📸 Journals From Jerusalem Day 2: "We refuse to be enemies."
🚌 On Saturday we left our base in Jerusalem and travelled to the Bethlehem area. Firstly to visit Tent of Nations, a farm southwest of Bethlehem owned by the Nassar family, and then onto Beit Jala to visit the Latin Patriarchal Seminary. The people we encountered gave first hand accounts of the difficulties of daily life endured by Palestinians in the West Bank. Please continue reading to learn their stories which they have asked us to share.
⛺Tent of Nations is a project ran on beautiful farmlands belonging to Daoud Nassar and his family who are natives of Bethlehem and Palestinian Christians. The Nassar family have owned, farmed and nurtured the land for more than a century and despite having documented proof that the land was purchased in 1916 by Daoud’s grandfather, they are continuously resisting attempts by Israeli authorities to designate their farm as "state land". They have been engaged in back and forth legal battles in various courts for over 30 years.
🍇At Tent of Nations they grow and harvest a variety of crops like olives, grapes, apricots and nuts. The farm is surrounded on all sides by Israeli settlements. The family face constant threats and intimidation from settlers who have destroyed their crops many times by cutting them down or setting them on fire, with the goal of forcing the Nassars to abandon their land.
🫒 Inspired by their Christian faith, Daoud and the Nassars are an inspirational example of non-violent resistance through their motto: "We refuse to be enemies." They continue to plant and harvest their crops, especially olive trees which are especially significant to Palestinian culture. They have hosted thousands of volunteers from many nations over the years who come in solidarity to provide an international presence (which helps lessen the incidents of settler violence), to give their time to help run the farm, and to witness, hear, and tell Daoud's story.
🇻🇦The Latin Patriarchal Seminary is home to around fifteen Arab Christian students who are studying to be diocesan priests. Their rector, Fr Bernard, provided a tour around the seminary telling us how they form men for the priesthood in the land where Jesus established the Church. On the roof terrace looking out over the surrounding villages, and with a view of the Separation Wall that surrounds the West Bank, he told us about how they have to ration their water supply every day.
🚰Like all Palestinian properties in the West Bank, the seminary is forced to deal with restricted access to clean and safe water. The students have running water once a week. Restrictions on water provision by the Israeli authorities is a common occurrence for buildings on Palestinian land yet Israeli settlements in the West Bank have continuous access to clean, safe running water. When the water does come, it is not of a standard fit for human use. Fr Bernard further explained that recent tests on the tap water at the seminary identified harmful bacteria and some of the students have developed skin conditions on their scalps. One young man was treated earlier this year for a parasite in his liver which they believe was caused by the water.
📖These are the real stories from the real people who we met on Saturday. Their accounts mirror the accounts of many who are in much need for the realisation of justice and peace for all in The Holy Land.
