Peace in the Holy Land

My wife and I just returned from a trip in the Holy Lands to Jordon, Israel and the West Bank. At the same time that we were greatly moved by the historical biblical sites, we were both concerned and encouraged by what we saw in the every-day life of the people in this troubled part of the world.

Israeli checkpoints: Many of us believe that checkpoints at the Israeli/West Bank/Gaza borders help to provide the security that Israeli citizens deserve. But, we also saw checkpoints that were located well inside of the West Bank. These checkpoints seem to have the purpose of greatly hassling and inconveniencing the Palestinians living there.

In many instances, they cut people off from their jobs and from hospitals and medical care. And they can cause loss of income and in extreme cases, life. We also saw many instances where the young checkpoint officers are learning a bad life lesson, namely how a position of power can allow one to bully, intimidate and humiliate other people.

Israeli settlements: We saw numerous settlements, all on West Bank land that had been confiscated from Palestinian residents. The settlements are startlingly large developments and invariably on very desirable land on the top of a hill. In many cases the evicted Palestinians are rendered homeless or separated from where they work by the private roads that link the settlements to Israel.

All West Bank power and water utilities are controlled by the Israeli government, so during a shortage these resources go to the settlements first and the Palestinians in the West Bank may possibly go without. The settlements have increased the Israeli West Bank population to nearly 400,000.

The walls: Many of us believe that walls built on the internationally recognized borders between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza ensure safety for Israeli citizens. However, what we also saw were walls in the middle of the West Bank, even down the middle of streets in some cases. Many of these walls are built to surround Israeli settlements. In some cases, olive trees, the livelihood of many Palestinians, were uprooted and destroyed. In some cases, walls permanently separate one part of a Palestinian family from another or Palestinians from the place where they used to work.

Because of these realities of life, many peace-loving Palestinians are losing hope for a fulfilling, satisfactory, happy and healthy life in their homeland. Despite all of this, we were greatly encouraged by three aspects of our trip. First, we were privileged to meet with Father Elias Chacour, a Catholic Priest and a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He is an Israeli Palestinian, and he has built an educational institution in the small, northern Israeli village of Ibillin. His school provides quality education for Jewish, Muslim and Christian children from kindergarten through college.

Father Chacour also preaches all over the world an incredibly optimistic message for peace in Israel/Palestine. He says that through love for both Israelis and Palestinians, we must see and understand the viewpoints of both sides and point out both the good and the bad on both sides. His powerful message is one that must frame all that is done to bring peace to this troubled region.

Secondly, we were greatly encouraged by life in Galilee, in northern Israel. The population of Galilee consists of a 50/50 mix of Israelis and Palestinians. Largely speaking, they all live together in harmony, as they have for generations. Galilee can be a model for peaceful coexistence in all of the Holy Land.

Thirdly, we talked with a significant number of citizens, either Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim, Christian or secular, who desperately want peace and, despite the fanatical fringes on both sides of the conflict, despite the violations of human rights and despite the inflexible positions of governments, these people believe that they can someday have peace in the Holy Land.

Steve Hawkins is a Boulder resident.