Confusingly there is another Tel Sheva close by, and it was this we visited along with the Moderator’s party, in December last year.  Tel Sheva is a major Bedouin town with a population of about 25,000. 

We parked our vehicle close to the Matnas (Community Centre) and as we waited for the others to arrive, we explored a small street market, where modern goods and children’s clothing – T shirts, trainers, etc – were on sale to local women.  All of the women had head covering.  A few were traditionally dressed and completely covered so you could see only their eyes.  Our guide, Nava, a Rabbi from Rabbi’s for Human Rights, told us that this small market was very useful for the local women.  They cannot travel to the markets in nearby Be’er Sheva on their own – the men will not allow it.  ‘This aspect of the culture,’ said Nava, ‘is pre-Islamic.’  We learnt that some women cannot leave their homes unless accompanied.  Some even cannot visit their own female relatives without their husbands.  Many of these girls and women do not have basic literacy skills. 

So this, our first experience of the town made us aware of both ancient and modern cultures alive and influencing at the same time. 

The town itself dates back only to 1968, founded as part of a government project to settle Bedouin in permanent settlements.  It developed its own Local Council in 1984.  A socio-economic study of the area in 2000 showed that the average family monthly income was just under 50% of the national average for Israel.  Unemployment is a big social issue.

The purpose of our visit was to meet with a group of female Bedouin students from Sapir College, Sderot, who are participating in a programme called ‘Sisters for Peace’.  This project is run by the College and ‘Rabbi’s for Human Rights’, part of it funded by the Church of Scotland Guild.

We had last visited the Sapir College project a year ago, to meet the students – twenty young women, half of them Bedouin, half of them Jewish, who have been learning about each other’s cultures, and also working together on projects in their own communities.  This was the first time we had visited one of the community projects.  

Nava led us to an open space where we met three young female students who started to explain their project to us.  Again we were aware of the contrasts of ancient and modern as we listened to these educated and articulate young women explaining (in English) how their group is working to improve their own community.

One of the young women, Sonia, told us about her dream for her community.  She lived close to one of the primary schools in the town, which is situated behind large open area we were standing in.  In season it has a stream running through it, but most of the time it is a large barren area.  Sonia remembers when she was a young child that her family went on picnics.  But they always had to go out of the town to find a suitable space.  Her dream was that this open space could be transformed into a green area, which local people could use for recreation.

In our short time in and travelling into the town we had become very aware that people have great pride in their own homes and garden areas, but community space is not developed.  There is not much care for areas which don’t belong to anyone.  There was lots of rubbish lying around in front of us.  To be fair, the previous two evenings had been very windy, so rubbish was circulating from everywhere.  One of our party noted that most of the rubbish was plastic bottles and packaging – the detritus of a modern culture.

The three young women told us that the project they have been working on for the last year is to make Sonia’s dream a reality by transforming the open area we were standing in into a ‘environmental park’ – a communal green space.  They told how they had approached the local Council with their ideas, and how it had taken them a few months to convince the Council to listen to them and to give support.  Once the Council understood their vision, and could see how well planned and supported the project was, they gave it their wholehearted support.  That includes financial support from the Council budget and also from the State of Israel, and an agreement that once the project was completed there would be resources to maintain it over the long term.

We were impressed with the depth of thought which had gone into this initiative.  The group approached this as a community development project, not just an initiative to transform an empty space.  The young women were clear that the project will only succeed if they can educate people about waste and recycling, and then develop a sense of ownership of the project.

Their strategy was to start working with the youngsters at the primary schools, and they had developed a programme of education about waste and recycling. The group took us to the nearby Primary School to meet the Head Teacher, who explained how 25 school children had volunteered for the programme which included learning about recycling and environmental issues, visiting other communities to see what happens there, and exploring responsibilities and possibilities within the community.  Their intention is that these volunteers will then cascade that learning to other children in the schools and also into the community – particularly ‘educating’ the parents and older generations.

