“The y took our land, our homes, our clothes, our food, our culture, then they took my friend who was not involved in politics and his burnt body was found 2 days later”. So said a 15 year old Palestinian student and he also spoke of how he did not feel safe on the streets or at home. But he and his fellow students expressed solidarity. Being Muslim or Christian did not matter. They had great hope for the future and wanted to make Palestine the best country in the world!
We also met staff and students at Al-Quds University and heard about pointless check points within the West Bank itself. We were very aware of the separation wall and the enormous difficulties it creates.
Rabbi David Rosen spoke of two traumatised nations with a breakdown of trust. He compared the current situation to a badly arranged Catholic marriage. He said that It was unjust to expect the oppressed to engage but the parties could be encouraged with wise carrots to take the risks.
It was astonishing to hear that international intervention has consistently ignored the local religious leaders who in fact often do work together. He said that the situation could not be compared to South Africa as it was not based on race and ethnicity. He said it was closer to Northern Ireland. The problem of settlements in the West Bank must be addressed. We saw for ourselves the situation in the mosque in Hebron where a synagogue has been placed next to the tombs of the patriarchs.
There was a message of hope in our encounters with Archbishop Suheil Dawani, the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem and his wife . We heard of the work of hospitals and clinics and of local interfaith work where Christians have a vital role. Religion can be part of the solution not the problem. The visit of Pope Francis had sent a powerful message of peace. The Archbishop stressed the importance of embracing the Middle East. The West must not neglect the Christian presence in the Holy Land who are living stones and many are suffering poverty because there are no jobs.
“The settlers are on the hills but the Arabs are in the land. “ We heard too from local women about the harassment they face and the illegal demolition of homes. The message was “be strong and be patient”.
A disturbing visit to Yad Vashem the Holocaust memorial and museum was followed by an encounter where we learnt that the museum is built on the site of a Palestinian village. There is nothing in the museum to suggest this. One began to get an understanding of the Jewish transference of the holocaust experience into an attack on local Palestinians. We went to Deir Yassin where the massacre of Arabs happened in 1948.While it is obvious that all of the millions of refugees (and many have been refugees since 1948!) cannot return, some solution must be found. These are very complex issues and it would be wrong to draw simplistic conclusions but would it be too much to ask for apology and some reparation?
The discussions on the place of Jesus in the two faiths, prayer and the lecture on the historical context given by the course director Revd Rodney Aist all helped to stimulate discussion and dialogue.
Can holy places by shared? We visited the Chapel of the Ascension , the tomb of Mary, the tomb of Lazarus and Hebron. It was valuable to visit the mosques as well as the churches. Throughout the time together we were very conscious of our Muslim friends going very early in the morning and at every opportunity to the Al Aqsa mosque to pray. This is the third most important site for them and prayers there are multiplied 10,000 times. It was an enormous privilege to go into the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock both astonishing buildings.
For the Christians the liturgies in St George’s cathedral and the college helped to bond us together and there was a memorable Eucharist by the sea outside the Church of the Beatitudes attended by the whole group. Going early on Sunday morning to the Holy Sepulchre we were able to experience Coptic, Armenian and Ethiopian Orthodox liturgies. At the final station on the Via Dolorosa just outside the Holy Sepulchre outside the Coptic Orthodox church there are large banners showing the martyrdom of 21 Copts in Libya – a chilling reminder of the on-going persecution of Christians.
Visiting Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee put things into a different context. At Nazareth we heard passages from the Quran about Mary. At the sea itself our Muslim friends washed and prayed at the sea shore while others paddled or spent time in contemplation.
We learnt a lot and we grappled with difficult and sensitive issues. The message of this time together is that we can share so much and live well together. We need to build on what is already in existence and promote more local joint projects. The Palestine/Israel issue needs to sensitively addressed in our interfaith forums. It has tended to be overshadowed by IS but until this is resolved there cannot be peace in the region.
The course will be repeated 10-17 March 2016 at the college which is an excellent place to stay. www.sgcjerusalem.org
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