Al Walaja – soldiers could come at any time, and any hour to demolish a home
A talk with Al-Motaz, a twenty year old university student
Al-Motaz is the 20 year old son of the family whose house was demolished on December 12th in the town of Al Walaja, located south east of Jerusalem, close to Bethlehem, in the West Bank, in Palestine. Since 1985, 28 houses in Al Walaja have been destroyed, because they do not have a permit. They have to prove they were living there before 1967, but at that time they did not have paper permits. Many more houses have demolition orders. Meanwhile the owners have to pay monthly fines. (Ata Araj from the Popular Resistance against House Demolitions in Al Walaja)
The projected route of the wall, will encircle Al Walaja and cut the residents off from their farmland. (UNOCHA: United Nations for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. www.ochaopt.org)
Al-Motaz, his parents, and his two brothers stay in a tent next to their demolished house during the day. At night, they sleep at relative’ and friends’ houses. He goes to Bethlehem University. His hair is nicely combed, he wears a white race jacket and he smells of cologne. I think of my sister who is 19. They both have some things in common - they both are at the university, and they are both thoughtful and bright people. They both are individuals who are looking for their place in the world, where they can use their strengths and talents. But Al-Motaz has some obstacles that would be unique in the United States. He does not have the right to move freely within his own land. His family is not given a just reason for the destruction of their house, or any form of compensation. He does not have the famous American right to own a weapon (All Israelis in the nearby settlement of Har Gilo, are allowed to openly carry guns) If he decides to leave Palestine and is able to work somewhere else he may denied the right to return . Al-Motaz spoke to me, as we stumbled on the ruins of his family´s demolished house about his views of Israel, Palestine, immigration and governments.
I ask Al-Motaz if Palestine can win independence without violence. He answers with a question, “Could America have won independence from Great Britain without violence?” He says, “All governments are bad.” I reply by pointing out the governments are made up of ordinary people. “How can they all be bad? ”, I ask. He tells me that the governments of Arab countries are the worst. “America,” he says, “They give back money to the people. Okay . . .” he says with sly smile, “They take some money. But Arab countries take all the money.” He says he wants to leave as soon as possible. He wants to go to America. I ask him about his parents and his home. He says that if his parents want to stay here, then that is their choice. “Israel will kill my parents” he says. He explains, there will never be peace in Palestine until Israel leaves, and gives them independence, and they will never do this. “Israel only wants to take land. They take, take, take. So I will leave.”
Several church leaders, including Archbishop Dr. Rowan Williams, came to visit Bethlehem for Christmas. They went to Bethlehem University to talk to the students in small groups. I went to the church service for the bishops after the talks. As the bishops processed out, I saw that each of them was carrying what looked like a rock. I found out later that Al-Motaz had given each bishop a piece of his demolished house. Al-Motaz had told his story of life under Israeli occupation and the story of his house in a small group with Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster. What will they do with the piece of Al-Motaz’s demolished home? Will the story push them to speak out against Israel using Palestinian land to expand settlements and build the wall?
As accompanier for the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, I hope that Al-Motaz will see that there is an alternative to violence or to just simply leaving. One of the missions of the programme is influence public opinion in our home countries through sharing what we experience first hand. We hope spreading the story of what is happening, as Al-Motaz has done with the bishops will make a difference.
I work for Berlin Missionswerk as an Ecumenical Accompanier serving on the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The views contained herein are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or the WCC. If you would like to publish the information contained here or disseminate is further, please contact the EAPPI Communications Officer (eappi-co@jrol.com) for permission. Thank you.
