House in a Cage

We finished our 5 day tour of the West Bank with the amazing program, Birthright Unplugged. We have seen so much so quickly and our world has been turned upside down.

Right now we are in East Jerusalem at an internet cafe. We are heading up to Ramallah to a 2-day training on non-violent resistance and to meet with an organization about short term volunteer/intern positions. We will most likely spend 2 weeks in Ramallah, and 1-2 weeks in a village on the West Bank outside of Jerusalem with the International Women's Peace Service. We may still try to get to Egypt and Jordan but you know how things change.

When I open my email, I break down a little. It is so hard to figure out how to communicate to you what is happening here. I wanted to believe that the contrast is not as bad as were the rumors. They are actually worse.

Two days ago we visited a family whose home is entirely fenced in--a triangle of fencing and cement wall. This is almost 20 km inside the west bank. the house has a valid permit from 1972 and the family has lived there since then. they live in a village with several neighbors. however, a settlement has been built directly next door. last year, the israeli government decided to build the wall between israel and 'palestine' in between this family's home and their village. they pressured the family to move and they refused. instead of honoring their rights, the govt built the wall so that the home is completely isolated from the village. this is in the rural area and the 'wall' is mostly a fence. however, directly in between this house and the homes of their neighbors, there is 30 meters of tall cement wall. there is no other explanation for this except to completely isolate and pressure the family to relocate.

pictures to come.

~NL