Non violence is an uphill battle - Davids story

"We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Umm Al-Khair children at their kindergarden

In my second day visiting Hebron/Al-Khalil, we went to the inauguration of a kindergarden in Umm Al-Khair, a small Bedouin village, in South Hebron Hills, neighboring the Carmel settlement.

Today's inauguration represented a glimpse of hope for the inhabitants of this village and surrounding areas who have persevered despite settler violence and Israeli Army incursions aimed at uprooting them. They have no running water, no access to electrical current(solar panels have been installed recently), because, being Area C, i.e. under full military control with regard to law enforcement, building and planning they are systematically denied permits.So one can easily understand why this was a day of celebration.

Among those celebrating were UNRWA, Villages Group an Israeli-Palestinian partnership, the village council and Australian Leichhardt Municipal Council, together with some of the at least 19 children expected to start there.

Israeli-Palestinian partnership - an untold tale

While celebrating the achievement we met David, a young Israeli and two friends of his. Yesterday, he tells us, while on a visit to some friends of this same village, a soldier had him stopped and required their IDs and passports. They were asked about what they were doing there and where were they aiming to go.

David replied:" I am going to visit my friends in the village", to which the soldier replied:" You are visiting terrorists?". At which point, David explains us, he couldn't contain himself: "How can you make such a generalization?"

The soldier: "Well, they have guns and bombs!" David replied that:" You're the only ones here with guns. You and the settlers!" Discontent with the reply the soldier asked about the contents of the bags only to discover it carried sushi for dinner. He reacted with amazement. David told him that there was no reason for such, after all, he, probably the soldier also, enjoyed a good sushi meal.

Having been allowed to pass, David and his friends were thrown rocks at by the soldier along with the cry: " Go, you'll be safer with your friends!". Not long after, an army sergeant came and told his subordinate to stop. By then, David had already been welcomed by his Palestinian friends at the Camp.