Whose side is God on?

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1

My goal prior to arriving here in Israel/Palestine was to try and remain objective. It is difficult with all the we are seeing and hearing. As I read the gospels it seems apparent that Jesus would favor the oppressed. The Palestinians definitely seem to be the oppressed people. They can't go where they want, they are harassed by the Israeli settlers and soldiers at just about every turn, and many seem to be suffering from extreme poverty. The unemployment rate in the Hebron area is about 45% and many say that is a low estimate. It is evident as we walk around the city when the merchants literally beg us to buy their products. Many of the Palestinian shops have been closed by force since the occupation and many are closed because they just can't make any money.

At the same time the Jewish settlers who live in the city, with the armed military surrounding their neighborhood (1500 soldiers to watch over 400 settlers), which appear to be more like condominiums in the U.S., have their own roads and are allowed to come and go freely.

Today we had a nice walking tour of the city. The location in Hebron which brings to light the entire conflict is the Tomb of the Patriarchs - thought to be built over the tombs of Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Jacob. It is regarded as a sacred place by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Part of the great wall around it dates back to 20 B.C. Through the centuries it has been a church, a mosque, a temple. It has been the sight of much blood shed over the years, the most recent in 1994 when a Jewish doctor entered the mosque and opened fire killing 29 Muslim worshipers. The city has been under strain and conflict ever sense. Today the building is divided up between the mosque and a Jewish synagogue. Today we visited the mosque, going through several checkpoints overseen by many several armed soldiers.

Later in the day we visited the Qurtuba School, a Palestinian school for children grades 1 through 6. The school is located right across the street from one of the Jewish settlements. Through the recent years the children have been harassed by the settlers as they walk to and from school. Twice the school has been set on fire, their garden torn up many times, all within sight of the Israeli soldier checkpoints. One of CPT's primary responsibilities here in Hebron has been escorting the children to and from school each day. The principal, Reem AL Shareef, was happy to report that with the help of CPT and other internationals watching over the children, there has not been a child injured going to or from school since 2006. As a result the enrollment of the school has gone from 70 students to 155 students.

Despite all the horrendous stories we have heard the past several days, the Palestinian people that we have talked with, especially the women, including the principal of the school today, seem to be a very strong, courageous, and resilient people. For the most part they also seem hopeful. The people that we have talked with in Hebron all say that there seems to be a lot less tension than in quite some time. The current group of soldiers that has been assigned here (they are assigned for four month periods) seem to be a much less aggressive group. We found that to be true today as we engaged in conversation with several of them. Yet the people of Hebron have learned within the past day or two that Israel has approved plans to build another settlement here in the city of Hebron.

Whose side is God on? Good question. Jesus said, "blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the oppressed, the merciful, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."

Well, time for dinner. Home made spaghetti tonight!

In Christ,
Dick

Wed. 7/28, 7:00 p.m. Hebron time