Surely a threat on an airplane, the box cutter didn't seem like much to worry about in a schoolgirl's bag. Marthame took it, assuming the Israeli soldiers would be less likely to bother an American than a Palestinian for possession of a box cutter.
Read MoreWe're looking forward to seeing a positive impact on the lives of ordinary people - for that, it seems we'll wait a long time for White House intervention.
Read MoreWatching people die is hideous - watching people die slowly is gut-wrenching. It would be too easy to say that those who favor war have never seen it, but it's certainly true to say that those who embrace it without nuance have never lived through it.
Read MoreNews of the new UN Resolution is welcome, but the stance that the US has taken (abstaining) merely underscores more Palestinian frustration with American policy in the Middle East.
Read MoreIt was a Jenin weekend in a nutshell - a dynamiting of the neighbor's house, a little prayer, a few tanks, and some birthday cake.
Read MoreAnother suicide bombing today, this one in Tel Aviv - not good news.
Read MoreThey thought our phone bill had remained unpaid. We had paid it at the Zababdeh post office, but the paid invoice hadn't reached the central office. Six miles away is an impossible journey these days.
Read MoreThe talk around town is about the two bombs planted in Palestinian schools in Hebron by Israeli militants - five were injured in one, the other was defused in time.
Read MoreIn the evening, with no telephone to provide us with distractions like the internet, we went out on the town. People visit here incessantly once the cool of the evening comes, something we are often reluctant to do because of the overwhelming feeling of work left undone. But we are never disappointed when we do.
Read MoreWe spoke with another friend in the States who commented on how "quiet" it is over here. Yes, cities under house arrest, unemployment, malnutrition, collective strangulation are a quiet death.
Read MoreThe Byzantine liturgy is other-worldly, and the chorus - who play a key role in said liturgy - was largely made up of folks from Zababdeh's congregation who know it inside and out.
Read MoreOne of the ninth graders wrote and presented his reflections on the events of last year: "Terrorism is evil because it cheapens the value of human life....We must unite in prayer for those who died and for their families."
Read MoreMarthame filled in for the English teacher, who eventually managed to walk through the hills and olive orchards from Qabatia to Zababdeh.
Read MorePlanes buzzed overhead today all along the valley between Jenin and Tubas, flying very low - we could see four of them at once.
Read More