Philo Trust - Feature Story

In March J.John visited the land of Palestine, to visit its beautiful people and to encounter the hard truths of life that is the daily reality for many. The first stop was to the village of Hussan, lying on the outskirts of the birthplace of Jesus, the town of Bethlehem.

To the surrounding Jewish settlements the village of Hussan is known as ‘Kfar Shalom’, the village of peace. Prior to the 1967 war, Hussan contained 11,000 km2 of land, after the war the size of the village was reduced to 7,000 km2. Israeli settlement expansion increased drastically in 1986 in form of the nearby settlement of Betar Illit, which contains Hussan village land, until Hussan was left with 2,000 of its original 11,000 km2.

Although the path of the soon to be 8 meter tall concrete ‘separation fence’ that is being constructed by the Government of Israel is not yet final, the villagers have been warned that it will likely disconnect Hussan from the city of Bethlehem. The village is dependant on Bethlehem for everyday needs such as schooling, employment and health

care while Bethlehem also serves as the marketplace for Hussan’s produce. Production has furthermore been reduced greatly in the past year due to the difficulty of transportation and Israeli checkpoints into Bethlehem. After the construction of the barrier is complete it is unknown what will be left of the land of the villagers, much less what will be left of the inhabitants of Hussan.

Despite these facts one wonders why this village of 7,000 inhabitants is still known as the village of peace. How could this place be considered a village of peace? Throughout the week it is not uncommon to find Israeli Jews from nearby settlements and Israel in Hussan in order to shop, to have their cars repaired, or to have their teeth checked by the local dentist; services that are much cheaper in the village than elsewhere.

A temporary tall fence was built between the street and the nearby homes. Since January of 2006 a new law has been passed by which permission must be acquired for the villagers to access their land on the other side of the street and fence. Such permits are only granted to individuals over 60 years of age. Bordering this fence lies the Al-Arqub Charitable Medical Center which is directed by Naser Hamamreh, a social worker from Hussan. Both Christians and Muslims provide medical services at Al-Arqub Medical Center while both Muslim and Christian families are served there. The Center is the only clinic in all of the villages West of Bethlehem that provides medical services 24 hours a day. Moreover, Naser’s clinic provides the only oxygen bottle among the surrounding villages, which is often under high demand.

Both Canon J.John and Canon Andrew White have supported Naser’s clinic in Hussan. Furthermore, Andrew White’s Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East is coordinating a project that seeks to provide some of the inhabitants of Hussan with livestock like goats and cows in order to give the villagers a source of steady income while enabling them to be self-sufficient when they are

cut off from the nearby city of Bethlehem. A number of greenhouses will also be constructed which will enable the farmers in Hussan to vary their crops in order to make the village self-reliant by making a higher variety of produce available locally.

J.John’s visit ended with a delicious lunch at Naser Hamamreh’s parent's house. A traditional meal called ‘maqluba’ was served which includes a huge plate of rice with goat’s meat, which is placed in the centre of the table for all to share.

The following day the group set off to the Gaza Strip. After crossing the Israeli checkpoint the drive to the hotel took them through the Jabalya refugee camp, the largest in Palestine, and into Gaza City. The Gaza Strip has a population of 1.36 million of which about 60% are registered as refugees. This means their families once owned land within what is today Israel and therefore own no land in Gaza and live on government-owned land of the refugee camps. Since Palestine is such an agricultural society many of these refugees are therefore forced to find employment working for other landowners. J.John and the team set off to visit one such family living in the refugee camp of Beit Lahya. The Hejazi family is made up of eleven people who live in a four-room concrete structure. During the winter, water leaks into the cracked roof and in through the doorway. All windows are void of any glass and let in the cold in the winter months and dust and heat in the summer. The family shares three beds and a few mattresses and a kitchen which also serves as a bathroom and shower. When the visitors arrived at the Hejazi home, the only edible things found in the kitchen were one tomato and half a sack of flour. The eldest daughter who is mentally disabled sat in a dark corner of one of the rooms, with no windows and shied away from any human contact or interaction. The Hejazi family’s sole income is from the vegetables that Mr. Hejazi can sell from his donkey cart.

Later in the day the team met with Pastor Hanna and Suhad Massad. Pastor Hanna is the first local pastor of the Baptist Church in Gaza City which serves about 150 people. Many of the members of the Baptist Church serve the community through various food distribution, humanitarian and social development projects. The church is also in the final stages of completing a new building which will include a library, language teaching facilities, a clinic, a guesthouse and a meeting hall on the top floor.

On Sunday Canon Andrew White and Canon J.John alternated preaching in the morning and evening at the Baptist Church. In between and after services, the timetable was packed with meetings with the Sisters of Charity, the Greek Orthodox priest of Gaza City and a meeting with the Foundation for Reconciliation’s main partner in Gaza, Sheikh Imad Falluji. Falluji is a former member of Hamas and today is an outspoken moderate Muslim leader and a vital part of the Foundation’s work.

Exiting Gaza is never a small feat. After two hours of waiting for clearance, having all bags and bodies scanned by Israeli security, J.John, Andrew and the team left behind a Palestine in shambles and in urgent need of the work of God by the serving hands of the body of Christ.

GIVING TO THE NAAMAN TRUST

If you would like to make a gift to "The Naaman Trust", the relief wing of Canon Andrew White’s and Canon J.John’s ministry, please make your gift payable to "The Naaman Trust" and send c/o the Philo Trust. Your gift will help us to assist the poor and sick in the Middle East.

Dear Friends,

What wonderful Good News we have to proclaim that Jesus came to pay a debt He didn't owe because we owed a debt we couldn't pay. May you know Christ's empowering presence, peace and protection in your journey.

I have been prayerfully pondering on Colossians 4: 2 – 6:

''Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.''

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