Today was a glorius day. I traveled out early to the farm, some 17 Kms. south of Bethlehem and met Amal running up the hill to catch the service to Bethlehem for her job as a child physical therapist. It was good to see her, if only for a moment. As I descended down the hill from highway 60 on the dirt road to the farm, I could only wonder how long it would be before that road would be off limits to travelers by both Palestinians and internationals. I could see the two baracades ahead of me, and the farm with it's distinctive out buildings and green trees. As I approached the first baricade, I could see fresh boulders covering the existing ones. I learned later by Daher that an Israeli front end loader had dumped them just yesterday - endless harrassment.
Daher, Daoud's older brother met me at the gate with his usual warm welcome and enthusiastic spirit. The same wonderful greeting would be extended to the two visiting groups, one from Holland, and the other, our IFPB group. After reviewing the plan for the morning, consisting of an orientation I provided in one of the caves, Daher was to come and greet the group officially as the host. The group was observant and had shared their questions and assumptions about what they had seen. I then set the stage with information about the 100 year struggle with the Israeli authorities in a fairly detailed manner, so as to leave the impression that what was required of the family over time, was a strong dedication to their land, and peristence in spite of difficulties,and a vision for the future. I believe they got the message.
Some had traveled to the farm before, and nearly half the group had heard about the family and the project, mostly from us as there were several friends traveling for the first on our invitation, and others had either stayed with Kay and I on a previous delegation or had heard Daoud speak at one of the tour events in the States.
Following the orientation we did a brief walking tour of the place. Daher was leading the other group so we were not able to look at the generators and solar cells. We got started on the harvesting of olives, and everyone eagerly joined in. Soon the place was abuz and the trees were soon bare. I think it was the first time the delegates had had some time to talk informally since they had gotten together three days before. I took advantage of the time to go from tree to tree and learn a little more about each of them which was both fun, and enlighening as they shared their reasons for going. IFPB tours continue to attract some really unique individuals. All are highly motivated to learn, and many expressed surprise at the impact of the occupation on Palestinians and on Israelis. Tthey like many before, "Never Knew". The harvesting was followed by a healthy lunch on the veranda provided by the new cook, Helva, a modest and warm person, dessed in her native village dress.
The conversations on the walk back to the bus,and on the ride to the Deheshe camp, as well as into the night, were about the amazing persistence of the famiy in spite
of the oppressive measures they faced each day. My friends who were on the trip and had heard me describe the project endlessly, said they had no idea to what degree this place was so special. They had finally seen it for themselves, and were discovering on their own how powerful the spirit was around them. I believe it is that spirit that we are trying to capture and share with the many people who have joined this movement from Europe and the U.S. It's contagious! It's authentic! It's a good fight! BP
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