"We Refuse to Be Enemies" - Sara

One of the visits on the itinerary that I was most looking forward to was the Tent of Nations.  Because Daoud Nassar has visited CPC, I knew of his story, and had seen the image of a rock painted with the phrase, "We refuse to be enemies."  I was anxious to see the rock in person, as well as the land on which it sits.

The land that the Tent of Nations occupies was purchased by the Nassar family in 1916, when Palestine was ruled by the Ottoman Empire.  The family lived in caves and ran a vineyard that produced olives, grapes, almonds, wheat, and other crops.  Under the British Mandate the family patriarch responsibly registered the farm in 1925 and the family still holds the papers.  In 1991 the farm was declared state land, but the papers keep Israel from legally confiscating it and instead, the family has been in court with the state of Israel for 25 years.

In the meantime, Israeli settlers have built establishments on all sides and the Nassar family has endured incredible physical oppression.  Thousands of trees have been bulldozed, they have been threatened by guns, and boulders have been placed to block the driveway into their property.

Ryan, our resident Yogi, on one of the boulders at the entrance.

The Nassars believe that the first step towards peace is to see your enemy as human.  They knew that the response options were 1. violence that creates more violence, hatred, bitterness, and enemies, 2. resign - accept injustice, become a passive victim, and blame others, 3. give up and run away - close the page and start something else.

None of those options were good, so they believed there must be another way of resistance.  They started the Tent of Nations in 2002.  With a mission to build bridges between people, and between people and the land, they bring different cultures together to develop understanding and promote respect for each other and their shared environment.

They run educational projects, notably workcamps, Children’s Summer Camps, and a Women’s Empowerment Project.  The farm is "a center where people from many different countries come together to learn, to  share, and to build bridges of understanding and hope."

When you have no political power, or control over your own land, you find ways of creative resistance.  As Palestinians, the Nassars have no access to electricity.  So they installed solar panels and receive energy from the sun to have lights, air conditioning, and even wi-fi!  They have no access to water.  So they built a system that collects rain water for use.  They aren't allowed to build on their land, so they build underground.  Because of this they are able to be incredible hosts to all of their visitors.

Showing evidence of their continued resistance, they have refused even a "blank check" offer to sell the land.  It is deeply embedded in them that they cannot sell what they have inherited - a gift cannot be sold but rather be transferred to the next generation.  

They have also gained unexpected international support - Jews have visited from the U.K. and the U.S. and have replanted over 4,000 trees - a symbol of hope.

When we sat with Daoud in the same cave that his family had lived, he told us about their four principles of peacemaking (in which I got confused and am listing as five!):

1. We refuse to be victims.
2. We refuse to hate.
3. We act differently because of our faith.
4. We believe that the Son of justice will rise again.
5. We refuse to be enemies.

Essentially they want to put faith, hope, and love in action.  They want to overcome not with more darkness but with light.  They want to grow peace from the ground up.

So they invite.  They teach.  They create.  They serve.

Another incredible meal.

They see the positives from the negatives and know that "all things good for those who follow God." And that "the suffering is not the end of the story just like the cross is not the end of the story - it is the path to new life."

"WE REFUSE TO BE ENEMIES"