Work in a war zone

Fortunately, people in the U.S. do not have to live or work in a war zone. In the West Bank, however, it is one of life’s realities. “I was in Hebron about two weeks after the start of the second Intifada in the fall of 2000,” Kennedy says as she described the fighting. “I had never been in a situation like this in my life; mortars, tanks, helicopters, people with guns, and snipers shooting overhead.

“(During the fighting) CPT didn’t stop its work, but we did stop going on night patrols due to fears of the military,” Kennedy says. “The CPT building was not a target, but was right in the middle of it all. We would see flares in the night and hear helicopters. My first thought was to run up to the roof and see what was going on but common sense prevailed. Eventually, the IDF (Israeli army) took over the hilltops surrounding the Old City.”

While most people will do whatever they can to escape a combat zone, CPT stayed in Hebron through the Intifada. “None of the (CPT) members ran,” Kennedy says. “As a group we talked about our fears of getting injured or killed. We realized it was a real possibility. But what would the Palestinians, who have to live in this everyday, feel if we behaved like cowards? But I never did get used to the gunfire. How could you?”

Israeli patrol in Hebron's kasbah

In some ways, being in the midst of the fighting has strengthened Kennedy’s resolve. “I feel almost privileged to have that war experience, emotionally and physically,” she notes. “When I now see people in that combat situation, I can empathize with them and what they are going through.”

Recently though, violence in the area has had a direct impact on CPT’s mission in the West Bank. In August, the patriarch of at-Tuwani had invited CPT to come to his small village after its’ water supply was poisoned by residents of the nearby Ma’on settlement. Villagers knew of the teams’ work in Hebron and hoped CPT might be able to help ease tensions with the settlers.

CPT set up a camp in the remote village, located about 15 kilometers south of Hebron, and began escorting children on their way to school in at-Tuwani. The route passed through the hills near the Ma’on outpost. In late September, while escorting a group of children, two members of CPT were brutally attacked by five settlers hiding in ambush. The children were able to flee, but the CPT members were savagely beaten with chains and baseball bats and suffered broken arms and cracked ribs. One member’s lung was punctured.

Kennedy was in the CPT apartment in Hebron when the attack occurred and helped coordinate medical assistance for the injured team members. She also reported the incident to the media; within 15 minutes of the attack, CPT had sent out news releases. These events attracted the attention of the world’s press, and journalists descended on the area to report the story; settlers’ ambushing foreign nationals was seen as especially violent and threatening.

Only 10 days after the first incident, despite the previous media attention, CPT members were again attacked and beaten while escorting children to school near at-Tuwani. This time, the governments of the members who were injured took notice. The American Consulate in East Jerusalem personally traveled to at-Tuwani to assess the situation and the Israeli military got involved.

Kennedy hasn’t questioned the teams’ mission since the attacks. Instead, she questioned the motives of people who would attack defenseless women and children. CPT decided to maintain its presence in at-Tuwani and continues to monitor the situation there.

In the wake of these events, Kennedy is candid about how people at home react to her desire to work in a dangerous place. “Friends and family all tell me not to go,” she says. “But they know there’s a little piece of passion in my heart for being there. We have to say ‘yes’ in order to live fully when opportunities come up to explore this life experience. As long as that opportunity isn’t doing harm, I want to say ‘yes’ to it. These are chances to grow.”

One incident sticks in Kennedy’s mind when she is asked about fear. “CPT records damage done to Palestinian homes as a result of Israeli military action,” she says. “Once I was going into a home that had been damaged and the man who lived there asked me where I was from. I said I was from the U.S. and he looked right at me and said ‘if it were not for my religion (Islam) I would kill you’. So I thanked him for being in his religion! After that time, I started noticing people with prayer beads!”

But violence and threats are more often overshadowed by acts of hospitality and kindness. “In November of 2000, three of us CPT’ers were invited to a Palestinian family’s home,” Kennedy recalls. “When we got there, they had prepared a full Thanksgiving turkey dinner for the Americans in Hebron. We were so filled with emotion that we all were crying.”

Thoughts for the future

Kennedy is also aware of the strong emotion in the U.S. that surrounds the conflict in Israel. Few issues tend to be as polarizing and many people have taken up sides, especially after the events of 9/11. “People (in the U.S.) tend to think that all Palestinians are terrorists,” she says. “People think that everyone has a gun, that they (Palestinians) are all out to kill, that all Arabs are fanatics. They also have a view that all Jews are very religious or orthodox and support the settlements.”

With the recent death of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, peace efforts have been rekindled in the region. “Arafat really was a terrorist. He was corrupt. He was bad news,” Kennedy says. She feels that the Palestinians are “still grieving as a people over Arafat’s death but need to move beyond that period in their history. The Palestinians may come out of this turmoil with a sense of identity about who they are as a people.”

But Kennedy can’t see the Israelis and Palestinians living together in harmonious single state unity anytime soon. “It would be almost impossible to integrate these two almost un-blendable cultures,” she says. “Everyone wants the same thing, but it would be impossible to get these two peoples to cooperate and get along. The key is to find out how we make ourselves good neighbors; what do we have in common? How do we create better economic conditions in Israel for both parties? How do we distribute natural resources in a generous way? How do we create a viable Palestinian state?

“The Israeli settlements have to go,” Kennedy says, criticizing what she sees as a major roadblock on the path to peace. “Settlements are bleeding Israel. Why would Israel want settlements in a place like the Gaza Strip? How can that (policy) be justified? There have been no moves to create any kind of trust between the people. People see each other as ‘the enemy’.”

When speaking about the future, however, Kennedy is still optimistic. The thought of CPT undertaking this type of work in the Holy Land appeals to her spiritual beliefs. “I would rather be there in a place with that sense of holiness,” she says. “A place where the geography is so imbued with possibility. I’m terribly moved to know that we are in a place where there is so much potential for peaceful coexistence.”

Although Kennedy has no set date to return to Hebron, she knows she will be going back at some point. Until then, she will continue her work by speaking to groups about the situation and trying to share her experiences. “I love the (CPT) teams,” she says. “We all consider ourselves part of a family. This is who I am and what I do. I don’t need praise for it.”