During my visit to Palestine, I was able to experience the 'siege' of Bethlehem and the sufferings of its people; to see the construction of the Apartheid Wall in East Jerusalem and the beginnings of the creation of an enclosed ghetto around Budrus and nine other villages. I was present at the Deir Yassin commemoration in Jerusalem; saw the end of the Italian 'Peace Marathon' from Bethlehem when it reached Mount Zion; heard the desperate cry of the muezzin during a settler provocation - an attempt to invade the Harem al Sharif. I met Mordechai Vanunu twice; first, during a discussion at St. George's Guest House, secondly, when I gave him support outside of the courthouse before his arraignment. I found my visit to Bir Zeit University during the student elections very interesting. I was constantly astonished at the high level of militarism in Israel and appalled at the treatment of Palestinian women at the Qalundia checkpoint.
Sunday 3 April
I reached Ben Gurion airport on time, and had no difficulty in going through immigration procedures: I was asked why I had come, and I replied I was a pilgrim, and I was then asked why I hadn't gone to Rome for the Pope's funeral - first experience of the much vaunted Israeli humour. We picked up another person, N. Someone else, a Spaniard, A, was held in immigration for three hours and only came to Bethlehem much later. Eventually we arrived at Beit Jala checkpoint. This is not the main checkpoint for Bethlehem but a small one further south. The weather was cold, colder than it had been in Britain. We transferred from our taxi to another at the Israeli side of the checkpoint, and then were allowed to pass by two young soldiers who looked bored, as well as cold, and were about eighteen. Looking at the group of us Europeans, they just waved us through. No sign of any superior officer. After some time in Palestine I realized that young Israeli soldiers, women as well as men, staff the checkpoints, and are also a somewhat self-appointed group i.e. they haven't objected to working in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories).
S. the Bethlehem tour organizer met us on the other side together with J, from Olive Tours. Some young Palestinian teenagers were looking down at the checkpoint from a mound. The whole situation reminded me strongly of Belfast in the 1970s except the soldiers looked even younger and therefore more dangerous. We discovered later that the Israeli Army used this road through the checkpoint when they made their military attack on Bethlehem, and that the Antonian Society's house for the elderly, run by the Sisters of the Hortus Conclusus (enclosed garden) was just off the main road (of this more below). We then went to the hotel and met the other members of the group. They were going to Nablus; they included two religious sisters from Stroud, and their friend. Some of the group were Jewish, including N.
Monday 4 April
After breakfast, we went through the main checkpoint out of Bethlehem - where (being Europeans) we were simply waved through - and set off on a tour of the Wall being constructed in East Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, we picked up our tour guide, a woman called Angela, who belonged to Israeli Campaign Against House Demolitions - ICAHD. She was very knowledgeable and very passionate about the whole situation. Her father was Israeli and her mother Christian. Later I was to meet her outside of the Vanunu trial on April 12; she was one of those giving him support. At the beginning of the tour she told us of those of her friends who had been wounded on peaceful demos, and one who had been killed.
The Wall is being carved in a brutal fashion through East Jerusalem and is frighteningly ugly and threatening. It is dotted with watchtowers and the occasional checkpoint. We saw some large Caterpillar excavators preparing the foundations of the Wall; we knew that a Caterpillar machine had been used to kill Rachel Corrie, the young American Catholic who was trying to prevent house demolitions. In those parts of East Jerusalem where the Wall is not yet built, Palestinians try to evade the checkpoints to reach their work or their relatives. Several times I noticed people making their way through the grounds of religious houses. Some were women trying to avoid the inevitable delays and harassment at the checkpoints (of this more later). They had very large baskets of vegetables for the East Jerusalem markets. We saw two arrested by the soldiers.
