Finally . . .

Finally, some news - apologies to my four regular readers that i haven't posted anything for so long. I am indeed back in Australia as some of you may know, and have been for a few weeks.


I returned for family reasons (my Mum's 70th!) over in Victoria, and finally made it to my home town in the West a couple of days ago.


I have been meaning to write more about Palestine and my travels from Australia, but many factors have meant I haven't been too successful. Re-adjusting to this comfortable but warped country, family times and celebrations, hanging out with new and old friends in Melbourne, some excellent activism, and just generally moving around have all meant I've found it hard to write. But, now back in Perth for a time, I am planning on posting a few more stories about Palestine and my travels, after which I'm fairly sure this blog will go into hibernation.


(I may  - or may not - start a different blog at some point, so if you are even somewhat interested in any future writing, please send me an email: khristo at gmail dot com )


Meantime, as mentioned, since I've been back I've been involved in two excellent activist events; one involving solidarity with Palestine, and the other part of a campaign against the war in Afghanistan.


Looking to track down some Melbourne friends on my arrival back in Australia, I discovered they were taking part in a week of protests against Australia's involvement in Afghanistan and was invited to join in. I managed to do so for three days, and was so glad I did. A really great, solid group of people, and a mostly awesome week of actions. So much more I could say, but there's a whole website... See this link for lots of info, photos and reports of the Swan Island Peace Convergence. For some footage check this out, and for brilliant photos by the wonderful Jon Osborne, check out this link.

400 candles and a small group of protestors meditate for peace, while a couple of others scale the bridge leading to one of Australia's more secret military training facilities - Swan Island, Victoria.

While there, I heard that a few nights before that protest began, 19 people had been arrested in a heavy-handed police response to a pro-Palestine/boycott Israel protest in Melbourne. A couple of weeks later I was able to attend the follow-up protest, targeting an Israeli company - Max Bremmer - who proudly talk of their support for the Israeli army and their actions. 

One of two Max Bremmer stores targeted that night as part of the BDS campaign; at least 300 people and a considerable - though this time peaceful - police presence

It was great to be back in Australia but still showing support and solidarity for Palestine. More from me soon . . .

Solidarity for Palestine from across the oceans!

This week's photo

(click to enlarge)

Boys in Al Aroub refugee camp
(where some families have been since 1948)

Al Arakib Elders

This week's photo of the week... despite their appearance, these men were very happy to be photographed.
They were two of the men I had the privilege of meeting at the Al Arakib village, albeit under difficult circumstances for them - see my post from March. Dignified, resilient, sad but determined.

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

Desmond Tutu - speaking out against the occupation for over 20 years

Today I was reading of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s involvement in the issue of the occupation and apartheid in Palestine. Interestingly, he became involved while still suffering under apartheid in South Africa. He was in the USA to thank Jews for their support of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and spoke at a synagogue in New York in January 1989. Following is a little of what he said – powerful stuff if you imagine a Jewish audience in the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, looking forward to being thanked for helping.

 . . . and that is the question of the Palestinians . . . I have to say that I find it very, very difficult to understand Israel’s policy in this regard . . . My position is made more difficult because of two factors. I am a Christian, and many of the Palestinians are Christians – in fact, many are Anglicans – and their anguish tears my heart apart. Second, it is because I am a black South African, and if you changed the names, the description of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank could be a description of what is happening in South Africa. It is uncanny and it is deeply, deeply distressing. Israel cannot do that: it is out of line with her biblical and historical traditions. Israel, or shall we say the Jews, having suffered so much, cannot allow their government to cause other people to suffer so much. Jews, having been dispossessed for so long, cannot allow their government to dispossess others. Jews, having been victims of gross injustice, cannot allow their government to make others victims of injustice. It is such a horrific contradiction . . .

His speech caused much debate, but he has continued to speak out against Israel, and given his history, his detailed discussions about the apartheid practices of Israel carry significant weight.

I'm grateful that such prominent figures are so willing to continue to speak out, even into their old age - and despite constant criticism that they could so easily avoid.


Tutu is an amazing figure; here's a link to his Wikipedia biography, and this one is to the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation.

Photo of the week

I've thought about setting up a flickr account or similar to show readers some of my photos - and I still may - but meantime I'll just put one or two up here now and then . . . 
This first one has appeared before - with this story - so have a read for more context if you like, but it's one of my favourites, not as a brilliant photo in itself, but because it captures some of what my last two posts have been about; people from different cultures coming together for peace.

(click on the photo to enlarge)

A Jewish grandfather, a Muslim grandmother and her grandson rest at the site of a protest, watched by various onlookers including a young soldier on the other side of the barbed wire.

A victory against the Wall! (and a note re my last post)

For avid readers you'll already know the good news but for those who haven't been following the other blogs I recommend (down the right side on my page) here's a really great story from The Palestine Monitor website... 


I hope you click on the link for the full story, but in short, after years of non-violent protest the village of Bil'in has had at least a partial victory against the illegal 'separation wall' going through their village. The Israelis have begun to take some of it down, restoring hundreds of acres of land back to Bil-in and it's citizens. It's only a start, but an excellent result for the determination and persistence of these villagers.


Do check it out for more, including photos - and don't forget the other sites I've highlighted for more on Palestine, including the already mentioned Palestine Monitor, The Electronic Intifada, and the Jewish Voice for Peace.


And speaking of the last one, a quick note regarding my last post.

Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims of all ages,
working side by side for justice and peace

As I described, I have been moved from despair to hope a number of times by the many awesome people and organisations I've come across in Palestine and Israel working against the occupation and for peace. Encouragingly, many of these individuals and groups are Israelis and/or Jewish (or groups founded by Israelis), and I chose to highlight three such groups in my last post (as well as a joint Jewish/Palestinian group). 





