Eyewitness Report on West Bank
by Victoria McEvoy, PAR reader, delegation member to West Bank
Dear PAR reader,
Imagine being the parent of a young child. Imagine having to teach them, “If our car is stopped at a checkpoint and soldiers want to talk to me, and if I leave the car for a very long time, you must go to the road and get into any car with a green-and-white (Palestinian) license plate. They’ll take you to our village police, where you’ll tell them the three ancestral names I’ve taught you, so our family can be contacted to come get you.” Then imagine telling that little one, with false bravado, “I’ll come home as soon as I can.” This is the daily reality under occupation, as I recently heard from a Palestinian mother.
Though I fancy myself a wordsmith, I’ve been trying but failing to adequately describe for you, in a short PAR newsletter article, my recent life-altering trip to the West Bank. Instead, I offer you that true story, and the below links to compelling, articulate summaries by my co-delegates.
I can talk with you (and/or your group) about my experiences in the West Bank, how the situation in Palestine is connected to everything of concern in our world today, and the many doable options for positive change. Feel free to call me at 203-589-5429, or send me an email at vmcevoy@gmail.com.
Here are the links to other delegates’ stories.
Come & See in Palestine by Jessica Sun:
Interview with Anthony Donovan, Brian Terrell, and Mark Colville, the co-founder and co-director of New Haven’s Amistad Catholic Worker:
Meanwhile, here are ways to support Palestinian workers:
- Palestinian olive oil from Equal Exchange:
https://shop.equalexchange.coop
- Fair-traded sustainable gifts hand crafted by Palestinian artisans:
- Bethlehem University’s Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS), founded and run by former Yale professor Mazin Qumsiyeh and his wife Jessie Chang Qumsiyeh: