February 17, 2003 — Mudeif Productions

Today we had visitors from the World Council of Churches. Last August, they began the implementation of a program called Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel. For the past five months, volunteers have been coming and linking themselves with local organizations in an effort to provide protection for civilian populations and to deal in advocacy issues in their home countries. Last month, someone came to explore possibilities in the Zababdeh/Jenin area. Now, we are looking towards having a team placed here in Zababdeh to provide support to the region. Four people came - the program's director, a current volunteer, and two friends who simply wanted to visit the area. They are looking towards the middle of next month as potential implementation time and are here to investigate what the needs are.

*A typical road in the West Bank these days.*

Marthame met them at Jalame, where they drove in with a simple wave of the hand through the checkpoint. They were stunned by the road we took towards Zababdeh, a series of semi-paved paths and tractor trails through the hills, the only alternative to the settlers' bypass road. After a visit with Fr. Aktham and a tour of the Latin School, in order to root their work with a local partner and to find out about housing possibilities (as well as possible tasks - school bus travel is a major issue for the school), Marthame took the group over to the Anglican clinic. There is also a possibility that they can facilitate the Anglican priest's travel as well as other clergy in their efforts to simply get around.

We then went to the Naim Khader Center on the edge of town where many of the Jenin and Nablus areas' NGOs have relocated. The situation in Palestinian cities has hampered their work and endangered their staffs. In October, the well-marked Save the Children car was peppered with bullets from an Israeli tank in Jenin while the driver was inside. She escaped fortunately. If it were but one story, that would be something, but these stories repeat themselves over and over again. These NGOs hope for more mobility and safety if they are located in smaller towns.

The WCC group had another quick stop at the University, meeting with the head of the English Department, hoping to connect with both University ex-pats and students. After lunch at the Latin Convent, Marthame took them to Jenin to meet with the director of the local YMCA chapter. Though Jenin was closed in the morning under full curfew, it had opened up and the group managed to pass - though by the Burqin-Jubriat path. We had taken a group to the YMCA last month, and there is hope that the YMCA can help coordinate potential activities in the Jenin area, in particular in Jenin Refugee Camp.

*The West Bank, where off-roading is the only road.*

We took a quick drive through the Camp, where the heart of the camp, the infamous scene of destruction last year, has now been leveled to nothing but dirt. It's hard to picture the multi-story cement buildings, the homes and businesses that were once here. Several of the locals were curious about the visitors - they approached with some suspicion, tired of foreigners who have come to look, take pictures, and leave, resulting in no change in the local situation. Marthame said that these people are interested in improving their daily lives, and compared the WCC's work to that of the International Solidarity Movement folks, who have come to offer encouragement and protection to an endangered civilian population. An Irish woman who lived in the camp for an extended period of time, who took a bullet in the leg fleeing soldiers, has become quite a legend around here. The explanation brought out relief and warm greetings from the locals.

*The WCC delegation bids farewell to our taxi driver in Jalame.*

The delegation then left the Camp and took a taxi towards the northern end of town, towards a checkpoint neither of us has braved in a year. We waited for the cars in front to pass, those who know the way pleased to see one particular soldier in charge of checking vehicles. A Bedouin Israeli soldier, he appeared a bit drunk or shell-shocked. He said to Marthame in Arabic, with a bit of glee, "In a little while, America is going to hit Iraq. When that happens, you can't come here anymore." His fellow soldier found this quite hilarious, too. After a quick check of the trunk, it was off to the Jalame gas station and back to Nazareth they went. A long day, but a good day - it's reassuring to see some of our advocacy and connection-building work paying off like this.

While Marthame was on his way back, a legion of tanks came to Zababdeh and wound their way along the main road for several hours, coming and going. Elizabeth heard a commotion towards town, tanks and shooting and other noises. This was more than the usual Israeli visits to town, but we weren't sure what the gist of it was. By nightfall, the tanks were gone, but the planes had come to take their place, circling until the wee hours of the morning. It's hard to sleep like this.