After looking at the Wall, we then looked at some of the very many illegal settlements - i.e. built in defiance of International Law - already established in East Jerusalem; one was built in a rather threatening way right up against a miserably dilapidated playgound for Palestinian children that had been originally established in commemoration of Pope Paul VI. (as a sad looking plaque told us). It would have been dangerous for the children to use the playground, partly because the fence protecting the children from a drop of about 15 feet had been broken down, and partly because of its proximity to the settlement. This housed members of a fundamentalist Jewish sect. Angela told us that this unusable playground was the only one for children in Palestinian East Jerusalem. Nearby were some RC religious houses, looking, I thought, rather isolated and vulnerable. It seems that a lot of pressure might be (perhaps is?) being brought to bear on religious houses that are in areas that are strategically important for settlement expansion. Angela then showed us another settlement which she said was of particularly violent settlers. It was in the middle of urban East Jerusalem. Men with machine guns guarded the gate. Angela told us that this settlement regularly carries out terror raids on the neighbouring houses, trying to drive people out; in this they are succeeding. This was our first encounter with heavily armed settlers. How can a so-called democratic society allow a section of its population to be so heavily armed and to terrorize others?
Then we went out of Jerusalem on a 'settler road' to Ma'ale Adumim, which is
a big new settlement built between Jerusalem and Jericho. It is deep in the
West Bank. Its presence effectively cuts the West Bank in two and makes any
Israeli commitment to a two state solution seem illusory. It forms the lynch
pin of a series of settlements stretching along the hills overlooking the valley
road to Jericho. There are so many of them, and they are very easily recognized,
with their red sloping roofs. Palestinian houses have flat topped roofs.
The vast majority of Palestinians, are, of course, not allowed to drive on the
road to Ma'ale Adumim, or those to other settlements. The Ma'ale Adumim road
has a number of secondary roads. We saw how these cut through Bedouin land.
Their miserable little shacks and the sad looking sheep are trapped between
fast roads that the Bedouin are not allowed to use. The Ma'ale Adumim settlement
is beautifully placed in the valley and is very well built and planned, as far
as I could see. Angela told us it was used mainly by young professionals working
in Jerusalem. It seems that most of these were not violent settlers, but people
who had taken housing and amenities at a much subsidized rate. They are, of
course, guarded by heavily armed soldiers; the violent settlers tended to be
in smaller communities in the West Bank and around Hebron (as well as some in
Jerusalem). However, it seems to me that those who voluntarily benefit from
illegality and violent oppression are also, indirectly, responsible for it.
We were told that there were some Russians in Ma'ale Adumim. Later I discovered that most Russians were not in settlements but in a town on the coast north of Tel Aviv called Netanya. We passed it later, going from Tel Aviv to Nazareth. It looked rather unprepossessing. In Tel Aviv, and some parts of West Jerusalem, quite a few shop signs etc. are in Russian. Russians now constitute about 20% of the Israeli population, one million, and are rightwing, nationalist and secular. The vast majority are not part of the violent settlers' movement (its members, we were told, are nearly all from the US and influenced by a 'frontier' mentality) but they do have attitudes that support settler activities. Some of the soldiers that we encountered were clearly Russian, including one brutalized young man that I would hate to meet face to face at any time, never mind on a dark night! Most do not seem to occupy a very privileged position in Israeli society; they staff snack bars and market stalls; I heard two market sweepers speaking to one another in Russian in Nazareth.
On returning to East Jerusalem we had lunch in a Palestinian restaurant where we had simple but very good food. I had a feeling of doom and premonition about the Palestinian people eating there; at that moment I was feeling that the whole of Palestinian East Jerusalem was facing destruction. Most of the tour group then went to Nablus. Later that afternoon two of us, N and myself, together with the tour guide, visited the Deheishe refugee camp in Bethlehem; rather to my annoyance I discovered that those on the tour who had gone to Nablus, and who had arrived a day earlier than the official tour start, had been taken to the camp the day before and had been given an extended visit; ours was rather perfunctory. However, we had an interesting discussion with one of the camp leaders, who seemed, however, happier to talk about international issues, rather than Palestine. There were many meetings going on in the camp when we visited; I think that some important decisions were being taken about how to handle the present situation. We met a young US volunteer there. Looking at the camp I realised why some of those defending Bethlehem during the Israeli military attack would have wished to draw the Army away from their wives and children by taking refuge in the Church of the Nativity. The camp was very crowded.
