The Israeli government has accelerated the demolition of Palestinian homes and
confiscation of Palestinian land since the signing of the Wye Accords. CPT is
calling on the North American churches to turn their spiritual resources
toward ending the ongoing devastation that will make true peace in the Middle
East impossible.

As part of CPT's "Tent for Lent" campaign, we will be posting articles,
litanies and reflection pieces regarding the demolitions on CPTnet through
Good Friday. Those interested in receiving a "Tent for Lent" worship packet
(designed as a series of bulletin inserts) SHOULD _NOT_ HIT "REPLY" TO THIS
POSTING. Rather, they should contact the Chicago office
[CPT [at] igc [dot] org/ CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel:312-455-1199 FAX
312-666-2677 .]

Building a Home - Land
by Anne Montgomery

On two weekends in March we joined the Israeli Committee Against House
Demolitions and the Palestinian Land Defense Committee in rebuilding
two homes. The Shawamreh house in Anata, a village divided by the
border of Jerusalem, had already been demolished twice, but its owner,
together with others who had lost houses in the Hebron district, were
the most expert and enthusiastic builders. They were willing to risk
to help each other and publicly resist the illegal expansion of
Jerusalem's borders and the threat to so many landowners on political
fault lines.

The Dahoud family, far from Jerusalem's center in the southern Hebron
district, lives a few kilometers from two Israeli settlements: Karmel
and Ma'oun. In this unrecognized village of few houses and a
population of approximately 1,000 people, families sometimes live one
family to a room because of 20 previous demolitions. The Dahoud
family, with no outside help, had already started to rebuild when our
busload of Israelis and international students, volunteers and CPTers
arrived. The Palestinians stood on the road, broadly smiling,
seemingly amazed that we actually came. Our inexpert help, mainly
passing cinder blocks down a line to the real builders, became a
symbolic sharing of the burden they must bear every day. We were
invited to visit others in the village who are refused water,
electricity, and road permits even though funds were available from
international agencies.

In a time when hope seems at its lowest, this campaign offers a way
through the paralysis of disillusionment and discouragement. One of
our friends suggested that, "It takes a village to raise a house,"
(just as it takes an army to raze a house!) and that "village" is
Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals working together at the
grassroots, refusing to let politicians define and manipulate a false
"peace" process. The grassroots are where seeds are planted, watered,
and nourished, where the spirit of humanity as well as vines and
olives flourish. In a climate of fear, insecurity, and oppression the
relationships are always precarious but life-giving. We pray for
continued trust in each other and in the power of active, loving
nonviolence to build the house of Palestine.