It was energising to sit with these young women and listen to their vision for their own community.  And it was good to feel that, in a small way, we were a part of this positive development.  The project at Sapir College gives them support and inspiration, and draws in all the experience and insight of the project leaders to help the students with problems solving.  In fact, it gives them all they need to make ideas become actuality.

The three young women sitting with us represented the first generation of young women from their community who have gone on to higher education.  As we walked back to our cars through the small market, we saw with new eyes how ancient and modern live side by side in this town.  The traditional culture, symbolised by women in traditional covering, next to the modern culture, symbolised for us by these young women who are acting as role models in bringing something good into their community, and who are developing leadership skills to carry with them into all aspects of their lives.

As part of the Invest in Peace initiative of the Church of Scotland’s World Mission Council, this year churches and individuals were encouraged to send Christmas Cards to Bethlehem – to projects associated with our work here.  These included the pastor and congregation of the Lutheran Christmas Church, the Al Shurooq School for Blind Children; the Ma’an Lil-Hayat project of L’Arche Bethlehem which works with people with significant intellectual disabilities  Doaud Nassar and the community at the Tent of Nations;  the Wi’am Conflict Resolution Center;  and the artist and teacher, Faten Nastas, who had recently visited Scotland.

I was a willing ‘postie’ for this initiative, and almost 700 cards were received.  A few of them, of course, arrived just after Christmas – such are the vagaries of the international post – and also, as some people explained, they found out about the initiative too late to meet the Christmas deadline, but were still keen to participate.

One such group was Cranhill Parish Church’s ‘Crazy Church’ group, where the youngsters have an evening of games, storytelling, art and food, accompanied by parents and carers.  I was sent a picture of the young group gathered around a table, at work on their cards.  One of two of them, reportedly, quite wide-eyed at the thought of someone in Bethlehem ‘really getting one of our cards.’

Nearly all of the personal messages on the cards received said something like ‘you are in our thoughts and prayers’.   And such care and support was really appreciated.  At the Wi’am Conflict Resolution Center, Usama, who has been our guide and friend on many occasions said, “This is so wonderful – knowing that people of all ages are thinking about us across all these miles”.  And on our last visit, on Christmas Eve, Dr. Zoughbi Zoughbi spoke movingly about how practical support is always welcome, but also how much they welcomed ‘our spirituality support’ – the thoughts and the prayers that accompany their deepest selves in their work and daily living.

The group at Ma’an Lil-Hayat were still at work when we made our first delivery.  They know about Scotland because of the number of doves they have made to be sent there – at the last count, over 5,000 since the May General Assembly.  “The workers will have great fun opening these cards during their morning break,” said L’Arche’s administrator, Rusann.  “And at our barbecue on our last day of work, the 20th December, the cards will be spread out around the tree. We all write our hopes for the future on a piece of paper and then hang them on the tree.”

One card to Ma’an Lil-Hayat said, “Thank you for the lovely things you make that we can buy here – they are so unusual and are a powerful message of the work you are doing.”

Some cards were simply signed by individuals, or on behalf of congregations.  Many also expressed an understanding of the difficulties faced by people and organisations in today’s Bethlehem, and expressed a hope for the future.  And as I read these messages, I felt very positively that this coming together of hearts and minds in support and understanding is indeed one sign of hope.

The highlight of delivering your cards was when we took them to Al Shurooq School for Blind Children.  We opened them with Helen Shehadah, and Helen wanted to hear every message and to touch every card.  Afterwards, we separated the cards into two different types.  Some we put into a pile for hanging up in Helen’s office.  These were the cards which worked best visually.  The other cards we kept back for the children to feel; some were embossed, some were hand-made with raise bits and shapes, many of them made by children in Scotland.  A few of the cards had added messages in Braille, which was a real excitement.  The second time we arrived with a delivery, one of the young pupils was with Helen in her office, and as fast as we opened the cards, she was in about feeling them…and asking Helen all the time ‘ma hatha?’ – ‘what is it?’

