Holy Land Holy People Day 8

Yet another day passes in the Holy Land. Sadly, the trip does not feel like it should be ending. There is still so much to explore, so many people to speak to, and so much to consider. That being said, the trip has affected us unexpectedly and profoundly. As other students may have noted, the sights and experiences of this trip have left our group emotionally confused and distraught. Today was no different as we toured Jerusalem.

First, we visited the archeological site of the City of David. While the site was very old and rooted in history, the excavation was particularly significant because of its modern political importance. Israelis believe that this excavation further reinforces the validity of Zionism, as this land has been claimed by the Israeli State since the time of David. Interestingly, the site was filled with birthright groups, all full of innocent zeal and possibly misguided pride for Israel.

Next, we spent the rest of our morning at the Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. For all of our group, it was difficult to articulate our feelings about the powerful exhibits and depressing images throughout the museum. Yad Vashem was thorough to a saddening extend. Jews were not just ruthlessly killed by the Nazis, but rejected all over Europe and in the Americas. Perhaps this rejection justifies why the Israeli State seems to live in constant fear. Jews have never had a permanent place to call their own and must be horrified at the thought of losing their nation in their sacred land.

After yet another delicious lunch, it came time to say goodbye to Ibrahim, our tour guide since we first arrived in Tel Aviv. While Ibrahim was not the most exciting man (and his 5 30 wake up calls at the hotel will always be held against him), he held a deep passion for his homeland and sensed our own group’s never ending and always conflicting emotions. Fortunately, we met with Yahav, an Israeli man from Jerusalem who guided us through Israel for the rest of the day.

Yahav first brought us to what seemed to be a beautiful overlook of the city of Jerusalem. Yet Zahav felt differently. He quickly noted the differences that became gradually more clear between West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem. West Jerusalem was filled with primarily Jewish neighborhoods while East Jerusalem was predominantly Palestinian. This is due to the Six-Day War of 1967, in which Israeli occupied East Jerusalem was well as the rest of the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinian part of Jerusalem was annexed by Israel because of the importance of Jerusalem as a holy city. Yet the rest of the West Bank was simply occupied, with settlements now sprouting up at a rapid rate. The Palestinians rejected Israeli citizenship (preferring Jordanian citizenship) but had Israeli identifications

Discrimination was obvious between West and East Jerusalem. West Jerusalem almost had the look of a modern European city, with a strong infrastructure while cranes continued to build new buildings. While West Jerusalem was full of parks and roads, East Jerusalem lacked investment and the modernization of the other half of this city. The Palestinians did not have equal opportunity to education, clean water and healthcare and the difference was clear as we drove through East Jerusalem. Zahav revealed to the group that about 10% of the city spending went to East Jerusalem (where 40% of the population lives) while West Jerusalem and the surrounding settlements in the suburbs received the rest of the funding. Zahav’s tour and information were frustrating to hear and see, especially after our morning in Yad Vashem.

As you readers can imagine, it was hard to reconcile what we saw in the museum and what we saw in East Jerusalem. It became especially frustrating to learn that the beautiful view of the Israeli countryside all visitors of the Yad Vashem see after completing the museum exhibits was actually the land of three destroyed Palestinian villages. We left Zahav and headed back to the hotel wondering “What are we supposed  to think now?”.

Zahav felt that U.S involvement was the basis of the problem. He may be correct. The United States provides $3 billion of military “aid” to Israel annually and has supported walls and other Israeli developments financially for decades. The brilliantly ruthless systems of Israeli occupation and discrimination would not last without U.S foreign aid. And, at least from my view, the current ways of Israeli governance are bound to collapse. It may just be time to let these nations figure this situation out themselves, under a different eye than that of the United States.

In my opinion, less U.S involvement would allow the Lord to let his influence to enter the region. No political solution is eminent so a change of policy is in order. As far as I can see, the Lord has his own plan for this sacred part of the world. For us to continually politically and financially interfere with his vision is short-sight and simply wrong. Then again, I will learn more tomorrow and possibly my view will change again. Such is the complexity of this conflict

Much love from Israel,

Blaine