More Hebron...

Though it actually only takes 30 minutes to get from Bethlehem to Hebron, it feels like a whole different world there. Hebron is considered the most volatile city in the West Bank due to all the political tension caused by Palestinians and extremist settlers living side-by-side. The city is actually split into two different areas: H1 (Palestinian controlled) and H2 (Israel controlled) which makes for a very interesting dynamic. Rarely do tourists visit the area and you definitely do NOT tell Israeli boarder patrol that your travels will include a visit to Hebron if you'd like to be let in the country.

 While in Hebron, we got to hear many different narratives ranging from that of the Deputy Governor of Hebron, to a human rights representative from an organization called B'Tselem to a Hebron Jewish Community settler. Hebron is home to the "Tomb of the Patriarchs" which is the 2nd holiest sight in Judaism and the 4th holiest sight in Islam. This "Cave of Machpelah" was originally purchased by Abraham (important to Jews, Muslims and Christians) as a burial place for his wife Sarah. It later also became the burial place for Abraham himself, Isaac and Rebekkah, Jacob and Leah, and is thought to be the "threshold to the Garden of Eden" (Adam & Eve supposedly buried there as well). Though visitors cannot enter these caves out - of respect for the patriarchs and matriarchs - there is an area where you can look down into the candlelit caves from the mosque above.

This holy site itself, like the city of Hebron, has been split to be both al-Ibrihimi mosque and Ma'arat HaMachpelah synagogue. Isaac & Rebekkah's memorials may be seen in the mosque; Jacob and Leah's memorials may be seen in the synagogue; and both sides have access to the memorials of Abraham and Sarah. Like all around Hebron, there is very high security (in the form of Israeli soldiers) guarding this holy site. To enter into either side of the Tomb of the Patiarchs, we had to go through several checkpoints & had to leave our Palestinian friends in order to  enter the synagogue because Arabs are not allowed inside.

Our first day (which was quite rainy) was spent in Palestinian section (H2) of the Old City. Because of Israeli military orders, most of the shops in this ancient city are closed, causing it to be somewhat of a Ghost town. This has obviously cased huge loss for the Palestinian people. Additionally, Palestinians endure a lot of unwarranted hatred and abuse from their settler neighbor. Obviously not being able to go to certain areas within the city or having to enter your home though the window because your front door is technically in H1 can be quite humiliating, though also the Palestinian Hebronites are often attacked by the settlers.....who are considered to be the most extreme in all of Israel and Palestine.

So what was it like to visit the Hebron settlement, a place where Americans rarely get to visit??  -- slightly unnerving, as you can probably imagine. Not only are there nearly 1000 settlers living in the area, many with humongous families, there are ~2000 soldiers stationed in Hebron (their least favorite place to work) to protect the settlers. Also, nearly every settler (of any age) is armed at all times. Needless to say, we remained keenly aware of what questions we were asking, what information we were sharing, what image we were presenting and how we were coming off while interacting with these Israelis.

Quite different from our previous settlement visit to Efrat, we encountered views and actions even more extreme. At one point en route to a lecture, we witnessed young settlers  (7 or 8 yrs old) throwing stones at our Palestinian friends and yelling, "Mohammed is a pig" in Arabic to try and taunt them. This might be one of the most difficult things we've experience so  because it's hard to fathom how these young children are being taught so much violence and hatred. It is perhaps these individuals who need the MOST love. Though at points, it felt like we were only hearing evil when speaking with the Israeli Hebronites, we worked really hard to just listen with a sense of compassion and empathy (in attempt to continue in our roles as healing agents).

Besides our times with the settlers, we had a lot of really enriching encounters too. As I mentioned, we got to speak with the Deputy Governor of Hebron (after running into the US Consulate the day before) and also got to visit the oldest tree in the world: a 4750 yr old oak that supposedly Abraham sat under once-upon-a-time. We also took a trip to the glass factory which was really neat, and in case you were wondering, YES - we definitely got to meet the cave dwellers. Probably a bit different than what you're envisioning because they do not have extraordinarily long and whispy hair nor run around in loin cloths with big clubs and sticks. However, they do live very simple lives (similar to what I saw in Nepal...which made it difficult to remember to speak in Arabic :)), sleeping in caves and living out of tents (picture Bedouins). The village of Gwein consists of 56 people (mostly family members) who have remained in that village as a form of non-violent resistance. Since they are not allowed to build on the land,  they have no choice but to live in caves and work as shepherds, depending heavily on their own livestock to sustain them. We had a really amazing morning with these ever-so-loving people, hearing their life stories, drinking Arabic coffee made from scratch, walking around their small village and enjoying a wonderful feast. During that trip, we also stopped in the villages of Susya & Twani where we got to see a bio-digester which had been installed earlier in the week by one of our abroadmates and speak with some international observers whose job is to serve as a presence in the region as a protection for the Palestinian people against the settlers. One of these was a Norweigan woman who has offered to share her blog (anneskaardal.wordpress.com) which does a fantastic job depicting the situation in the Hebron area.

Definitely a difficult week, but valuable nonetheless. Yes, I witnessed a Palestinian being beaten by Israeli soldiers. Yes, we saw the place where settlers dump trash & occasionally acid on the Palestinian people below. Yes, we were questioned by various Israeli military jeeps while visiting near-by villages. Yes, I heard settler children screaming obscenities to try and provoke violence from the Palestinans around me. And yes, we heard some very radical ideas, whether that was the call to prayer being perceived as a terrorist threat or that Palestinians are not actually a real people & have pulled off "the biggest PR stunt in history." BUT, even though it was a challenging week, it was good to see the area and experience the tension in Hebron to understand the conflict even further. Not many groups have done what we have done which is exciting & it's been interesting to hear so many different narratives and to be able to witness many of these first hand. And, our time in Hebron only made our return to Bethlehem all the sweeter.

This week, we are definitely looking forward to another couple days "working hardly" at PWLS before heading to JERUSALEM this Thursday -- "inshallah" (God willing :)). We'll spend six days in this incredible city and look forward to seeing all of the holy sites, hearing more narratives and spending time in an area so important for so many people, of many different faiths. "Alhamdulillah" (thanks be to God).

                                                                                                --Heather