I’ve been wandering around the Old City of Jerusalem for a day and a half, but for some reason I’ve stayed away from the sites I really came to see: The Al Aqsa Mosque/Dome of the Rock/Temple Mount and the Western Wall. I feel like a wary wild dog, slowly circling my way ever-closer, but unsure and hesitant. I think part of my wariness is due to my experience at Al-Khalil (Abraham’s Tomb) two days ago (more on that soon, hopefully). Anyway, I feel I’ve got to write about my time at Bustan Qaraaqa (BQ) on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Beit Sahour (just south of Bethlehem a couple/few miles) before the experience of Jerusalem overshadows my memories of the prior experience.
I first learned of BQ via CouchSurfing.org, a site that Mike K. used on his travels around the world. Basically it connects local people around the world who are willing to host with travelers needing inexpensive lodging. Besides saving money, part of the incentive for me to use the site is that I want authentic local experiences, not the isolated, tourist-snaps-photos-then-leaves way of traveling.
So anyway, when I contacted BQ and heard back that they had room for me, I was pretty happy. Unwittingly, I had fallen into the trap of expectations. I was assuming I’d be staying with Palestinians, getting to see and feel one version of that experience first-hand (I hadn’t looked at their website yet, which would have perhaps helped me figure out a bit of what I’d find).
Instead of a local Palestinian home, I found a group of Europeans and Americans, devoted to employing permaculture as a tool to help the Palestinians, help the Earth, and resist the Israeli Occupation. Devoted to their beliefs, and (perhaps) justly so. This group of 6-10 people (there was always someone coming and going, I think the core group numbers about 4 or 5) is exceptionally well-traveled, and most have significant experience within Israel and/or Palestine (there was a strong-enough anti-Zionist streak amongst many of them that they preferred to use the term Palestine for all the territory of Gaza, Israel & the West Bank).
It’s not fair, perhaps, to call them jaded and cynical, but I’m afraid many of them are. They’ve seen such pain and poverty and hopelessness amongst the Palestinians, and such aggression and arbitrary hostility from Israeli settlers and soldiers, that to remain open-minded and recognize validity on both sides of the issue is no longer possible (nor, I think, would they even say it’s desirable – they’ve taken the side they believe warrants their passion and effort – why should they spend time looking at life from the Israeli perspective?).
BQ itself is nestled in a valley with splendid views of the hills of Palestine. When I saw a young boy shepherding goats and sheep along the hillsides, it was as if I was looking at a scene 2000 or 3000 years ago, or older – who knows how long local people have been herding up and down those slopes?
BQ is committed (one might say radically) to Earth-friendly practices. As little use of electricity as possible (thus a natural refrigerator – which means it’s essentially a big clay pot that’s got a second outer layer of material to help cool it’s contents). Using water is to be minimal and maximized, hence the composting toilet. Showers are short, and for some of the folk, few and far between (so it seemed, at least).
The two days I was there were provocative and powerful. Though I’m not nearly as one-sided as most of them are about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I can’t deny that Israel has the upper-hand, has had it for quite some time, and is not treating the Palestinians with the human dignity and rights I believe all people warrant. And in theory I find the ideals of permaculture worthwhile. I was welcomed and treated as one of them. Which was great when it came to the fascinating conversations, the terrific natural foods and meals, and their local expertise which enabled me to travel to Al-Khalil (Hebron) like a local Palestinian – via small buses and shared vans. I happened to be at BQ during the summer solstice, and their all-night celebration (I only made it until just past 1AM, but that’s pretty good for early-to-be-early-to-rise me) was a memory to last a lifetime.
There were downsides to being treated like one of them. I don’t sleep well in a dorm-room full of people coming and going, snoring and breathing all night long. And though I agree with the ideal of composting toilets, I much prefer the Japanese approach to bodily functions – keep them in a separate room, with separate shoes for that room, and combine a bidet with a toilet).
The other concern I had was that as anti-Zionist as the group was, it felt to me like they had an condescending approach toward the Palestinians. Clearly they were on the locals' side. But often the tone was one of superiority toward the locals (heck, maybe just toward everybody else in general). I don’t want to over-simplify. There was respect for Palestinians and a desire to get to know them and stand with them. But their desire to “teach the Palestinians” often made me a bit uncomfortable – as if these foreigners could just drop in for a year or two or three and now they’ve got all the answers for this thousands-year old culture?!
But, let’s be honest, I’ve just done the same thing: dropped in for two days, made my judgments – whether fair or not I’m sure could be disputed – and now I’ve left. I’d like to go back, for a meal or so, but it’s hard to see how I’ll have the time.
I uploaded pics of my stay at BQ on FaceBook and at Flickr here.
Later, I hope to write a post on my visit to Al-Khalil (Hebron), where I viewed Abraham’s tomb and a first-hand crystallization of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But for now I feel like I’ve gotten enough off my chest, and perhaps spent more time than warranted typing away when I could have been out on the streets of Jerusalem.
