The situation here is bad, worse than ever: In the past week alone, 11 Palestinians were killed, dozens were wounded, 60 of their homes were demolished, and we cannot even quantify the ongoing abusive behavior by settlers and soldiers, the closure-related upheavals, and trauma. And on the Israeli side, there was the grisly bludgeoning of the two young settler boys and bombs that did not explode, thank goodness.
In light of the unprecedented level of violence, the relative powerlessness of the Palestinian community, and ministers within the very government of Israel calling upon the army to ‘finish the job properly’, there is no humane or moral alternative but to call upon the international community to do everything in its power to protect the Palestinian residents of the occupied territories from further brutality. Those of us who have visited the territories of late are sickened by the sights. I can only urge all of you to convey this demand to your representatives.
Local Efforts
On the ground, efforts continue to awaken Israeli and international opinion. What follows is a quick mention of several recent actions for peace that you did not hear about in the media. More took place, but I wanted to get at least this report out before I leave for 2 weeks:
Nonviolent Direct Action: Breaking The Closure
This is spreading on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides. In Israel, the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace benefited from an excellent workshop given one week ago by 3 members of the Michigan Peace Team – Charlotte Whitney, Peter Dougherty, and Bill Thomson.
Yesterday we were able to put it into practice what we learned in an action co-sponsored by the Coalition of Women, but brilliantly orchestrated by members of Ta’ayush: Arab-Jewish Partnership. In a convoy of 60 cars and trucks, 240 Israelis drove across the Green Line and into two Palestinian villages under siege, bringing food, clothing, and children’s toys. The army did not impede our progress, knowing that it would only magnify the injustice of the closure to those watching.
We were greeted with great warmth and hospitality by the Palestinians. This was an important action – it was both humanitarian and made a vivid political statement.