A truthful journey that's just beginning

Erin Odgers, Plains
eodgers1982@yahoo.com

In the remote West bank village of At-Tuwani, our May 2007 Christian Peacemaker Team delegation sat listening to village leader, Hafez, tell stories of the harassment the village faces from the nearby Israeli settlers, and the lack of police investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

He went on to tell us of the time settlers killed many of their sheep by placing poisonous, barley-covered pellets under the shrubs where the sheep graze. He explained to us, that in the midst of this violence, he has had to make the decision as to whether to retaliate with violent attacks or to resist with non-violent actions. With much contemplation, he came to the conclusion that non-violence is the only solution for the village, explaining to us that, “if we fought back, it would cause more violence.”

In response to this violence, Hafez told our group that since 2000, his village has invited both Israeli and international peace groups to come visit the village in order to educate the global community about challenges they face. Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove – both nonviolent action groups – currently have teams of people living in the village as international
observers monitoring children who walk near the settlements to go to school. Hafez said, “I’d like to tell the truth to the world. I know we need time, but with Israeli and international help I have hope.” He welcomed our group into his village to share his story in hope that we, as US Americans and Canadians, would tell their story once we returned to North America. He encouraged us to tell his story by saying, “When you come here I believe we are like friends, and you can tell our story like friends.”

This story is a snapshot into the lives of the Palestinians my teammates and I met while on this 12-day delegation to Israel and Palestine. I have found the Palestinian people to have a great sense of hospitality, resiliency, a commitment to nonviolence, and a hope in a future void of a military occupation. As I sat listening to Hafez, I felt a great sense of responsibility. He was inviting our group into his village to share a meal together and the story of the people of At-Tuwani who have faced threats to their homes, their livelihoods, their families, and their land. Just like Hafez, each Palestinian we met asked that we tell their stories when we return home. Each one possessed a hope that these stories will spread and will change the conscience of U.S. and Canadian
people in order to bring about change.

Having been entrusted with these intimate stories, I find that my journey has not ended, even after I have stepped off the plane. Instead, it has just begun. My task is to tell the stories of my new friends in Palestine to my friends here in the U.S. Through these stories, I have a hope, just as I learned from the Palestinians: that the world will see their suffering and call for an end to the injustices they face.

photo provided by Erin Odgers