Tuesday we marched to the Capitol, carrying pictures of Gazan children who have been killed in the conflict. Those leading our march spoke the names of Gazans who were killed before their first birthday.
When we reached the Capitol we read first person accounts of parents, doctors and journalists from Gaza who have experienced unimaginable loss. We read a declaration of our delegation and we offered prayers of lament.
As people walked by, some nodded. Others raised their arm in solidarity. And…a number of American Palestinians and American Jews who happened to be walking by (they were in DC to do their own lobbying work) stopped, smiled, took pictures , waved and even joined us.
What difference will our delegation make? It’s a question I (Chris) feel myself asking over and over. In a city full of lobbyists - so entrenched in powerful systems, what difference might we make? I doubt we’ll ever know the answer to that question. But one thing we could see today was that our presence, and the presence of others working for peace, was a mutual gift. And not a small one.
With every person we have met with we have heard two words: thank you.
Take 2. We keep running into some difficulties getting all of the videos to load. So…let’s try again.
We might not be sleeping well.
This update is a bit longer, but there is a lot to say. Here are some larger reflections on our first few days here.
This morning we are off to Ramallah to hear from some friends of our tours - Sam Bahour and Military Court Watch as well as a couple of other voices. We hope to be able to shoot an update at lunch (early morning EST) tech permitting.
Let’s try this again. The WiFi and network aren’t always totally reliable- and there’s plenty of room for user error ;)
Our first update from Bethlehem.
Our delegation came together last night night - 24 folks from across the US. This morning we are headed to Jerusalem.
Things can get a little goofy when the two of us are involved. #outtakes #bloopers
Jerusalem is full of sites considered holy. That may seem obvious for a city so central to three religions. We happened upon the Church of the Flagellation and Church of the Condemnation -- a Franciscan monestary with two chapels. One dedicated to the place where Jesus was believed to be flogged and the other to the place where Jesus took up his cross. These are traditionally the second station of the cross on the Via Delorosa.
It was a quiet moment in the evening when we happened to walk by and quite beautiful as this city often can be.
Just hanging out in Jerusalem
We walked through parts of the Old City to record short videos of interesting spots. Here we are on top of the Marionite Convent which offers incredible views of the city (Josh is not taking a pic, but recording a video about the Church of the Sepulchre which we'll post later).
"to continue to believe in justice"
Yesterday we arrived in Israel and shortly afterward met with Daoud Nassar - a Palestinian who owns his family's 100 acre farm on a hilltop SW of Bethlehem. The farm is in Area C - a designation that puts it under the control of the Israeli military, and because it is desirable land (desirable for building an Israeli settlement), Daoud has faced consistent challenges to his ownership so that his land might be taken.
Here's a short clip from our interview that touches on the consistent challenges his family faces and part of what drives him to continue to fight.
A full podcast and other clips will be available in the weeks ahead. You can learn more about the farm (Tent of Nations) here: vimeo.com/504791192
