The Eyes of Silwan
by Rev. Chad Collins
It was my great honor to be part of the Apartheid Free Campaign delegation to Palestine, May 5 - 14. One of our goals was to observe Israeli apartheid in its many forms, particularly in East Jerusalem and within the 1948 borders of the state. This trip was to sharpen our focus and strengthen our voices as we, in partnership with many denominational Palestine Israel Networks (PINs), the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and others, prepare for the official launch of the Apartheid-Free Campaign on June 6th.
We met with and learned from many sisters and brothers struggling daily to stay alive and provide life for their families. We met with families from Al Araqib, a village in the Naqab, whose village has been destroyed and rebuilt over 215 times (since 2010). We met with families living in Masafer Yatta whose land is being confiscated, whose homes are under weekly demolition orders, and whose lives are threatened weekly by extremist settlers. We met with Youth Against the Settlements in Al-Khalil (Hebron), which sits right in front of an illegal Israeli settlement and walked the route the youth take through the woods trying to avoid encounters with soldiers and settlers. We heard from many Palestinian and Jewish Israeli activists alike who are working daily to speak truth to both the masses and the powers and who are working to bring Justice to the people and the land!
On our first full day we took a very significant walk down a road leading from the Dung Gate of the Old City through the streets of Silwan to the neighborhood of Batn al Hawa, to the Madaa - Silwan Creative Center. Like many walks in Palestine, it was a difficult trip, physically and emotionally. Walking the steep hill down from the Old City and then up the steep steps into the Batn al Hawa section of Silwan, we faced the dichotomy of one of the worlds super powers oppressively wielding its might in its entirety (by means of 24-hour surveillance, military patrols, setters moving in, and daily threats of home demolitions) upon a people with little to no worldly power, but whose very existence resists and challenges the evils put upon them, challenging the powerful to reckon with their evil and ungodly ways.
As we walked from the Old City to Silwan there were three intertwined images that I hope will resonate with all of you. At the beginning of the walk you witness the presence of the Israeli Apartheid forces at work. This is most notable by their many surveillance cameras, which serve as a reminder that the people of Silwan are always being watched. The people are not free in so very many ways and are being watched by their occupier 24/7.
Secondly, as you make your way down the hill you will begin to see in the distance, painted on the houses of Silwan, murals of the eyes of local and international leaders, activists, freedom fighters and more. These eyes communicate to the people of the world (namely Israel) that Silwan sees them and that they should see Silwan too and know that they are still here and that they love their land and their home. Many of the eyes are from those martyred (murdered) by police (military) forces within Palestine (i.e. Eyad al-Hallaq, Rachel Corrie) and throughout the world (George Floyd). It is powerful to stare into these eyes and to know the stories of their lives and deaths and their witness beyond death. As it is said, the eye is the doorway to the soul and with these murals Silwan is calling us all to see the souls of these beautiful people as they represent the sumud, or steadfast resistance, against Israeli apartheid.
The final image comes from a story from the 9th chapter of John’s Gospel, when Jesus heals the man who was born blind. You remember this story, don’t you? Jesus makes a muddy paste with his spit and the dirt, puts it on the man's eyes and tells him to go and wash himself in the pool of Siloam. In Arabic, the pool of Silwan. That's right, a little further down our walk, we came to the Pool of Silwan / Siloam. And it is still in use, for wading and washing.
To me the significance of these 3 images is wrapped up in what we see and what it does to us. Do you see what I see? First we see a worldly power which constantly threatens the lives of the innocent, indigenous. I am sad and discouraged when I see this. Second we see the creativity and beauty of a people, seemingly without any power, calling the eyes of its oppressor to see deep within their souls. I am challenged and inspired when I see this. Thirdly, we see a pool where a man, blind from birth and without any power at all receives his sight. When I see this pool, I am encouraged to believe that what seems impossible on the outside is in fact possible. I see that though Israel holds all the worldly power in its hands, the people of Silwan (the people of Palestine) know and live their lives with a power that can never be snuffed out! And thus we see that hope is alive!
