While the gaze of the world is now focused on the crisis in Lebanon, the situation continues to escalate in Gaza. Three weeks have now passed since a massive military incursion into the Gaza Strip, the main purpose of which, we are told, is to rescue the 19 year old captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. However, rather than a rescue mission, what it looks like from here is a re-occupation of the territory Israel was meant to have left less than one year ago.
Even before this soldier was captured, Israel continued its ‘operations’ in Gaza with random shelling in densely populated areas. The Israeli Government states these missile strikes were aimed at militants, but this is little consolation to Huda Ghaliya, the seven year old girl who had 8 members of her family killed by an Israeli missile on June 9th while they picnicked on the Gazan beach. Nor does this comfort the families of Mohammed al-Roka, his sister, Nadia, and Bilal al-Hassa, the two five year old children and one 16 year old boy who were killed in an Israeli air strike the following week.
In response to the capture of Gilat Shalit, the Israeli Government has illegally arrested almost half of the Palestinian government and destroyed the Gazan infrastructure. Included in Israel's mission to dismantle and destroy what little autonomy, infrastructure, and quality of life existed in Gaza, the Israeli military destroyed the only autonomous Palestinian power plant. This has left roughly half of the residents of Gaza, 700,000 people, without power - which means without water. This has led to a massive humanitarian crisis in Gaza where they are continually running low - or out of - food, medicine, gas, and water.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the Israeli military has begun a campaign of massive and
excessive retaliation for the capture of two of its soldiers. What happened to negotiation or diplomatic pressure? It seems that the entire infrastructure of Lebanon will be dismantled in a matter of days.
What is there to say about what is going on here? It is difficult to imagine how quickly things change in this region - literally I cannot say what will happen from one minute to the next - no one can. I am constantly reminded of how fragile human life is and how little control we have over even our own lives. Last Monday I was relaxing on a beach in Akko looking out across the bay at Haifa- today Haifa has suffered multiple rocket attacks and is under a high security alert. Last Tuesday I ate at a cafe in Tiberius - today Tiberius was hit by two rockets from Hezbollah. Over the last month I have been considering studying at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut or perhaps at the American University there - and now I wonder if there will be a Beirut by the time the Israeli Government has finished.
There is no real routine, there is no planning ahead. I, my teammates, and many of my Palestinian and Israeli friends are taking it one day at a time. We weep for those who have been killed, day and night, we thank God for those who are still alive, and we pray. We pray for peace, we pray for justice, we pray that someone outside of this insane and unbelievable microcosm will bring us a message of hope, a message of empathy and forbearance to wipe away our tears of rage, sorrow, and vengeance. Mostly I have found that I and many of us pray for strength. We pray for the strength to get out of bed every morning, to convince ourselves that there is a resurrection and a new dawn in the midst of this hopeless crucifixion.
Eric Fistler
19 July 2006
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was launched in August 2002. Ecumenical accompaniers monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestianians and Israeli peace activists, offer protection through non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. The programme is coordinated by the World Council of Churches (WCC).
