wfn.org | [ENS] Delegation disturbed by effects of occupation,

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Delegation disturbed by effects of occupation, says two-state solution
for
Israel/Palestine threatened

By Brian Grieves

ENS 051205-1

[Episcopal News Service] -- Anglicans who visited Israel and the
Palestinian
Territories April 29-May 6 said they returned "deeply disturbed" by the
separation barrier, checkpoints, expansion of settlements, and the
tightening of security around Palestinian areas, especially in Bethlehem
and
Hebron.

"Israel has a right to defend itself. But it appears that, in the name
of
security, injustices are being done to the Palestinians that amount to
collective punishment," said Jacqueline Scott, a member of the Standing
Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns
(AIPJC). The delegation also included members of the Executive Council's
Social Responsibility in Investments (SRI) committee and Phoebe
Griswold,
wife of Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold.

Accompanied by Christian Peacemakers Team members, the delegation toured
Hebron, a city of 120,000 Palestinians where the Tomb of the Patriarchs
is
located. About 400 Israeli settlers live in apartments confiscated from
Palestinians close to the Tomb, a site venerated by Jews, Christians and
Muslims. "The settlers throw garbage from their upper floor windows onto
the
Palestinian shopkeepers below, and the Palestinians have to put netting
up
over the walkway to prevent being hit by the debris," said Mary Miller,
a
member of the commission. "The Israelis control all Palestinian
movements in
and out of the city, and inside the city as well, effectively making it
a
jail whenever they want to turn the key," she added. "It's a tinderbox."

'Time is running out'

The group also visited Ma'ale Adumim, a major settlement in the West
Bank.
The Israeli government has recently announced plans to expand the
settlement
with an additional 3,500 homes, which will effectively close off the
last
corridor between the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and between the
Southern
and Northern West Bank, the group was told. President Bush has
criticized
the planned expansion.

East Jerusalem is internationally recognized as part of the Occupied
Territories, even though Israel unilaterally annexed it to West
Jerusalem.
An estimated 400,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem. The settlements are divided into blocs that extend their
geographical areas far beyond the actual housing areas, the delegation
was
informed. The group also visited another large settlement bloc, Gush
Etzion.

Security issues

In a visit to Bethlehem, the group passed through a part of Israel's
separation barrier, built inside the pre-1967 border (the "Green Line"),
a
nine-meter-high wall around the city, and noted that Rachel's Tomb,
another
venerated holy site, has been placed on the Jerusalem side of the
barrier,
cutting off access from Bethlehem where it is located. The Israeli
government maintains the barrier is built to provide security to Israel.

"What the commission members found the most shocking of all was that the
Wall or Separation Barrier or Fence, as it is variously called, is
perceived
by all parties as being almost entirely underwritten by the American
taxpayer," said Michele Spike, another member of the commission. "The
Wall
invades Palestinian fields, dividing grazing lands -- including the
valley
of the shepherds at Bethlehem -- and, at times, encircling Palestinian
cities."

The delegation observed that some parts of the separation barrier cut
off
Palestinians from one another and often makes a two-minute walk into a
journey of a mile or more. Family members or friends often find it
difficult
to see each other, which has hugely negative effects on Palestinian
society,
the group learned.

Checkpoints causing chaos

Numerous Israeli checkpoints slowed the delegation's movements in
Palestinian areas. Congestion at one in Ramallah forced the group to
take a
90-minute detour on a drive to Jerusalem that normally takes 20 minutes.
"We
were told that the checkpoints may be the most vexing frustration of all
to
the Palestinians, because everybody is affected by them virtually every
day," commented Kim Byham, member of the Episcopal Church's Executive
Council and liaison to SRI.

Bypass roads constructed for use by settlers transferring back and forth
between the West Bank and Israel were another source of contention.
"Whatever good intentions may have been behind them, these super
highways,
funded by U.S. tax dollars, effectively divide the Palestinian
communities
of the West Bank," said Spike. "Palestinian families who live on one
side of
the road are prevented from crossing the road, even on foot, to farm
land or
to visit relatives who happen to live on the opposite side of the road."

