One year after the US decision to move its embassy, this delegation takes a special in depth look at the situation in Jerusalem including the effects of displacement and gentrification on the Holy City. The group also tours many other areas in Palestine/Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Follow the delegation to read eyewitness accounts from the ground, reports from meetings, and experiences with Palestinians and Israelis.
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This delegation is Eyewitness Palestine's 68th, successfully exposing more than 1,300 people to the daily realities facing Palestinians in their quest for justice.
We believe in the power of eyewitness experience and transformation. Given the opportunity to speak directly with Palestinians and Israelis, delegates return to the United States better informed, more energized, and with a deeper understanding of the possibilities for true justice in the Middle East.
Even though the cities and villages have varied, as have their respective statuses as part of the occupied Palestinian territory or across the Green Line, the stories have been similar. Natural resources, and their importance to the economy, have been central to the colonization of Palestine, be it in Jaffa or in the Jordan Valley.
Read MoreWe enter the so-called City of David – a glistening, modern stone edifice built on multiple levels in the hillside, with open vistas onto the town of Silwan – amidst a deafening cacophony of children’s voices, shouting, laughing, shrieking with joy. Even though we are on the south end of occupied East Jerusalem, a supposedly Palestinian area, these are not Palestinian children.
Read MoreEverything begins and ends here
All make their holy pilgrimage to
The heart of the world
Their souls call to the land of sacrifice
The Black liberation holiday of Juneteenth was on my mind when we drove past a platoon of Israeli occupation forces as they marched into a Palestinian village, black automatic weapons in hand, likely about to execute a raid. As our bus drove past the handful of military vehicles parked alongside the road, a deep sense of rage, sadness, and powerlessness swelled up within me.
Read MoreWe eagerly awaited our visit to the Musrara neighborhood in East Jerusalem, as it held very special meaning for a couple of members of our group. Their families had lived there before they were forcibly removed as a result of the Nakba in 1948. Hearing authentic first-hand historical accounts of what life was like for the Palestinians who once lived there, it was heartbreaking to imagine the complete loss of home and community.
Read MoreOur guide from the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan explained all the ugly ways— blatant and subtle— that the Israeli authorities and extremist settler groups are using to confiscate the land of Palestinians in Silwan and drive away as many people from their homes as possible. He and young Silwani activists also explained the Israeli plan for creating a Disney-like version of the “City of David” in the area of Silwan.
Read MoreOn Friday, I had the chance to visit the Lutheran Church of Redeemer courtyard in Jerusalem. My extended family— 17 people— were given shelter there, crammed into one room, when they fled from the Musrara neighborhood in what became West Jerusalem in 1948. In 2017 I saw my Mom’s former family home nearby. This time I couldn’t find it.
Read MoreI expected to hear the explosion when the missiles struck Gaza Thursday morning. I expected my grief to be as a mighty wave whose undertow dragged me through the depths of despair. I expected to know when a life was lost. Instead, less than fifty miles from the Gaza Strip, I had no idea that Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile system had been used…
Read MoreWalking through Bethlehem yesterday, I started thinking about our time in Jerusalem. Israel’s strategic planning for the future of its illegal annexation of Jerusalem is a vision of a Jewish-majority city, in which a high tech city is developed, diverting transportation and tourist attractions away from Palestinian villages.
Read MoreI’ve learned about the debates in Biblical interpretation and archaeology in several seminary classes but I never realized just how politicized this debate is until visiting the Palestinian village of Silwan today… At Silwan, we learned of the continued attempts to deny the full history of the region, resulting in the destruction of Palestinian homes and communities in Israel’s effort to lay historical and religious claim to the land.
Read MoreClose your eyes and image your favorite park. What do you see?
The lush, ancient redwoods of California towering over you? The awe-inspiring vastness of the Grand Canyon? Maybe you envision your favorite place to hike around the corner.
Read MoreThe landscape holds and represents the very essence of identity. It speaks volumes about the values and perspectives we hold and the foundations in which we build upon. However, upon visiting an active Israeli archaeological dig in the Palestinian village of Silwan. . .
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