It makes an impression: a personal reflection
The occupation of the Palestinian  people in the West Bank, East Jerusalem,  and Gaza must come to an end and soon.  For the sake of  the State of Israel and the Palestinians.  I have been a part of watching developments in the region for over thirty years.  Since then 87% of Bethlehem has been confiscated for settlements, bypass roads, the wall and military checkpoints. Every major church in the USA including the Episcopal Church has had major resolutions over the past 48 years regarding the end of the military occupation - to no avail.   Why?  The major obstacle has been the United States in its veto of over forty resolutions, paralyzing the international community in its efforts to end the occupation. The occupation is against international law as are the 250 settlements in the the West bank that house 650,000 settlers on Palestinian land.

Following are my own recent experiences of being in Gaza with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship  in April and a Sabeel witness trip to the Occupied territories in November.   Enough is enough is enough.  The suffering caused by the occupation is beyond our imagination.  Delay for whatever reason is not the answer. Delay only adds to the burden of the Palestinian people and allows the State of Israel to make the occupation more permanent and oppressive.

I am still raw from a recent three day visit to Gaza in April and a recent two week visit to the occupied Territories in November observing and living with the military occupation.

When you meet with 25 women in Gaza who have lost their their husbands,children, and home it leaves an impression.

When you meet with 25 young people who have lost their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and homes it leaves an impression.

When the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem cannot or will not use the word occupation because he fears his travel and permit to live in East Jerusalem will be revoked by the State of Israel it leaves an impression.

When 6,000 missiles are dropped on Gaza in 51 days - missiles provided and paid for by our tax dollars - and you see the result with 18,000 homes destroyed it leaves an impression.

When you hear the story of 10 year old children who have come home from school to find their homes confiscated and demolished it leaves an impression.

When Jeff Halper, Director of Israelis Against House Demolitions shows the map of the future of East Jerusalem with very few Palestinians it leaves an impression.

When you observe five settlers on the top of Temple Mount surrounded by six Israeli police officers protecting them with their assault rifles it leaves an impression.
When two 13 year old children are killed two blocks from your hotel and their bodies allegedly have knives on them it leaves an impression.

When you observe the confiscation of land in the Cremisan Valley, land belonging to the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and individual Palestinian people…and all within a half a mile where you attend worship services at an Orthodox church on a Sunday morning…and go with a priest and members of their congregation after services to protest the wall that is being built to separate the people from their land…it leaves an impression.

When you see their olive trees being uprooted, people weeping and you offer prayers and sing “We Shall Overcome" …and all the time feeling helpless with the giant bulldozers crushing the trees and the land being torn up it leaves an impression.

When a Muslim women comes out of her home and thanks you for the prayer because her land is being confiscated it leave an impression.

To hear the prayers of the people of the region end their prayers with "how long oh Lord, how long" it leaves an impression.

The military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza. and East Jerusalem is affecting four million people including at least 70,000 Christians from all denominations including our own.
There is a prayer in the Book of Common Prayer that reminds us "to make no peace with oppression.”  The question each of us must ask and answer is who is the oppressor and who are the oppressed?

Jesus was clear as to his own audience and did not feel the need to give in to the intimidation and humiliation of the Roman Occupation of his day or the Temple collaborators in Jerusalem who went along with the occupation forces.

We as a community of faith must act and not only with our words and prayers.  The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement is nonviolent and is making an effort to bring the State of Israel to its senses in order to end the military occupation of the Palestinian people.

The Rev Canon Richard K. Toll
Member of the education work group, EPF Palestine Israel Network