April 5 -- Eyewitness Accounts of Life in Occupied Territories | MORE ON EVENT | REPORT & PHOTOS OF EVENT

SEEKING PEACE IN A TROUBLED LAND

CJME is proud to host a frank and open discussion on the most critical peace issue in the Middle East -- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On April 5 at 7:00 p.m. come to the Village Presbyterian Church to hear reports from area residents who have traveled to this region recently.
 

Three area residents will present their observations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor from St. Louis, traveled to the West Bank for three weeks in December 2003. Hedy Epstein, traveled to the West Bank with three other women from St. Louis. They stayed with Palestinian families, participating in two demonstrations — in Masha Gil Na'amti, a young Israeli, was severely injured by live bullets and one of the women was hit by shrapnel in her leg. During their trip they visited the Wall in Qalqilia, spoke with Israeli soldiers and visited the Salim Shawamreh family whose home has been demolished four times. Hedy visited the Memorial, near Jerusalem, for the 80,000 Jews deported from France, among them members of family.

Dr. James Kenney, CPA and Ginger Kenney, from Mission, Kansas, have been to the Middle East five times, most recently in March 2004 with Fellowship of Reconciliation on a fact-finding delegation with the Interfaith Peace Builders.

Jim and Ginger Kenney are active members of the Quaker faith and local representatives of the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Jim served as a Presbyterian minister for twenty years. They took their first trip to Israel in 1976. Subsequent trips worked with Palestinian and Israeli peace groups such as Christian Peacemaker Team, which promotes “standing in the way” between occupiers and occupied in hopes of reducing violence or oppression.

The 36-year Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories - West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - poses one of the most important unresolved international issues of our time. U.S. news reports a "cycle of violence" where suicide bombings are matched with Israeli air and ground attacks on Palestinian towns. What escapes these reports is the daily violence brought about by the occupation.

Many Americans are traveling to Palestinian territories to tell a different story than what is depicted in U.S. media. Their hope is that we will be moved to press the U.S. government to change its policy of supporting the occupation.

The occupation has reduced Palestinian income to $2 per day with high unemployment rates of 50% and growing malnutrition. The restrictions have resulted in long closures preventing movement to schools, hospitals and workplaces. House demolitions have increased significantly with 4000 homes destroyed in the last two years. The "security fence" weaves through Palestinian territory disrupting access to villages, farmland and water sources for tens of thousands.

> Where: Village Presbyterian Church 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas
> When: Monday, April 5, 2004, 7:00 pm - free and open to the public
> Sponsors: Citizens for Justice in the Middle East
> More information: email - info@cjme.org; phone - 816-524-3905; web - http://www.cjme.org/seekingpeace.htm
 

> Download & Distribute event fliers:

 - Full-page event flier (Adobe PDF)

More on EVENT...

> St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial by Hedy Epstein (Adobe PDF format)

REPORT ON EVENT

> Report on "Seeking Peace in a Troubled Land" by Charles Thornton

About 60 people met in West Fellowship Hall at Village Presbyterian Church from 7 to 9 PM to hear Jim & Ginger Kenney of Mission, Kansas, and Hedy Epstein, of St. Louis, recount highlights of their latest trips to Israel and the West Bank.   The Kenneys were in flight to Israel when the former Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was assassinated in Gaza by Israeli helicopters late last month.  On landing, the Kenneys were detained for three hours by Israeli authorities, ostensibly because of their affiliation with a peace organization.  Hedy was in Israel in late 2003 and was detained for five hours and labeled (literally) a threat to national security, presumably because of her outspoken opposition to Israeli treatment of Palestinians.  Her welcoming party was detained for 13 hours.

Jim Kenney cited Thomas Friedman’s recent article, “Policy of Insanity”, as summing up the current situation.  Jim also cited Chris Hedges’ theme that war is a powerful narcotic, and that many people are addicted to it.  Ginger Kenney spoke of the plight of schools in the West Bank that are trying to instill a spirit of peace and coexistence among students.  She mentioned one grade school that teaches Hebrew, Arabic, English, and French, in the effort to promote non-violence, and other schools in Hebron, which has been under curfew for the last 2.5 years, and one in Bethany that is only yards from the new Israeli wall.  Hedy Epstein spoke about the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and two demonstrations against the wall.  She noted that wherever she traveled, she seized any opportunity to interview soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and ask about their feelings.  She spoke of staying with Palestinian families, and the community of Jayyous, which is encircled, with access available only through one North and one South gate.  These gates may be opened for only five to ten minutes a day on an unpredictable schedule.  She told how the villagers required permits to venture outside to graze starving sheep, etc., and how permits were delayed, denied, or terminated arbitrarily.  Hedy used the example of people in the US remembering Martin Luther King’s birthday, but seeming to almost totally forget his assassination date, as evidence of how the press screens what we hear and think about.  Ginger then characterized the treatment of Palestinians as “collective punishment.”   Jim told a story about a friend who was a former IDF officer, and how he and other “refuseniks” were punished for their stand against injustice. 

The last hour was devoted to questions, answers, and discussion.  Highlights included a question of what we can do, which led to the amounts of money the US gives to Israel:  This is 3 billion per year in direct military aid, 1 billion in indirect military aid, and 10 billion in loan guarantees for loans that are never paid back, according to Jim.   Hedy maintained that about the only main thing we could do would be to cut off the aid.  Writing to our legislators was also recommended.

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