I did this because of my genuine delight to find Israelis so willing to hold their country to account for their terrible occupation of Palestine and so determined to work for peace. I also wanted to highlight them because so often the portrayal of Israel in Australia (and no doubt in much of the rest of the world) leaves out these dissenting voices. Perhaps this is not surprising given the official and political positions presented by Israel, but it's important to know that there is a very strong opposition within Israeli society to the occupation, despite them rarely appearing in the mainstream media. (With at least one result being that to support Palestine is to 'obviously' be opposed to Israel, and then to perhaps even be portrayed as anti-Semetic.) 


I also found it useful to highlight these groups to demonstrate - at least indirectly - that I am not blindly supporting Palestine, nor anti-Israeli (despite some criticisms of me by people who will remain nameless).


I totally condemn violence by all parties, and strongly support any and all those wanting and working for peace - especially those in Palestine who are feeling the effects of over forty years of occupation. I condemn the violence of Palestinians who take up arms against Israel, and I condemn the settlers, soldiers and other Israelis who daily use violence to brutally suppress the Palestinian people.


I have met inspirational Palestinians, but also Israelis, and stand with them in solidarity against the state of Israel's occupation and inhumanity towards the Palestinian people.


As all of the Israeli peace activists and groups demonstrate, anti-occupation is not anti-Israel and is not synonymous with some apparent goal of the destruction of Israel. To make that clear; I do not desire the loss of the state of Israel. 


What I do desire is a peaceful and just settlement between Israel and Palestine which results in two peoples living side by side with justice and equality. Many people I met on both sides of this conflict inspire me to believe this could actually happen.






Update: Here's a link to the BBC report re the Bil'in story.

Inspiring stories and awesome people

While much of what I’ve experienced during my time in Palestine and Israel has made me angry, sad, frustrated or a jumble of those and other troubling emotions, I’ve also come across many amazing people and brilliant organizations who give me great hope.

Nakba Day 2011 in Ramallah

(pic by the groovy Goeran S.)

Many of these people are remarkable, resilient Palestinians who I’ve met who despite all that they have lived through – and are currently still experiencing – remain committed to a peaceful future. But I’ve also met awesome individuals from Israel (and other places) doing what they can to expose and change the injustice of Israel towards Palestine and it's people.

This is just a sample of people who have inspired me, surprised me or who I just wanted to include for their work for Palestine.

Combatants for Peace:

This incredible group is comprised of former Israeli soldiers and former Palestinian fighters, who are now committed to non-violence and more amazingly to working with people who used to literally try to kill them. Their motto is: ‘only by joining forces, will we be able to end the cycle of violence’.

I first wrote about them in March after a group of us had the privilege of meeting Wael and Tamar and hearing first-hand from them about the group and their stories (see also my photo here). More of the incredible personal stories can be found here. Check out this story from an Israeli perspective, and this for a Palestinian just as two beautiful examples of changed lives.

Israeli Committee on Housing Demolitions:

I mentioned ICHAD in my last post, after having met with one of their staff on a really insightful tour of parts of Jerusalem a couple of months ago - check out their staff page for a brief bio on Jeff Halper and a couple of his great colleagues. These folk are another great example of Israelis and Palestinians working together, and especially of Israelis standing against their own government’s policies, and working in solidarity with Palestinians.

Rabbis for Human Rights:

While this group works across a broad range of issues they are particularly concerned with the occupation and have a specific department working on this - check out the stories at this link.

It's been really inspiring to find a group of Jewish religious leaders so willing to confront their own people with injustice - here’s a quote from their website:

‘. . . the injustice to Palestinians in the area under Israeli rule is blatant and as rabbis we feel it our religious duty to counter the powerful lobbies of fundamentalists, both Jewish and Christian, in our work with the Israeli authorities. Our understanding of Torah is that it legislates justice and equality before the law, and that the land was promised to the Jewish people on condition that those are the values by which it would be ruled.’

Breaking the Silence:

This is a courageous group of former soldiers speaking out about their experiences in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and the truth about what happens to the Palestinians under occupation. Often decried as traitors, they have an amazing amount of testimonials from the very people tasked with Israel's occupation activities.

From their website:

Founded in March 2004 by a group of soldiers who served in Hebron, Breaking the Silence has since acquired a special standing in the eyes of the Israeli public and in the media, as it is unique in giving voice to the experience of soldiers. To date, the organization has collected more than 700 testimonies from soldiers who represent all strata of Israeli society and cover nearly all units that operate in the Territories. All the testimonies we publish are meticulously researched, and all facts are cross-checked with additional eye-witnesses and/or the archives of other human rights organizations also active in the field. Every soldier who gives a testimony to Breaking the Silence knows the aims of the organization and the interview. Most soldiers choose to remain anonymous, due to various pressures from official military persons and society at large. Our first priority is to the soldiers who choose to testify to the public about their service.

Check out their publications which can be downloaded directly from here on their site.

The face of the future - a young Israeli activist standing in solidarity

with an even younger Palestinian

Often this conflict is described as intractable; hopeless; never-ending, and so on. And I can admit to sometimes feeling this despair myself. But I was also incredibly surprised at how hopeful many of these people and groups made me as I was meeting them or witnessing them in action; if people literally surrounded daily by the conflict can be so committed to peace, how can I doubt?

I hope this gives you hope too – and perhaps inspires you to take some small action to help end the occupation.

(Feel free to post a comment or email me if you need any hints for action. Of course, you could start by writing a letter).