What a difference a Green Line tour makes!
Dr. Morris Gordon from Canada with sister Susan Vierber of Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek and nephew, Yoel Vierber overlooking Wadi Ara and the Menashe Hills
Twenty-five year old Yoel Vierber is a pretty typical young Israeli. Born and educated on a kibbutz, traveled overseas after his compulsory army service and nowadays in the throes of making decisions with regard his future.
Yoel studied Arabic at school, discovered he couldn’t converse in that language and has since taken a deep interest in the Arabic language and culture. He was more than interest to join his mother Susan – a member of Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek – and her brother Dr. Morris Gordon who was visiting from Canada, on a Green Line/Barta’a tour through the International Department of Givat Haviva.
“Before this tour I only connected Givat Haviva with Hashomer Hatzair activities being as that was my experience in the past when I was in the movement but really knew little about the place itself or what other activities went on there,” explained Yoel, who resides in Jerusalem.
Whilst serving in the IDF Yoel had dealings with checkpoints and the security fence/wall and following the tour with his mother and uncle of Umm el-Fahm, visiting the Contemporary Art Gallery there, and the northern section of the West Bank – incorporating the Reihan bloc of Jewish settlements, Palestinian villages of East Barta’a and Umm Rehan and the Rehan Forest – I asked him what was new for him.
“First of all, I had no idea that there were Palestinians stuck in between the Green Line and the security fence and to see the commercial area of Barta’a was quite amazing. Watching so many Israeli Arabs mingling with their Palestinian counterparts as they all do their shopping sort of made me realize even more the deep complexities of the whole situation,” said Yoel, who is furthering his studies of spoken Arabic and seeking to work in educational environment projects and the field of encouraging dialogue between Arabs and Jews.
(See link ARABIC LANGUAGE JOURNEY of YOEL VIERBA)
An exhibition of photographs and film of the Wadi Ara region is presently on display at the Umm el-Fahm Contemporary Art Gallery and so the Vierber’s and Dr. Gordon were able to glean an impression of how the area looked during the British Mandate period from aerial photographs taken by the British Air Force as well as view photographs of the present day region and the people who reside there.
During the visit to East Barta’a they were able to visit and talk freely with local Palestinian barber Rateb Kabha who has not left the village for a number of years and has never been outside of the West Bank except to work in Israel in the days when Palestinians had permission to do so.
“The furthest I have been from Barta’a is Tel Aviv,” said Rateb who worked in that city for almost 20 years and speaks fluent Hebrew.
During the conversation with Rateb different aspects of life in the village, an Area B administered by the Palestinian Authority but basically little done by the PA for the residents living on the Israeli side of the security fence, were touched on. The issues of water, electricity, health care and restricted travel and more were touched upon.
In the barber’s hot seat, Rateb’s son-in-law smiled constantly at the visitors but as he knew no English or Hebrew Rateb translated questions directed at him. The young man is employed in a local poultry slaughterhouse owned by Rateb’s cousins. The slaughterhouse is situated on the East Barta’a side of the ditch that is the former Green Line/border – albeit meters from there – but he is not allowed in to the State of Israel on the other side of the two meter wide shallow ditch.
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Upon his return to Canada, Dr. Morris Gordon sent the following email:
“We took a tour with Lydia around the region of Umm el-Fahm and the nearby villages. We had the opportunity to view the area from different vantage points, and, with a better sense of geography, get a better idea of the realities facing the population in the area.
Only with such a geographical perspective could I get a good sense of security issues faced by Israelis on the one hand, and the realities of living with the security fence on the other.
We had the opportunity to talk with a resident of one of the villages who is on the West Bank side of the Green Line, but on the Israeli side of the fence – an area Lydia referred to as Limbo Land. He had little time for politicians of any stripe, nor for those who backed their actions with religion. He though them all corrupt, and just wanted to get on with life.
Lydia was very knowledgeable and informative, and the entire experience was great. I think seeing the area and people from this perspective helps one have a bit better appreciation for the realities of the area.
Dr. Morris Gordon, Canada.”
** Last year Yoel’s brothers, Ezer and Natti (pictured below) also participated in a Green Line/Barta’a tour. Ezer (left in the photo) is involved in research work in Panama whilst Natti, a member of Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, is director of kibbutz cultural events and intends organizing such a tour for younger members of the kibbutz in the near future.
