Interesting to see the blending of nationalist and religious rhetoric, especially as our own nation continues to do the same in the wake of September 11th.
Read MoreSeems the promised opening of closures will have to wait for the end of Yom Kippur and the first anniversary of the Intifada.
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We then heard the sound of airplanes overhead - we assumed they were heading towards Jenin as they often do, but they kept circling overhead.
Read MoreIt seemed appropriate to preach on serving a living God when preaching by the seat of one's pants.
Read MoreOn the same bus were teachers and students from Qabatiya, who had endured little sleep the previous night - further incursions by the IDF have come into their village, too
Read MoreThere is a fear that Israel is taking advantage of world attention upon the States to act with impunity here.
Read MoreLate in the afternoon, Elizabeth's mother called and told us to turn on the TV.
Read MoreThe military has orders to allow the children to go to school, even though the curfew is in effect. We went to a couple of different spots. Marthame joined one of the CPTers as soldiers were telling the children that it was forbidden to go a certain way and they must turn back (towards streets blocked with barbed wire).
Read MoreYesterday, he dropped a pot of hot tea on his foot, but was prevented from going to the hospital by Israeli soldiers (contradicting not only international law, but also their own explicit military orders). After a few phone calls to Doctors without Borders, the CPTers were able to get an ambulance close to the home and we accompanied the young man as he walked (hobbled) to it.
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We cleaned up a bit, shined our shoes (to get the dust off), and headed off for the engagement party of the Anglican priest, Fr. Hossam.
Read MoreThe IDF is still in Beit Jala, and gun-battles are in the streets of that Christian village. Our inbox is clogged with pleas for help, to call/fax/email Israeli and American leaders and officials to stop this reoccupation and escalation of the conflict, particularly pointing out the occupation of the Lutheran church and orphanage.
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We had a wonderful visit, as we played with their children and listened to our friend's father-in-law regale us with his stories of living as the only Christian in various Muslim towns around the area.
Read MoreThe village of Al-Ghayar lies just northeast of the Golan. In 1967, the Israelis assumed it belonged to Lebanon and left it alone. Instead, it had been a Syrian village and was now cut off from the rest of Syria by the Israeli presence in the Golan. Now it is under full Israeli military control and guarded by quite the bevy of troops.
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The Palestinian villagers say that they left the older people of the village gathered in one house at the edge of the village since they couldn't run fast enough to escape to the hills. They returned to find them all shot and killed. The Israeli soldiers deny this part of the narrative.
Read MoreWe had learned about the bombing the way most Palestinians do - disconnected from it personally (the bomber apparently was from 'Aqaba, not far from Zababdeh, but very far from Birzeit) but living the consequences of the punishment.
Read MoreKahane's followers are essentially calling for the ethnic-cleansing of Israel of all Arabs. They have made bumper stickers that read, "No Arabs, No Terrorists" in Hebrew - in other words, you get rid of all the Arabs, you get rid of all the terrorists.
Read MoreOne of their friends who is from Birzeit came over and recounted his story of getting grazed by a bullet in the skull at the Birzeit checkpoint a few months back. Nothing like that to sober us up from our dreaming.
Read MoreWe caught our taxi from Damascus Gate, which is always such a Eastern cultural counterpoint to the Western feel of the New City.
Read MoreTonight there was a large Peace Now demonstration in Tel Aviv, which was calling on Sharon to stop escalating the situation, asking him to move away from war and return to the negotiating table.
Read MoreComing home, there was an Israeli jeep between the two roadblocks, with soldiers shining bright lights on all of us who were walking across
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