The delegation also heard about effects of the occupation on Israelis
from a
number of Jewish peace groups, including B'Tselem and New Profile. They
argued that the financial and human costs of the Occupation are harmful
to
Israelis as well as to Palestinians. In addition to the infrastructure
costs
of checkpoints and the separation barrier, the human toll on soldiers,
security-force members, and their families was becoming increasingly
harmful
to Israeli society, the groups said. They called for justice and
security
for both sides.

'Impossible circumstances'

On its first full day, the group visited Gaza where they saw the work of
the
Ahli Arab Hospital, an institution of the Diocese of Jerusalem.

Phoebe Griswold lamented the conditions that make it difficult for the
hospital to function effectively. "Despite the obstacles, the ministry
of
the hospital to a community so bereft of basic health services was
awesome
to see," she said. "The director of the hospital, Suheila Tarazi, and
her
staff are incredible laborers in the vineyard under impossible
circumstances."

Griswold and the Rev. Charles Cloughen Jr., members of the board of the
American Friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem, presented monetary gifts
from
the organization.

An estimated 1.3 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, about half
in
refugee camps, making the strip one of most densely populated areas in
the
world. Israel plans to remove its 8,000 settlers from Gaza this summer,
a
development that could propel the peace process but still has drawbacks,
according to local voices. "Palestinians told us the withdrawal from
Gaza
still leaves Israel in charge of land, sea and air rights, as well as
controlling basic needs like drinking water. They feel they'll still be
living in a prison," said the Rev. Kathleen Cullinane of Indianapolis,
member of the SRI committee.

On the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, the group was moved by a visit to
Yad
Vashem Holocaust Museum that serves as a memorial to the 6 million Jews
who
died in the Holocaust, and noted Christian complicity in one of
history's
most devastating atrocities. The next day the group was reminded by a
rabbi
that Israelis today live under the constant fear of suicide bombers as
he
spoke of his daily worry each time his son boarded a public bus.
"Violence
against innocent people, Palestinian or Israeli, is immoral and a huge
impediment to peace," said Miller, former executive of the Episcopal
Peace
Fellowship. "If the cycle of violence can be broken, a just peace is
possible."

The peace commission members are working on a report to the Episcopal
Church's 2006 General Convention, which will meet in Columbus, Ohio. The
SRI
committee is to report to Executive Council in October on whether the
Episcopal Church is profiting from its investments in corporations that
support the infrastructure of the occupation and violence against
innocent
Israelis and Palestinians. "We found it's a complicated issue and we
have
considerable work ahead to gather the information we need," said
Cullinane.

The delegation spent Orthodox Easter Day in St. Andrew's Episcopal
Church in
Ramallah and heard from members of the congregation about the conflict.
The
group also met with several Palestinian non-governmental organizations,
as
well as with a number of Israeli groups, including B'Tselem, Bereaved
Parents Circle, the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions and the
American Jewish Committee. The Palestinian Authority also received the
delegation. A request made repeatedly to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign
Affairs for a meeting was denied.

Members of the delegation included:
AIPJC - Mary Miller, Jacqueline Scott, Michele Spike
SRI - Kim Byham (Executive Council), the Reverend Kathleen Cullinane
Peace and Justice Ministries (PJM) Staff -Brian Grieves, Harry Van Buren

For further information contact:
AIPJC, Mary Miller - 410.783.1847, email: mary.miller@ecunet.org
SRI, Kim Byham - 914.390.8006, email: Kim.Byham@NYPA.gov
PJM - Brian Grieves, 800.334.7626, ext 5207, email:
bgrieves@episcopalchurch.org

-- Brian Grieves is director of Peace and Justice Ministries for the
Episcopal Church.

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