Day Five from Beit Sahour
November 14, 2000‏
The Children

A fairly quiet day here so far.  We spent some time in the office this
morning editing and translating profiles of the families that have been
displaced.  We visited a few who had varying degrees of damage.  The worst
was the one that had been hit last night.  It was in an area that was fairly
protected, and the side of house that was hardest hit made it apparent that
a tank had moved from the military base around to that side of the house. 
This area had not been attacked before.

The first thing that we saw as we drove up was a second story balcony made
of concrete and rod iron that was completely destroyed.  The window on that
balcony was totally blown out and the iron bars on the outside were bent in
several inches.  Once inside it was apparent that this was a child’s room. 
The beds were under the window.  The heavy metal blinds and the window frame
were completely torn loose   from the wall and thrown across the room. 
There were shards of glass everywhere.
The beds were covered with glass and dust.

The two girls who slept in this room are 3 and 7 years old.  I met them
today and they were hesitant to talk to me, but with the urging of their
father, whom they clung to the entire time we were there, the 3 year old
finally anwered.  With someone else interpreting, I asked her what happened
to her room.  She said that she heard shooting and her mother came and took
her out.  Then she said something else in Arabic and everyone laughed.  Her
father hugged her more tightly.  She said, “my mother wouldn’t even let me
put on my shoes!”

Later in the day, one of the volunteers brought back pictures that 8-10 year
olds had drawn and colored for a contest.  The children were told that they
could draw anything that they like.  No mention was made of the conflict or
the Rapprochement Centre project.  Only a few of the 10 year olds drew
positive scenes.  One was at the beach.  Others drew happy families and
pretty homes.  One was really nice of rain and a grandmother carrying an
umbrella toward a house where a child was looking out the window as if she
was anxious for Grandma to come.  The rest of the drawings by the 10 year
olds, and all of the drawings by the younger children were of the current
situation.  They included many tanks, helicopters, guns, children lying dead
and bleeding, homes being fired on and destroyed.  Some were even labeled. 
“The boy is dead.”  And, “My uncle’s house” [being shelled by a tank with
the moon and stars in
the background].  Some were of patriotic symbols (historical Palestine, the
flag, the
Dome of the Rock).  Some were of peace itself being destroyed, doves and
olive trees.

Children here, like children everywhere, soak up everything that is on the
television screen.  I worry a lot about the images that they see so much of
time.  I don’t think that here one could, or would want to, hide what is
going on.  Their parents seem to have the best possible attitudes.  Very
balanced.  Yes, angry when it’s appropriate.  Yes, tired and hopeless at
times.  But underneath there is an amazing amount of peace and strength that
only those who have transcended generations of struggle can obtain.  I hope
that hearing their parents and others discuss it, and including them in
those discussions, will give them a healthier way to deal with this.  TV
images are too limited, too black and white.  The children see something or
someone that they can relate to, in danger, over and over again.  They see
Israelis only as soldiers who are attacking and Palestinians only as kids
who are dying and mothers that are crying.  Neither one of these images is
productive when fed to children without the understanding that adults have
of the situation.  Adults here know that it is bad, but they have past
experience that gives them strength and a concept of a future that gives
them hope.  They have faith in God and justice eventually prevailing.   The
children don’t have this.  So, we try to share that strength and hope with
them, and protect
them from an overdose of emotionally provocative imagery.

And we hug and love and listen and hold and smile and keep life as normal as
possible for them.  And we pray and pray and pray over each and every one
that we can touch. Will someone please send us the lyrics of “Prayer for the
Children”, the      song that was written for the children of Bosnia?


“As you have done to the least of these…..”

Salaam,
Rhonda