Later I visited the Church of the Nativity and saw the damage that Israeli snipers and shelling had done to the adjoining Franciscan priory and cloisters next to it. I discovered that I did not much care for the church - a heavy crusader building - but did like the modern Franciscan church. Afterwards, in the Square of the Nativity, I had a chat to a Palestinian policeman, H, who was living in a (Muslim) refugee camp and had taught himself English by attending their Open University. We talked about the children who had been trying to beg from me (this distressed me considerably as one at least looked very hungry) and he described how poor everyone was now. He also said that the Israelis change the security areas from C to A (from Palestinian control to Israeli control) without informing the Palestinian Police, therefore giving Israeli soldiers the 'right' to shoot any policemen who are unaware of the changes. We discussed the situation of the Christians; many of them are leaving Bethlehem, and my policeman friend was very concerned about it.
Tuesday 5 April
Fairly early the next morning I visited the Sisters of the Hortus Conclusus (who are a branch of the charity, the Antonian Society). The Sisters run an old people's home very near the checkpoint at Beit Jala. Outside I was interviewed by an Indian Sister who spoke English. At first she would not let me into the convent, but eventually she relented and let me in, and I had a friendly talk with some of the Sisters, including the Mother Superior, who was Italian - the Indian Sister translated the gist of what was said. The Indian Sister told me about the invasion; the soldiers had fired at the convent, damaging the roof and some of the windows. They had also broken in and stolen the altar wine, but had not desecrated the host. The people living nearby had taken refuge with the Sisters and when the Army fired the children were beside themselves with the noise and the violence, as were some of the old ladies with dementia. After a chat and some mint tea, the Sisters then introduced me to some of the old ladies, a few of whom could speak English; they also gave me books, medals etc. We discussed strengthening the links between them and the Oxford RC parishes.
Next I visited the Alternative Tourist Group office. It was in a Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour which is a small town at the foot of the hill on which Bethlehem stands, and part of the Bethlehem district. Nearby the area around was full of churches, mainly Orthodox. S. gave me some maps, which were quite useful, of Israeli settlements.
In the afternoon we visited the Mayor of Beit Sahour, F. He had been appointed during the invasion of the Israeli Army to 'minimize losses'. I therefore presumed he was either a military man or a doctor. I thought that he was an impressive human being. He told us that he was not standing in the coming elections, because the situation had now changed and others would do a better job of running Beit Sahour. He informed us that they had rebuilt all the houses that the Israelis had destroyed. (I noticed later that this was generally true in other parts of Palestine where the Army had demolished or damaged houses; the Palestinians had immediately rebuilt them if at all possible.) He said the situation was now much 'cooler' but they were now 'under siege' because of the Wall and the Security fence. City borders had been reduced and they had lost valuable agricultural land. Tourism had much declined, and pilgrims usually did not spend time or money in Bethlehem, but were brought in Israeli coaches and then taken straightaway again to shops in Jerusalem. The Christian middle classes in Bethlehem had 'been destroyed'. I had already seen how pilgrims were brought to Bethlehem in Israeli owned coaches; how they scuttled into the church without looking at, or speaking to, any of the local people (they had almost certainly been told that they were dangerous); and how they departed without spending any money at all in Bethlehem.
The mayor argued that the so-called 'facts on the ground' change daily. Beit Sahour needs international intervention. There is high unemployment and creating jobs is not easy. It was difficult to persuade people that peace was possible; extremists were increasing on both sides. The Palestinians cannot see how the present process might lead to negotiations with the Israelis. The Israeli Government's agenda is to build the Wall and it is preparing for a Third Intifada, which it believes would be to its benefit and would give it an excuse to carry on with its policies.
The municipal elections in May will be the first since 1976. In Beit Sahour
there are 70 candidates and the mayor thought that the democratic movement would
help the situation. Although the mayor will not stand, he stated that he supports
a democratic culture; it sends a message to other Arab regimes. The National
Legislative Elections are in July. The estimated support for Hamas is 15-20%.
They have money and give to poor families. After the 1976 elections the Israelis
deported 7 mayors and imposed military governors on Hebron, Nablus etc. There
is no guarantee that they will not do the same again. I commented on the children
begging and the mayor said it was a real problem; he was unable to help all
the poor families in Beit Sahour. In answer to a question of mine about the
Christian Churches, the mayor said that the Orthodox Church was in difficulty
because of the refusal by the Greek Patriarchate to allow the Palestinians to
have their own Orthodox Church. He also referred to the scandal of the sale
to militant Zionists by the Greek Patriarch of church property in the Old City
of Jerusalem. I had the impression that the mayor was Orthodox (the Orthodox
community used to be, and perhaps still is, a bastion of the Left in Palestine
and Israel).
