One Person's Story

One Person’s Story

I was born in 1942, which makes me older than Israel. As was the case for most Americans, I never questioned our support for Israel until uncomfortable facts kept presenting themselves:

·       The 1982 Israeli war against Lebanon, with TV images of US-made aircraft firing missiles and phosphorous bombs into civilian neighborhoods in Beirut.

·       The 1920s-40s pre-Israel terrorism campaigns by the Irgun (Etzel), Stern Gang (Lehi) and Haganah groups against both their UK protectors and the Palestinian natives who were obstructions to the Zionist domination of the land.

·       The massive amounts of foreign aid the US gave to Israel in the 1990s.

By2000-2001, I discovered a group of Colorado activists who had put together several delegations to Israel/Palestine. They showed me videos and photos that illustrated the hardships Palestinians have endured for generations. In the Spring of 2002, I joined a group that would coordinate with an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) for training and activism in Bethlehem.  

We arrived in Israel the day after the 27 March “Passover Massacre,” a bombing that killed Israeli citizens in Netanya. A few days later, Israel launched “Operation Defensive Shield” upon the West Bank, and we were at the epicenter. On Easter Sunday, the IDF started moving tanks and road-ripper dozers into Bethlehem and besieging the nearby village of Beit Jala. Our group numbered more than 100, with the most visible and audible being the much-respected Italians. We had folks from all over Europe, the US, Japan and Australia, and were sent to stay in private homes, based on the misguided belief that the presence of Americans and Europeans would deter IDF raids and abductions.

Around the fourth day, we organized a demonstration to advocate bringing food and supplies to Beit Jala, which was ringed by IDF troops and tanks. Unmoved, the IDF fired their machine guns at us. Six to eight members of our group were hit and dropped to the ground. We moved them to the Beit Jala hospital. From this we learned that Israeli soldiers shoot to kill Palestinians and to injure Internationals. During those weeks, I experienced the unholy trinity of fear, anger and hatred. In contemplative moments, I took these apart one-by-one:

Hatred: Once we allow ourselves to be captured by hatred, we begin to divide the world in to “us” and “others”. That pathway is the foundation for totalitarian movements, not the basis for personal wisdom.

Fear: I encompassed the realization; “You can kill me, but you can’t make me fear you.”

Anger: Like hatred, anger can change us into being less than fully human. If we transform our anger into righteous indignation* and use it to energize constructive action, it can be the tool we need when we tire of the unceasing work for justice.

* In plain American speak, “That ain’t right!”

A retired civil engineer, Mr. Anderson specialized in water and wastewater systems, and managed the design of a water distribution system in Gaza. He lived and worked in Palestine and the Middle East for about four years, between 2003 and 2013, and joined CFJ-CO because of its involvement with land and water injustice in Beit Ummar.

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