Friday's party with Peace Now was a little like a large backyard
barbecue between neighbors except that for this party the neighbors
were Israelis and Palestinians and the border between their back
yards was the Green Line that separates Israel from the West Bank. The
Palestinian neighbors had to go through a checkpoint to get to their
backyard but the Israeli neighbors were ready to help them do that.

Organized mostly by Tel Aviv- area Peace Now activists and their
dialogue partners from the Hebron District village of Idna, the
Friday- afternoon party was attended by several hundred. Anne
Montgomery and I went with the Al-Atrash and Jabber families, partner
families in CPT's Campaign for Secure Dwelling, each family having
suffered the loss of two homes at the hands of the Israeli military in
1998. The Jabber and the Al-Atrash families had been invited by
Israeli friends who had spent time with them in the days following
their demolitions.

As we walked up the road toward a wooded area, vignettes of
activities appeared through the trees. In one clearing women from the
Palestinian village of Bet Kahil dressed in traditional clothing were
baking bread and giving it to whoever passed by. Each piece was large
enough for an army but there was no army there, only lots of dancing
and singing men, women, and children. The army was still at the
checkpoint a mile or so back but had thankfully allowed us passage
through.

Older children, both Israeli and Palestinian, painted on a huge fabric
mural or had their faces painted while the toddlers toddled between
families tasting each other's goodies. As the festivities were
winding down the dubka dancers and drummers moved to a larger opening
and were encircled by the crowd. Two youth took the Israeli and
Palestinian flags to the center of the circle so that from a distance
it appeared that the flags themselves were dancing. Israeli and
Palestinian men and women danced together forming a spiral.

For this one afternoon, on one section of the Green Line there was a
zone of peace. The Jabbers and the Al Atrashes still had to go back
to the tents they have been living in since their houses were
demolished by the Israeli military. But they went back feeling
surrounded by the warmth and good will of their neighbors. And Atta
seemed to still be dancing in his heart on Saturday when he recalled
the festivities of the day before. That happiness was short-lived.
On Sunday the bulldozers returned to the Bakaa, once again digging
into the side of the hill where our friend Atta has lived most of his life.
As Atta spoke to us Monday morning May 3rd the sadness of his losses were
once again evident. Can the memories of the party on the Green Line just a
few days earlier keep alive the vision of peace and security? Will those
Israelis and internationals who shared their celebration with Atta continue
to share with him in the struggle?

Which ideology will prevail? Will the Green Line be an open border
where Israeli and Palestinian friends and neighbors can reach out to
each other? Or will it become a military zone guarded by armed
settler militia? Will Israelis and Palestinians be able to return to
Atta's land to help him rebuild his demolished house and replant
uprooted trees? Or will the hillsides of Jabber land be eaten up by
the settlement expansion?

Stay tuned.