This year is the 75th anniversary of the Nakba or catastrophe when Palestinians, who had lived peaceably on the land now called Israel for thousands of years, were forced out of their homes and off of their land and worse. There will be, I believe, much ado about the founding of Israel in our news outlets this year. I also believe that not much, if anything, will be said about the continued difficult living conditions and innocent killings that Palestinians deal with daily. Being able to tell their stories after seeing it with my own eyes holds incredible honor for me.
I traveled to Palestine in 2018 with the Presbyterian Mosaic of Peace. We visited the ancient Holy sites of the three Abrahamic faiths. We visited new Jewish settlements and a farm owned by a Christian Palestinian family for 100 plus years. We met beautiful Palestinian ladies who live in a refugee camp but have found a way to make money by operating a cooking school for travelers. Trips to the Holy Land without trusted, knowledgeable guides could be difficult and unsafe. Fortunately the guide during my trip was a man named Faraj. While not his mother tongue, he speaks fluent English, albeit with an accent. There were moments when we didn’t understand him. One of our events was going to see the wall. By this I mean the separation wall that was started in 2002 (the construction continues to this day). Faraj said we would be going to what sounded like the Waldorf Hotel. I was not impressed. I did not want to see a fancy hotel. I should not have worried. When we drove up we couldn’t have been more surprised or amused when we arrived at the Walled Off Hotel.
