CPTnet  
6 September 2008
HEBRON: CPT Delegation visits al-'Arub Refugee Camp  

by Bob Palmer

On the third day of our Christian Peacemaker Teams  delegation to Israel and Palestine we met Rashid,* who took  us on a tour of the al-'Arub Refugee Camp near Hebron.   Then he brought us to his home outside the camp to have  lunch and spend time with his wife Nibaal and their four  children.  Gathered in their living room, we discussed  serious topics, but quickly turned our attention to the  two youngest children as they danced and played around us.

After sharing a home-cooked meal, we gathered in the  living room for dessert, coffee and more conversation.   Rashid's ten-year old son, Tarek, invited me outside for a  game of hide and seek with his seven-year old sister, Nowal.  Tarek successfully stayed out of sight, but Nowal quickly discovered me, resulting in laughter all around.

As I left the house, I thought our time with this family was much like I might have with a new neighbor at home in  Chicago, but many of the life stories Rashid and Nibaal  shared with us were specific to a life under military occupation.  First, Rashid had to go through a  lengthy, drawn-out process to satisfy the Israeli  government that his family had long owned the land on  which he wanted to build a house, so the property would  not be given away to Israeli settlers, who make up an increasing number of his neighbors. However, even after  the issue of ownership was resolved, Rashid was still not able to secure a building permit, so he had to build his house illegally.  At any time, the Israeli government could demolish Rashid's home just as it has destroyed 18,000 other Palestinian homes since 1967.

Rashid and his family, like most all Palestinians in the  West Bank, may not travel to Jerusalem or outside the West Bank without a special permit from the  Israeli government. In addition, to reach his house,  Rashid must take a much longer route than Israeli citizens, because the occupation has closed many roads inside the West Bank to  Palestinians.  Nibaal told us about taking Nowal to the hospital one night.  When they returned, soldiers forced the family to get out of their cab and walk with Nowal in their arms, because they had closed the road to Palestinians.

Ironically, an Israeli family eventually picked up the family as they struggled along the dark road, eventually driving them home.  Israelis and Palestinians will have to undertake similar boundary-crossing risks in the future to ensure that everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of  their state, as well as the other basic human rights.

* Names have been changed to protect the identity of the  people with whom we met.

[Members of CPT's July 22-August 4 delegation to Palestine  were Ben Barwick (Mishawaka, Indiana), Matthew Bosisio  (Augusta, Georgia), Tim Bowman (Bristol, England), Hannah  Breckbill (Northfield, Minnesota), Alan Dick (Bloomington,  Indiana), Amanda Dick (Kansas City, Kansas), Esther Kern  (London, Ontario), Emily Kothe (St. Louis, Missouri),  Kelly Latimore (Aurora, Illinois), Emily McNeill (Fairport, NY), Bob Palmer (Chicago, Illinois), and Suzanne Yatim  (Florissant, Missouri.)]