They speak to me of Venezuelas, of Chiles, and of Paraguays. I have no idea what they are saying. I know only the skin of the earth, and I know it is without a name.
- Pablo Neruda (from "Too Many Names" - Demasiados Nombres)
The month of August has been a busy one for the office of Wi'am. It seems that conflicts continue to develop no matter what season the wind blow in, nor how large the borders may be. Even with all the conflicts mounting, this month the Center has been extra active in other areas.
In the last newsletter we mentioned that the Center was sending one of the youth to the United States to help out with tornado relief in Oklahoma. Out of the many who were intending to go, 4 Palestinians- including our youth- made the trip. They worked both outside and inside on at least one home. While there, they stayed in the homes of the members of the local United Methodist church who helped to sponsor their visit.
After spending 10 days in Oklahoma, our youth then flew to Santa Cruz, California where he talked about his personal experience being a Palestinian, as well as the work of the Wi'am Center. His visit to speak in California was sponsored by the Resource Center for Nonviolence.
At the beginning of July our Director was invited to participate in a conference in Columbia. It was not certain until the last moment if he was going to be able to attend. When the 17th of August rolled around, he was on his way to South America to attend a conference discussing 'Community Justice' and 'Peace Judges'.
He gave lots of talks addressing the role of Conflict Resolution and Community Justice that Wi'am has been active in. Three main lectures were given at the National University of Columbia in Bogota, at the office of the Corporation Region, and the University of Medellin. Through reflection he said- In Columbia they are very interested in 'Peace Judges' since it has been legalized. Also, they are seeking more information about other experiences from other countries that continue to deal with issues of justice, arbitration, and mediation.
While there he stayed with a family and had a chance to see bits and pieces of the country. He reflected that a great deal of what goes on there is very similar to the situation here in Palestine. There, police harass those they wish, and the poor live in wooden shelters all in one area. There is a lot to be learned from visiting and understanding a situation that holds similar injustices to life- to that of here in Palestine.
The many months of planning became reality during the month of August. Wi'am along with the Israeli- Sharet Educational Center/Mirkam, were sponsored by the Norway organization-FAFO, to conduct a People-to-People project about the 'Final Status' issues. Ten young Israelis and Ten young Palestinians took part in the project.
At first the Israelis and Palestinians met separately to explore the issues. In doing so, both Israeli and Palestinian lecturers spoke to each group. After the last meeting, the Israelis and Palestinians gathered together in the city of Nazareth for three days. A facilitator and a translator from each side, joined the group to help move along the discussion.
As could be expected, after the introduction period the group experienced some tension. The facilitators were wonderful to get the group to work through and beyond the problems. Although the issues were not discussed formally- they were talked about in pieces throughout the discussion. By the end of the gathering in Nazareth, individuals on both sides seemed relieved to have come to some type of understanding of the other. On the way back to Bethlehem, many of the Palestinians voiced inquiry to when the next segment of this conference would continue.
It may have been that the learning and teaching for these young Palestinians and Israelis has begun, or it may be that the Palestinians are overjoyed to be out of the 'Occupied Territory' for a while, especially when some of them do not have permits.
While the group of youth were discussing hot topics in Nazareth over the weekend, another youth in Bethlehem suffered from a devastating car accident. He was rolled down and killed while walking, as four others were injured. We, at the Wi'am Center ask you to keep the family of this 20 year old in your thoughts and prayers. Any time that a death strikes a family suddenly and unexpected it hits hard with pain. We also put forward the concern for those who were injured during the accident.
The times in Bethlehem remain to be unstable as the occupation continues. Many of the internal conflicts stem from the checkpoint and the inability to move freely back and forth to Jerusalem. For this reason, Wi'am also supports individual's and family needs. Throughout the year we try to raise money to help with building projects, sending children to school, helping with needed operations, finding jobs for people, offering trips for the youth, and providing gifts for children during the Christmas time. (We welcome any support that others are able to offer in these matters.)
As a grass-roots organization, Wi'am strives alongside other democratic
forces present in the larger Bethlehem community to build a democratic
and just society. The Center aims to improve the quality of relationships
by: addressing injustices rather than avenging them; dignifying persons
on both sides of the conflict; promoting human rights and advocating for
peace among all people.