The staff at St. Andrews really appreciated their mail collections – they collect from the Box at the Post Office in the nearby German Colony twice a week (there is no delivery to the door) – and then handing me, with a wry smile,  a black bag full of cards.  Inside there would be single cards sent by individuals and big envelopes full of cards sent from congregations.  A couple of primary schools also participated – there was one from Newhaven – and it was obvious many Sunday Schools had enjoyed in the Invest in Peace initiative.

I saw some of the additional messages that some people included – some wee notes.  One explained that the cards were from the most northerly Church in the mainland – was it Dunnet? – another person explained that they lived out in the highlands of Scotland, isolated and far away from any towns or villages. 

And as I flicked through the cards at Al Shurooq, I was surprised by just how many people said they had once visited the school – and encouraged to read a few who said they would be visiting in the coming year.

This was a wonderfully well received initiative.  The lady who wrote, ‘you will know that you are always in our prayers – these cards just make that visible’, got it quite right.

Jerusalem tram heading towards East Jerusalem

I need first to interpret this photograph for my friends in Edinburgh. This moving object with all the people inside is indeed a new tram. And I know my friends will not believe me, but for Edinburgh, as has happened recently for Jerusalem, a time will come when trams move, and people are carried!

In August this year, when we returned to Scotland for deputation, the Jerusalem trams were in the final stages of testing. The city centre to East Jerusalem line has just ended a period of free operation. Now passengers have to pay the equivalent of about £1.15 for a ticket. The ticket is time-stamped and can be used on trams and buses for up to 90 minutes after purchase.

There have been some striking parallels between Edinburgh and Jerusalem in the development of the tram ways – and I will outline some of them. Then later I will look at some of the major differences.

Both city centres have been subjected to chaos as roads are dug up to prepare for tracks being laid – Edinburgh for the trams, Jerusalem for the start of an 8 track light rail system. Residents of both cities have wondered if there would ever be a time when it was possible to get about the city without unexpected delays and road closures.

Both cities have significant traffic problems that need to be dealt with, and both have come up with controversial plans of action that have ended up well over budget, (the estimated budget for the Jerusalem light-rail is $1.2 billion), have experienced disputes between local authorities and the consortium of contractors, and have seen dates of completion extended.

The work in Jerusalem began in 2002 with the trams planned to begin working by January 2009. Retail businesses on the routes have complained of a prolonged period of disruption and loss of trade – some have even gone out of business, blaming ‘the trams’. Earlier this year a vegetable vendor at the central Yehuda Market was quoted by ynetnews.com, saying, “The entire city centre, market and residents have all been crushed for the sake of this wretched project. They said 2006, then it was put off to 2008, then 2009. Now it’s 2011…..”

The main shopping street of Yafo while tramlines are being constructed

The vision for Jerusalem’s light rail system comes from the early days after the signing of the Oslo Peace Accord in 1993, which was a time of optimism. It was thought that Jerusalem might become a major international city which peacefully bridged both east and west, and the city planners felt they had to plan for a major influx of visitors, and at the same time limit the number of cars that enter the city centre. The idea of upgrading the public transport system with a light rail system modelled on European cities like Strasbourg and Bordeaux, seemed very attractive.

But right from the start the construction work was plagued with delays. There were disputes over approval of plans, and some work that needed to be re-done. At one time a whole section of track had to be re-laid when the concrete began to crack. (In Edinburgh in October they were digging up Princes Street to relay track for a similar reason). And, of course, in a historical city there are always delays due to archaeological finds.

The delays and disruption to daily life seemed to be endless, and the development became very unpopular with the public. In 2008 a new Mayor, Nir Barkat, swept to power in the municipal elections. He stood on a manifesto that included conducting a thorough review of the whole light-rail project and, possibly, scrapping most of it. He told reporters, “The whole way this was managed was extremely poor. There was no accountability,”

Many Parallel lines, perhaps? But there are many issues which make the Jerusalem situation quite unique.

