great progress is being made by the new palestinian prime minister mahmoud abbas, successfully reigning in the most radical elements among his people and bringing to the table a unilateral end to hostilities that is beginning to bear fruit. since early feb leaders of the most strident palestinian factions have maintained a "calm period" with only one major infraction which was soon discovered not to have orignated in the West Bank.

israeli settlers in gaza have registered their disapproval of prime minister sharon's planned withdrawal in every conceivable way, but the presence of israeli's in gaza is not nearly as important an issue as the apartheid wall in palestine. the issue in gaza is mainly about water rights.

water is an important matter in the west bank where there is enough aquifer to maintain irrigated fields, but more important is the separation of farmers and herders from their grazing and cultivation, as the apartheid wall is routed intentionally to accomplish. at the same time as sharon was making great hay in the west with his magnanimous concession of gaza, at the very same moment in time, the knesset approved the route of the wall through the holy city of jerusalem, cutting off the palestinian citizens from their temple site, and sharon announced the go-ahead of construction.

the wall is only one third completed, and the palestinian negotiators hope to convince the israelis that there is no justification for working on its contruction during this "calm period" as it sends the message of continued distrust in the peace process. sharon is caught in a dipplomatically awkward position by abbas' successful leadership in using peacemaking as a tool to achieve what four years of violence have failed to bring.

negotiations to relinquish control of the palestinian city of jericho to the palestinian authority had been stalled for weeks, but the mounting pressure of successful nonviolence and negotiation finally ended the occupation, and the israeli defense force pulled out, leaving the pa guards with permission to carry pistols (but not rifles).

"IDF Hands Jericho to PA"

my friend christy bischoff is in hebron, palestine, right now, serving her second tour of duty with christian peacemakers. hebron has been a focal point of violence as "the fence" winds between the town and its traditional agricultural land. in much of the countryside, the apartheid wall is a fence - with razor steel on top, and spread in rows over the ground on the ghettoized side. find out more about the wall, and check out the numerous photos

Official "Stop the Wall" Website

the settlers in hebron have been harassing the shepherds especially, throwing stones at them, blocking their paths with boulders, even endangering pedestrians on the roadway with their vehicles. the christian peacemakers often escort the children to and from school to protect them, but have not always been successful. A couple of months ago, two cpt'ers were seriously injured by settlers armed with clubs and chains. Then, a few weeks later another pair of peaceworkers were attacked. they escaped with only minor injuries. not long after that, a fifteen-year-old palestinian girl stabbed an idf soldier, then a week later a sniper shot and wounded two more of the idf.

the soldiers are generally reasonably well-behaved toward the palestinian people, walking a difficult balance between their charge as soldiers to maintain the law and order resorting to violence if their judgment dictates, and the sense of common humanity that most of them share with their fellow semites on the other side of the barriers. the cpt'ers have learned that most of them regret what is their duty, and often encourage the efforts made by palestinians and israelis to coexist successfully. but after the shootings, their loyalties were tested and they stood aside as violent settlers ransacked a protected house:

"Settlers Attack House in Hebron"

christy is in the middle of all this. she is about five foot two and a hundred or so pounds, so of average size among the people she is serving. she reported that one of the children whom she walks to school each day told her that she wished christy were a muslim like her. during her first tour, christy was present when the idf bulldozers uprooted the fields of ancient olive trees to make way for "the fence", as the peasant farmers watched. the next day, a pickup truck arrived from doctors without borders, loaded with olive saplings, and israeli citizens joined with the palestinians in replanting the field.

march 16 was the second anniversary of the death of rachel corrie.

Learn More About Rachel

rachel worked with the international solidarity movement, an organization similar to the one christy is with. in the middle of all this confusion, christy and her team continue to exhort both isrealis and palestinians to work with one another to end the violence, and they have had great success despite the recent incidents of violence. they have helped many of the palestinians in hebron learn that attacking their oppressors is not only morally reprehensible but ineffective as well, that peace can come about with or without the cooperation of their leaders.

CPT Hebron List

now is a great moment as there is a "calm" in palestine, allowing all parties time to think about what is possible. christy once described peacemaking as "living in the possibility" because it illuminates ideas and practices that usually are shrouded and subjugated by the chaos of war and violence. once peace is being practiced in the countryside, there is no more excuse for the building of the wall.

the wall must be dismantled and the borders returned to the 1967 mandate in order to establish a palestinian state. both sides have agreed on that final goal, but many steps are needed to get there. the initial steps are being made. with the right kind of support, it could become a steady march. please hold the region in your mind and think about how easily peace could break out now, how possible it may become to dismantle the wall. if you pray, pray for it!

live in the possibility!