The MENUM story at GC 2004
by Robin Blair
On Saturday, May1, the Middle East Network of United Methodists and the Methodist Federation for Social Action presented an afternoon and evening of compassion, education and delicious food at the First United Methodist Church Pittsburgh, Pa.
The event was called,” Security and Justice in Israel/Palestine: Insights for United Methodists.”
Among the presenters were Rev. Sandra Olewine, UM Missionary, Bethlehem, reflecting on her experiences; Bishop Forrest Stith, a recent visitor to Middle East asking the question, “Who owns the land?” Tina Whitehead with ‘Ecuemenical Perpsectives on Christian Zionism;’ Professor Jeff Halper, Israeli professor and peace activist, and Salim Shawarnreh, a husband, father and construction worker who lives in the area called Palestine.
The last two gentlemen shared factual information and poignant stories that made this distant news story (the big seemingly eternal struggle between Zionist Israeli people and landlocked Arab people called Palestinians) more balanced.
It is intriguing that the U.S. news media machine – for some odd reason – has all Palestinians to be thought of as thugs and terrorists. It appears as if this is quite untrue.
Salim Shawamreh is a family man who went to school despite desparate conditions of his family of origin, training to be a construction contractor and worker. He worked as a young adult in Saudi Arabia for 10 years before coming home to his extended family, with his family.
He was blessed with a bit of good fortune compared to his relatives, and as a married man with children, he and his wife sought to buy land and build a home. Sounds like a pretty ‘normal’ aspiration by any cultural standard, doesn’t it? The story that fell from his lips at this point in the evening is almost too crazy, and I warn you, heartbreaking, to be believed. Here are the highlights:
• It took nearly three years to get the land purchased for the homesite.
• It took more time to get the permits from the government officials to actually begin building.
• Even after the signatures were secured (not an easy task for Palestinians families), the requirements seemed to have changed and more were needed.
• Mr. Shawamreh started the house and built it. He and his wife the proud parents of six children at this point in their lives.
• Over the next several years, this house was demolished and rebuilt four times. It goes like this: Armed Israeli soldiers surround the home, order everyone out at gunpoint with yelling and screaming, kicking and fighting unarmed people (Mr. Sharwamreh and his wife were in the hospital due to injuries from the violence). He spoke of their six year old son waking to a machine gun to his face and a soldier screaming at him and the other children to wake up and get out of the house. Then the soldiers drag the furniture out of the home, throw the family possessions in the dirt and begin to demolish the structure with an American made bulldozer.
• After the third demolition, the family decided to build a structure on the same sight – but to make it a peace center. They could not emotionally or spiritually endure any more attacks of this kind. There were many volunteers who helped with the constant rebuilding. The Red Cross provided tents to provide shelter after demolitions. This family has learned to accept the kindness of strangers, and violence from neighbors. The children are traumatized as you can imagine, and more than you can imagine.
• Mr. Shawamreh is traveling the United States to raise awareness of the seriousness of the injustice to the people he does not know as, ‘Palestinian terrorists.’ He is grateful to the ‘internationals’, including the Christian Peacemaker Teams of the U.S., who have been present in the family’s time of trial, and prays that this terrorism will end.
It was very moving. In the presentation room, you could hear a pin drop – or a heart beat.
Professor Jeff Halper presented some of the ‘facts’ that were most illuminating to the gathered United Methodists. With our long history of justice concerns and mission work it was an attentive and receptive audience. Halper explained, The ‘Palestinian land’ is like a whole bunch of islands, 70 of them, inside the state of Delaware. You cannot get from one island to another these days, because the Israeli military have checkpoints everywhere and papers for work and travel are not being issued. And now, the Israelis are building this ‘wall’, or rather, these ‘walls.’
Imagine a city of about 40,000 people surrounded by a wall that has only one checkpoint for exit and entrance! This means you cannot go visit your relatives in a town that may be 20 miles away – you cannot get there from here! You are cut off from commerce, education, employment, interaction, news media, hospitals, schools, and at one point I wonder, hope. The olive orchards that used to be yours just 800 feet from your home cannot be reached because there is a wall now, but the trees came down anyway (no one asked you) and you now have no income to support your family. At least 102,000 trees have been destroyed as of June 2003. There are no new jobs coming into town.
The wall, sometimes known as the ‘Separation’ wall , other times the ‘Apartheid” Wall bears witness to a chilling reminder of times in our history when we raised such barriers of hatred and injustice across the globe before. It is just shameful and heartbreaking.
Commenting on the construction of this barrier, Bishop Desmond Tutu: “My heart aches. Why are our memories so short? Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon: Have they turned their back on their profound and noble religious traditions?
Bishop Tutu is not at the General UMC Conference 2004, but this quote was in printed materials from the Northern Illinois Conference UMC regarding justice issues in Israel/Palestine. These same questions seem to seep from the pores of the people in the room this night in Pittsburgh.
So, in addition to destroying homes, trees, incomes and familes – it appears as if the spirit cannot hang on for much longer either – or can it?
There are some resources that you are invited to if this injustice reaches your heart.
Start with a prayer for God’s justice to reach all people, understanding and respect to be made known. Come to the Peace and Justice for Israel/Palestine dinner during NCNY AC on Friday evening May 21, to learn more.
Professor Jeff Halper
Salim Shawarnreh