If you have visited St. Andrew’s Church and Guesthouse in Jerusalem by car, you will know that the last stretch of the main road passes the entrance gate, but road restrictions deny access into the driveway. You must turn back and travel quite a distance away from St. Andrew’s before you can manoeuvre into the lane that allows you to drive in through the gates. Local businesses similarly affected have complained to the municipality that this is very difficult. The response they got was – ‘We know. But it will just have to be difficult. The centre of Jerusalem is a nightmare for traffic. More people need to leave their cars at home and take the bus or taxi or tram.’

A recent newspaper article stated that the town planners are pinning a lot of hope on the success of the tram way to eventually carry about 35% of public transport. It is seen as an important element of an integrated transport policy.

‘Integrated’? Now that is a very interesting word to use in the context of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem tram in Yafo

The active tram line I see in my travel by car runs from Yafo (Jaffa Street) in the West Jerusalem city centre, out alongside one of the main traffic routes out of the city towards Tel Aviv. The route passes through the arab villages of Shu’afat and Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem communities of about 60,000 people, and into major Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. This route is controversial because East Jerusalem is recognised by the United Nations as ‘occupied territory’ and therefore under international law it is illegal for the State of Israel to take this land for its own purposes. There have been court cases in other countries that have impacted on some of the international developers.

The municipality argues that the trams are there to benefit all, (there are three tram stops in Shu’afat), and the Mayor was quoted in the local press in July as saying, “This is an effective way to create a network which enables all residents of Jerusalem, regardless of their religion, to move from any source to any destination.” The Guardian newspaper recently quoted Nadav Meroz of the Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan as saying that the railway will serve all communities in Jerusalem: “men, women, Arab, Christian and Jew…. Muslims in the north and east of the city will be able to travel quickly to pray at mosques in the Old City. Our project is for all communities, it’s a solution for everyone.”

But residents of East Jerusalem are suspicious that the primary purpose of this line is actually to service the further out Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem where the tram line currently terminates – and, of course, any new settlements that might be built in the future.

I think it will be interesting to see over time who actually travels on this line. It is hard to imagine that there would be many travellers between the arab villages of Shu’afat or Beit Hanina and the Jewish settlements (or vice versa). And I also wonder if there will be significant travel by tram into central West Jerusalem from these villages. If there is, it will be a positive new development.

There have already been reports of youngsters in Shu’afat throwing stones at passing trams. True, this can happen in any community (concrete blocks thrown off bridges above motorways!) but it can also be a sign of ‘this doesn’t belong to us’, ‘this is hostile to us’.

This is not an ‘integrated’ city – it is a city of different parts, a ‘mosaic’ – and in practice people from the various different sectors of the city do not want to travel together, or to travel to the same destinations. A friend in Scotland told me she had read a magazine report about the Jerusalem tram way and that it had been described as an opportunity for peaceful co-existence – that arabs and jews would be travelling in the same compartments, that conversations could spring up and perhaps new friendships begin.

Interestingly, in the newspapers recently it was reported that a tram had to be evacuated after dozens of Arab and Jewish girls clashed in one of the cars. It was reported that a Jewish girl pulled out a personal canister of tear gas and sprayed it at the Arab girls. When the gas spread throughout the train, the driver had to stop and let passengers out.

Last year there were demands from Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox community that some of the carriages should be segregated by gender so that men and women would not be forced into close proximity. These demands were unsuccessful.

And recently Veolia City Pass, the operator, has been criticised on two fronts. They undertook a survey of Israeli’s asking if they would be uncomfortable using the tramway with arabs. Some of the language in the survey has been widely criticised as discriminatory. And more recently in recruitment, they have been accused of looking only for employees who can speak Hebrew and English, despite the fact that the official languages here are Arabic and Hebrew, and all the signage and automated instructions are in three languages.

Jerusalem tram close to the New Gate of the Old City

The advent of the trams has become another arena for the loud and confusing discourse that so often settles in over Jerusalem. It is a new initiative that asks the different parts of the ‘mosaic’ to inter-relate, and that is difficult. But more, the voices that say, ’don’t look at the trams, look first at the injustice’ are shrugged off as almost spoil-sports, standing in the way of a brave new future. And those who make claims for the ‘vision’ of the trams, express that vision as if there were no hard political and social issues to be dealt with. Ynet.com reported one of the municipality officials as saying, ’one day the tramway could stretch as far as Ramallah’.

