On June 15, three members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams joined 200
Palestinians and 20 Israelis at a nonviolent protest against the confiscation of a West
Bank Palestinian village by Israeli settlers. "I know that you are doing your duty
here," Rabbi Arik Ascherman told the Israeli soldiers at the protest, "but I
hope that your witness of this event will prove to you that it's possible for
Palestinians and Israelis to work together in coexistence."
The soldiers charged into the nonviolent protesters. CPTers Anita Fast
and Anne Montgomery attempted to intervene when they saw soldiers beating two older
Palestinian women and kicking another Palestinian woman as she retreated.
"There's no need to use violence," Fast said. She was then hit in the back
of the head by a rubber-coated club. "I'm nonviolent. You're hurting
me," Fast said repeatedly. The Israeli forces eventually arrested six people,
charging them with "refusing to obey a military order to leave" and
"resisting detention."
"Getting in the way" of aggression, as Fast and Montgomery
did, is one technique of Christian Peacemaker Teams. CPT, an initiative of Mennonite and
Church of the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings, trains small cadres of
Christians for nonviolent direct action. Currently, CPT teams are on the ground in six
countries.
CPT has been in the city of Hebron in the West Bank since 1995. Team
members have occupied Palestinian homes to protest their demolition by the Israeli
government and have fasted for 700 hours to highlight the bulldozing of Palestinian homes.
An invitation from Hebron's mayor allowed CPT to start a long-term peacemaking
project in the largely Muslim city. The team provides a violence-reduction presence with
street patrols, responding directly when they hear about trouble and serving as a
protective presence when someone is threatened. The team also supports Israeli and
Palestinian peacemakers in their work.
Currently the Hebron CPT is sponsoring the Campaign for Secure
Dwellings—a network of North American congregations working to end the Israeli
military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "It is clear to us," said
Rich Meyer, the U.S.-based campaign coordinator, "that there can be no security for
Israelis or Palestinians as long as the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip continues."
Susannah Hunter is news/Internet assistant at Sojourners. For more
information, see www.prairienet.org/cpt.
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