WEST BANK: A Trip to Bethlehem

CPTnet

TRIP TO BETHLEHEM

By Anna Zilboorg

We entered a silent city, the silence punctuated by a few playful children

in the streets. (We had been blessed on our entrance by a friendly priest

and carried a sense of blessing with us.) At Zoughbi’s house we were made

aware–if we had not felt it before–that the silence was filled with

threat. Some neighbors had been arrested that morning. Word was that a home

would be demolished nearby, a house belonging to people unconnected to any

terrorist activity.

In the evening, as we listened to Zoughbi talk–calmly, sadly,

lovingly–the explosion went off. He jumped (we all did) and there

was tension in his voice as he said one could not talk peace to his

neighbors right at this minute but–and he returned to his

theme–peace must be made, or all peoples will be engulfed by the

alternative.

He spoke words of hope that came from living a life of faith, desiring to

change the world in which he lives, and working to bring about that

change. His hope becomes ours as we, too, work toward our own

transformation and the transformation of the world around us.

Another home was blown up in the morning. Someone reported that Israel

announced it will destroy all the homes of the ‘martyrs’ and of all those

who were exiled to Gaza before its army leaves Bethlehem this time.

Participants in the November CPT Middle East delegation included Michael

Banks, Barbara MacDougall, Rick Polhamus, John Engle, Joseph Jacoby, Duncan

Murph, Betty Scholten, Felecia Shelor and Anna Zilboorg.

Read More Stories