But many things would have to change before such a tramway could bridge the gap between the heart of Ramallah and the heart of West Jerusalem. Today such a journey involves travelling from a major arab city under occupation, through Jewish settlements on arab land, through arab East Jerusalem communities absorbed into greater Jerusalem, right into the Jewish heart of the city. In our everyday discourse, some of us talk peace when there actually is no peace – and then truth is not only not heard, it is often just completely ignored.

In the meantime, these trams will glide elegantly along the streets of Jerusalem, carrying their commuters and visitors. And I for one will stop and admire them in the passing (a tram-spotter!). But perhaps if the problems in this region do have a satisfactory resolution, the trams could indeed become meeting grounds of peaceful co-existence.

This is our third winter here, but it is the first time we have experienced so much rain before Christmas. This is ‘normal’. It is what the locals hope for, and it goes some way towards helping with the prolonged water crisis in this region. But not far enough, of course.

We have been fortunate in Jerusalem that we only have ‘rain’. In Jaffa they have had torrential downpours. Friends who recently moved into a new flat discovered at 3am that the roof area was knee high in water – the drains in the flat-roof/ balcony could not cope with the quantities of the downpour – and the water was running in a river down their inner stair and into the living area. Thankfully none of their furniture was damaged.

Some of this, however, may have been useful for the Olive harvest – although it is mostly over. The harvest runs from mid October to late November, and it is helpful to have had some rain before harvesting. I commented on the St. Andrew’s Church Facebook page (www.facebook.com/standrewsjerusalem) on 26th October, “Today it rained here in the morning. The first rain for many months. That’s really good news for the olive pickers, because the olive picking season is now in full swing. If there has been no rain before people go out into the olive groves, the dust on the olives gets everywhere – ingrained in your hands, on your clothes, in your eyes, in your lungs. The rain was heavy and lasted about 45 minutes – then the sun came out.”

Olive Oil from the Al Shurooq School for Blind Children

I had intended to participate a little in the Jayyous Olive Harvest, and there were ways for internationals to do so – an organised picking day – but we had such a backlog of things to do on returning from Scotland that it wasn’t possible. Next year – Inshallah!

However, we did receive an unexpected and very welcome gift on our last visit to the Al Shurooq School for Blind Children in Bethlehem. The bottle of Olive Oil pictured is part of the harvest from the olive trees in the grounds of the School – some of them very old indeed. The olives were collected by the staff and school children, and then pressed locally at the traditional Beit Jala olive press. We need to store it in a cool dark place for a month or so before using it. It will be worth waiting for.

When young Christians in East Jerusalem meet, perhaps at college, or at some event that brings young people together, and something ‘clicks’ – one of the most important questions they ask is, ‘What is your ID status?’ There’s no problem in enjoying someone’s company, but if you are a resident of East Jerusalem, be careful not to fall in love with someone from the West Bank – or you could end up in a relationship where your partner would not be allowed to stay with you in Jerusalem, and if you lived with them in the West Bank, you could lose your Jerusalem residency status.
This was one of the issues explored when I met one evening with a group of four young Christian residents of East Jerusalem. The meeting had been organised by the Middle East Council of Churches for the visit here of a senior Church of Scotland representative so he could learn what life is like for young Christians under occupation.

The young people were honest and very articulate about their feelings and their situation. They described the pressures they are under in a minority situation and about only being granted resident ID and travel documents. They were born here and Jerusalem is ‘home’, yet their legal right to live here can be taken away from them if there are questions about residency. They spoke about the difficulties local Christians face at the major Christian festivals – how difficult it is for them to go to the main holy sites when they have so many checkpoints to negotiate – and how this discourages many people, and makes many others feel that the festivals are not really for local people.

When we asked them if they ever felt like leaving, they spoke about such a choice as a daily reality for them and their friends. Many of their friends had made the move to live and work abroad, leaving behind them all the daily pressures of living under occupation. But it also meant leaving family behind and, perhaps, living a rather lonely life in another country.

