5759 Harry J. Lipkin May 3 1999 I have just participated in a remarkable experience, a peace picnic in which several hundred Palestinians and Israelis picnicked with their families at a very pleasant wood near the "green line" which separates the territory of the Palestinian authority from Israel. The picnic was organized by the Israeli and Palestinian Peace Movements which have been working together for a long time to promote the cause of peace. Each family brought its own picnic lunch and something extra to share with others. The Palestinians also brought electronic music equipment for dancing and their own drums and drummers and performed Palestinian dances. In one of these dances a Palestinian had a small Israeli boy on his shoulders. Some time later the PA system announced that this that the parents of this small boy were looking for him. He was found playing with his new Arab friends. There was an overall warm atmosphere which would have been unthinkable a few years ago during the dark days of the intifada, when Israeli soldiers were pursuing Palestinian children throwing stones at them. I have taken home videos of this remarkable event and am ready to show them anywhere. A television crew from Israeli Arab TV were there and I have no idea what they showed. They interviewed my wife Malka along with some others. The atmosphere of warmth and friendliness as we ate together and children played together was REAL. It cannot be staged between families including mothers and children of all ages who are suppressing deep feelings of hate for one another. The real seeds of peace are here! They must be nurtured. Sincerely yours, Harry J. Lipkin Harry Lipkin is a retired but still working Professor of Physics dividing his time between the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. You can write to him c/o FTLIPKIN@wiswic.weizmann.ac.il His involvement in human rights activities includes: From: CPT Hebron
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 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.
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