by Jonathan Kuttab
We have just completed a fantastic tour of Palestine/Israel, arranged by FOSNA together with Sabeel Jerusalem, led by Rev. Nyle Fort and myself. On the ground, we witnessed clear evidence of ongoing settler colonialism, as it was working hard to establish new facts on the ground by taking more and more land from Palestinians and erecting structures that serve Jews alone to the detriment of the non-Jewish population (both in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and within “Israel Proper”). The feverish pace of land confiscation, of setting up settlement structures, and the dedication of vast sums of money to the project of settler colonialism and keeping Palestinians under control is truly staggering.
We heard heart wrenching stories of the oppression of Palestinians, the traumatization of their children, and the inhumane siege of Gaza with its population 2.3 million. We tried to see the larger picture, to understand such suffering in the context of an ongoing plan to ethnically cleanse or, at the very least, establish a matrix of total control over the Palestinians. But, we also heard of the valiant efforts to resist this program and of people standing fast in the face of overwhelming force and insurmountable obstacles. Experiences from: the Tent of Nations, where the Nassar family is hanging on to their ancestral lands and refusing to submit to hatred; the African Palestinian community in the Old City of Jerusalem; the artists of Silwan painting community murals of the eyes of heroes from all over the world, countering the 24-hour surveillance and plans to demolish their homes to make way for a “Biblically-Themed” Park; the bravery of the Israeli Jewish refusenik who went to jail rather than be a soldier who oppresses Palestinians, and who was surprised that Palestinians would thank her for her sacrifice. We saw the families in Hebron stubbornly resisting the efforts of settlers to oust them from their homes near the Abrahamic Mosque, as well as Armenians and Muslims in Jerusalem resisting similar efforts in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The experience was gut wrenching and often left us emotionally drained at the end of each day, but the one consistent surprising theme was that of sumud, of resilience and even hope in the face of all these calamities. This theme came through to us again and again. The power of the State of Israel might be overwhelming, in objective terms, but the Palestinians have definitely not been defeated. The difference in power far exceeds the difference between David and Goliath, but the effect is the same. People with no logical or reasonable expectation of winning are nonetheless resisting. The children still smile and pose for cameras, lifting the two fingers in a brazen expectation of victory. Where does that come from? Why don’t Palestinians just give up? What gives a people bereft of a credible leadership, lacking organizational support, and facing such a powerful onslaught the ability to stand and withstand against such an organized, powerful, well-funded enemy systematically seeking their demise?
One reason, I believe, is their faith in God, His sovereignty, and the inevitable victory of justice over oppression. For Muslims, as well as Christians, God is ultimately in control. The words “Allahu Akbar” actually mean “God is Greater…,” greater than the occupation, than the power of the State, than the Israeli Army and its tanks and bulldozers, greater than the betrayal of friends and corruption of leaders. God is ultimately in charge. While it seems like He may be taking His time, and we cry with the Psalmist, “How long? Oh Lord, How long?”, we know in the end God will deliver us.
Secondly, their resilience and hope comes from a sense of history and time. While we are all too often mired in an unappealing present, the lesson of history is that even the greatest empires will eventually fall. Palestine has seen enough tyrants, oppressors, invaders, and conquerors who eventually left while the people and their land remained. That is the message we heard from Dr. Mazen Qumsiyyeh, from the guide at the Al Aqsa Mosque, and from the Armenian Community, all of whom spoke in terms of the traditions of centuries, and who were willing to look beyond the current situation and see it in historic terms.
The rest of us, as friends of Sabeel and of the Palestinian people, can only stand alongside the Palestinian people in their hour of need and their brave stand and do what little we can to speed up the historical process leading to true justice and liberation for the people of Palestine and all the people living in this land. As we cherish, pray, and work for such a future, our solidarity can itself be the catalyst that hastens that happy day.