CPTnet
2 March 2006

HEBRON/AT-TUWANI: Soldiers, olive trees, and Santa Claus

by Art Gish

Two recent encounters I had with Israeli soldiers in occupied Palestine
opens a small window into how the occupation traps even those who are
orchestrating the oppression.

Many Israeli soldiers ask me about Santa Claus, probably because of my bushy
beard and red Christian Peacemaker Teams hat. Recently an Israeli soldier
in Hebron stopped me and asked me if I knew Santa. "Yes, he is my brother,"
I told him. I then asked him if Santa brought him good things. He
replied, "No, Santa doesn't bring me anything, because I do bad things.
Soldiers do bad things."

Recently a group of Israelis associated with Rabbis for Human Rights came
with olive trees to the Palestinian village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron
Hills. They intended to plant the trees in a neighboring Palestinian
village. In a large show of force, over twenty Israeli soldiers declared
the whole area a closed military zone, and ordered everyone to leave,
preventing Israelis and Palestinians from planting olive trees together.

I approached one soldier whom I had seen engage in nasty behavior in the
past and told him that olive trees are symbols of peace and not a threat to
anyone who wants peace. He responded by saying, "I know, I know, but I have
to take orders. It is a complex situation and a personal dilemma for me."

In both these encounters, the soldiers made themselves vulnerable, and in
turn, I felt compassion for them. My heart goes out to soldiers everywhere
who feel trapped, who feel they are forced to do things they will regret the
rest of their lives. We can and must break this cycle of violence. Doing
what is right may be costly, but in the long view, it may be more costly to
continue the insanity of domination and violence.