Since the start of my program, I have attended weekly Peace-Building Leadership Seminars, or “PLS.” During PLS, the entire group of participants, who hail from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Jordan, the U.S., France, Germany, and Rwanda, sit in a circle and talk about anything related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two facilitators sit in the circle as well, yet they do not direct the discussion and they hardly speak.
In PLS, we can talk about anything we want. Usually the group starts the session in complete silence. No one wants to speak; it is uncomfortable. Everyone has bonded, and no one wants to enter a contentious discussion or hurt someone’s feelings. Questions that are asked include whether there should be one state here or two states, why people commit terror attacks, and whether Israel should be a Jewish state. It is not a fun discussion, to say the least. I have been offended by comments made in the circle, though I am trying to be an empathic listener.
I also question how effective the circle is; so far it has just resulted in hurt feelings. I do not know what progress will be made or even what progress looks like. First of all, topics jump around the circle; conversations often lack focus. Secondly, and most importantly, none of us has extreme viewpoints, and we do not represent all of the voices present in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For example, most of the Israelis and international students are left-leaning and secular. The pessimist in me wonders how an unrepresentative group can make progress and whether it is possible for a small group of people to make a difference on such a complex issue. I feel a bit lost right now in PLS.
Last weekend, we all took a PLS trip to the West Bank and Tel Aviv/Yafo to delve more deeply into the conflict. First, we stopped in the village of Al-Twaneh, which is south of Hebron in the West Bank. The head of the village council and two representatives from an Israeli-Palestinian NGO spoke to us. Hearing the story of Al-Twaneh and seeing the injustices firsthand were among the most jarring experiences of my life. I had to confront the uncomfortable.
Al-Twaneh is a Palestinian village in Area C of the West Bank, and the Israeli settlement of Ma’on neighbors Al-Twaneh. There is a vast difference between Al-Twaneh and Ma’on. From afar, I can see the Jerusalem stone of Ma’on, houses, a bus stop, and cars parked on a paved road. In contrast to Ma’on, cars in Al-Twaneh looked worn and a few cars had rock-sized dings in them (perhaps these were from violent settlers) and roads were just gravel. No bus stops outside Al-Twaneh. A doctor only visits Al-Twaneh once a week.
Al-Twaneh is one of the only villages in Area C of the West Bank with water and electricity. (The Israeli government, which controls Area C of the West Bank, often does not approve infrastructure plans for Palestinian villages, so it is actually very rare for a Palestinian village in Area C to have developed infrastructure.) Al-Twaneh is a third-world city in a first world country. Furthermore, anything that is not a part of Al-Twaneh’s master plan, which was previously approved by the Israeli government, is forbidden and is subject to demolition if built. Al-Twaneh cannot expand from its current village limits.
To make matters even worse, Ma’on settlers often mistreat and violate the rights of the villagers in Al-Twaneh. According to the head of the Al-Twaneh village council, at one point settlers in Ma’on poisoned the soil where Al-Twaneh’s sheep graze, and most of the sheep died. A few settlers from Ma’on threw rocks at Palestinian children walking to school, leading Israeli soldiers and volunteers from NGOs to escort the children to school every day. I do not know how someone could commit these actions in the name of my religion.
How can I move forward from here? I am proud of my Zionism, and I stand for human rights, tikkun olam (repairing the world), and a two-state solution. Yet, I cannot ignore the atrocities that right-wing settlers commit against their fellow men. I must condemn the Israeli government for their lack of morality for not punishing the settlers’ behavior, not providing better infrastructure in the Area C, and not investing in a better, more sustainable future for the region.
Each day that I am here, I am confronted with more and more of the complexities. There are hard questions with no easy answers. I will not disavow my love of Israel, but I can call for a change in the status quo. Still, I do not know where to go from here.
Pictures: 1) Separation wall by Beit Jala, Area C of the West Bank 2) Al-Twaneh 3) Ma'on