Hope will not be deterred

More rockets, more riots (fireworks going off all night long - and they're being fired at the Israeli police - with one huge boom that jarred me awake during the seemingly interminable 3:45 a.m. prayer call) and even gun fire between 8 and 10 this morning on the Temple Mount. No one killed, I understand. Thank goodness for that. Of course, the same is not true of the poor residents of Gaza. Upwards of 100 killed, some of them children. I again struggled to keep my emotions in check as I gazed on a NY Times picture of a father carrying his 5-year-old son, wrapped in a bloody sheet, to be buried. The heartbreak is overwhelming. And I'm not even in the midst of it.

My recent posts have been rather bleak. I know. You're all very kind to slog through. I'm tired of bleak. Today I want to return to some of the positive things going on. First, I just have to say that I love finding good people everywhere I go, and I always do seem to find them. I know there are crazies out there, and a few who just want to hurt or take advantage of you. But by and large, I am always encouraged by how good and kind people are. Sitting around the dinner table last night at the convent, I met a few new friends, this time from Switzerland. We had a lovely time talking about Israel, the tragedy of the situation and the conflict that never really ends (OK, so that part wasn't SO lovely), and about our lives. Danny and his family are visiting for a week from Switzerland. He is a high school teacher with impeccable English and a kind smile. His parents, although they speak very little English, smile attentively and contribute enthusiastically to the conversation when they can.

(May I just interject momentarily to point out that I'm sitting in an internet cafe right on the Via Dolorosa. Every few minutes large groups of devout Christians amble by (and I do mean amble - it's really frustrating to get caught behind them!), sometimes singing indistinguishable songs of their faith, and those in front carrying a 2x4 cross along the way. One just went by, most of them apparently tone-deaf, and then finished off with a part of the Lord's Prayer in Spanish. I think these recitations and songs are a part of the communal experience of pilgrimage. I'm going to look into that.)

Back to exposing the positive. Most of the people I meet are so good and kind, going about their lives, loving their families and friends – and desperately hoping for peace. They are weary of the senseless anger and violence. Even just sitting here in the lobby of the convent, my Palestinian friend Nabil (not the same fiery friend Anwar from last night) and I have been talking about the great tragedy of the Conflict: the leadership (or lack thereof). Nabil informs me that the Gazan people are being held hostage by their Hamas leadership. Amen! (I pronounce my agreement fervently, wondering if that term makes any sense to an apparently secular Muslim.) Extremist leaders who hide behind innocent civilians and let them take the Israeli missiles aimed at homes concealing rocket launchers and factories. Nabil, frustrated with the complete lack of rationality and hope, tells me that the history of mankind is one of war and bloodshed, of secret groups who perpetuate such sadism for their own purposes. Hmmm...sound familiar? I think he has nailed it on the head.

But the hope is that, in the midst of all this, there is good. And good will prevail, in the end. So, I want to share some of the good things I've seen lately. First, my short visit to the West Bank consisted mainly of a visit to a developing planned community called Rawabi. Look it up, it's interesting. A wealthy Palestinian business man had a dream. Bypassing a government that refuses to take the initiative to actually build a functioning Palestinian State (because elite Palestinian leaders profit from the state of indigency in which they, the "leaders," receive all kinds of funds from the US and UN to build state infrastructure that never seems to materialize), he decided to get his own funding and build a modern, planned community. (I confess, generally I don't really love planned communities; I prefer genuine, natural growth. But here, with the blaring absence of growth and development, I appreciate the optimism and initiative to change facts on the ground.) It boasts a shopping center, several homes and apartments at various price-ranges, an outdoor amphitheater as well as movie theater, and more. It is not yet complete, but most of the homes and apartments have sold in advance. The biggest problems have been with the governments, both Israeli and Palestinian. No surprise there. Israel has not cooperated with allowing for sufficient road-building for this kind of project – until recently (the road is still too small for the number of people expected to traverse it, but it is a good, modern road. The problem is that different parts of the city are in Areas A, B and C. The road is in Area C. Confused yet? Me too!)

The other problem is water. The Israeli authorities haven't prevented access – they just haven't helped to get it. Neither has the Palestinian government. Bashar, the force behind the project, described his deep frustration with the Palestinian government that should, at the very least, lend encouragement, if not financial support. The innovative project has received nothing. But the project is exciting and hopeful, and I would love to see it succeed.

Another hopeful project taking place is found in Jaffa. It's the Arab-Jewish Community Center, the only outreach program led by Arab initiative. Ibrahim Abu Shindi is the energetic, well-spoken and friendly head of the organization. He spoke of the various programs the Center facilitates, from after-school daycare (both Arabs and Jews) to sports, arts, music and dance programs – all targeting young children and adolescents. The coordinators of the program know that the most successful initiatives for peace and tolerance work with children, before perceptions and attitudes are cemented. Of course, he admitted frustration that, despite his obvious peaceful and loyal relations to Israel, every time he travels, he is subjected to extra security and suspicion as to his intentions, and not just by Israel. Sometimes by the very international organizations that have invited him to speak! That is exactly the point of the ongoing riots – that kind of frustration engendered by unfounded discrimination. But wait – we're being positive!

Well, listening to the news and hearing about the barrage of missiles on Tel Aviv tonight, it is a real force of will to seek out the positive, the hope. But it is can be found.

I'll end with final thought from my new friend Nabil. Crazy is the island who attempts to clash with the ocean. Israel and Hamas both would do well to keep that in mind. And another: Man cannot live by air force alone. I like Nabil. He talks a lot and makes it difficult to write coherently, but he is definitely a kindred spirit.

Pictures to come.