The mayor then went on to say (rather to my astonishment) that the Catholic
Church had helped a great deal and that the Pontifical Commission had played
a very constructive role. On learning that I was an academic, the mayor's secretary
asked me to try to arrange help from volunteers over the summer. When we were
leaving, I begged the mayor, rather foolishly, not to lose hope. He said: Hope
comes from God.
Someone called Ivor who was comedian had joined the tour group. In the afternoon there was a discussion about N. a member of the group who had been behaving provocatively. Not wanting to be part of this, I took myself off to the local RC Church in Beit Sahour where I met some Rosary Sisters who were running the parish centre. I discovered that the Rosary Sisters is Palestinian in personnel. As I walked in at the door of the parish centre the Mother Superior said to me: you have come to give me some money for poor families. I told her that was exactly what I wanted to do. She told me that two families had approached her the day before, and she had told them to pray about it because she had nothing.
That evening we attended a showing of Jeremy Hardy Confronts the Israeli Army. This is about the ISM volunteers who were in Bethlehem during the siege of the Church of the Nativity. During it we saw a tank firing on unarmed ISM demonstrators with arms raised and carrying white flags. It is a good film on the ISM movement, but I had reservations about it because it did not interview any of the Palestinians in Bethlehem nor give an outline of what happened to them during the siege. As usual, they became invisible.
Wednesday 6 April
The comedian, the tour guide and myself set out for Tel Aviv. We took a taxi from the checkpoint directly to Tel Aviv through an attractive forested part of Israel. In Tel Aviv we stayed for a while at an organization called Windows that publishes work by Israeli, Palestinian and Israeli-Palestinian children. There I had a talk to a young French woman called E. She worked there part time, and for the rest of the time in Jerusalem, with an organization dealing with Human Rights/torture violations, particularly of Palestinian prisoners. She told me that she had been optimistic when she arrived but now thought that Israeli society would never accept the need to change its attitudes towards the Palestinians. Afterwards we got onto a coach for Nazareth. It went straight to the Jewish settlement of Upper Nazareth and we had to catch a taxi back to Nazareth (which is much larger than the settlement and a centre of Christian pilgrimage). This was an example of the discrimination constantly directed at the Arab communities in Israel.
In Nazareth I discovered that the tour guide was concentrating on her joint business venture with the comedian. It was evening and I took myself off to look around the Old City and went into the Basilica. I also visited a small old mosque in the old town, which I discovered was a peaceful, prayerful place. Later we had the comedian's comedy show. The 'theatre' was a partly renovated house in the middle of the Arab old town of Nazareth, owned by a Jewish woman! I had my reservations about the whole enterprise. We stayed at her house some miles from Nazareth.
Thursday 7 April
We caught a taxi to Haifa and a train from there to Tel Aviv. The train was full of young soldiers, girls as well as boys, dressed in fatigues with big machine guns etc. By this time I was really fed up with the militarism that surrounds one all the time in Israel. I cannot understand why the Israelis send all their children, including girls, to the Army for three years when they should be in higher education. They are confronting Palestinians who have hardly any weapons at all. Some of these children are trained in real brutality and oppression in occupied Palestine (see below) and are allowed, at the age of 18 years, to act with impunity, even to shooting unarmed children.
We went on from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by coach. There we were reunited with those who had gone to Nablus and all of us attended the Deir Yassin commemoration. (Deir Yassin was a small village near Jerusalem whose inhabitants were massacred in 1948 by Irgun and the Stern Gang). The commemoration was very good. An elderly Palestinian woman survivor was the principal speaker. Leon Rosselson (one of our group) sang a song, using a guitar loaned by Mordechai Vanunu. The latter, together with the Palestinian lady, had been at the front of a small procession of about 70-100 people, which had wended its way up a hill towards the site of the village. A group of Jewish Orthodox watched, but did nothing against us. There was some wonderful singing by two young Palestinian women and also some moving contributions by some young Israelis who belonged to an organization called Zocrot that supported the event. I was very grateful for their presence; it reminded me that not all Israelis go along with oppression and violence.
