Last Thoughts

When I sat down to write a summary of the PSE program I realized what
a daunting task it was. How could I possibly write about all the
things we have taken from this experience? It was all immensely
different for each of us. We all came from different places in our
lives, different countries, and for different reasons. I suppose the
best I can do is speak of my experiences and hope that my writing does
some justice to our common experiences.
When I first came to the West Bank I was impatient. I wanted to save
the world. I’ve learned patience here. I’ve learned about despair and
endurance and the pure strength and grit it takes just to hope. With
all the meetings with organizations the reality of the situation wore
down on us. The Wall, the Settlements, the Lack of Human Rights. And
each person we spoke to would tell us of their work and how it could
not work without help.
But it wasn’t all despair. We traveled around the West Bank and
Israel. We were all in a new place, all curious and intrigued. We
laughed a lot, at ourselves and at the absurdity of Israel’s security
measures. We laughed as we learned just the beginnings of the
intricacies of Arabic, as we struggled with sounds that were difficult
to form in our (mainly) English speaking throats.
And just as we struggled with those sounds we struggled with what we
saw and heard. We struggled just to comprehend how many layers of
oppression weigh on a Palestinian mother’s shoulders. We struggled to
understand children being shot and schools being closed. Struggled to
understand why we were allowed at the beaches of the Mediterranean,
when our host families were not.
But the people of Palestine do not need sympathy. The people of
Palestine need witnesses and advocates. PSE has provided all its
participants with the foundation they need to work where they are best
suited. I thank all of the PSE staff for taking our phone calls asking
for directions. I thank all of the families who invited us into their
homes, who fed us and told us their stories. I thank my fellow
participants, who had the courage to come and the intuition to ask
questions.
Submitted by: J.Z.