Handwriting on the Wall
August 24, 2011
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| Construction on the separation barrier in Al-Walaje |
A minor headline in today’s newspaper is especially troubling to me as I write this morning (Aug. 24, 2011). The Palestinian village of Al-Walajeh, just southwest of Bethlehem on the border of Jerusalem, had appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court to have the route of the concrete separation barrier moved, on grounds that the wall would completely encircle and smother the village, and yesterday, Israel’s highest court rejected their appeal. I visited Al-Walajeh during my recent sabbatical in Israel, and met with Sheerin Alaraj, a passionate and articulate Palestinian woman who serves on Al-Walajeh’s local town council, who described their efforts to win approval of the courts in Israel, and gave me a tour of the village. First stop on the tour was the house of Sheerin and her family, which overlooks a beautiful valley and the Judean hills beyond. But because there is an Israeli access road to a nearby West Bank Jewish settlement, the administration plans to construct large cement barrier just a few short meters from her home, blocking her view and her access to the valley and lands. When I encountered Sheerin, her anger and frustration were clear, and yet, I also heard in her story a glimmer of hope that Israel could deal justly with their village. Today, the newspapers report that the village’s appeals have been rejected, and so Sheerin’s is just one of the many painful stories to be told in this village.
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| Town councilwoman Sheerin Alaraj |
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| Panoramic view of the house of Ms. Alaraj, which will be blocked by a concrete wall |
In other cases, Israel’s Supreme Court has bravely changed the route of the wall-barrier on humanitarian grounds. The Israeli authorities have, occasionally, responded compassionately to appeals, and moved the route of barrier (which in some places is a concrete wall, and in others a network of electronic fences). One such celebrated case was featured in the documentary film, “Budrus,” which shows how Palestinians used non-violent community organizing to win over the Israeli public and the courts. There is little question in most Israelis’ minds that the barrier has proven effective in reducing terrorist attacks inside Israel. But some Palestinians that I met held deep convictions that Israel was using the barrier to expropriate lands and effectively change the actual border in certain key spots. I have the feeling that each case is different, depending on the local situation and geography. Either way, the entire situation is deeply painful: painful to see Palestinians suffering and growing angrier with the construction of each kilometer, painful to hear Israel accused of using these tactics (founded or unfounded), painful to see the destruction of land and environment by this ugly wall, and especially painful that two peoples trust each other so little and that the conflict deepens and intensifies with each day’s newspaper stories. - Rabbi Andy Vogel
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