God is Good
Yesterday I received an email from a settler who had been atop the hill at Oush Grab last week. In fact, he is the one who changed the “coexist” graffiti I had mentioned in my previous blog. Small world! At first I was a little surprised because I really didn’t think my blog was that widely circulated; however, it was a very very good surprise. My main goal here is to gain my own understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly all of the various perspectives and viewpoints that exist in this divided society. I feel extremely blessed by all of the doors God has been opening for me while I’ve been here. I’ve had engaging conversations with individuals across all strata of society— farmers to lawyers; kibbutz workers to mayors; resistance fighters to settlers— with each conversation slowly unveiling to me another dynamic of the tension here. These tensions are both across the Israeli-Palestinian divide and within each respective community.
The email was from an American Jew, “a proud settler who settles that which is unsettled,” who seems like a pretty good guy. He has extended an invitation for me to come visit the settlement that sits on the edge of Bethlehem. As the next few weeks are my weeks devoted to traveling and gaining a deeper understanding of the Israeli side of the conflict, I hope to take him up on the offer. I’m so thankful he emailed me so I can gain insight into the settlers’ perspective, a perspective which I have not been able to obtain a first-hand perspective of. I’m excited about the opportunity to go and listen. My next few weeks are haphazard and a bit crazy, but I plan to go visit. Also, on Tuesday I am going to go visit Sderot. Sderot is an Israeli town on the edge of Gaza which is continually a victim of Kassam rocket-fire from Gaza.
I encourage other emails from my readers. I’d love to know who you are and how you see this conflict, the people, the land and/or how it affects you personally, if at all. Juliainpalestine@gmail.com Just the thought of this dialogue has my heart skipping. Praise God for how He continues to bless me and provide for me!
