I have successfully met up with my travelling companions for the next phase of my travels. This is a group led by a Brit who works with the Israel Committee Against Housing Demolitions (there is an ICAHD US affiliate also). There are 12 of us from the US, Wales, England - one other Presbyterian (layperson from Santa Barbara), all interested in getting an up-close view of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, most have human rights background, most have not been in Israel before. We got settled into our Bethlehem hotel and heard from the manager about the flux in tourism - their #1 income source - according to political realities. This city is on the southeast doorstep of Jerusalem, but it is separated and nearly encircled by the (in)famous wall. I have a nice room, and meals are served on the top 4th floor with panoramic views of the area.
We began the day at the headquarters of ICAHD- and then walked through the Old City looking at the intentional placement of Jewish settlements in the Muslim Quarter. The history of the Jewish Quarter and the economics of the Old City are complex too. After lunch, we looked over the city at the winding wall and our guide talked about rationales for the zigging boundary - keep the most land in West Jerusalem and the least Palestinians, basically the larger strategy in line drawing. Saw the contrast of basic city services in West and East Jerusalem, also drowe into a settlement for a look/ quite modern and landscaped. One country or two? Arguments for both - sorry, I'm pretty tired and there was a whole lot of information to absorb. Fortunately, I have materials to bring home. We had a Palestinian dinner at the site where a Palestinian home has been demolished three times...and heard from the landowners. It is next to a Bedouin encampment, on the edge of Anata...a very poor Muslim town, which the prophet Jeremiah called home. His word from God seems to apply: I am not interested in your sacrifices when justice is not done to the poor. A very rich day of uncovering another layer.
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