May 19, 2014

Hello from Palestine!  

Yesterday we visited a village called Bet Estia about 45 minutes outside Ramallah, the capital city of Palestine where we are staying.  The people were very humble and happy to see us.  The biggest surprise has been how warm and inviting the people of Palestine are.  They're locked inside a wall controlled and patrolled by Israeli Defense Forces and want visitors.  The majority of this trip has been dedicated to lectures around different universities, all talking about the Israel-Palestine Conflict and, especially the wall.  Sympathy around the world is growing for the poor people of Palestine.  They're mostly an agrarian society, olive trees being their primary source of revenue.  The whole countryside, which is hilly and beautiful (a lot like southern Utah) is terraced with olive trees.  Rows upon rows, line the hills and valleys with olive trees. 

      The photo here was taken when we arrived and I saw a few teen-aged boys standing in the doorway of an old building with tools inside, watching as our van pulled into their village - rare event for them.  They didn't speak English, so I motioned it.  They backed away, very shy-like, but then insisted I join them in the photo.  They followed us throughout the village as we toured some Ottoman Empire-dated ruins.  They were so sweet and wanted to give us gifts and shake our hands.  Our hearts are deeply touched by these people.  They desperately want to join the rest of the world, but need permission and sometimes are denied, to go anywhere.  It's a very complicated mess.  

I'm getting some nice photos of plants, but realize I could spend months here researching and photographing, which might be what I do to finish my book.  I'm just going to see how far this trip takes me.  

Ramallah is a city of thousands of buildings all alike, built on the steep hills of canyon-like valley.  It's culture of old and new, rich and poor with no in-betweens.  Thought the Israelis and the Palestinians are in conflict, we love the both.  One wall was a sacred place where Jews go to pray.  It's beautiful to see young families all dressed in their traditional Jewish attire, little ones included.  On the other hand, it's confusing to see that those very people built a huge wall that imprisons their neighbors.  It's a real dichotomy.  

Meanwhile, the lesson is that people, in many ways are the same where ever you go.  They love their families, want a better world and work to support their loved ones.  We do feel safe here. In fact some are saying they feel safer in Palestine than they did in Israel.