Sabeel

"The Holy Land is not what it is anymore because of what happened to it." 

Sabeel--The Way--A drink of fresh water along The Way

As a Palestinian Christian organization, Sabeel works to empower local Christians to "stand for the oppressed, work for justice, and seek peace building opportunities." By working for peace, Sabeel believes they are making strides to create a sustainable community in the midst of violence.

 Although I could go on about the mission and vision of Sabeel, what stands out to me the most is the use of story telling from the speaker. Because of her story telling, our conversation at Sabeel marks the beginning of my deepening confusion of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It marks the beginning of my journey to truly understanding the concept of Dual Narratives. 

Having previously heard the narratives of a few Israeli people, I began to notice a significant difference in the way certain pieces of history were portrayed in the different stories. As a clear and obvious example, according to the Palestinian people, the war of 1948 is called Nakba, or catastrophe, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had to flee from their homes to avoid the war and bloodshed. However, for the Israeli people, the war of 1948 is called the War of Independence. Because of these opposing views on the war, the people of Israel and Palestine continue to tell their history in a variety of ways to this day. The Israeli and Palestinian people re-story their experiences by highlighting or disregarding pieces of history that "the other" may find relevant or irrelevant to their personal stories. Who is correctly portraying history?

Looking back on the conversation at Sabeel, I would argue that it's not about who has the correct factual story. From my experiences in Israel and Palestine, I have found a significant amount of trauma, pain, anger, and violence to be evident and present on both sides of the conflict. The question that remains for me is the way in which the people of Israel and Palestine can begin to recognize and value the stories of the other. "If we sit at a round table and talk about justice then I will be glad to participate," declared the speaker at Sabeel. 

What's involved in the process of justice? Should peace negotiations be the primary item on the to do list, or is there value in creating opportunities for narrative and story telling in the process to justice and peace? 

Wi'am

"A country is not only what it does, but it is what it tolerates."

-Kurt Tucholsky

Wi'am was one of the first places that we stopped on our journey throughout Israel and Palestine. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were met by armed Palestinian guards and young boys trying to sell us postcards to commemorate our visit. Walking into the gates of the organization, jammed up against the wall that separates Palestine (occupied territory) and Israel, I knew this place would be of interest to my passions and my project. What processes fell under their title of "Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center"?

While the leader of the organization called for us to form a circle with our chairs, another young man of the organization offered tea or coffee to those who would accept. (Later I found that offering tea or coffee was a sign of hospitality.) Pointing to the Kurt Tucholsky quote, as mentioned above, on the wall behind our now large circle, the speaker said, "By your presence you are working for a culture of acceptance." Our presence in this place was a living example of standing against the hatred and violence that the country of Israel has projected on the people of Palestine? I was intrigued. 

In this conversation with the people of Wi'am, new facts about the relationship between Israel and Palestine were surfacing. 

• 28 camps in the West Bank/Gaza Strip
• 541 villages were leveled

Although hearing facts like these were crucial for deepening my understanding of the conflict, I did not move to the edge of my seat until the speaker began talking about the role of the organization in the community. "We [Wi'am] are transforming the garbage of anger into a constructive way that does not generate hate," said the Director. 

Wi'am is a Palestinian Christian organization working to create a culture of peace between Palestinian people. Working to shift away from blame to collective responsibility, Wi'am works within the Palestinian community to resolve disputes among their people. Using traditional native forms of conflict resolution, as well as Western ideas, Wi'am is using "arms of dialogue" and not "dialogue of arms" to help neighbors understand each other on a deeper level. 

Fascinated by the idea that Wi'am is working internally with the Palestinian people, I am now curious as to how the internal transformation of individuals could eventually transpire externally. Do the people that Wi'am work with have new insights into relational living? Have they begun to see their neighbors in a different way? Have they begun to understand one another on a deeper level by forming Wi'am, or cordial relationships? If so, how can the practice of forming these relationship with one another eventually extend into the formation of relationship with the Israeli people?

Can changing the way we view people in our personal conflict, for example, by rehumanizing them, begin to change the way in which we live with all people of the world? 

Stepping Out: Taking the Journey

Before I take you on a reflective journey of my trip to Israel and Palestine, I must warn you that I have no idea what I'm doing "blogging". No. Idea. My personal writing has always been just that...personal. On one hand, I recognize that writing and developing this blog has already made me vulnerable, which is scary; on the other hand, being vulnerable to the experience is just what I need. After all, being open and vulnerable to the expression of our experiences is something that we all need, and that is one point that I hope to show you by the end of our time together.

Here, in this space, I'm taking you on a journey that may seem backwards at first, but will end in a place that is exemplary of the growth that I've experienced. Before our group left on the trip to Israel and Palestine, we were asked to create an opening narrative that expressed our assumptions about the conflict in Israel and Palestine in relation to a topic of our choosing. Because I am intrigued and passionate about the theological ideas and the praxis of conflict transformation, a new way of handling and transforming conflict, I wanted to explore the possible role of the circle process in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. In a partially theologically motivated conflict, how can restorative practices, like peacemaking circles or listening circles, benefit the people? What are the pragmatics of the circle process in Israel and Palestine? What peaceful possibilities are available when the people of Israel and Palestine are equipped to use practices that deepen relational living? If the people of Israel and Palestine had opportunities to sit in circle together and share their narratives, what are the possibilities for peace?

If God calls all people of creation to right relationship, a possible outcome of restorative practices, why can't there be peace through the circle process? After traveling to Israel and Palestine, I recognize how naive the question may seem, but what I hope to show you in this blog is how my thoughts have changed over time. The points of reflection in my blog are based around conversations with people and organizations in country that shaped and molded my experience.

Today I ask similar questions from a new perspective, but right now I stand by my original assumptions and questions to show you my journey to an alternative ending. Follow me!