I went to Palestine as part of a larger expedition to Israel and Jordan last October. I traveled with National Geographic's adventure travel arm. Two guides traveled with us, Palestinian and Jewish.
Below are a couple of images that came out of a Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem.
I wrote to my Palestinian friend/guide as the Jewish army was shooting on them wantonly on the night that Mr. Netanyahu, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and assorted American evangelicals, celebrated with champagne the move of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. One picture shows Ms. Trump as she stands before the building that will mark this embassy as though she were opening one of her father's hotels.
Not far away, Palestinians were dying.
My friend got back to me today thanking me for my note, saying that its timing was perfect. He said that while he and his family in Bethlehem, the celebrated birthplace of Yeshua, the great Master of Light who extolled peace one to another, were fine, many others around him were not.
However, he said, he remains committed to the promise of peace.
Here's what we all need to remember: our power, when united across racial, cultural and religious lines, as long as it is a power of Peace and Love, far outweighs the power of thugs. They need outward demonstrations of power because they have no power within.
We do.
Below are a couple of images that came out of a Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem.
I wrote to my Palestinian friend/guide as the Jewish army was shooting on them wantonly on the night that Mr. Netanyahu, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and assorted American evangelicals, celebrated with champagne the move of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. One picture shows Ms. Trump as she stands before the building that will mark this embassy as though she were opening one of her father's hotels.
Not far away, Palestinians were dying.
My friend got back to me today thanking me for my note, saying that its timing was perfect. He said that while he and his family in Bethlehem, the celebrated birthplace of Yeshua, the great Master of Light who extolled peace one to another, were fine, many others around him were not.
However, he said, he remains committed to the promise of peace.
Here's what we all need to remember: our power, when united across racial, cultural and religious lines, as long as it is a power of Peace and Love, far outweighs the power of thugs. They need outward demonstrations of power because they have no power within.
We do.
photo by J.Chapin October 2017
photo by J. Chapin, October 2017