On my last day in Hebron before returning to the states in late October I
wondered what had happened to Liga. There was no way to telephone her. The
cave dwelling in the remote area in the south of the Hebron district where
she tended her sheep and raised her children was out of range for most cell
phones, even if she had one, and there was neither a phone line nor
electricity for recharging batteries in the rocky area where her family
lived.

I had heard that the Israeli government had placed much land in that area
under military closure and that families had been given twelve hours
evacuation notice. So on my last day in Hebron I went to Yatta, the village
south of Hebron, to find Liga's niece Manal.

"Yes," Manal told me. "We have heard from my aunt. Three days ago Israeli
soldiers came in the middle of the night and evacuated them from their land.
They were forced to go where there is no water and there are no caves for
shelter. They are afraid that if they do not do as the soldiers say they
will lose their sheep. Our families have lived on this land for hundreds of
years. My aunt is very afraid."

I think about Liga now that I am back home in Corning, New York as our
churches prepare for the advent season. 2000 years ago Jesus may have been
born in a cave such as one of those that shelter Liga's family. Today
hundreds of Palestinian families whose lands have been subject to closure,
confiscation, or home demolition don't even have mangers in which to lay
newborn babies.

But Advent is about hope. Along with the birth of the newborn baby there
are shepherds, angels, and wise men and the care and love of God who watches
over us all. As I think of Liga today, I remember with thanksgiving the
visitors God has sent for families like Liga's. They are part of a
coalition that includes Palestinians, Israelis and internationals.

The Palestinian Land Defence Committee (LDC) are shepherds watching over
their flocks. Abdel Hadi Hantash of the Hebron LDC knows these families by
name.

The Israeli Committee against House Demolitions(ICAHD) are angels who have
come to the shepherds with a message that says "fear not." Harriet Lewis
witnessed a demolition near Liga's land in March, 1997 while she was
spending time with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron. She confronted the
soldiers then and went back to her home to spark the formation of ICAHD.

Who are the magi, the visitors from afar? They are you, the members of our
churches. Christian Peacemaker Teams' Campaign for Secure Dwelling (CSD)
has matched dozens of churches with families who face problems such as
Liga's. As we enter this advent season there is a CPT Rebuilders Against
Bulldozers (RAB) delegation made up of visitors like you who want to give a
voice to people like Liga.

It is with Thanksgiving for your witness that we prepare for a multitude of
pilgrimages in to the Holy Land of the lowliest places. Let us go to those
places together as the Wise Men (and women) have done before us.