C.O.T. | Summer Camp Participant
Jeff Halper speaks at the dedication ceremony for houses rebuilt during the Summer Camp
After two weeks of twenty six internationals, handfuls of Israelis working with Palestinians…sharing sweet, helping each other through the fatigue of the heat, listening to each others stories and worries, 3 families will be starting their life again in new homes. Groups and students from around the world came to the celebration, passing through the check point in spite of the military harassment to learn and to understand the military occupation. The summer camp culminated in the international community sharing the celebration in solidarity holding hands and dancing the traditional Palestinian Debka dance and returning back to Beit Arabiya to have a final dinner with the residents of Anata.
It was a moment when time had stopped and the emotional entanglements of a military occupation dissolved and a fresh hope filled the air. The sense of accomplishment rejuvenated the perseverance of the Palestinian people and gave the internationals inspiration to continue their advocacy for justice. The sharing of these experiences strengthened the commitment, not simply to ending the military occupation, but also to each other. Later in the night, gifts and feelings were shared. The conversations went late into the night sustained by Arabic coffee and kanafe from our gracious host Salim.
The morning came, against the will of the participants. After breakfast, they regrettably packaged their belongings and prepared for departure. Some were staying in Israel/Palestine for a while, others were heading home to begin work to end the occupation, but all were seen embracing, wishing each other the best for the future. One young American Jewish woman sobbed in the arms of Ya’een, a Palestinian worker, as she knew it would some time before she would see him again. It was obvious that a bond had been made throughout the two weeks of the summer camp between the internationals, Israelis and Palestinians. This is the bond that will keep the unity in the struggle for justice.
