A Palestinian asked me today what I thought of what is taking place in Gaza. I told him I have never been there and don't really know what to think. So, I asked him his opinion. He said he is sad to see Palestinians fighting Palestinians and there are many factors that are intensifying the violence there. Gaza is a very poor place; the unemployment there is through the roof. Gaza has one of the highest population densities in the world...and with so many people on top of each other with no way to get out, small squables can escalate very quickly. He also said the United States wanted democracy in the Middle East; the democratic process played out in Palestine and the US didn't like the outcome. So, they with held aid in hopes that the Hamas-led government would crumble and the Palestinian people would realize that Hamas couldn't govern. However, the only thing they are realizing through this is that the US gets what it wants no matter how much the people suffer.

This is the only person I have talked to so far about the situation. I'm sure there are many differing opinions.

Finally in Jerusalem

It has been interesting trying to get to this place. I was supposed to leave Cairo on a bus the night of Saturday, June 16, arrive at the Egyptian/Israeli border the morning of Sunday, June 17, take a bus to Jerusalem, and arrive in the Old City around 1pm. Of course, you can never count on things working out as you planned when traveling in the Middle East:) Which is always a good lesson for me to revisit: I can't always control life around me.

Now for the story:

Cairo's information line gave my friend Mohamad wrong times for the bus and we missed it by an hour. The man at the bus ticket counter told us there was another bus headed towards the border at 7:15am (saba w roba). So, we decided to stay up all night...caught an Egyptian movie at the cinema, ate chicken panne sandwiches at Mo'men (one of Egypt's fast food chains), and met up with one of his friends who doesn't sleep much and smoked shisha. I caught a couple hours of shut eye while in Mohamad's car, but I was pretty exhausted by the time we got back to the bus station at 6:50am. At the bus station, the same man told us that we had missed the bus to the border by 5 minutes. Mohamad started to fight with him...the man had said 7:15am, it was written on the schedule that the bus was leaving at 7:15am, but he insisted he had told us 6:45am (saba illa roba). I finally left Cairo at 10:15am.

Thankfully, I got a good night's sleep last night at a hostel and am feeling pretty alert right now. My teammates in At Tuwani say they don't really need me until tomorrow. So, I think I may walk around for a bit and then go to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre and sit in silence and pray for a while. It will be good to slow down before I reach the village tomorrow.