At the end of the evening I left with a real sense of respect for the quality of these young people – who really want to stay and build a decent life here, and maintain their cultural and religious identity. But the pressures they are under are hugely challenging.

This is our third year as participants. As in previous years, the Australian Ambassador, Andrea Faulkner, spoke with depth and sincerity and clarity. And the New Zealand Embassy Deputy Head of Mission, Tui Dewes, opened and closed her speech in the Māori language – and that feels important and respectful. And after the laying of the wreaths, we moved to the Square, where the Turkish Ambassador spoke. It is very powerful to hold these two ceremonies, one after the other. To stand together and respect the memory of the dead on all sides in the conflict is to respect the humanity of all.

The Mayor of Be’er Sheva, Ruvik Danilovich, spoke at both ceremonies, saying that Be’er Sheva is the city of Abraham, and that Abraham is important to Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. He also reminded everyone that Be’er Sheva is the site of the first recorded peace treaty – Abraham’s Well (Genesis 21), the treaty with King Abimelech. Invoking aspirations for peaceful co-existence seemed very relevant – both in the context of events 94 years ago and today (it was later reported that a Grad rocket from Gaza was destroyed in the air that evening – it was headed towards a populated area of Be’er Sheva).

Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. In the forefront two unknown soldiers from the Black Watch

After the ceremony, as we walked back to our car, we walked slowly through the cemetery. Rows and rows of graves for soldiers who died on 31st October 1917. And other dates, including the 6th November 1917 – the majority of the graves for that date were for Black Watch soldiers.

We did not stay long, because we needed to be back in Jerusalem for an event in the late afternoon. We stopped off at a cafe just off the motorway, for a quick lunch. We just managed to get our order taken before a group of about fifteen young soldiers, men and women, joined the queues to order their lunches to carry out. They looked like new recruits, or in the early days of their national service. Only one of them was carrying a rifle – acting as a guard perhaps. I found myself watching them, very aware of their interactions, and of the group dynamics. The fifteen seemed to gather in small groups, and there was energetic conversation. A few had separated themselves, talking on their mobile phones. The style and the hang of the uniform was obviously important to some of the young woman – it seemed more an outfit than a uniform. One young man looked like his uniform was about three sizes too big for him. One young woman seemed a bit lost for quite a while – not part of any of the small animated groups – struggling to look unconcerned – shy, perhaps – then suddenly and thankfully swallowed up into a discussion.

I found I was enjoying their youthful energy. I thought I was getting to know their personalities just a little bit. They were like any group of decent youngsters anywhere in the world – and I thought it would be a great crime if anyone hurt them, or if they became capable of hurting anyone. And I thought of young Scottish soldiers – of similar ages and probably of a similar range of personality – alive and energetic at one time… and then dead in warfare somewhere nearby on 6th November 1917.

Lest we forget their humanity!

Near the end of our time in Scotland the questions people asked us often focussed on “What do people in Israel… or what do people in Palestine… think about the Palestinian Authority’s approach to the UN?” or “What do people feel about the prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas that will hopefully see the release of Gilad Shalit?”

We could comment on both these situations, but it was impossible to deal with how people ‘feel’. Two months is a long time to be away, and it is just not possible from such a distance to absorb the wide range of responses there will be from people. Trying to reply to these questions reminded us of the inadequacies of British popular media in its coverage of the situation in Israel/Palestine.

We arrived in Jayyous on the very first day of Ramadan.  There were seven children in the crèche.  The new term at the Future Generations Crèche doesn’t start till September, when they expect to have over thirty children.

The crèche was looking good, and Aisha explained to Erica and Bill about the services for babies, for the children up to age 4, and also now the more formal educational support for the pre-school children aged 4 to 6.  I was very impressed with Aisha’s command of English.  She has always deferred to others with better English, but this time we had some good conversation before the interpreter arrived.

