Two mothers – two countries – one story
Israel and Palestine - and a mother in each with the same dreams and concerns about her children. But these two cannot speak to each other and have no idea that the stories they are telling are almost alike. Each believes that her story is unique and that the problem lies with “the other side”. If only they had talked together...
Bethlehem
In Bethlehem, we speak to a woman whose story is very complex and tragic. It is not just the situation, but it is also about being a mother where forces beyond her control govern the life of the family and its future.
“I have become a bad mother.” she says. “ Some of my children say I have been untruthful to them, but I didn’t mean to be untruthful to them. I didn’t believe that the reality could be as serious as it has become. I tried to give my children hope when their own hope had gone and I never thought that the wall would create the difficulties it has. To hope and believe in the future of our family turned me from being my children’s protector to being a deceiver to them. It is painful for me realize this”.
Her home consists of several flats and there are forty family members of all ages living in the building. The building is close to what was once the main road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem and from where the family used to run a successful business, but after the wall was erected everything changed. It now runs right alongside their home and cuts it off from the road. The family has not only lost their view, but also the economic basis for their existence. All appeals to local authorities and international agencies have not achieved anything.
Sderot
Some days later we are visiting Sderot in Israel, a town almost daily attacked by one or more rockets coming from Gaza. We have an appointment with Sderot Media Center. Representatives from the organization show us around and tell us about the situation and how this is influencing daily life. As part of the program we listen to the story of someone who is living in the town and who is very affected by living here.
The storyteller is a woman and we met her in a house which was struck by a rocket some months earlier. She starts by telling us how daily life has changed since the rocket fire began. Life has been turned upside down, and from living in a safe little town she now lives a life full of anxiety and concern every day.
Listening to this woman's story, it is as if another voice is entering what I am hearing and the words are being turned into a duet with the woman I was listening to some days ago. It is as if the woman from Bethlehem and the woman from Sderot use the same words from the same source and from the same experiences. The woman from Sderot is also telling a story about failing her children in circumstances beyond her control. “In the situation we are living in I cannot be a good mother to my children. It is painful for me and I can see that my children suffer from this.”
Two women, two countries - and one story about painful experience in a part of the world where suffering and conflict is part of everyday life for all people. The women live only a few kilometers from each other but in reality they are light years from each other. Imagine that these two women, one Palestinian and one Israeli, could have met and shared their experiences and concerns… Maybe it is here that good dialogue can start between two women with the same story. It is far from high level diplomatic peace processes, but it starts with the biggest worry of all - the worry for our children and their future. In the end it is may be the worry for the future for the county too.
