JStreet Updates--Movement and Economic Development in the West Bank

In spite of a text-message warning to "avoid east Jerusalem and the Old City on Friday, February 25th, because of expected heightened tension" (a response to the United States' vetoing a U.N. resolution which would condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank), I joined JStreet for another tour of the West Bank, this time focused on the issues of movement and economic development.

We accessed the West Bank through the Qalandiya Crossing, the largest checkpoint near Jerusalem. The crossing is both a pedestrian and vehicle checkpoint which serves Palestinians who are considered residents of Jerusalem, as well as Israeli settlers, and Palestinians with permits to work in Israel proper. The crossing actually sported some cool hand-scanners which are supposed to expedite the crossing for workers with permits.

A representative for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) explained the history of the crossing and its day-to-day operation. During peak hours, getting through the checkpoint can take as long as an hour and fifteen minutes (imagine doing that every day)! ACRI has won several small legislative victories which targeted the Qalandiya Crossing, including (1) the installment of a humanitarian lane for the sick and elderly, (2) a change in policy which allows children to remain on school buses (rather than forcing them to step off the bus and proceed through the pedestrian crossing while the bus is checked at the vehicle checkpoint), and (3) a change in policy allowing children to show a copy of their birth certificate (rather than the original) at the crossing.

Several pictures are below. The first picture is of the huge sign at the Qalandiya Crossing which warns travelers (in Hebrew) that entering the nearby Area A (i.e. areas under the total control of the Palestinian Authority) can present a danger to one's life! The second picture shows two of the three pedestrian crossing lanes, not including the humanitarian lane (which is wide enough for people using wheelchairs). The third picture is the intimidating security barrier which separates eastern (Palestinian) and western (Israeli) Jerusalem. What surprised me was how--much like traveling from the U.S. to Mexico--getting into Area A is so easy... going the reverse is an extremely tedious process (unless, of course, you are visibly Jewish).





Our tour then proceeded to the village of Taybeh. Mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament, Taybeh is the only Palestinian village that is entirely Arab-Christian. The religious life of the villagers is divided between a Greek Orthodox Church, a second rite I cannot remember, and a Roman Catholic Church. We met with the priest from the Roman Catholic church who told us about his church's history, as well as his dream for a more unified society. He called the land neither Israel nor Palestine but Canaan (a politically neutral and historically accurate term), and expressed his hope that Jerusalem will remain "one city for two people of three faiths." (He also talked about the parish school--33% of its enrollment is comprised of Muslim students from the neighboring villages.) The coolest part for me was seeing the beautiful (Christian) church, with Arabic writing (pictured below).



The priest also showed us an ancient stone house on the church grounds. The house was several centuries old, and the priest explained how the centuries-old house illuminates many of the parables Jesus told in the Gospels, as well as other stories. For example, he explained how the people and animals used to live together inside the house--the people would sleep together in an upper room, whereas the livestock would be kept in the lower room. The priest believes that Jesus' birth did not occur in a modern stable, but in the lowest room of the house where the animals were kept (because there was not enough room on the upper floors). See the picture below.



The trip concluded with a tour of the Taybeh Brewing Co., the only Palestinian microbrewery in the West Bank. Let's just say it was delicious. The owners talked about the unique issues which face a Palestinian company--for example, rather than exporting their product through the nearby Qalandiya Crossing, the truck drivers must make a three hour journey south in order to move their product into Israel. International exports are also a logistical problem.



This last picture is a shout-out to Zach, who (I forgot to mention in the last post), moved into a vacant bedroom in my apartment, bringing our total up to four. I feel I should point out that this is the second time Zach has been pictured on this blog drinking beer (= alcoholism?).