Friday 8 April
The group went to visit Mordechai Vanunu. He told us that he was going to be brought before a lesser court on April 12th and that his big court case would be on April 21st. I gave him Mary (my sister's) regards, and he told the group how she had written to him in prison. He also described how he had been very careful in prison to safeguard his health - he had given up vegetarianism when he realized that it was not good for him.
He made his position very clear on Israeli nuclear weapons and said that the US had a secret deal with Israel not to publicize Israeli nuclear weapons. He also agreed with the findings of the research Mary has done on the Israeli acquisition of sophisticated missile delivery systems (which means that Israeli nuclear weapons can reach China, and Europe as well as the Middle East) and went on to say that Bill Clinton had given Israel the supercomputers that they had needed to operate these systems. He said that Israel is prepared to cause a holocaust with nuclear weapons. They would also use the neutron bomb in strategic situations. (NB all of this information is in the public domain).
He went on to argue that the situation with regard to Palestine is much worse. The Wall means that the occupation will continue. The world is not doing anything, although Palestine is like a prison. There should be no more futile negotiations: Palestinians should be given equal rights in a secular democratic state. Israel is an apartheid state; the Jewish state and democracy are incompatible. The Palestinians have demography on their side (i.e. they will outnumber Israelis in 20 years or less). He also said that there is widespread violence in Israeli society e.g. domestic violence, and they are supremely individualistic. The Left in the Israeli Parliament does not raise the issue of nuclear weapons. There are 8 Palestinian deputies out of 120, and they represent 20% of the population. He said that he had been critical of Orthodox Judaism from a very young age and converted to Christianity before revealing the nuclear secrets.
After seeing Mordechai, I went with the religious sisters and their friend (they had all been in Nablus) to visit Sabeel, a Palestinian ecumenical organization of liberation theology, where I got some books (one condemning suicide bombings) and two application forms to join the organization in the UK.
Later the group met with Shimri Tzameret, an impressive young man, an Israeli refusenik, who had been in prison for two years, and now campaigns against the occupation. However, because he has not visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) he seemed to think that the two-state solution is still on the cards. It is not, unless the Israeli Government changes its policies and the so-called 'facts on the ground'. The next day we learnt that Shimri had been stabbed in the liver on his way to a peace demonstration in Haifa; he had been seriously injured but not killed. There was nothing about it in the newspapers or on the web.
Saturday 9 April
We went back into the West Bank via Qalundia chekpoint and journeyed to Ramallah.
We walked through the checkpoint without hindrance (it was different on the
way back). In Ramallah, we visited the compound of the Palestinian Authority
and Yasser Arafat's tomb. The rubble has been cleared from most of the compound
but a small area has been left to demonstrate how heavily it was bombed. Outside
of the pavilion where the tomb was, there was a small olive tree, (symbol of
Palestine) very heavily pruned, but coming into shoot.
We then went to Budrus, one of nine villages which the Israelis are proposing to completely encircle partly with the primary Fence (part of the Wall of Separation - as some of the Israelis call it) + a secondary security fence; the inhabitants will only be able to leave through a guarded gate. Several of these ghettoes are planned along the Western border of Palestine. The Israelis have already built a military road, as a preparation for putting up the Fence. When we went to look at it, the soldiers came out in a jeep to look at us, and then came closer towards us. I was somewhat worried in case they mistook my walking stick for a gun (this is not a joke). However, they left us alone.
The leader of the village, A., believes in non-violence; his daughters have been in the forefront of demonstrations against the road and fence building. He told us the following: the people took the Army to the Supreme Court to recover 300 acres of land; the court ruled that the Army should release 225 acres, but although the Army is not building the road on the land in question, it has not returned the 225 acres to the village; olive trees have been uprooted and houses destroyed; the demonstrations have been 1200 strong; a considerable number of International Solidarity Movement volunteers have worked at Budrus.
He told us that the Israeli Army had threatened they would arrest his son (14 years) that very night. We thought some of us should stay, but it was organized that three International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers should come instead. We learnt later that the Army did not arrest A.'s son, but did raid some houses in the village. A. told us that the 2bn shekels that had been spent on the Wall/Security fence could have built 2000 Palestinian schools. He also said that 80% of the workers in the Budrus enclave used to work in Israel. These are now unemployed; there are 800 students who find it very difficult to study; the Israelis control the water and the Palestinians have to pay for water taken from their own land; the electricity is always being turned off; there is no hospital and it is very difficult to reach one; the very poor clinic the village has is without medicines; women have had to give birth at checkpoints in front of soldiers and have lost their babies; people with snakebites have died at checkpoints, for lack of an antidote. A's conclusion is that the Israelis are trying to force the people to emigrate.