Jayyous shop July 2011

The week before, when I was arranging the visit through our link contact,  Abdul-Latif Khaled, he said, ”Be sure to visit the shop they have just opened” – but nobody was going to forget to tell us!  The shop has only been opened for two weeks and they are very proud and keen to show it off.

The shop is further up the main street and looks just like a normal small supermarket.  When we were there we did a little supportive shopping – I bought a big bottle of Carob syrup.  It has become my all time favourite alternative to jam.  It was explained to us that opening the shop was part of the strategy for developing the  Jayyous Working Women’s Association (JWWA), which has between 35 and 40 members.  One of our group asked what the other shop keepers in Jayyous think of the new store and it was clear from the response that the shop is a ‘community co-operative’ for the 35 member families  first, but also for anyone who wants to shop at a place selling good food at reasonable prices.

The second part of the strategy was that profits from the shop would also help to support some of the other initiatives of the JWWA, including the crèche.  We were also informed that the policy of the shop was to buy ‘local’ where possible, which of course means they will not carry any Israeli products.

In the 1990’s, I worked for a while in peripheral housing estates in Edinburgh and the Lothians where my role was to help small local community organisations develop resources for their own  community through enterprise and small business ideas.  I recognised what is happening in Jayyous as an example of that movement of Community Economic Development, and it confirmed something that I have been thinking for quite a while – that the Scottish and the Palestinians seem to have a very similar approach to community development and to hospitality.

This was a very exciting visit.  We also felt good because two members of the local EAPPI team had accompanied us to the shop.  They did not know much about the crèche, and certainly nothing about the new shop.  But I think they are now confirmed customers!

Later, we had lunch with the EAPPI team (Ecumenical Accompaniers), who told us that the previous day there had been an army incursion – 20 soldiers arrived in four jeeps and entered some houses for interrogation.  Fortunately on this occasion there were no further developments.   The current EAPPI team come from South Africa,Swedenand thePhilippines.  Jokingly they said it would be good to have some members in Jayyous fromScotland.  I told them that in the last eighteen months, based in Jayyous, we have had an EA from Edinburgh, one from Oban and one from the Scots Kirk inLausanne, Switzerland.

Later we visited one of the agricultural gates which the EAPPI team monitor, to ensure the farmers have the opportunity to cross onto their farmland.  Over 60% of the Jayyous community farmland is separated from them by the ‘wall/separation fence’.  On the way back we stopped to meet Abu Mazin (one of the local farmers and an important community leader) at his home.  He gave us an insight into the latest developments over the separation barrier and their land behind it.  It is likely in the future that more land will be returned to the Jayyous community and the barrier re-routed.  But when it is, some families who currently farm land behind the barrier will lose their land – and to a more permanent barrier – ‘the concrete Wall’.

Abu Mazin’s hospitality was very generous, even though it was Ramadam and our hosts could not themselves eat or drink.  We shared some cacti (prickly pears) from his farm.  There are a number of different names in different countries for this fruit –   cactus pear, prickly pear, even dragon fruit.  Here it the fruit of the cactus – Sabir – which literally means patience – once peeled the fruit has moist seedy flesh, somewhat bland.  The seeds are a bit hard, but have a lot of nutritional value.  We then ate some wonderful figs.

We have been invited later in the year to visit his farm.  When we return it will be around the time of the olive harvest.  It will be great to be able to stock up on Jayyous olive oil from the community shop.

In the weeks following this visit before I travelled home I was driving quite a lot along roads at the side of which clumps of cacti are growing.  When I first came to this country someone told me that in the area I was driving if I saw clumps of cacti near to an overgrown olive grove – but no visible housing – I was likely passing the site where, before 1948, there had been an arab village.  Hundreds of arab villages were destroyed and communities uprooted in the painful birth of the State of Israel.

I have always been aware as I travel that the environment speaks to us of the history of this country – we just sometimes don’t know how to interpret the ‘evidence’ it gives us.  But these past weeks I have been very aware of cacti – of Sabir – and of a land patiently waiting for peace.  Would that we could give the land what it wants – and soon!