Next stage

I am feeling hopeful now - and sorry that I have missed blogging for a few days - no access to computer. Now I am in Tel Aviv, and my travelling companions these past 10 days have scattered, but not without making plans to work for an end to the military occupation of the West Bank. We spent several days talking with Israelis who we can support.
"Combatants for Peace" is a growing organization of men and women, former members of the Israeli Defense Force and the Palestanian resistance who no longer believe force will bring a solution. They are creative, energetic and committed to doing things a new way. Their stories are poignant.
We met Palestinians who have been evicted from their homes, articulate women from a neighborhood that borders a growing Orthodox Jewish area in East Jerusalem (disputed territory). About 16 families have recently been affected on two streets - they had been up-rooted from their homes in West Jerusalem in 1948 and the Jordanians gave them these houses. They were forcibly moved, their furniture taken out, and that same day settlers moved in. We attended a demonstration in support of their cause, attended by about 200 - I held a sign in Hebrew saying "Stop Israeli policies that are racist." This particular location is organized every Friday, so the police, IDF, displaced persons, and demonstrators know the routine. Young boys come and sell beverages. The crowd is orderly, all ages, lots of international included. I talked to two Israelis that had formerly lived in Ohio! They both believe the house-grab actions taken by their goverment are wrong. I also talked to a diplomat and a Fulbright scholar - quite a mix of people seeking change.
Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions took us on a walking tour of an older Jewish neighborhood, explaining Zionist motives and history. Then we heard a riveting 2 hour overview by an economist about how Israel's policies have intensified every decade since the 6-day war (1967)- and the expense of the occupation both to Israel and the international community - I kid you not, he made it interesting! After supper, an artist/psycho-therapist who helped organize "Women in Black" talked to us about the way the Israeli activists support one another. These women have held weekly vigils since 1993 and also been observers at check points.
The Presbyterian General Assembly will take up these issues in July, and I know this trip has given me valuable insights to share.