When our Eyewitness Palestine delegation reached the Negev desert (inside the official borders of Israel), we were greeted by gorgeous blue skies beneath which straight rows of lush green barley were growing and solitary Bedouin shepherds were peacefully herding their sheep while being buffeted by a wondrous wind.I am a Midwesterner from Nebraska. At last I was seeing an area of ancient Palestine where I felt at home and at peace.
Read MoreBattir’s footpath runs by an elegant 2000-year old Roman stone pool, fed by an aqueduct from one of three village water springs not yet blocked by Israel. The hillside terraces stepping down to the tracks are lush with gardens. But across the tracks, the villagers can get spring water only from an old, rusting pipe they aren’t allowed to repair, limiting their agricultural success.
Read MoreThroughout the West Bank Hebron has the reputation of having the most in-your-face examples of Israeli settlers attempting to stamp Palestinian society into the ground. We spent four days here, seeing examples of settler brutality and Palestinian resistance. It was simultaneously heart wrenching and inspiring.
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