A. argued that Sharon has always been a killer, his 101 unit was responsible for 76 deaths at Qibya in 1953. A. called the so-called Wall of Separation the 'Killing Wall'; it kills people, it kills olive trees. He told us that women's organizations are very active and that he believes that there are two choices: to cry or to struggle; struggle is better for the spirit. 'There can be no life without hope; freedom is the best thing in the world. The economy is bad, democracy is needed, but first there must be freedom' (from Israeli power).
We returned to Qalundiya where we saw at first hand how the Palestinians are treated at checkpoints. We were advised to take one of the right hand aisles where women and older men were checked. We all stood together in the same aisle. The girl soldier checking us wanted to turn back A., one of the group, and make him join the young men's queue (which can take hours). But, after protest from me, she let him through. However the young girl soldier in the aisle next to us was really bullying the Palestinian women. I thought she was disgustingly arrogant. It is an absolute disgrace that kids of 18 are given such power (with big guns) over other people and their very lives.
Sunday 10 April
The end of the Olive Tour. I decided not to transfer to the Ecce Homo Convent
but went to the Gloria Hotel instead where it is easy to get taxis. I then did
some sightseeing in the Old City and went to Ecce Homo to cancel my reservation.
They were very good about it and allowed me to go to their basement, which has
some interesting Roman archaeological finds and also let me visit their roof,
which overlooks the Dome of the Rock.
For several days the police had been preventing Palestinian youth from entering the Old City. Some Jewish settlers had been threatening to invade the Haram al Sharif (the Temple Mound) on Sunday, and the minaret opposite the Ecce Homo was calling on the faithful to defend the area. It was like a great cry of anguish and anger. Even I got upset, although I didn't understand the words. Some of the group had also stayed in Jerusalem and who were on the Mount of Olives, nearly got caught in a violent confrontation between the police and the young Palestinians. They said it was very frightening. I felt that the whole thing had been staged to upset the Muslims. Some 7 settlers were arrested but I don't think any of them were charged. A number of Palestinians were beaten up by the police.
Later I met up with four members of the Oxford Ramallah Friendship Association who were in Jerusalem. Three decided to go to Ramallah the following day, but because they had not arranged meetings during the day, but in the evening, I declined; I had to be back in Jerusalem that evening for my lift to Bir Zeit on Tuesday morning.
Monday 11 April
I took a taxi to the top of the Mount of Olives. A panorama of the city spread out below me. The golden Dome of the Rock is absolutely spectacularly beautiful and defines the Jerusalem landscape. I should imagine that fundamentalist Israelis feel angry every time they see it. There was no-one walking down the little road leading to the garden of Gethsemane. The tourists seem to be brought to the top of the Mount by Israeli coaches and then down to the Garden at the bottom also by coach. Walking down, I found the Dominus Flevit (the Lord Weeps) Church a peaceful, tranquil place. Christ still weeps over Jerusalem however, and I wept with Him.
Afterwards, back in the Old City I visited a small embroidery shop of a women's co-operative in which I made some unwise purchases and bought a purple stole. Later I went to visit the Western Wall. To my astonishment - it is, after all, a sacred space - a pair of young men (settlers?) came dancing into the plaza, one carrying an enormous gun. I had just been subjected to a rigorous security check. Although the Western Wall is supposed to be open to everyone, the security guard was cross when he realised that I was a Christian. Later I visited the Christian Information Centre where I bought some books. The Sister told me that the local Catholic parish in the Old City had had 25,000 parishioners in 1948; 12,000 after 1967 and 2,000 - mostly elderly - now. She thought that the Israelis had a long term strategy that they would in no way change. (During the next few days I discovered that I really loved being in the Old City - I had not expected to feel like that).
