German Bishops: "Israel acting like Nazis"

When I visited Ramallah for the first time in June 2005- and please understand that Ramallah had once been a 100% CHRISTian and thriving city 10 minutes from Jerusalem;

What I experienced-I wrote through the character Jack, in KEEP HOPE ALIVE:

The next morning, Jack took a cab to Ramallah and saw the Wall in full frontal, brutal view. On his left was twenty feet high of abominable concrete; on his right, there were rows of bankrupt businesses. Jack wondered how many U.S. tax dollars were spent on the abomination that was clearly destroying the Palestinian economy.

David,[secular Jewish road warrior] from the Upper Galilee, popped into Jack's mind. "Back off, man; it's enough; back off!"

Jack thought the same about the wall, and then got lost in thought until his cab pulled into the Palestinian Authority's compound, where Arafat had been held captive and is buried now. Jack was amused at the reception he received from the soldiers when he arrived at the Headquarters. Nobody asked for any ID or to look in his briefcase.

"This is surreal; the IDF are equipped to the teeth, and the PA's guns look like toys," Jack commented.

Tony responded. "They often don't even work." Tony Nassar had been waiting a half hour for Jack at the guard gate and had made the arrangements for Jack to interview President Abbas's chief of staff. Tony was a law student and paralegal at the law firm President Abbas used for personal business. Jack had made contact with Tony through the Palestinian Christian Yahoo Group. Tony was twenty-four years old and supported his widowed mother and young sister without a thought for himself. He told Jack that although most of the family had already moved to America, he would never leave Palestine.

Jack was ten minutes early for his appointment with Rafiq Husseini, chief of staff to President Abbas. An unnamed soldier escorted Jack to the conference room and another brought cool water and hot tea. A moment later, Dr. Husseini greeted Jack with a warm smile and told him,

"We have lost more than 1.1 million fruit-bearing trees in Palestinian territories. Trees are about food, the environment, and life. Ancient trees have been demolished by tanks, and we thank the Olive Trees Foundation for Peace for addressing the need to replace them and rebuild the faith of our people. Palestine has always been tolerant to people of all religions. The Jews came here out of Spain along with many Arabs--and then came Zionism.

"When one wants to take over another, war happens. President Abbas is a very bad politician; he does not lie! He is ready to move on from the past. We have quit crying over our losses; we must move on. Live and let live is the motto of this administration. We can not carry on a battle; it must stop. Peace can only happen with peace, not force.

"President Abbas has promised, 'We will do whatever it takes to show the world we want peace.'

We need America to help us.

"The best thing would be for Americans to come and see the truth of the situation for themselves.

"I encourage Americans to come and see the Wall; it has nothing to do with security, but everything to do with grabbing water and more land.

"When Americans understand the real situation, things will change for the better. The humiliation at the checkpoints is beyond belief. It can drive anyone to desperation.

"We condemn all terrorism, but resisting occupation is necessary."

That night, Jack walked through the checkpoint from Ramallah to catch a cab back to the Ambassador Hotel. He cringed when he saw the watchtower's small window lit up, and considered how easy it would be to be shot at. The ground was rocky, uneven, and littered with debris. Jack's crepitus arthritic knees crackled more than usual as he navigated the uneven ground, and he thought, Thank God for that full moon; at least there's a little light in this darkness. How do old people get around in this environment? I imagine there must be a lot of broken hips, or else they never leave their homes.

Jack's passport was investigated by a dull-eyed female with boredom etched deep in her young face, and he wondered, What am I going to do with all I have seen and heard? These experiences can't just be for me alone, but what am I going to do with them?