I admit it is not easy to see with eyes of hope when injustice seems to prevail. And it is not easy to live under an apartheid government. So, when discouragement comes, let us look to Silwan and may our eyes be touched by Jesus, washed in the pool and guided by the people of Silwan whose eyes and lives are calling to the souls of the whole world to stand with them. And may we fight for their freedom!
FOSNA News
Visit Palestine With Us This Summer
We are hosting a witness trip with Sabeel led by Nyle Fort and Jonathan Kuttab this July! Experience the resilience and struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people. If you are curious and interested in joining please fill out the form below and share it with anyone who may be interested in being part of this journey. We will contact you very soon!
Apartheid-Free Communities
For decades, the Palestinian people have faced Israeli occupation and systematic human rights abuses that constitute apartheid. Inspired by the anti-Apartheid movement that toppled the Apartheid regime in South Africa, we are building an anti-apartheid movement in North America and encourage our faith communities and all communities of conscience to step away from any and all support to Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism.
Ahead of Apartheid-Free's formal launch, we invite faith communities, congregations, and organizations as well as other communities of conscience to join us by signing the pledge to dismantle apartheid. If you are an individual, organize within your community to take collective action against apartheid.
Take Action!
Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Act (HR3103)
Tell your representative to cosponsor or support the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, reintroduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-04) for the new congressional term.
Demand Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh and Contact the Department of Justice
This week, on May 11th, we mark one year since Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed. Now is the time to demand justice.
It is important to Shireen's family, to journalists and human rights activists around the world, that this investigation be completed and the findings made public. You can help keep Shireen's memory alive by contacting the Department of Justice and inquiring as to the status of the report and urge them to complete and publish their findings:
Use the Department of Justice web form linked to below:
Make the subject of your message either: “Federal Bureau of Investigation” or “Message to the Attorney General"
Copy the text below into the box, or compose your own.
Submit your letter.
Urgent Action: Free Mohammed al-Halabi
Amnesty International has taken up the cause of imprisoned World Vision Staffer Mohammed al-Halabi, a very positive development for FOSNA's long-running #Justice4Halabi campaign.
On 15 June 2022, Mohammed al-Halabi, Gaza director of humanitarian aid and development organization World Vision, was convicted of diverting millions of dollars to the Hamas administration, which Israel considers a terrorist group. On 30 August 2022 he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, after having spent already six years in detention. He was interrogated without legal representation, tortured, tried in secret hearings, and convicted on secret evidence that heavily relied on a coerced statement. Amnesty International considers that Mohammed al-Halabi has been unjustly targeted and tried in an unfair trial. He must be released or tried in proceedings that meet international fair trial standards.
Last year, Halabi's appeal date was set for May 17th. However, the prosecution has stalled on providing materials to his lawyer on the pretext that there is a confidential file that even his lawyer is not permitted to see. Then, they were told that they could not bring in their materials due to the recent escalation in Gaza.
Please contact Israeli Minister of Justice Yariv Levin in Jerusalem and Ambassador Michael Herzog in Washington, D.C. to demand #Justice4Halabi.
Get Involved
May 27: Pasadena
Current Realities in Palestine/Israel
All Saints Middle East Ministry and FOSNA LA/OC will be hosting FOSNA Executive Director Jonathan Kuttab to speak on at All Saints Church on Saturday, May 27th at 2 p.m. PDT. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is available in the lot on the SE corner of Walnut & Euclid.
June 6: Online
Apartheid-Free Launch
On June 6th, the Apartheid-Free campaign will be officially kicked off with an educational webinar on the movement to build apartheid-free communities! Stay tuned for more details.
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem:
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! (Week 22) Child Fatalities. Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday (6pm Palestine) with a guest speaking on the weekly topic. Register here.
The United Nations observes June 1 as the Global Day of Parents, acknowledging the critical role that parents have in the lives of their children. But it is common for Palestinian parents to spend time worrying about their children and the reality that, in the end, the Occupation has more control over their children than they do as parents. And many Palestinian parents spend this day thinking about, or trying to visit, their children held in Israel’s military court systems. Worst of all are the parents who have seen the lives of their children taken from them by the weapons of Israeli occupation forces. With these parents and lost lives in mind, the Kumi Now community this week looks at the all-too-real child fatalities of the Occupation and what you can do so that together we can rise up.