Tuesday 12 April
In the morning I went to Bir Zeit University, which is in the West Bank, north
of Ramallah. When I arrived there, it was to discover that the students were
in the middle of elections. All the staff I met expected Hamas to win by a small
margin, but in fact I learnt later that Hamas won one less seat than Fatah,
with Islamic Jihad gaining one. I don't know whether the Left won any.
I met L. T. who is a leading figure behind the academic boycott campaign. We discussed that a little. I also spoke to someone in International Relations about some wider issues. The Professor of Education I liked very much. With him we discussed the effects of the checkpoints and the restrictions on mobility on education. He also mentioned the emigration of the Christian population, but he thought it more a middle class than a Christian emigration as such. He told me that because of the restrictions on mobility some of his students were not aware that there were Palestinian Christians until they came to the University.
After I returned in the afternoon I went to Mordechai' Vanunu's arraignment. The taxi men did not want to take me anywhere near the place; they said to me 'this is dangerous for you'. I have to say I agreed with them, but felt honour bound to be present. There were only 14 supporters, of whom 4 were from Oxford and, I would think, a couple from the security services. I re-introduced myself to Angela. Mordechai shook hands with each of us. I said, 'God be with you, Mordechai'. However, the scrum of reporters and TV presenters was considerable. Mordechai fielded their questions well and made some very telling points. He reminds me of an Old Testament prophet. The authorities said that we supporters were not allowed in the courtroom because it was very small, so I decided to leave and caught a taxi back to the hotel.
Wednesday 13 April
I got up early and went to the Haram el Sharif. I had to enter from the Western Wall. It was peaceful, but we were not allowed to enter any of the mosques, or the Dome of the Rock; I felt the Muslims were still angry after the confrontation on Sunday. The Dome is so beautiful and the gardens round it peaceful. I then visited the Holy Sepulchre, which was the second time I had done so; I find the Holy Sepulchre a heavy crusader church and a very difficult venue for prayer. After this, I went to Sinbula, the trade shop at St. Andrews Church where I bought a number of things.
Thursday 14 April
7 am. I went to Mass at the Latin Patriarchate to discover that it was a semi-private one and that I was in a congregation of about six people. Two cardinals (I think) were saying Mass. One looked like Michael Sabbah and the other, perhaps, Cardinal Martini, who is a Jesuit, a progressive, and based in Jerusalem. I prayed that the next pope would take some action on the Church in the Holy Land. After breakfast I decided to engage in some 'pilgrim' activity and tried to make my way to Mount Zion where there is the Tomb of David, the Cenacle Room and the Church of the Dormition. I thought that it would be better to walk outside of the walls, but this was a mistake; I had to ask directions from a pleasant young Jewish man who was from North London and doing a course in Judaism. I asked him if he was going to be a rabbi and he said that the course was very difficult and he didn't know enough. I replied that he should certainly be a rabbi, we needed more rabbis who thought things were difficult and who felt they didn't know enough. He told me that he had been funded by a US organization. He took me to the Zion Gate, and after wandering around a little I found a small church. I went inside for a brief prayer.
When I came out, I found a film crew setting up their equipment. I discovered that the Church was attached to the Franciscan House. The film crew told me that a Peace Marathon from Bethlehem to Jerusalem was taking place. I was told they would arrive in about 30 minutes so I went to look at David's Tomb and the Cenacle. I returned to the Franciscan Monastery to discover that the Marathon had not yet arrived. I decided to wait. A number of handsome youngish men with very smart suits were constantly on the phone. I guessed that they were Italian diplomats trying to help the marathon, which, I was told, was to include Palestinians and Israelis as well as Italians, and was to commemorate Pope John Paul 2.
Eventually about forty people came into view. All of them looked Italian. I asked a Franciscan Friar how many were Palestinian and he said two or three. We then had a little chat about Bethlehem; he told me his name was Fr. S and I was to come and have lunch with him next time I was in Bethlehem.
Friday 15 April
At 12pm the taxi came to take me to the airport. At the airport I was passed
up the line of interrogation. I was asked how someone of my age could travel
around Israel by herself (!). Eventually a woman official let me go with an
annoyed sigh when I complained that the coach from Tel Aviv to Nazareth did
not stop there but went straight to the settlement and that one had to take
a taxi to get back to Nazareth proper. They didn't bother to look in my suitcase
(had probably done that already).