PALESTINIANS ON THE BEACH? WHY NOT EVERY DAY?!
As I write this, sitting in Southern California, I can hear the waves crashing just a few feet away. Whenever I seek renewal of the spirit, refreshment of the soul, I am drawn to the sea where all can be washed clean. Any burdens I carry can be cast onto the waves that reliably ebb away, pulling my hurts and guilts and sorrows with them. As stifling as life is under occupation, I have to wonder if even a tsunami would be strong enough to wash away that pain.
Of course, it would have to be a tsunami; Palestinians are, by and large, prohibited from going to the beach so the ocean would have to come to them.
For this reason, I was stunned to read an article that said in August, for the first time ever, 130,000 Palestinians were granted permits to visit the beach for Eid al-Fitr. When I first read Gideon Levy’s story, my eyes filled with tears. Mr. Levy’s account is written with such loving, exacting detail that we are left feeling as though we saw this phenomenal scene with our own eyes. I had to read it a second; even a third time to be sure I hadn’t missed the punch line where he tells the reader that he woke to find that it had all been a dream.
It’s not rare, at least for me, to experience quite the opposite reaction when I read news stories about the occupation. Often I’m moved more to nausea than to tears. This story was different not only because it described an unexpected visit to the sea but even more because of the great joy that this sight brought the writer. I love his exuberant response; I love that he demands to know why it can’t be this way every day. He opened the door for me to dare to dream the same.
The simple question, “Why not everyday?” made me realize that several thefts are taking place. The occupation, those who uphold and codify and institutionalize the occupation, have stolen so much from the Palestinians and also from the world at large. Palestinians have been robbed of the enjoyment of a gift given by God; the occupiers have the audacity to steal a gift handmade by no less than the Creator.
And justice-minded, goodhearted Israelis are being robbed as well. The occupation steals from them the right to do what I can do whenever I like: call up a Palestinian friend and say, “Hey, it’s a beautiful day. Let’s hit the beach!” I have Israeli friends here in the States who long to do in their home country what they can only do here: befriend a Palestinian and interact as equals, as true peers.
There is another victim of this robbery, and that is the American public. We finance the occupation in so many ways (taxes, purchases from companies that support the occupation, and even through our voting patterns). We pay for a land of the free and home of the brave in the Levantine but when we open the package we find only a bill of goods. What we are financing is in wholesale opposition to the principles on which the United States was founded. But little is said, and nothing is done, and the thief walks away in broad daylight.
I’m not sure I can ever again listen to the waves crashing without thinking of the scene Mr. Levy described. In fact, I rather hope that vision will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. I need to be reminded that I’ve been the victim of a robbery so I can run out into the world screaming my head off to anyone who will listen.
Vicki Tamoush is a second-generation Arab American who lives in Tustin, California. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Irvine and is founder of Interfaith Witnesses. Her first guest post on this blog was How Ramadan Made Me a Better Christian.
Hello Jane,
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment. I completely agree with all you said, including the possibility that the timing was due to the impending Corrie verdict.
That question about why American Christians are largely mute on the injustices in Israel/Palestine is a huge topic and one I spend much of my time working on. You probably know about Sabeel which does great work with churches worldwide. But of course, specifically because they’re so effective, Sabeel has been heavily targeted by Zionists who try to discredit the organization and scare Christians away by calling the founder, Rev. Naim Ateek, a terrorist and other hateful things.
Whenever I make presentations at churches, people ask, “What can we do?” And yes, they are exactly as you’ve described: people who have good hearts but fear that the topic is too complex or that they will unwittingly violate some tenet of their beliefs if they get involved. Here’s what I tell them: “Some particular issues within the Israel/Palestine situation are indeed complicated. But the overall situation is one of injustice and Jesus made perfectly clear to us in his acts and his words that we are to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. We are to stand with the poor in all circumstances. We are to reject the temptations of power and the illusions of empire so that we identify always with right, not might. So my answer is that we each do whatever we are CALLED to do. I love to write; I feel God’s calling to me is to use my words in order to seek justice. So I write articles and speeches and letters to elected officials. I write banners and slogans and protest signs and, now, guest blog posts. But if your calling is to speak, then speak to your next-door neighbor and your fellow Christians and your niece and your gardener and your fellow parishioners. If your calling is art, use your art to draw others to a position of justice. We all have gifts; we aren’t required to work for justice in the same way. We simply use the tools we’ve got, and we pray and pray and pray that God will make of us an instrument of God’s peace.”
Thanks for that, Vicki, I hadn’t heard of Sabeel but will find out more. Yes, the issues are extremely complex, so it’s great that you’re able to reach out and make them more accessible to the church at large. For my part…I’m writing a thesis on the discourses of antisemitism and their potential for silencing dissent. Trust me, it’s a minefield!
Oh, I can well imagine that minefield you’re in! I’m so interested in the use of the term “anti-Semitism” because it was somehow reduced to half its meaning. Arabs, too, are Semites of course, so when someone accuses me of being anti-Semitic (when I know they mean anti-Jewish or anti-Zionist) I always stop to clarify. Sounds like your thesis will lead to more understanding on this.
Do look up Sabeel. There are groups all over the world. I think you’ll find some really great information written by Rev. Naim Ateek, the founder of Sabeel, who has addressed the issue of anti-Semitism many times. I believe his papers are published on the website but if you have a hard time finding them, let me know. Bless you for taking on a topic that could be uncomfortable. Maybe that’s the only way change comes? Many years ago, I heard a speech in an American church by the wonderful Father Elias Chacour which ended this way: “Now that I’ve told you about our situation in Palestine, you probably think I’m going to ask for donations. Well, I’m not, so don’t get out your checkbooks. Giving money to us would only serve as a conscience tranquilizer for you, and I don’t want you to ease your conscience. I want you to be disturbed. I want you to lie awake wondering how we will survive unless you get involved. Be disturbed, and stay that way.”
Thank you Vicki, good to hear your comments; that article affected me too. In fact, I don’t think anyone reading it could be left unmoved. But it requires more than sentiment, doesn’t it, to shift the political barriers to Palestinian human rights – and dare I say more American Christians like yourself to speak out, especially to Congress. I’m a Christian too but get so frustrated with people in my fellowship (and beyond) who either refuse to respond to the political situation in Israel/Palestine. Sometimes it’s because of the context is so complex and they’ve been convinced by the rhetoric that all Arabs are potential terrorists; sometimes it’s because they’re confused by their eschatology; but maybe it’s also because they don’t think it’s anything to do with ‘us’. (Hello…? Widows and orphans…?) But what struck me, as Nora will be aware from another posting, is the question that Levy didn’t ask: ‘Why? Why a day at the beach now?’ I’d really like to be wrong but I don’t believe for a minute that Israel has suddenly developed a soft spot for the Palestinians. One possibility is that it was a PR stunt prior to the Rachel Corrie outcome.