The group of eighteen people, led by Richard Jones from Bible Lands, were on a ten day visit to the Holy Land. The group had spent the morning at The Four Homes of Mercy, Bethany and the early afternoon at the Mount of Olives. We had, of course, noticed the sharp contrast between the shabby poverty of Bethany and the  wondrous views from the Mount of Olives . It was Friday and Jerusalem was tense as  streams of Muslim worshippers walked their path of prayer. 

Nora Kermi and Tina Whitehead, from Sabeel, climbed onto our bus to lead us on our own path of prayer. We were to go part way along the Contemporary Way of the Cross, developed by Sabeel, as a way of viewing present day events, prayerfully, through the experience of the suffering Christ. These stations of the cross were to show to us the obstacles to a longed for peace in Palestine and to show, through Christ, that suffering can make us stronger and firmer in faith and need not lead to despair. 

The first place we stopped at overlooked a beautiful valley in which were gently placed the houses of the village of Lifta. There were olive trees and a central pathway that led to a spring. Along this path could be seen a steady stream of Jewish families going to the stream for purification. All but two of the houses were empty. The original Palestinian Muslim and Christian inhabitants fled, or been killed,  during the “al- Nakba” when, after the failure of the UN partition plan suggested in 1947, Jewish military groups began to take large areas of Palestine by force. In Lifta a bomb had been thrown into a coffee shop next to the mosque; the reaction from the Muslims was violent and a final massacre brought the village to an end. Why the village has not been totally demolished is not known. Perhaps it is because it is particularly beautiful in spring time. 

A View of Lifta

We prayed:

Although the dark night of oppression has been long, the dawn of justice will soon shine.May God work through people of good will to bring about a genuine peace based on justice and mercy so that forgiveness and reconciliation will prevail for all the people of Palestine.

Amen.

Station Two

We drove to a prosperous looking Palestinian area where a family had built a four storey house, some of which they let out to tenants.  They had built an extension one metre over the limit allowed and for this they had been fined. The extension was taken down and instead the family asked for and gained permission to build upwards.  Two months previous to our visit the family were woken by soldiers at 4 a.m. All the family and tenants were taken out. They were not allowed to take anything with them – even medicine for the owner of the house suffering from diabetes. They were forced the short distance down the hill,  to the main road. Sabeel personelle came along to support the family and the surrounding community. Within 48 hours the house was totally flattened. The family were sent to bill for the demolishment.

The demolished dwelling surrounded by intact neighbours

We praise you, Holy God, that you bring new life out of grief and loss.

In your mercy, Comfort all who have lost their homes Through persecution, war, exile, Or deliberate destruction.

Give them security, a place to live, And neighbours they trust To be, with them, a new sign of peace to the world. 

We drove down an unsurfaced road towards a group of houses crowded together on a hill. Children threw stones at the coach and Nora, our leader from the Sabeel organisation, lent out of the coach reprimanding them sharply. We walked up to the house we were visiting, passing a house flying the Jewish flag. Its Palestinian neighbour’s house had a large wooden shed hiding its front door and two large tents taking up most of the front yard. The tents were occupied by peace workers from America and England. We were welcomed to the home of the Al Kurd family. With the help of an interpreter the mother of the family,  Fawzieh Al Kurd, spoke to us. It both painful and inspiring  to hear the struggle her family were having to stay in the home the family had lived in since 1956. Their struggle was one of many in Palestine, in which ownership of the land is contested; land which is greatly desired to house new Jewish settlements. This particular conflict had began in 1967 and was being fought out in the courts; however the difficulties of living out the conflict was here, in the Al Kurd’s back yard. A few weeks after we arrived back in England we saw on the internet that they had, in fact, been evicted from their home. 

The Al Kurd’s back yard

We prayed

God of mercy and compassion, Of grace and reconciliation, Pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East.

Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces,and peace and justice experienced by all. 

Amen.